Gerri Russell's Blog, page 8
April 26, 2010
Gerri Russell Newsletter – April 26th, 2010
Dear Readers,
Spring is finally here! My favorite way to celebrate is by taking long walks where I can truly appreciate all the wonderful colors of nature. Hope you are celebrating Spring in your own special way.
Another sign of Spring…Seducing the Knight has hit bookstore shelves. Here's what RT Book Reviews had to say:
"Russell packs the pages of the Indiana-Jones-Meets-Lara-Croft tale with nonstop action."
INSIDE THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE SCOTTISH TEMPLARS SERIES
Check out the About the...
April 25, 2010
Knights on Crusade
The Crusades began as a result of Jerusalem's capture by the Seljuk Turks in 1071. The Turks were not tolerant of the pilgrims from medieval Europe who journeyed to the holy city and began arresting, imprisoning, and enslaving them. In addition, the Byzantine Empire, important to the stability and protection of medieval Europe, was losing territories to the expanding Turks and other Arab cultures and requested aid from the Church and princes of Europe.[image error]
April 14, 2010
Seducing the Knight Book Trailer
I'm very excited to share the new book trailer for my April 27th release of Seducing the Knight. The trailer was created by DewPoint Studios and the very talented April Rickard. She did a fabulous job capturing the excitement and adventure of the book. Hope you enjoy this sneak peek!
If you live in the Greater Seattle area, I'd love to have you join me on May 6th from 7 -9 at the Seducing the Knight Book Launch party at Sweet Decadence Chocolates in Newcastle, Washington for wine, chocolate...
April 11, 2010
Origins of the Knights Templar
Orders of Knighthood flowered in the Middle Ages in order to promote the pageantry and mystique of knighthood. The two most famous orders were the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers.
The Knights Templar were originally guides and guardians for the pilgrims visiting Jerusalem during the rule of the Seljuk Turks. They lived near the Temple of Solomon, and when they were incorporated in 1119, they became the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon.
[image error]The dual secular and religious nature of the...
April 7, 2010
Enter the Contest to Celebrate the Launch of Seducing the Knight
Enter to win in the Seducing the Knight Contest at GerriRussell.net
The Question:
To what mountian did Alan and Jessamine travel in search of the Ark of the Covenant?
The Hint:
Read the excerpt for Seducing the Knight to find the answer.
The Prize:
One grand prize winner will receive a delicate Scottish tea set for two (perfect for sipping afternoon tea with your knight in shining armor) along with an autographed book, and five other winners will each receive a signed novel from my Stones of D...
April 6, 2010
February Contest Winner Announced
Congratulations to Joy I. of Mesa, Arizona who won the February Valentine's Day contest on GerriRussell.net! Joy chose to received a signed copy of Warrior's Bride as her prize.
If you didn't win this time around, there will be another chance starting Monday. Check back then for details on a fabulous new contest and prize!
–Gerri
©2010 Gerri Russell's Knightly Musings. All Rights Reserved.
.April 4, 2010
The Knight in Battle
Battle was what a knight trained and yearned for from his first days as a page. Fortunately for the knight, there was never any shortage of battles in medieval Europe, providing a virtually infinite number of training opportunities for freshly-trained knights eager to hone their offensive and defensive skills, amass wealth, and gain fame.
While most of us tend to imagine great pitched battles with two mighty armies crashing against one another in a glorious charge, such battles w[image error]ere actually f...
March 28, 2010
The Training of a Knight
Medieval knights were generally born into families of knights or title lords. Thus, they were raised with the goal of knighthood in mind. An aspiring young knight was raised by the women in his own house until he reached the age of seven or eight. At that point, he was sent to the household of the local lord, along with other young men, to learn how to be a knight and live within the knightly brotherhood.
[image error]Young knight-hopefuls began their training as pages. They learned how to serve at the...
March 21, 2010
The Origins of Knighthood
Although the roots of knighthood can be traced back further in time, the knight is essentially a product of the militarization of society which began in the tenth century and accelerated in the eleventh.
The knight is associated with the advent of feudalism, a form of society distinguished by the decentralization of authority, by the growth of ties of personal dependence between man and man (or vassalage), by the physical domination of of the rural populate by lords in order to live off...
March 14, 2010
Knights and Chivalry
[image error]The word chivalry comes from the French word, chevalerie, which means skills to handle a horse. The ability to handle a horse, especially in combat, was of the utmost importance to a medieval knight. As the Middle Ages progressed, the term chivalry began to take on new meanings.
From the 12th century onward chivalry came to be understood as a moral, religious and social code of knightly conduct. The particulars of the code varied, but chivalric codes would emphasize the virtues of courage...
