Gilbert M. Stack's Blog, page 111
January 6, 2019
Today in History: Henry VIII Married Anne of Cleves
On this day (January 6) in 1540 King Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, after the death of his third wife, Jane Seymour. The marriage was arranged by Thomas Cromwell who wanted to strengthen England’s ties to the Protestants. The marriage was not successful. Henry repeatedly complained that his agents had overstated Anne’s beauty and that he did not find her attractive, but he permitted himself to be convinced to go ahead with the marriage which he proved unable to consummate. (He blamed this on what he described as Anne’s unpleasant body odor and sagging breasts.) After six months, he asked Anne to agree to an annulment and she agreed. (A month later he married the sixteen or seventeen year old Catherine Howard whom he would have executed sixteen months later for adultery.)
Anne was given a generous settlement which included property previously owned by the Boleyn family. Anne and Henry became friends after the annulment and she became an unofficial member of the royal family with Henry referring to her as his beloved sister. She was also close to Henry’s daughters Mary and Elizabeth. She outlived all of Henry’s other wives.
Another Glimpse of Winterhaven
Here's another glimpse of the amazing map of Winterhaven painted by Chris L. Adams. Like the first the map shows the transition from my sketch, to Chris' preliminary coloring of that sketch, to the full painted map.
More of Chris' work can be found at https://www.chrisladamsbizarretales.com/
Another Evolving View of the Map of Winterhaven
Here is another amazing look at Chris L. Adam's evolving creation of the map of Winterhaven. Compare it to the other images and see how he brings, hills, mountains and frozen marshes to life out of practically nothing.
You can see more of Chris' work at https://www.chrisladamsbizarretales.com/
January 5, 2019
First Look at the Coming Map of Winterhaven
One of the most important things that every great fantasy book needs is a map. When I decided to publish my novel, Winterhaven, I knew I needed a map as great as the story. Unfortunately, I have no real artistic talent to speak of and feared that I was going to fall flat in this area.
Fortunately, painter extraordinaire, Chris L. Adams, offered to help out again as he had with the map of The Jeweled Hills in my Legionnaire series. The first thing he did was color my sketch to distinguish the geographical features and clarify the place name labels. I would have been happy with this improvement alone, but Chris had bigger plans and pulled out the paint brushes. In the image below you can see the progression as the image bleeds from my original sketch, through his colorization and into his masterful painting.
I'll share some other images of the painting over the next couple of days, but if you--like me--think his painting is mind-boggling you might take a few moments to check out Chris' webpage at https://www.chrisladamsbizarretales.com/
Today in History: Edward the Confessor Died
On this day (January 5) in 1066 King Edward the Confessor died, initiating a three way struggle for the kingship of England. Edward was the son of Aethelred II and Emma of Normandy. Aethelred II was succeeded by the Danish conqueror Cnut who married Emma and had a son with her, Harthacnut. During Cnut and Harthacnut’s reigns, Edward lived in exile. (In fact, his brother was murdered when he returned to England and was handed by the Godwin family over to Harthacnut.)
When Harthacnut died, England needed a king and Edward made his comeback but his reign was always overshadowed by the powerful Godwin family. Edward bungled his effort to get rid of the family and was forced to accept Godwin’s daughter as his wife. His reputation for holiness that developed out of his monk-like celibacy was probably motivated by a refusal to produce an heir to the throne with the daughter of the man he held responsible for his brother’s murder. This resolution to prevent the family of Godwin from taking the throne of England probably also explains Edward’s promise to make his cousin, Duke William of Normandy, his heir.
When the king died on January 5, 1066 his fears that his brother-in-law, Harold, would seize the throne proved well-founded. Harold was crowned King of England but would face two other contenders for the throne—Harald Hadrada who tenuously traced his right to the throne back to Cnut’s son, Harold, and William of Normandy, Edward’s kinsman through his mother, and chosen heir.
January 4, 2019
Today in History: Sir Isaac Newton Was Born
On this day (January 4) in 1643, Sir Isaac Newton was born. Sir Isaac was the genius who would discover the universal laws of gravity. He invented the first reflecting telescope, and invented a form of calculus. He is one of the most famous and influential scientists of all time. Yet, he was also fascinated by the occult and alchemy. After the South Sea Bubble burst (an early stock market crash in which he lost 20,000 pounds) he said, “I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of men.” With all of his accomplishments he appears to have maintained a measure of humility, for in speaking of his achievements he said, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
January 3, 2019
Today in History: Martin Luther Was Excommunicated
On this day (January 3) in 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther for refusing to recant his heresy. Leo X is not the best example of a pope. He embraced the sin of simony (buying and selling spiritual things) through the Indulgences Campaign which he used to help him fund the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. But Luther was guilty (in Catholic eyes) of heresy (for embracing such doctrines as predestination) which he wouldn’t relinquish. So it was a sad event that further divided Christianity.
Today in History: The Battle of Princeton
On this day (January 3) in 1777, George Washington defeated the British at Princeton. The battle almost went against him and he was forced to bring up the bulk of his army and lead the attack himself in order to force first the retreat and then the surrender of British forces in Princeton. As a result of Washington’s three successful attacks (Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton), Cornwallis withdrew British forces from Southern New Jersey greatly boosting the morale of American forces.
January 2, 2019
Tonight in History: The Second Battle of Trenton
On this night (January 2) in 1777, George Washington repulsed a British counterattack on Trenton in a battle sometimes called the Second Battle of Trenton and sometimes called the Battle of Assunpink Creek. The British army under command of General Cornwallis had been harassed by American rifleman all day as they approached Trenton. Cornwallis began his attack at twilight and was repulsed three times before deciding to call off the attack until daylight. Washington took advantage of the darkness of night to lead his army out of Trenton and around Cornwallis’ army to make an attack on Princeton in Cornwallis’ rear (which he would make the next day while Cornwallis occupied Trenton and wondered what had happened to Washington and his men).
Today in History: Spain Completes the Reconquista
On this day (January 2) in 1492 the Emirate of Grenada surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella completing the 700 year Reconquista of Spain.
