One of history's most consequential divorces
Happy St Patrick’s Day to everyone. I hope all of you who were in the path of Tuesday’s storm stayed warm and safe and dry. It was not bad where I live; I ended up with a lot of tree branches on my front lawn, but the snow was washed away by the heavy rains that followed it and I never had to break out the lanterns and blankets. The injuries people suffered seem to have occurred after the storm: falling on the ice, car crashes, being careless with snow blowers, etc. How many more days till Spring?
Looking back, on the 11th of March in 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the French king, Louis, were divorced and she returned to Aquitaine to start a memorable second act. It is interesting to imagine how different European history would have been had they remained married and she never wed Henry. Of course the thought of no Plantagenet dynasty always gives me a chill, for if I’d not stumbled onto Richard III’s remarkable history, I might still have been trapped as a tax lawyer!
Looking back, on the 11th of March in 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the French king, Louis, were divorced and she returned to Aquitaine to start a memorable second act. It is interesting to imagine how different European history would have been had they remained married and she never wed Henry. Of course the thought of no Plantagenet dynasty always gives me a chill, for if I’d not stumbled onto Richard III’s remarkable history, I might still have been trapped as a tax lawyer!
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Mar 18, 2017 08:08AM
So glad you followed your dream, Sharon. You have always inspired me.
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Thank you, Margaret. What a lovely thing to say.
It's funny you should mention divorce, Sharon, as I have been studying some historical divorces myself. Whether it's for love or politics, there have been some world-changing ones, that's for sure. More to the point, I'm sat here 19,000 words written (and goodness knows how many read) later, and a terrible crick in the neck. I promised myself I would take the evening off to relax... but instead I seem to have researched and written all day. I even find myself dreaming in pained, frenzied sentences from my latest sessions of evidence interpretation and plausible gap filling. Writing is fulfilling, but I daresay it's also exhausting. I will say this: I have definitely found someone who is shaping up to edge their way into far more of the story than I had originally intended.
Just finishing up Time and Chance. Your fantastic writing on the death of Beckett is awesome. In some ways, it seems like Henry had very legitimate grievances against Beckett. Not that the solution was just, of course. How do you view the dispute? The movie "Beckett" seemed much more sympathetic to the Archbishop then your novel does. AS always, thanks for all your great books.
Hi S- Glad the storm didn't hit you too hard! It always amazes me that the Catholic Church was so accommodating to most 'royals' - providing the requisite dispensations for marriage, then conveniently whisking them away. Poor Henry VIII, no wonder he was so frustrated by his inability to gain an annulment! (Not that I condone what he did -- just a comment on the less than scrupulous application of Church rules - when convenient.)
So very glad you did not remain a tax attorney! The impact on my literary world would have been too great to contemplate!!!
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