It’s just over 4 weeks to Christmas and so I thought the time is ideal to do a prize draw for a signed and dedicated copy of Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest.
An ideal Christmas present for yourself or a friend!
About Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest
The momentous events of 1066, the story of invasion, battle and conquest, are well known. But what of the women?
Harold II of England had been with Edith Swanneck for twenty years but in 1066, in order to strengthen his hold on the throne, he married Ealdgyth, sister of two earls. William of Normandy’s Duchess, Matilda of Flanders, had supposedly only agreed to marry the Duke after he’d pulled her pigtails and thrown her in the mud. Harald Hardrada had two wives – apparently at the same time. So, who were these women? What was their real story? And what happened to them after 1066?
These are not peripheral figures. Emma of Normandy was a Norman married to both a Saxon and a Dane ‒ and the mother of a king from each. Wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, the fact that, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, she had control of the treasury at the end of the reigns of both Cnut and Harthacnut suggests the extent of Emma’s influence over these two kings –and the country itself.
Then there is Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great, and the less well known but still influential Gundrada de Warenne, the wife of one of William the Conqueror’s most loyal knights, and one of the few men who it is known beyond doubt was with the Duke at the Battle of Hastings.
These are lives full of drama, pathos and sometimes mystery: Edith and Gytha searching the battlefield of Hastings for the body of Harold, his lover and mother united in their grief for the fallen king. Who was Ælfgyva, the lady of the Bayeux Tapestry, portrayed with a naked man at her feet?
Silk and the Sword traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play during the Norman Conquest – wives, lovers, sisters, mothers, leaders.
If you would like to win the signed copy of Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest to put under your Christmas tree, or someone else’s Christmas tree, simply leave a comment below or on the giveaway post on my Facebook page and I will include you in the prize draw.
And don’t worry if you already have a copy – I’ll be happy to send you a signed bookplate to give it as a Christmas present, while you keep your newly signed copy.
The draw will be made on Sunday 2nd December, so you should get the book in time for Christmas Day. Good luck!
***AND THE WINNER IS…..Chloe Amy***
Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Silk and the Sword giveaway – there were 149 entries in all and I am only sorry there can only be 1 winner. Google’s random number generator picked no. 102, which is Chloe Amy. Congratulations, Chloe, if you can drop me a pm with address, I will get your book out to you this week.
To everyone else who entered, thank you so much for taking the time and for leaving such wonderful comments. If you do buy the book, drop me a message, through the ‘contact me’ button, with your address and I will send you out a signed bookplate to pop in the front. Best wishes, Sharon
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Out Now!
Tracing the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066, Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest is available from Amazon UK, Amberley Publishing and Book Depository. It is scheduled for release in the US on 1 March 2019 and is available for pre-order from Amazon US.
Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:
Telling the stories of some of the most incredible women from Medieval history, Heroines of the Medieval World, is now available in hardback in the UK from both Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK, in the US from Amazon US and worldwide from Book Depository. It will be released in paperback in the UK from 15 March 2019 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
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©2018 Sharon Bennett Connolly
History... the interesting bits! 
Just in case Santa doesnt bring me a copy I would love to win this 😉
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I would love a copy!
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Winning a signed copy of Silk and the Sword would be wonderful
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Winning a signed copy of the Silk and the Sword would be wonderful
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Winning a signed copy of the Silk and the Sword would be wonderful
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Oooh yes please a signed copy would be the icing on the Xmas cake xx
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This sounds fascinating, and is close to the period of my WIP Alliance 1031 AD. In fact, the more I write, the closer it gets!
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Sounds utterly fascinating.
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I would absolutely love to have this book. It’s about a time period I’m drawn to, some of the women are in my family tree, and I love history in general.
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I would love to receive a signed copy of your book! Like many people, I have traced my ancestry back to many of these nobles and it would be wonderful to read more about them. Thank you.
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I look forward to reading this book! I plan to order it as soon as it is released in the US. It would be great to receive a signed copy as a Christmas present…
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These books both sound so amazing. If only available in Canada before next year.
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I was so excited to learn about The Silk and the Sword! Then I was sad I would have to wait for it to come out. lol I have such a love of British and European history. Stories about medieval women and the roles they played are so rare and I am truly looking forward to your book! Thank you so much!
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As one of your fans I would love a copy to place next to your other book. I feel you are one of the finest researchers of our time! Excellent stuff!
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I would love to be entered in this drawing! I enjoyed your previous book so much.
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Sounds like an incredible book! A signed copy would be a lovely gift.
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So hopeful to win a copy of The Silk and the Sword! Thank you for including me in the drawing.
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Thank you! This is very generous of you and would be a terrific gift.
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I have loved receiving and reading “history, the interesting bits” as well as reading any well-written and sourced histories of women’s lives and deeds. History is extraordinarily compelling and the history of women is an important and often forgotten subject. I would thoroughly enjoy reading and receiving the gift of “The Silk and the Sword”. Also, I was told of my family’s history, through my greatgrandmother’s line, from the time of Matilda of Flanders (and her husband William the Conqueror). I hope that your book is a best seller!
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Thank you Susan
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Loved reading Heroines of the Medieval World and can’t wait for this one. So many of my ancestors are finally fleshed out a bit more. Great job!
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Thank You very much for the chance to win a signed copy of your book! That is something very special for it can be passed down to others in the family as a treasured keepsake full of knowledge.
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I’d love to win a copy! Please enter me in the giveaway.
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Sounds fascinating. I have not read anything by you before, but it sounds amazing to read some of the great moments in history from a woman’s point of view. Definitely something I would like to add to my TBR.
Thank you Sharon.
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I would love to have your book under my tree thanks for the chance to win a copy x
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Wishing all the success your hard work and dedication to your craft can/ may bring.
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My daughter is a huge fan and I would love to put a signed copy of your new book under her Christmas tree.
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LOve It
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I’d love a signed copy. I’ve always been intrigued by these women! Please enter me for the drawing.
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Thank you for the opportunity to enter this giveaway, Sharon.
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I love your books and to win a signed copy would be awesome! xo
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Please include me in your draw, looks very interesting! Will help my high fly8ng girls on gcse course
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Looking forward to reading this. Merry Christmas to you and yours 🎄
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Would love to win a copy. Sounds very interesting
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Thank you for the lovely offer! It is always fun and fascinating to learn more about The Family! Mother’s family always had a verbal genealogy that we were related to Duke William. I did the research, and … waoh! … there it was. My 25th great grandfather. Also the deLacys and the deWarennes. Amazing! Also learned my parent’s families are related, in the mid 1750′[s; all from Yorkshire. Hm!
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I would love to win a copy of this wonderful book so I can learn more about my ancestors and other amazing women.
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This book sounds absolutely fascinating. Would love to win a copy but I’ll probably buy one anyway.
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I really want to read this book, but I can’t even get it yet! It’s not available in the USA until March of next year. Winning it would be a huge boon. Thanks for offering it as a giveaway. Good luck to everyone entering!
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Have mine for a week. Try BookDepository.com
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Hello! I would enjoy winning a copy of your new book. I am not as familiar with the Norman Conquest era as I am with the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, but I would always like to know more. Thank you very much!
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Sounds like a very interesting read. Please enter me in the giveaway.
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This book looks fantastic. I would love to read it and learn more from this time in history.
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Looks really nteresting. Thanks for the women’s point of view!
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