Is it off with your head? or do you stand a chance of surviving?
BOOK REVIEW: The Tapestry by Nancy Bilyeau
July 26, 2015 By
Joanna Stafford, our intrepid ex-Dominican super sleuth is at it again. This time, she’s hurled straight into the midst of plotting and deception at Henry VIII’s court.
‘But Where are the Dungeons?’: How to Engage the Public at the Tower of London
July 12, 2015 By
A talk about how historical sites, like the Tower of London engage the public. How to handle visitor expectations, what do people come t see and how to tell history in a captivating but accurate manner.
Dynastic Politics: Five Women of the Howard Family During the Reign of Henry VIII, 1509-1547
June 4, 2015 By
The Howards were the most important noble dynasty of Henry VIII’s reign. Tudor political history cannot be written without them; they lived their lives at its core, in the shadow of the Crown.
Ruralia Commoda – 14th century gardening manual on display in London
May 26, 2015 By
Written in Latin between 1304 and 1309 by Petrus de Crescentiis, a wealthy lawyer from Bologna in Italy, Ruralia Commoda was the only publication of its kind during Henry VIII’s reign.
Review of Wolf Hall, Episode 2: Entirely Beloved
April 12, 2015 By
I will try to unravel some of the complexities of the relationships in the court of Henry VIII, which are shown on Wolf Hall without much effort to explain. While such a sophisticated script yields rich rewards, it assumes a certain working knowledge of 16th century power players.
Review of Wolf Hall, Episode 1: Three Card Trick
April 5, 2015 By
Tudor mystery author Nancy Bilyeau explains the intricate plot of the premiere episode of Masterpiece Theater’s ‘Wolf Hall,’ about Thomas Cromwell, the chief minister of Henry VIII, whom some decry as an evil genius and others praise as the leader of the English Reformation.
King’s sister, queen of dissent: Marguerite of Navarre (1492-1549) and her evangelical network
November 7, 2014 By
This study reconstructs the previously unknown history of the most important dissident group within France before the French Reformed Church formed during the 1550s.
The Identity of the St Bees Lady, Cumbria: An Osteobiographical Approach
June 23, 2014 By
USING AN OSTEOBIOGRAPHICAL approach, this contribution considers the identity of the woman found alongside the St Bees Man, one of the best-preserved archaeological bodies ever discovered. Osteological, isotopic and radiocarbon analyses, combined with the archaeo- logical context of the burial and documented social history, provide the basis for the identifica- tion of a late 14th-century heiress whose activities were at the heart of medieval northern English geopolitics.
BOOKS: Canterbury Cathedral
May 4, 2014 By
After visiting Canterbury Cathedral, I was inspired to suggest books that relate to Canterbury’s famous Archbishops, history and beauty.
BOOK REVIEWS: “The Chalice” by Nancy Bilyeau
April 8, 2014 By
My book review of Nancy Bilyeau’s, “The Chalice”.
BOOKS:Medieval Celebrities!
March 3, 2014 By
They may not have won any Oscars, but they were definitely medieval celebrities! Here are some great reads about some of the most famous faces of the Middle Ages
Book Review: In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn
December 6, 2013 By
It is particularly useful in that it brings together much (usually) scattered information into one place and links places, events and context together. It is a useful reference book with extensive links to further information.
Twilight Tours at the Tower of London!
December 1, 2013 By
A review of the Twilight Tour at the Tower of London!
Great Medieval Fiction 2013!
November 28, 2013 By
For those of you who enjoy some fantasy or a historical novel – this list is for you!
Perkin Warbeck: Whether my hero was or was not an impostor, he was believed to be the true man by his contemporaries
December 2, 2012 By
So what about the famous confession? By historians in the Tudor tradition this is usually seen as absolute proof that he was an impostor, arguing that “there is nothing in [his] confession which should make us doubt his truthfulness”. Somehow they cannot have looked at it too closely.
“Partners in the same”: Monastic Devotional Culture in Late Medieval English Literature
September 9, 2012 By
To understand this apparent incongruity, it is, I argue, necessary to interrogate more carefully the continuation of monastic literary culture and its gradual diffusion beyond the walls of the cloister.
“Those who give are not all generous”: Tips and Bribes at the Sixteenth-Century Papal Court
July 1, 2012 By
Ambassadors in early modern Europe were frequent disbursers of tips, rewards and bribes, and usually expected something in return for their liberality.
‘He contents the people wherever he goes’ Richard III: His Parliament and Government
April 29, 2012 By
In recent years new biographies of great figures such as Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy have shed great light on key issues of English-European relations, while studies of Margaret Beaufort have redefined the political role of the women of this era.
The Concept of Purgatory in England
February 26, 2012 By
The notion of purgatory or a third place had great and direct impact on the way people thought because this third place was the immediate destination of the soul after death in the minds of most Christians. People imagined at death that this would be the next form of being.
The City of York in the time of Henry VIII
January 31, 2012 By
During this period, the role of the landed aristocracy was changing. With the creation of a professional standing army, in which soldiers were paid a wage, and the use of foreign mercenaries (think of the Swiss Guard), the traditional military function of the nobility receded.
The Principled Resignation of Thomas More
January 15, 2012 By
More often referred to himself in a humble way that did not accurately reflect the incredible impact of his achievements both as a great common lawyer and as the greatest chancellor in the history of England.
The Auld Alliance (1295-1560) : Commercial Exchanges, Cultural and Intellectual Influences Between France and Scotland
April 17, 2011 By
The Auld Alliance (1295-1560) : Commercial Exchanges, Cultural and Intellectual Influences Between France and Scotland CANALLAS, MURIEL MA Thesis, UNIVERSITE DE TOULON ET DU VAR (2009) Abstract France and Scotland have always shared an obvious sense of friendship through the centuries. Few countries in history have been connected this way. One may wonder why. We can […]
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