Lenora Rogers's Blog, page 27
August 5, 2017
A summer reading selection: green men, sovereigns, moles and bawds
We are taking our annual summer holiday from blogging and so this will be our last post until September when we will be back with plenty of new posts and some exciting news (CLICK HERE for a teaser and there’s a little more to be found at the end of this blog!). In the meantime though, we have taken a look back at a few of our favourite blogs from this year, in a summer reading recap for our readers, old and new.
We invite you to discover Henry Cope, the Green Man of Brig...
Funiculì, Funiculà? “One-an-threppence”
Snippets 128. When the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius opened in 1880, renowned Neapolitan journalist Peppino Turco came up with the idea of a commemorative song and made the suggestion to composer Luigi Denza that he could put something together. The result was “Funiculì, Funiculà”, which is a very well known song to this day. Two decades later, American travel writer Thomas Rees visited Naples (more about which will follow in later blog posts) and the song...
August 4, 2017
Teutonic Knights: Battle for Christianity
Teutonic Knights
The Teutonic Knights were founded on the 19th November 1190, during the Third Crusade to the Holy Land.
On the 6th February 1191, they were legalised by Pope Clement III, receiving the protection of Pope Celestine III in 1196. This knightly Order; The Teutonic Knights consisted of forty knights an order of German Knights.
The Teutonic Knights played their part in the Holy Land, but their main object was to bring Christianity to the pagan inhabitants of th...
July 31, 2017
Norman Dynasty Timeline (1066-1154)
Norman Coat of Arms
Norman’s were descendants of the Viking’s whose lands were in North-Eastern France an area known as Normandy.
Edward died in January of 1066, and Harold claimed the throne. Harald Hardraada, who had also been promised the throne invaded Northern England. Harold defeated the invaders from the north, then marched south and was defeated by William who had crossed the English Channel to claim the English throne, also promised to him, at the Battle...
Legendary People: Lady Godiva
This is the first post in a new series I’ve been wanting to start for a while now. With medieval history in particular, there are lots of figures who have taken on legendary status. Some of these may have had real, historic roots, whilst others were purely fictional, but in the centuries since people have tried to find historic basis in them. So, I’d like to explore some of these people and see what real history may lie behind them. First up, I’ve gone for Lady Godiva.
The...
Mata Hari
I was first introduced to the name Mata Hari in Pond Life, a mini-series that focussed on Amy and Rory Pond from Doctor Who. In the first episode the Doctor (Matt Smith) leaves a message on their answering machine and briefly comments on meeting Mata Hari – ‘What an interesting woman’. It’s taken me four years to research her. First thing I learned? That’s not her name. This should have been obvious, she was an exotic dancer and performer. Margaretha Zelle moved to Paris in 1903 and after t...
July 26, 2017
Matilda: The Uncrowned Queen
King Henry I died in 1135, and his named successor was his daughter, Matilda the Countess of Anjou. The English throne was disputed by Stephen, nephew of Henry, who received the backing of English nobles, who wanted a male heir.
The citizen’s of London, accepted Stephen as their rightful heir to the English throne, but support quickly changed when he became Matilda’s prisoner.
Matilda’s arrogance and demands for money from the people of London, soon changed their su...
The Spanish Armada of 1588
The Spanish Armada is one of the most famous events in English history, and a story that many can recount. The terrible Spanish tried to invade to depose the beloved Elizabeth I, but due to English ingenuity and British weather it failed spectacularly. Of course, the story is never as clear cut as that, and there was a lot of political lead up and aftermath to the failed expedition.
Spain and England were not necessarily traditional enemies up to this point. In fact, Eliza...
July 25, 2017
Knights Templar: St.Mary’s Church – Templecombe
St.Mary’s Church – Templecombe
The 12th century St.Mary’s Church was part of the Abbas Combe Manor along with the Benedictine Nunnery of Shaftesbury, founded in 888 AD by Alfred the Great, whose second daughter Ethelgeda was its Abbess.
The stone church of St.Mary’s in Templecombe, dressed with Hamstone and a roof consisting of 500 year old clay tiles. It contains a two-bay chancel with northern chapel and vestries. A four bay nave with a northern aisle, a south chapel,...
July 24, 2017
Dennis O’Kelly and his horse ‘Eclipse’
For those of you who read our recent post ‘The Mysterious Marriages of Thomas Nelson’ you may have noticed the name Charlotte Hayes aka O’Kelly, well, for those who didn’t, Charlotte was a very successful brothel keeper, who co-habited (for there seems to be no proof that they married) with a gentleman by the name of Dennis O’Kelly, with whom they had one child Mary Charlotte.
Much has been written about O’Kelly, so we won’t re-tell the alleged story of his life as much m...
