Kyra Cornelius Kramer's Blog

Guest Post: Understanding The Essex Rebellion from the Letters of Robert Devereux

Today’s guest post is courtesy of author Tony Riches, whose books I can highly recommend as well-written, and more importantly well-researched, historical fiction.

 

Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, is one of the most intriguing men of the Elizabethan period. Tall and handsome, he soon becomes a ‘favourite’ at court, so close to the queen many wonder if they are lovers.

The truth is, of course, far more complex, as each has what the other yearns for. Robert Devereux longs for recognition, wealth ...

Johnny Depp has lost his libel suit

In April of 2018 the Sun (which is a really skanky tabloid, to be honest)) published an article calling Johnny Depp a “wife-beater”.

Depp then sued the Sun for libel, and after a long trial wherein he accused his ex-wife, Amber Heard, of shitting the bed and abusing him, he lost big time. In a nutshell, the court found that 12 out of the 14 instances of spousal abuse that Amber Heard  claimed were proven to be true, and thus the Sun hadn’t been fibbing when they called Depp a wife-beater. You ...

Guest Post by Sylvia Barbara Soberton on the Health of Henry VIII

Many thanks to Sylvia Barbara Soberton for sending me such an interesting post! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did, and that you give her new book on the health of the Tudor monarchs a look   

Did Henry VIII suffer from venereal disease or a urinary tract infection?

The theory, first put forward in 1888, that Henry VIII suffered from syphilis, has long been disproved by historians because the King didn’t display symptoms of this disease, wasn’t treated with the customary mercury and his...

Incorrect Information in the History Extra Article by Alison Weir

Alison Weir, who is a very famous popular historian, just had an article published in History Extra about Henry VIII’s reproductive problems. In it she wrote:

“One theory is that Henry suffered from McLeod Syndrome [a neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in boys and men and affects movement in many parts of the body], but the pattern of Katherine’s pregnancies doesn’t fit with that”

This is so blatantly incorrect that I had to send the following letter to the editor:

I need t...

Book Review: The Boy King

I recently had the pleasure of reading the third book in Janet Wertman’s Seymore Saga trilogy, The Boy King.

I have read, and enjoyed, the first two books of the trilogy, so I had high hopes for The Boy King. I’m happy to report I was not disappointed.

Once again, Wertman’s history is either spot on, or — where there are gaps in the historical record she had to fill in with speculation — extremely plausible. I have a personal pet peeve about history books that are loosey-goosey with facts, and ...

There is a LONG History of Immigration in Britain

(Due to current refugee/immigration hysteria, this seemed like a good time to remind readers that 1) net migration to the UK has been steadily going down and 2) more than 380,000 British people emigrated FROM the UK last year and 3) that immigration is good for the economy and 4) roughly 28% of NHS doctors who have been called heroes for their struggles against the coronavirus were born in a foreign country.  Plus, my family immigrated to the UK from the USA in 2016. My precious children are the...

The Social Murder of Daisy Coleman

Daisy Coleman, a survivor of rape who became an advocate for sexual assault victims, has committed suicide at the age of 23.

Daisy was only 14 when she was raped. She was a new girl in school, and made the mistake of sneaking out of her home Maryville, MO with her thirteen year old friend to meet with a high school senior on the football team named Matthew Barnett:

“Daisy and her friend slipped out a window and went to Barnett’s house. Daisy drank a big glass of something. She doesn’t remember...

Ogmore Castle

One of the best things about being a history buff living in Wales is the abundance of awesome castles throughout the countryside. Not far from where I live is the picturesque ruins of Ogmore Castle (Castell Ogwr ), built by the Norman invaders circa 1100 and finally abandoned altogether sometime in the mid 19th century.

It’s easy to see why the Normans chose the site to build a stronghold. Ogmore Castle sits alongside the River Ewenny.

The River Ewenny connects to the Bristol Channel in the ...

Review of The Devil’s Historians: How Modern Extremists Abuse the Medieval Past

I recently read The Devil’s Historians and I cannot praise this book highly enough. The only reason I give it two thumbs up is because I lack more thumbs.

This book is a brilliant analysis of how people use history to craft extremist narratives, and it uses plain language,  rather than academic jargon, to explain how it is done. The book clarifies that although people “tend to think of history as rigid and fixed … history is not the same thing as the past.” There are facts about the past, but ...

Science Finds Stupid, Selfish People Resist Wearing Face Masks

The science is in — it is hella important to wear a face mask over your mouth AND nose to curb the spread of coronavirus. The evidence was there all the way back in May. Taiwan has 24 million people but had only 6 deaths from coronavirus in part because the people started routinely wearing face masks to prevent its spread in January. In Scotland, face masks were made mandatory on all public transport on 22 June and a month later they have had only 102 new cases of coronavirus and zero deaths for...