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An investigation of the depiction of warfare in contemporary writings, in both fictional narratives and factual accounts. War and combat were significant factors in the lives of all conditions of people during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; thousands of men, women and children prepared for, engaged in and suffered from the consequences of almost endemic armed conflict. However, while war and combat feature prominently in many of the forms of literature written at the time, the theme of warfare in some types of narrative source remains a relatively under-studied area. This book offers an investigation of the depiction of warfare in contemporary writings, in both fictional narratives an...
A Sunday Times Book of the Week 'A thrilling episode from England's medieval history.' Dan Jones, The Sunday Times An engrossing history of the pivotal year 1217 when invading French forces were defeated and the future of England secured. In 1215 King John had agreed to the terms of Magna Carta, but he then reneged on his word, plunging the kingdom into war. The rebellious barons offered the throne to the French prince Louis and set off the chain of events that almost changed the course of English history. Louis first arrived in May 1216, was proclaimed king in the heart of London, and by the autumn had around half of England under his control. However, the choice of a French prince had enor...
An exhilarating, accessible chronicle of the ruling families of France and England, showing how two dynasties formed one extraordinary story The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were a time of personal monarchy, when the close friendship or petty feuding between kings and queens could determine the course of history. The Capetians of France and the Angevins of England waged war, made peace, and intermarried. The lands under the control of the English king once reached to within a few miles of Paris, and those ruled by the French house, at their apogee, crossed the Channel and encompassed London itself. In this lively, engaging history, Catherine Hanley traces the great clashes, and occasional friendships, of the two dynasties. Along the way, she emphasizes the fascinating and influential women of the houses—including Eleanor of Aquitaine and Blanche of Castille—and shows how personalities and familial bonds shaped the fate of two countries. This is a tale of two intertwined dynasties that shaped the present and the future of England and France, told through the stories of the people involved.
Volume II of "Erin's Sons" covers the same time period as its predecessor and the same geographic area--the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia--and it lists an additional 7,000 Irish arrivals in Atlantic Canada before 1853. What is remarkable about this second volume is the rich variety of information derived from hard-to-find sources such as church records of marriages and burials, cemetery records, headstone inscriptions, military description books, newspapers, poor house records, and passenger lists.
A life of Matilda--empress, skilled military leader, and one of the greatest figures of the English Middle Ages Matilda was a daughter, wife, and mother. But she was also empress, heir to the English crown--the first woman ever to hold the position--and an able military general. This new biography explores Matilda's achievements as military and political leader, and sets her life and career in full context. Catherine Hanley provides fresh insight into Matilda's campaign to claim the title of queen, her approach to allied kingdoms and rival rulers, and her role in the succession crisis. Hanley highlights how Matilda fought for the throne, and argues that although she never sat on it herself her reward was to see her son become king. Extraordinarily, her line has continued through every single monarch of England or Britain from that time to the present day.
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are two of the most recognisable figures of the Middle Ages, and almost certainly the best-known couple. The lives of their sons have been examined in detail many times, but their daughters are barely known despite the influence they exerted on the world around them. Joanna, the youngest daughter, led an extraordinary life full of travel, adventure, danger and controversy. Her story is told here in full for the first time.
In a time when men fought and women stayed home, Nicholaa de la Haye held Lincoln Castle against all-comers. Not once, but three times, earning herself the ironic praise that she acted ‘manfully’. Nicholaa gained prominence in the First Baron’s War, the civil war that followed the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. Although recently widowed, and in her 60s, in 1217 Nicholaa endured a siege that lasted over three months, resisting the English rebel barons and their French allies. The siege ended in the battle known as the Lincoln Fair, when 70-year-old William Marshal, the Greatest Knight in Christendom, spurred on by the chivalrous need to rescue a lady in distress, came to Nicholaa’s aid. Nicholaa de la Haye was a staunch supporter of King John, remaining loyal to the very end, even after most of his knights and barons had deserted him. A truly remarkable lady, Nicholaa was the first woman to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Her strength and tenacity saved England at one of the lowest points in its history. Nicholaa de la Haye is one woman in English history whose story needs to be told…
This is an illustrated history of the extraordinary Anglo-American Wheelwright family.In 1636 an outspoken Puritan, Reverend John Wheelwright, left his native Lincolnshire and headed for the new Boston Bay Colony. His stay in Massachusetts would be short lived.Persecuted and banished, Reverend John went on to found two New England towns and a dynasty which now spans six continents.The Wheelwrights have produced explorers, engineers, clerics, consuls and a family of cannibals. There are philanthropists, philanderers, psychoanalysts, scientists, soldiers and sailors.A sea captain became a pirate. A lawyer became a gold-digging sportsman and a kidnapped child was transformed from Puritan to Catholic mother superior.The Wheelwright's story, complete with black sheep and skeletons a-plenty, spans four centuries. Hundreds of illustrations and family charts, drawn from years of research, bring 580 pages of this most remarkable family's history to life.
This study takes the sword beyond it functional role as a tool for killing, considering it as a cultural artifact and the broader meaning and significance it had to its bearer.