May 2025 – History… the interesting bits!

Wordly Women: Samantha Wilcoxson

24/05/202516/05/2025Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

Today we are hopping across the pond for the next chat in my Wordly Women series. Joining me is Samantha Wilcoxson. Author of fiction novels mainly based in the late medieval and Tudor eras and and non-fiction books on the American Revolution, Samantha’s books – literally – span the Atlantic divide. Samantha has a knack for getting into the heads of the people she is writing about. Her book, Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen, about Elizabeth of York, is still one of the most insightful novels I have ever read.

Sharon: What got you into writing?

Samantha: What got you into writing? I have always loved reading and used to write dozens of book reviews every year. Many of those books were historical fiction and nonfiction. When I was considering ways to earn money while a stay-at-home mom, my husband suggested I write a book. I had never considered taking this step, so the first obstacle was deciding what I would want to write about. It didn’t take me long to settle on Elizabeth of York, and I quickly became passionate about the project. That novel turned into a series, and I’ve ventured into other historical eras since then.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Samantha: Each of my novels explores the life of a real historical figure in a way that helps readers connect with them on a personal level. My Plantagenet Embers series includes three novels featuring Elizabeth of York, Margaret Pole, and Mary I. It also has three novellas that offer new points of view of the same events by focusing on Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, and Reginald Pole. Then I moved into US history with my next two novels. Luminous is biographical fiction of real life radium girl Catherine Wolfe Donohue, and But One Life explores the life of American Revolution soldier Nathan Hale. My nonfiction books are Women of the American Revolution and a newly released biography of James Alexander Hamilton.

Sharon: What attracted you to the Tudors?

Samantha: When I started writing the series that ended up covering the early Tudor era, I was actually obsessed with the Wars of the Roses. I thought Elizabeth of York was an unsung heroine, so I started with her with no real intention of writing about the Tudors! This is actually a great insight into my writing. I never know what is coming next.

Sharon: So, what is coming next?

Samantha: I am currently writing a trilogy set during the Wars of the Roses for Sapere Books. It includes multiple women’s points of view. For example, book one has chapters featuring Marguerite of Anjou, Cecily Neville, and Anne Beauchamp. That one is in editing, and I’m working on book two, which will add the perspective of Elizabeth Woodville and others.

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Samantha: This depends a lot on whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction. For novels, I largely depend on biographies already written, but for nonfiction I look for more primary resources like personal letters and diaries. For either, I like to visit locations important to the people I’m writing about so that I can include details about the places they experienced.

Sharon: You also write US history non-fiction.

Samantha: Tell us your ‘favourite’ story you have come across in your research? My research into James Alexander Hamilton uncovered loads of interesting discoveries, partly because nobody else has really written about him. I held letters written between James and Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, and so many others. (Gotta admit, it was tempting to try sneak that JQA letter into my bag!) I think the most fun story I came across, besides John Quincy writing about being too old to stay up all night at a lively Hamilton party, was learning that James was part of the crew of the schooner America for which the America’s Cup is named.

Sharon: Tell us your least ‘favourite’ US history story you have come across in your research?

Samantha: I don’t know if I would call it a least favorite, but I decided to write a novel about Nathan Hale because I often came across quotes attributed to him such as, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country” but very little else about who Hale was. What happened in this young man’s life to create such bravery and patriotism? Few references to him offered much, so I decided to dig in and reveal the story of Nathan Hale before his famous execution during the American Revolution.

Sharon: Are there any other eras you would like to write about?

Samantha: I always have a few ideas brewing but am committed to the next couple of books on the Wars of the Roses right now. I have started a bit of research into a historical event that occurred near my home in Michigan in 1847 that I would like to consider for a future project. I’m not one of those writers who has the next five years planned out and I tend to impetuously strike out in new directions, so we’ll see what happens.

Sharon: And finally, what is the best thing about being a writer?

Samantha: Besides spending my day reading, writing, and learning about history, I love the flexibility of being a writer. I began as a stay-at-home mom, and I still appreciate the ability to easily set my work aside for a few days if one of my adult children needs anything. I’ve also made many friends in the writing community who make me feel less alone as a history nerd and have provided amazing support and encouragement for each of my book projects.

About the Author:

Samantha Wilcoxson is an author of emotive biographical fiction and nonfiction featuring history’s unsung heroes. Her novel Luminous has been named Book of the Year by Ruins & Reading and Yarde Book Reviews. Samantha’s most recent work is the first biography of James Alexander Hamilton, published by Pen & Sword History. She is currently writing a Wars of the Roses trilogy for Sapere Books. When not reading or writing, Samantha loves sharing trips to historic places with her family and spending time by the lake with a glass of wine.

Where to find Samantha Wilcoxson:

Website; Instagram; Amazon Author Page; Newsletter Signup; Goodreads; Pinterest; Twitter; Shop Direct; Audible

My books

Signed, dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Scotland’s history is dramatic, violent and bloody. Being England’s northern neighbour has never been easy. Scotland’s queens have had to deal with war, murder, imprisonment, political rivalries and open betrayal. They have loved and lost, raised kings and queens, ruled and died for Scotland. From St Margaret, who became one of the patron saints of Scotland, to Elizabeth de Burgh and the dramatic story of the Scottish Wars of Independence, to the love story and tragedy of Joan Beaufort, to Margaret of Denmark and the dawn of the Renaissance, Scotland’s Medieval Queens have seen it all. This is the story of Scotland through their eyes.

‘Scotland’s Medieval Queens gives a thorough grounding in the history of the women who ruled Scotland at the side of its kings, often in the shadows, but just as interesting in their lives beyond the spotlight. It’s not a subject that has been widely covered, and Sharon is a pioneer in bringing that information into accessible history.’ Elizabeth Chadwick (New York Times bestselling author)

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

Heroines of the Tudor World tells the stories of the most remarkable women from European history in the time of the Tudor dynasty, 1485-1603. These are the women who ruled, the women who founded dynasties, the women who fought for religious freedom, their families and love. Heroines of the Tudor World is now available from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK. Women of the Anarchy demonstrates how Empress Matilda and Matilda of Boulogne, unable to wield a sword themselves, were prime movers in this time of conflict and lawlessness. It shows how their strengths, weaknesses, and personal ambitions swung the fortunes of war one way – and then the other. Available from Bookshop.org, Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK. King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is the story of a truly remarkable lady, the hereditary constable of Lincoln Castle and the first woman in England to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Available from all good bookshops Pen & Sword Books, bookshop.org and Amazon.

Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US, and Bookshop.org. Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England looks into the relationships of the various noble families of the 13th century, and how they were affected by the Barons’ Wars, Magna Carta and its aftermath; the bonds that were formed and those that were broken. It is now available in paperback and hardback from Pen & Sword, Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Heroines of the Medieval World tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich. Available now from Amberley Publishing and Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066. Available now from Amazon, Amberley Publishing, and Bookshop.org.

Alternate Endings: An anthology of historical fiction short stories including Long Live the King… which is my take what might have happened had King John not died in October 1216. Available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.

Podcast:

Have a listen to the A Slice of Medieval podcast, which I co-host with Historical fiction novelist Derek Birks. Derek and I welcome guests, such as Bernard Cornwell and Michael Jecks, and discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved. Every episode is also now available on YouTube.

Don’t forget! Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

For forthcoming online and in-person talks, please check out my Events Page.

You can be the first to read new articles by clicking the ‘Follow’ button, liking our Facebook page or joining me on Twitter, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram.

The Poetic Life of Margaret of Scotland, Dauphine of France

17/05/202516/08/2025Sharon Bennett Connolly6 Comments

Margaret of Scotland was the eldest daughter of James I, King of Scots, and his wife, Joan Beaufort. James had been king since the age of 12, though the first 18 years of his reign had been spent in English captivity, where he had fallen in love with Joan, the granddaughter of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. James’s release had been successfully negotiated in 1423 and the marriage was politically favourable to the English, who saw it as an opportunity to improve relations with Scotland while, at the same time, drawing Scotland away from France, their traditional ally.

James I returned to Scotland in April 1424, with his new bride – and queen– at his side. Margaret was born in the royal apartments at the Dominican Friary in Perth, on Christmas Day in 1424. She was joined in the nursery by five sisters during the next ten years, Isabella, Eleanor, Joan, Mary and Annabella. Twin brothers were born in 1430, Alexander and James, but only James survived past the first few months.

In 1425, an embassy arrived from France, seeking little Margaret’s hand in marriage for Louis, son and heir of Charles VII:

Margaret’s mother, Joan Beaufort

The king [of Scots] was pleased to respond favourably to so distinguished an embassy, and forthwith sent as a solemn embassy to the king of France with a specific brief and commission the venerable men sir Henry Lychton bishop of Aberdeen, sir Edward Lauder archdeacon of Lothian, and Sir Patrick Ogilvie knight (the sheriff of Angus and justiciar of Scotland). Whereupon there was an agreement on both sides; and five years later, when each was of marriageable age, there came as envoys from the king of France La Hire the king’s maitre d’hôtel along with the distinguished cleric Master Aymer; and in terms of their commission they arranged the betrothal of the said eldest daughter of the king. The girl was sent to France by her father a little later, namely 1436, surrounded by a distinguished following of attendants, and in the following year she was married.¹

The marriage proposal was to accompany the renewal the Franco-Scottish alliance. France’s king, Charles VII had given his ambassadors the task of asking for Margaret’s hand in marriage for his son, Louis, the dauphin. Born in July 1423, Louis was just 18 months older than his future bride. However, James I hesitated, reluctant to give the French the army of 6,000 men that they wanted as part of the alliance. Charles VII was in a precarious position in France at the time. The Hundred Years War was raging and, despite the fact his father had died in 1422, he would not actually be crowned king until July 1429. In fact, Henry VI of England had already been crowned King of France and it was only due to the efforts of Joan of Arc that Charles VII’s fortunes would change. James, therefore, held off from agreeing to the alliance, and used it to strengthen his position in negotiations with the English.

*Margaret arrives in Tours for her wedding, from a 15th-century work by Jean Chartier.*

In 1435, the marriage of Margaret and the dauphin was finally agreed and the young bride, still only eleven years old, set out for France the following year. The princess only narrowly escaped her father’s fate when the English fleet attempted to capture her en route:

the dauphiness luckily made her escape and landed at La Rochelle. She rested at Nieul Priory which is two leagues from La Rochelle without notice being taken of her until such time as the [arch-] bishop of Rheims, with the bishops of Poitiers and Saintes and the worthy sires de Graville, Gaucourt and ‘Pontissey’ welcomed her and lodged her honourably in a splendid place for more than two months until the marriage was celebrated at Tours in Touraine. This was performed there by the archbishop of Rheims with the greatest possible ceremony, in the presence of the king and queen and also of the queen of Sicily (the mother of the queen of France). Once the wedding had been formally celebrated, the Scots (except the few who remained with the dauphiness) were much gratified with various presents and after a safe voyage arrived home.²

She left by ship from Dumbarton in March 1436, with an entourage worthy of a princess; she was escorted by several of the leading lords of the realm, a household of 140 persons in royal livery and more than 1,000 troops. The French fleet in which she sailed landed on the Île de Ré, near La Rochelle, on 17 April and made a formal progress to Tours. On 24 June she met her future husband for the first time, in the great hall of the castle at Tours, and the young couple embraced formally. They were married the next day, in the castle’s chapel.

*Margaret’s father, James I, King of Scots*

Celebrated by the Archbishop of Reims, it was a rather subdued affair, for a royal wedding. The continuing state of warfare with England had stretched the French royal finances to the limit. The reception was not as lavish as the Scottish guests might have expected and was cut short to preserve funds, the scandalised Scots being quickly ushered out. And almost immediately after the wedding celebrations, most of Margaret’s Scottish household was sent home, with just a handful of her native attendants allowed to stay with the new dauphine. Owing to the tender age of the young couple, they were not expected to consummate the marriage for another few years, so Margaret was given into the guardianship of Queen Marie, Charles VII’s wife, and continued her education under the queen’s supervision. Petite, pretty and delicate, Margaret soon became the darling of the French King and Queen.

Louis, on the other hand, had a strained relationship with his father, one that would eventually be expressed in open rebellion; as a result, he was rarely at court. When Louis asked the king for an allowance with which to set up a household for himself and his young wife, his father refused, despite being happy to give Margaret money to indulge herself. At one time, Charles VII gave Margaret 2,000 livres to buy herself furs and silks, and yet he refused to pay off Louis’ debts. Margaret also received grants directly from the king, rather than her husband, as might have been expected.

*Margaret’s husband, the future King Louis XI*

In 1437 the marriage was consummated and Margaret, now approaching her thirteenth birthday, was given her own household. Relations between the dauphin and dauphine were not helped by Louis’ strained relationship with his father and it seems that comparisons were made between Louis’ unimpressive looks and Margaret’s beauty – although malicious English chroniclers would insist that Louis was repelled by Margaret’s ‘evil soured breath’.

Margaret was allowed no part in court politics. The dauphine’s role in France was limited to formal occasions and court ceremonials, such as the celebrations for the marriage of the king’s niece, Margaret of Anjou, to Henry VI of England, which Margaret attended in 1445. As with her father before her, Margaret had a passion and talent for writing poetry and, although she enjoyed court life, she became increasingly bored with it. She retreated more and more to her own chambers with her ladies and spent her days and evenings writing and reading poetry. Her evenings were so taken up in this style, that she often retired to bed long after Louis had fallen asleep.

Margaret was also renowned as a patroness of literature. She had several poets in her household, including Jehanne Filleul, whose works have survived to this day, and the Viscount de Blosseville. De Blosseville wrote one of the three laments to the dauphine, written before her death. Another such lament was possibly written by her sister Isabella, it was certainly in her possession.

As the years passed and the couple remained childless, Margaret’s lifestyle caused further discontent within the marriage, and more unhappiness for the young princess as her husband expressed his displeasure. There is some suggestion that Margaret deliberately prevented herself from falling pregnant by drinking vinegar, and by tightly lacing her bodices – although this may also have been for vanity, and to keep her svelte figure. There were also followed accusations of impropriety within Margaret’s rooms when, at Christmas 1444, Jamet de Tillay, a member of the king’s household, entered her chamber during one of her private poetry evenings and subsequently spread rumours about ‘wanton princesses’.

Margaret perceived it as a personal attack and became increasingly distressed, complaining that Jamet had turned the king and dauphin against her. Although Jamet tried to apologise, Margaret would not hear of it. By the summer of 1445 the dauphine was very ill.

*Tomb of Margaret Stewart in the Saint-Laon Church, Thouars*

Having accompanied the court on pilgrimage she fell ill on 7 August and by the next day she was feverish and suffering from fits of coughing. Her doctors diagnosed an inflammation of the lungs. In her delirium, she blamed Jamet de Tillay for her impending demise and swore she had never done Louis any wrong. As she approached death, Margaret calmed down and forgave Jamet, on her ladies’ instigation. Having received the last rites, Margaret died on 16 August 1445, at Châlons-sur-Marne; she was just twenty years old. The dauphine was laid to rest in the Cathedral of St Étienne in Châlons; in 1479 her body was moved by her husband, now Louis XI, to the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre in the Abbey Church of Saint-Laon in Thouars, where Margaret had founded a chaplaincy.

Following her death, Louis destroyed every piece of poetry and writing that Margaret had ever produced. None of her work survived her husband’s purge. However, her patronage of poets has at least ensured she had a worthy legacy. Louis went on to marry Charlotte of Savoy and was the father of Anne de Beaujeu, regent of France for her brother King Charles VIII.

Notes:

1. Bower, Scotichronicon, V 8, p. 249; 2. ibid, p. 251

Sources:

Calendar of documents relating to Scotland, Vol. 4; M. H. Brown, ‘Joan [née Joan Beaufort]’, oxforddnb.com; Amy Licence, Red Roses: Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort; Nigel Tranter, The Story of Scotland; John of Fordun’s Chronicle of the Scottish Nation; Walter Bower, Scotichronicon; Andrew Wyntoun, The orygynale cronykil of Scotland; Richard Oram, editor, The Kings and Queens of Scotland; Rosalind K. Marshall, Scottish Queens 1034–1714; Nigel Tranter, The Story of Scotland; David Ross Scotland, History of a Nation; Liber pluscardensis, edited by Felix James Henry Skene; James I, King of Scots, The Kingis Quair, edited by James, William MacKean, Walter W. Skeat, Alexander Gardner

Images:

Courtesy of Wikipedia

My books

Signed, dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

Podcast:

Don’t forget! Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

For forthcoming online and in-person talks, please check out my Events Page.

You can be the first to read new articles by clicking the ‘Follow’ button, liking our Facebook page or joining me on Twitter, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram.

Wordly Women: Heather R. Darsie

16/05/202516/05/2025Sharon Bennett Connolly1 Comment

In a special episode of my Wordly Women interview series, Heather R. Darsie drops by on her blog tour celebrating the publication of her new book, Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: ‘I am Not as Simple as I May Seem’. Do have a look at the other stops on the tour to geta taste of this wonderful new biography.

So, Heather, What got you into writing?

Heather: As silly as this sounds, I can’t remember originally. My dad had an electric typewriter that he let me use to write stories beginning when I was probably eight years old. I continued writing stories and poems through high school (14 to 18 years old in the USA), which culminated in a play based off Edgar Allen Poe’s “Annabel Lee” when I was in my final year of high school. My play was called Annalise, wherein the wife was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis of which my paternal grandfather passed away. The husband slowly went mad, to the point where the wife’s had to intervene. The theme of the play was tragedy. My high school put on the play, I was in the local newspaper, and invited to host a workshop at the statewide high school theatre festival.

After graduating from high school, I went to university and majored in German Languages and Literature, then pursued my Juris Doctorate in American Jurisprudence. Along the way, I studied abroad in Costa Rica and France, learning Spanish and French, too. I have had numerous opportunities to travel to France, Spain, Germany, and various countries in Central America, which have all contributed to keeping my language skills sharp.

I became heavily interested in Tudor history in around 2010. By early 2015, I grew tired of reading the same-old, same-old about Anna of Cleves, a German woman. I asked Claire Ridgeway of the Anne Boleyn Files if I could contribute a post on Anna to her website, to which Claire kindly agreed. Thereafter encouraged and emboldened, I sent a letter in my very best German to the mayor of the current City of Cleves, and my research took off from there. The combination of a life-long interest in writing, linguistic education, research and analytical skills from my juris doctorate, combined with the history community’s encouragement is how I arrived here, ten years on.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Heather: I view myself as a Tudor-adjacent historian. The persons and events I choose to focus on should be recognizable am most interested in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which began recognizing itself that way in the early 16th century. Specifically, anyone or anything connected to the von der Marks, which is Anna of Cleves’ family (she was “of Cleves” much like Princess Mary Tudor would be “Mary of England” in another country) or the Habsburgs. My first two nonfiction books, Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister and Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings are effectively German history books. My third nonfiction book, Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain looks at just that, the husbands and wives of the Scottish-to-English Stuart dynasty. The dynastic intermingling with continental European families is fascinating. I wrote a novella during the pandemic, Diary of a Plague Doctor’s Wife, set during the last outbreak of the Black Death in 1720s Marseille. The parallels to our own experiences 300 years later with Covid-19 were eerie to me at the time of writing.

Sharon: What attracts you to the Catherine of Aragon?

Heather: Like Anna of Cleves, I felt there was more to her than the end of her marriage with Henry VIII. Specifically, I wanted to know more about Katharine’s family dynasty and Katharine’s early time in England, and share that with readers.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor and why?

Heather: For queens, I am drawn to Catherine Parr. She seemed the most savvy when it came to navigating Henry VIII and the dangerous politics of the Tudor court. I am very intrigued by Thomas Cromwell in his position as a lawyer. He was very clever; I hope to write about him someday.

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Tudor and why?

Heather: I do not have a least favorite, but I do think the most tragic was Anne Boleyn, who was foisted by her own petard. I am finding that more and more as I work on my next book, If any Person will Meddle with My Cause: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn.

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic, especially when most of the sources are Spanish?

Heather: I start with finding articles on JSTOR, then checking the footnotes for sources. From there, I go to Google Play, Archive.org, the Spanish library websites, etc. for old manuscripts. Like many English books, several of the old, out-of-copyright ones are available for free. The Spanish language is not a barrier for me, since I hear or read it most days a week at work.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ Catherine of Aragon story you have come across in your research.

Heather: I really enjoyed reading about all of the pageants she viewed during her formal entry into London. It must have been quite the time for her.

Sharon: Tell us your least ‘favourite’ Catherine of Aragon story you have come across in your research.

Heather: Katharine was having a difficult time with Spanish grammar in her letters toward the very late 1520s and early 1530s. This could be indicative of the extreme stress that she was under during that time, or the isolation she was experiencing and being unable to speak Spanish with anyone, or both. I found it tragic and poignant. I don’t believe I remarked on that in my book.

Sharon: Are there any other eras you would like to write about?

Heather: I am interested in doing a little more on the late 16th to early 17th century. Otherwise, I am fairly happy with the time frame that I work in now, but exploring more individuals and courts.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Heather: I am finishing up the aforementioned book, If any Person will Meddle with My Cause: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn. I am completing an epic as well, which I will self publish likely later this year, that has heavy Greek mythology themes. Our heroes go on a quest to bring back the Olympians and restore justice to the human world. The epic is clocking in at about 3, 600 lines right now. I suppose it makes me a poet along with an author.

Sharon: And finally, what is the best thing about being a writer?

Heather: Sharing knowledge.

About the book:

Katharine of Aragon is more in the public consciousness now due to the TV show ‘Spanish Princess’. Katharine has of course been an interesting historical figure for quite some time because she is the first wife of the infamous Henry VIII. This book provides a new perspective on Katharine because it includes far more background on her Spanish upbringing, Spanish culture, and how that continued to define her in England during her first fifteen years in the country. Additionally, Heather uses rich primary sources, such as ‘The Receyt of Ladie Kateryne’, which have either not been sourced or infrequently referred to in other biographies about Katharine. In this, Heather’s multilingual abilities – especially her fluent Spanish – are put to good use. No one, for example, has considered he rippling impact of terminating Katharine’s marriage on the Trastamara and Habsburg dynasties in Europe. Katherine was as important abroad as she was in England.

Buy Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: ‘I am Not as Simple as I May Seem’

About the author:

Heather R. Darsie, J. D. is an independent researcher specializing in early modern history. She describes herself as a “Tudor-adjacent” historian, focusing on the Holy Roman Empire and England in the early 16th century. She is the author of four nonfiction books: Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister, Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings, Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain, and Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: I am not as Simple as I May Seem. She self-published the novella Diary of a Plague Doctor’s Wife. Her primary career is as an attorney. Heather lives in Illinois with her loving husband, wonderful stepchildren, and three raucous parrots.

Where to find Heather:

Website: MaidensAndManuscripts.com; Instagram: @hdarsiehistory; X: @hrdarsiehistory; Threads: hdarsiehistory; Facebook: Heather R. Darsie, Historian; BlueSky: @hrdarsiehistory.bsky.social

My books

Signed, dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

Podcast:

Don’t forget! Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online store.

For forthcoming online and in-person talks, please check out my Events Page.

You can be the first to read new articles by clicking the ‘Follow’ button, liking our Facebook page or joining me on Twitter, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram.

Wordly Women: Catherine Hanley

10/05/202510/05/2025Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

I am very happy today to welcome historian Catherine Hanley to History…the Interesting Bits in a new instalment of my Author Spotlight series, Wordly Women. Catherine is the author of Matilda, 1217 and her latest book, Lionessheart, about Joanna, the sister of Richard the Lionheart. Catherine also writes a historical fiction A Medieval Mystery series under the name C.B. Hanley, following the adventures of Edwin Weaver, bailiff of Conisbrough Castle and its lord, William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Warenne and Surrey. It is a fabulous series that I can highly recommend!

Sharon: So, Catherine, what got you into writing?

Catherine: Oddly, that question is kind of the wrong way round for me. When I did my PhD I was reading and writing all day every day for years; after it was finished and I got a full-time job that didn’t involve writing, I missed it so much that I just had to take it up on top of work. As the cliché goes, I write because I simply can’t *not* write. Eventually, over the years, it came to replace the day job rather than being an add-on.

Sharon: You write both fiction and non-fiction – is one harder than the other?

Catherine: On a day when I’m writing fiction, I’d say non-fiction was easier, and vice versa …

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Catherine: My non-fiction mainly explores different facets of war and politics in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries – sometimes via biographies of individuals, and sometimes in the form of more wide-ranging surveys.

My fiction is a series of murder mysteries set during the early thirteenth century, during and just after the French invasion that followed the Magna Carta wars. My main characters are fictional, but the stories are set against a factual backdrop, with some real people in the background. It all started because, during some academic research, I discovered that a certain high-profile individual had changed sides twice during that war, but nobody knew why. So I decided to make up a (plausible!) story about why this had happened, and then once I’d started I just kept going.

Sharon: What attracts you to the 13th century?

Catherine: It is the best century, and I will be taking no further questions and entering into no arguments on this subject. (Sharon: no argument from me! I totally agree with this analysis!)

Sharon: Who is your favourite 13th century personality and why?

Catherine: OK, so this is very niche, but it’s Philip of Dreux, a member of a cadet branch of the Capetian royal house, who was the bishop of Beauvais in France. He was a younger son, so he’d been ‘donated’ to the Church by his family early in life. Unfortunately for him this had been done purely on the basis of birth order rather than aptitude or inclination, and he was one of the most bellicose men you could imagine. He fought in the Third Crusade, during which he travelled to Cyprus to tell Richard the Lionheart to his face that he should stop ‘arrogantly persecuting innocent Christians when close by there were still so many thousands of Saracens whom he should be attacking’, which went down about as well as you might expect. He was still going decades later, and fought in battle of Bouvines when aged in his sixties; there he battered the much younger earl of Salisbury to the ground with a mace ‘that he happened to have in his hand’, which is one of the best primary-source lines you’ll ever read.

If I ever decide to write a new series of novels when my current one is finished, the bishop of Beauvais and his mace are going to have starring roles …

Sharon: Who is your least favourite 13th century personality and why?

Catherine: It’s unfortunate for the purposes of this question that Richard the Lionheart died in 1199, thus making him a personality of the twelfth century, so I can’t nominate him! I also think that William Marshal has been vastly overrated.

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Catherine: I read A LOT, making sure that I’m consulting a wide range of primary sources rather than merely relying on what other people have said in secondary sources.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ medieval story you have come across in your research.

Catherine: Basically the entire career of Philip Augustus of France, but I can’t give you too many spoilers on that just now …

Sharon: Tell us your least ‘favourite’ medieval story you have come across in your research.

Catherine: It’s always difficult reading about the many atrocities that took place in the past. One that got to me quite recently was the sad tale of Owain ap Dafydd, the son of Welsh prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd. Dafydd was captured by Edward I and then hanged, drawn and quartered, and his two sons were sentenced to harsh imprisonment. The elder of them died not long afterwards, but Owain, who was 7 when he was incarcerated, lived on for more than 40 years. He was kept in solitary confinement (and, as an adult, actually in a cage), and this stunted his mental as well as his physical development. A sad letter was later sent on his behalf asking if he could please have more adequate food and clothing, and whether he might be allowed out of his cell occasionally ‘to play’. He was at that point 37.

Sharon: Are there any other eras you would like to write about?

Catherine: Not really. There’s still so much to be discovered and said about the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that I can happily spend the rest of my career there, although I do venture occasionally into the fourteenth. The thought of writing about anything post-medieval gives me a nosebleed.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Catherine: *Takes a deep breath* As ever, I have several projects on the go, all at different stages. In non-fiction, I’m at page-proof stage for Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy (about the French king Philip Augustus), for publication in September 2025; almost at manuscript delivery stage for Women in Medieval Families (for 2026 publication) and in the early stages of a whopping volume called The English at War in the Middle Ages for 2027.

In fiction, A Pale Horse, number 9 in my series of medieval mysteries, is due out in June 2025, and I’m having some initial thoughts about book 10.

That’s probably enough to be getting on with!

Sharon: And finally, what is the best thing about being a writer?

Catherine: Being able to sit in a roomful of books by myself all day and lose myself in the Middle Ages. It’s such a privilege that I can still hardly believe it’s happening.