European History

Wordly Women: Heather R. Darsie

Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments

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

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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.

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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.

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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly, FRHistS and Heather R. Darsie

Book Corner: The Pilgrim’s Revenge by Scott Mariani

Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments

1190 – Humble layman Will Bowman lives in the countryside with his pregnant wife, when soldiers from Richard Lionheart’s army tear through his home. Will is beaten unconscious, and awakes to find his wife murdered, his farm burnt down, and his life forever changed.

In vengeance, Will infiltrates Richard’s army to find the marauding gang, and finds himself swept along in the march of the Crusades. With the help of new allies and fuelled by his loss, Will crosses Europe with the King’s army.

Can Will avenge his wife? Or will he be swept away by the unstoppable force of Richard’s Crusade?

I have been a Scott Mariani fan for a while now and was disappointed that Ben Hope has finally retired, though relieved for Ben that he survived 30 books of people trying to kill him. When one brilliant series ends, you begin to worry that what comes next will be a disappointment, or not as addictive, that you will not feel so invested in the new characters. Especially when the author moves genre. It is a big risk that author and reader take together.

So, when Scott Mariani moved from thriller with a historical twist to full-blown historical fiction, I was a tad concerned. Fans of historical fiction can be pedants. If there is a grey squirrel out of place, ie, in medieval England, someone will notice. If a character lives longer than he actually did (I am looking at Sweyn Forkbeard in Vikings Valhalla) someone will notice. There is a knack to historical fiction, to weaving the story within the known facts, to introducing fictional characters and creating their interactions with historical figures. The story has to have that essence of authenticity.

I needn’t have worried!

In fact, I probably should have trusted that Scott Mariani knew what he was doing. Though I may not have agreed with some of his theories in The Tudor Deception, the actual history was spot on. Having read the last Ben Hope book, The Templar Secret, after Christmas, I should have known a historical fiction book was around the corner. It is obvious the author loves his history. And, given the topic of that last Hope book, it should come as no surprise that Mariani’s first foray into historical fiction involved the crusades – the Third Crusade, to be precise.

Not that we get more than a glimpse of the Holy Land in this first book – all that is still to come.

By now Will had almost reached the nearest of the horsemen on his side of the yard. Up close, the rider was an intimidating figure looming far above him in the saddle with the blade of his drawn arming sword glinting in the sunlight. Before Will reached him the horseman saw his approach and wheeled his mount around to face him, dust flying from its hooves. With an angry shout the rider spurred the horse towards Will, swinging his sword down at him. Will ducked, and the double-edged blade hissed through the air above him.

It had been a blow meant to separate his head from his shoulders, and it had only narrowly missed its mark. The horse thundered past, shaking the ground. The rider reined it brutally around and charged at Will again.

Nothing like this had ever happened or even been heard of in Will’s experience. He had never been in a real fight, except a minor scuffle once when he was a lad, settled quickly with a couple of punches. This was deadly serious combat, and he was unprepared for it. But the terrible shocking sight of Beatrice in the soldiers’ clutches and the sound of her screams was enough to dispel his confusion and fear, filling him with rage and determination to do anything he could to drive these raiders away and make this stop. And the obvious realisation suddenly occurred to him, for the first time, that he was holding the very means of doing that in his hands. His bow was still unstrung, no more than a long wooden shaft with its hemp cord loosely attached to the bottom end. But practice had made him very adept at readying the weapon in moments; as the horseman bore down on him with the sword raised high, he bent the stave against his foot and looped the string into place.

The rider was almost on him. Will snatched an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to the string and simultaneously raised his bow and pulled it to full draw. He had never before pointed any weapon in anger at another human being, but there was little time to reflect on that fact, or even to take aim, as his enemy closed in. Will stood his ground until the last moment, released his arrow and saw it fly and hit the rider full in the chest.

The soldier flinched violently at the arrow strike. A normal opponent would have been a dead man, his heart split in two by the power of the longbow at such close range. But instead of piercing deep into his flesh the iron point glanced off his heavy chain mail and the broken pieces of the arrow shaft spun away through the air. Then Will had to leap out of the way of the charging horse, and he threw himself to the ground.

The Pilgrims’ Revenge starts in England and follows the journey of a crusader fleet to Outremer, with adventures that are often overlooked by historical fiction authors eager to get to the nitty gritty of the crusade. But what a story they miss out! Scott Mariani includes the little-known excursion of part of the fleet, into Portugal to help with the crusades there. Then, of course, we arrive in Sicily, where Richard the Lionheart frees his sister, Joanna, meets his bride Berengaria and antagonises his ‘ally’ Philip II of France. And then we get a wonderful, vivid depiction of the conquest of Cyprus.

All is seen through the eyes of our hero, Will Bowman, a men seeking revenge for the murder of his wife and unborn child. He only joins the crusade to chase the murderers but finds a purpose, a talent for soldiering, comradeship and a bent to command along the way. Scott Mariani seamlessly blends together the wider story of Richard the Lionheart’s crusading enterprise with Will’s personal story and experiences.

The Pilgrims’ Revenge is the first of what promises to be a fast-paced, exhilarating – and, hopefully, long – series. Punctuated by bloody battles, exquisite swordplay and a thrilling storyline, the action is relentless and Scott Mariani fans will not be disappointed. The research is exemplary, especially with regard to the conflict in Portugal, which is usually ignored. The historical figures are wonderfully written and the locations evocative, dusty, hot and exotic.

Will Bowman is a character I look forward to hearing much more about.

The Pilgrim’s Revenge will be available from 24 April 2025

Order The Pilgrim’s Revenge.

About the author:

Scott Mariani is the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the multi-million-selling Ben Hope thrillers. From 2025 he is launching into a new historical adventure series featuring medieval English hero Will Bowman, who is forced from his home to join King Richard ‘the Lionheart’ on the Third Crusade and rises up to become a knight. Book 1,THE PILGRIM’S REVENGE, is available from April 2025 and is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Scott lives and writes in west Wales, UK. You can find out more about his work by visiting his official website.

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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 for pre-order 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.

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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly, FRHistS

‘Margaret of Logie, of high and noble birth’

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment
Joan of the Tower, Queen of Scotland

When she died in September 1362, Joan of the Tower (also known as Joan Makepeace) had been Queen of Scots for thirty-three years. She had never borne a child, nor is there any mention of her ever having become pregnant. So, on her death, David II was still without a son and heir. The heir to the Scottish throne was Robert Stewart, the nephew he despised, who had six legitimate sons by 1362.

Following the murder of his lover, Katherine Mortimer, in 1360, and before Joan’s death, King David had fallen in love with Margaret Drummond. The first reference to Margaret and David’s relationship is in a charter of 20 January 1363, to the Friars Preacher, for the souls of David himself and of ‘our beloved’ Margaret Logie. Margaret was the daughter of a lowly Scottish knight, Sir Malcolm Drummond. She had been married to Sir John Logie of Logie and had at least one son, also called John.

The relationship with Margaret further alienated David’s heir, Robert Stewart, who was involved in a violent feud with Margaret’s brothers, John and Maurice Drummond. It also threatened to disinherit Robert, should Margaret give birth to a son. This could explain Robert’s involvement in a rebellion early in 1363, in which a petition was presented to the king, demanding that he set aside Margaret and dismiss his current advisers.

Despite the opposition to the relationship, ‘in the year 1363, the aforesaid lord David, king of Scotland, took to wife, at Inchmurdach, a great lady, named Margaret of Logie, of high and noble birth, and born in his kingdom; and he endowed her with many lands and possessions, and raised her to reign in honour with him, with the royal diadem.’1 They were married at Inchmurdoch, in the Fife manor house of the Bishop of St Andrews, though ‘Thai ware togiddyr bot schort quhile.’2

Crest badge of the Clan Drummond

According to the chroniclers, Margaret was very beautiful, but her character left much to be desired, ‘With the aim therefore of providing for the succession to the kingdom from the fruit of her womb (if God granted it), King David chose a most beautiful lady, Margaret Logie, the widow of John Logie, perhaps not so much for the excellence of her character as a woman as for the pleasure he took in her desirable appearance.’3 Once married, David gave preferential treatment to Margaret’s family, granting them lands and prestigious marriages. One such marriage, possibly inspired by Margaret herself, was between her niece, Annabella Drummond, and John, the eldest son and heir of Robert Stewart.

If Margaret herself did not produce a son and heir for Scotland, her niece might one day become queen. This must have angered Robert Stewart, who was still embroiled in the feud with Margaret’s brothers. Demonstrating her own influence over King David, in the winter of 1368, the queen went as far as to persuade her husband to order the arrest and imprisonment of Robert and some of his sons. The continued lack of an heir, however, may have begun to rankle with King David, who released his nephew after a short time. David also favoured his stepson. On 6 December 1363, John Logie, ‘the son of the Queen of Scotland’, was among the ‘divers lords and others, who came to England in the retinue of the K. of Scotland about a treaty of peace between the Kings’ and was gifted ‘a parcelgilt cup, weight 75s., value 6l. 5s. 4d’.4 He received further gifts such as that on 16 December 1365, when the king ‘of Scotland, Sir Archibald, and other lords of Scotland came to Annandale, and gave seisin of it to one John de Logy son of the Queen of Scotland’.5

Annabella Drummond, Margaret’s niece

The Liber Pluscardensis suggests that the queen, knowing David was tiring of her, faked a pregnancy in order to maintain her influence over her husband, and save her marriage. It did not work. Margaret is always portrayed as an ‘arrogant, demanding wife’, and it may be that she was, though I cannot help but wonder that harsh words are used to describe her because she was lowly born, the daughter of a mere knight, rather than a princess. She was seen as unworthy for the high office to which David had elevated her. It cannot have been easy for her, being reminded constantly of her low social position in respect of the others who surrounded the king. It would go some way to explain her haughty attitude; she was trying to live up to her queenship. David had also started an affair with Agnes Dunbar, sister of George, Earl of March.

Whether it was for the lack of an heir, the demanding nature of his wife, or a desire to marry a new love, the result was the same: ‘he lived with her for a short time, [but following animosity that arose between them,] he divorced her about the beginning of Lent 1369.’6 King David applied for a divorce, which was granted, relegating Margaret to the position of ‘Lady Margaret Logie, onetime Queen’. Margaret, however, was not going to go quietly and live in retirement on the pension of £100 a year the king had awarded her. Margaret decided to appeal to a higher power and

On this account she secretly boarded a ship in the Firth of Forth [well supplied with money] and made for the papal court. She arrived at Avignon where the pope was then to be found. By making an appeal she transferred her case there, and disturbed the whole kingdom by her legal action. And so once the king’s proctors had travelled to the apostolic see, the case was bitterly disputed, and the pleading between the advocates of the contending parties was so prolonged that a book compiled from that source and certified by notarial marks is longer [in] wordage (in my judgment, for I who have written this have seen this pleading) than the contents of the text of four Psalters. For her case was many times committed for hearing by auditors and cardinals, so that if she had lived, she would have subjected the kingdom to an interdict; but she died on a pilgrimage to Rome.7

David II, King of Scots


King David II Bruce died, childless, at Edinburgh Castle on 22 February 1371, having reigned for forty-two of his forty-seven years. The king’s death did not stop Margaret from continuing with her lawsuit against him for some years, despite how much it was costing the former queen. There was a

Notarial instrument dated 23d June 1372, attesting obligation of same date by the Lady Margaret Queen of Scotland, widow of the late David Bruys K. of Scotland, acknowledging a loan of 500 marks from Adam Franceys and two other London merchants, made to her at Avignon, repayable at Caleys at Pentecost following. Done in the house of the said Queen Margaret at Avignon ut supra.8

Scotland was under the threat of a papal interdict as a result. Reprieve only came with Margaret’s death, during a pilgrimage to Rome in early 1375. The rule of the house of Bruce had lasted just sixty-five years and had been punctuated by the country’s fight for Scotland’s sovereignty. Eventually, however, it was not England that ensured the downfall of the House of Bruce. It was the failure of King David to have an heir.

David II (left) and Edward III

There is always a tendency to blame the woman when a king dies childless, but the fact that David was married twice and had a number of mistresses, but never became a father, even of an illegitimate child, would suggest that the problem lay with David. Though the point is moot.

In the end, David’s heir was his nephew, as he had been from the moment David ascended the throne. David was succeeded by the first of the Stewart kings, Robert II, son of Robert the Bruce’s eldest daughter, Marjorie and her husband, Walter Stewart. The royal House of Stewart would rule Scotland until 1714 and England from 1603 until 1714.

Notes:

1. John of Fordun’s Chronicle of the Scottish Nation; 2. ‘They were together but a short while’, Wyntoun, The orygynale cronykil of Scotland; 3. Bower, Scotichronicon, V 7; 4. Calendar of documents relating to Scotland, Vol. 4, no. 93; 5. ibid.; 6. Bower, Scotichronicon, V 7; 7. ibid,; 8. Calendar of documents relating to Scotland, Vol. 4, no. 197

Bibliography:

John of Fordun’s Chronicle of the Scottish Nation; Walter Bower, Scotichronicon; Andrew Wyntoun, The orygynale cronykil of Scotland; Calendar of documents relating to Scotland preserved in Her Majesty’s Public Record Office; Richard Oram, editor, The Kings and Queens of Scotland; Rosalind K. Marshall, Scottish Queens 1034–1714; Ian Mortimer, The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation; Dr Callum Watson, ‘Ane Lady Bricht’: A Life of Annabella Drummond, Queen of Scots, c. 1350–1401; Bruce Webster, Margaret [née Margaret Drummond], Oxforddnb.com; Nigel Tranter, The Story of Scotland; B. Webster, ‘David II and the Government of Fourteenth-Century Scotland’ (article); David Ross Scotland, History of a Nation; Phil Carradice, Robert the Bruce: Scotland’s True Braveheart; G. Barrow ‘The Aftermath of War: Scotland and England in the late Thirteenth and early Fourteenth Centuries’ (article); Colm MacNamee, Robert Bruce: Our Most Valiant Prince and Lord; Stephen Spinks, Robert the Bruce: Champion of a Nation; Fiona J. Warson, Robert the Bruce; Bruce Webster, ‘David II’, Oxforddnb.com

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My Books

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

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.

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 for pre-order 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 discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved. Every episode is also now available on YouTube.

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

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 and Instagram.

©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS

Wordly Women: Toni Mount

Sharon Bennett Connolly1 Comment

In today’s spotlight on Wordly Women, I welcome my good friend, novelist and historian, Toni Mount back to History… the Interesting Bits. Toni writes the fabulous Seb Foxley mystery novels and the non-fiction series How to Survive in…

Sharon: What got you into writing?

Toni: I’ve always been a story-teller. Aged 6, when the teacher was called away – before the days of teaching assistants – she would have me sit at the front of the class and tell them a story. It was usually a mix of various fairytales with princes, princesses, witches and dragons. I like to think I became more sophisticated when I started writing them down in English Composition lessons aged 7 or 8. My imagined ‘First Flight of Concorde’ – the supersonic plane – won the school prize and my head has been full of stories for as long as I can remember. A good many have made it to the page but not all.

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

Toni: Fiction needs your own ideas; in non-fiction the facts are there, waiting for you to use. Since my novels are as authentic to the period as I can make them, but without the ‘gadzooks’ and ‘forsooths’, they take as much research as the non- fiction books. In both cases, I’m looking to tell a good story. The difference is that non-fiction may have gaps where historians don’t know the answers, such as what was Edward II thinking when he gave Piers Gaveston the queen’s jewellery but in a novel the writer is allowed to tell you why.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Toni: I’ve had 30+ books published, half of them novels. My most successful non-fiction books are ‘Everyday Life in Medieval London’ and ‘Medieval Medicine’ both published by Amberley, and ‘How to Survive in Medieval England’ published by Pen & Sword which was recently a no.1 best seller on Amazon. The How to Survive series – my fourth: ‘How to Survive in Ration-Book Britain’ is due to be out in November 2025 – is written for the armchair time-traveller and puts a light-hearted slant on history. ‘How to Survive in Tudor England’ and ‘How to Survive in Anglo-Saxon England’ are the other titles.

My Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery series has quite a following – book 13 ‘The Colour of Darkness’ has just gone off to the publisher MadeGlobal. Seb is a London-based scribe and illuminator in the 1470s-80s whose eye for detail means he spots clues that others miss to solve crimes. Many are true crimes which were recorded in the Mayor’s Court Rolls and remain unsolved – until now. I love the way my characters take over the story, sometimes doing things that never occurred to me. Seb has become a family member, so much so that my sons commissioned a portrait of him for my 65th birthday and it hangs above the fireplace.

Sharon: What attracts you to the period?

Toni: Whether fact or fiction, the Plantagenet period from the 1150s to 1485 is by far the most intriguing for me. Who doesn’t love to puzzle out a mystery? But modern policing is too boring to write about with so much paperwork, hours of CCTV footage to trawl through, fingerprinting, DNA, ballistics, etc. Give me Sherlock Holmes with his magnifying glass every time. The medieval period has even fewer technical complications.

Sharon: Who is your favourite medieval or Tudor personality and why?

Toni: Richard III obviously. I love the controversy. Was he a saint or a sinner? Or simply a human being?

Sharon: Who is your least favourite medieval or Tudor personality and why?

Toni: Henry VIII – a vicious paranoid megalomaniac. What’s to like? (Sharon: I could not agree more!)

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Toni: I read all I can around the subject; get a feel for the period and ‘live it’ in my head. As I write, if I realise I don’t know something, I make a note of it, check it out and list sources as I go. This is vital for a book which will have references and footnotes but even if I’m working on a novel, I may want to return to a source for further info or to mention it in my Author’s Notes – this is where I tell readers what’s true in the novel, which characters really existed, etc. In ‘The Colour of Darkness’, I did additional research into Medieval Mystery Plays and the ‘Duke of Exeter’s Daughter [a torture device], among other things. For the next novel, I’m reading up on medieval ships and firearms – I think it’s time somebody got shot with a ‘gunne’.

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

Toni: John/Eleanor Rykenor was a cross-dresser in the 1390s. He claimed to have had sex with nuns ‘as a man’ and didn’t charge them for it but did charge a group of Oxford priests-in-training for his services ‘as a woman’. He/she also said he’d spent a year or more living as a man’s wife. When caught in flagranti in a stable, wearing women’s attire and charging a man for sex, as Eleanor she appeared in court. The authorities weren’t sure what crime to charge her with – homosexuality wasn’t made a criminal offence until Tudor times – so she was charged with misrepresenting the product for sale, i.e. advertising her services as a female without having the appropriate ‘equipment’ for the job. She had to pay a fine for flouting what we would call the Trades Description Act. John/Eleanor is a character in my Foxley novels although he/she lived a century before they’re set. I couldn’t resist using such a fantastic character.

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

Toni: The discovery of RIII’s skeleton in a Leicester car park ruined my first ever trilogy [written in 1980s and unpublished]. My premise for the series of novels was that Richard, though wounded, survives the battle of Bosworth and goes on to have further adventures. Henry Tudor, frustrated when he can’t find Richard’s corpse to prove the king is dead, substitutes a crippled beggar to be buried instead. I was about to rewrite the trilogy when the dig discovered the bones and DNA proved it was Richard. How annoying!

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

Toni: Apart from writing about the medieval and Tudor eras, I’ve also written a Victorian who dunnit – ‘The Death Collector’ – making use of unsolved murders from the 1880s, including those attributed to Jack the Ripper. That was great fun to write and I fancy doing a sequel. Also, I wrote a non-fiction book ‘The World of Isaac Newton’ and I think Isaac, with his brilliant brain, has definite possibilities as a sleuth. I’ve published books ranging from Anglo-Saxon England to the 1950s and everything in between has at least been touched upon. Maybe more on the Anglo-Saxons would be interesting.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Toni: The next novel is brewing: ‘The Colour of Malice’ and two self-published booklets are being prepped. ‘Medieval Christmas’ will do what it says on the tin. ‘Warriors – Men-o’-War’ is a very different beast as a collection of my short stories, something I’ve not done before, from Agincourt to Afghanistan. There are no new titles for non-fiction books at the moment.

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

Toni: Playing God with characters [in fiction] and the beauty of words – choosing how best to express your ideas and imaginings on the page. Marvellous!

About the Author:

Toni studies, teaches and writes about medieval history. She is a successful author writing the popular Sebastian Foxley medieval murder series and several non-fiction volumes, including her collection of How to Survive in books. She has created several online courses for http://www.MedievalCourses.com, she teaches history to adults and is an experienced speaker giving talks to groups and societies. Toni enjoys attending history events as a costumed interpreter and is a member of the Research Committee of the Richard III Society.

Toni earned her Masters Degree by Research from the University of Kent in 2009 through study of a medieval medical manuscript held at the Wellcome Library in London. Her first-class honours degree, Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing and her Diploma in European Humanities are from the Open University. Toni also holds a Cert. Ed (in Post-Compulsory Education and Training) from the University of Greenwich.

Find Toni Mount’s books here

Find Toni on Social Media:

Amazon; Website; Seb Foxley website; Facebook: Medieval England Facebook; Seb Foxley Facebook; Twitter

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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.

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 for pre-order 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, Elizabeth Chadwick 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.

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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.

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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly, FRHistS and Toni Mount

Author Spotlight: Scott Mariani

Sharon Bennett Connolly13 Comments

Do excuse me if a get a little giddy and fan girly with this one! One of my favourite thriller writers is about to release the first book in a new series – in historical fiction!

I absolutely love Scott’s Ben Hope books and got the last in the series, The Templar Secret, for Christmas. They are modern day thrillers with a historical twist – and are great fun to read.

And Scott agreed to do an interview with me!

I also have an advance copy of the new novel, The Pilgrim’s Revenge, so expect a review shortly. And Scott will be joining Derek and I for a chat in an upcoming episode of A Slice of Medieval. But, in the meantime, Scott and I had a chat….

Hi Scott, thank you for joining me, how did you start your writing career?

It came about both gradually, and suddenly. I’d always been interested in stories – as a kid I used to mess around with drawing and writing, and sometimes combining the two to create my own stupid little cartoon strips which were usually pretty unoriginal rehashes of things like King Kong or Jaws or Tintin, as well as historical themes based on Ivanhoe or Chevalier Ardent – I was into all sorts of things at that young age! Aged about eight, I think, I wrote a sci-fi horror story in which the entire male population of the human race was wiped out in a war against giant robot dinosaur creatures; but we won in the end because ‘the women bred’ (that’s a quote) and repopulated the army so that humans could defeat the monsters. It was not a promising start to my career. Later, in my early twenties, I dabbled with various ideas and projects, one or two of which were completed but have never seen the light of day – for which the world can be thankful, as they weren’t very good either.

Then one day after moving to Wales – this is in about 2006 – while out walking the dogs in the fields the idea for a character called Ben Hope popped into my head more or less fully-formed. What emerged from that was a novel called The Fulcanelli Manuscript, which ended up in the hands of the world’s worst London literary agent and being published by a hardback-only library publisher who printed 400 copies and had no intention of ever doing more. That could have been, and nearly was, the end for me. The book lay dead and buried for a year until I (not the literary agent) managed to gain interest from Avon, then a new imprint of HarperCollins UK, for the paperback rights which, thank God, the library publisher hadn’t been interested in grabbing. Suddenly – overnight really – the Ben Hope series was rebooted with Avon offering a deal for four books. The Fulcanelli Manuscript became retitled The Alchemist’s Secret . . . and that’s how it all began. I still can’t believe the series ended up thirty books long!

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Assuming that you’re able to drag your way up to a reasonable level in the industry: working from home, setting your own hours, not having to commute anywhere, seldom needing to travel unless you’re into doing a lot of physical research, being about as free and independent as it’s possible to get whilst still remaining gainfully employed . . . and getting paid for indulging the interests and passions that you would be preoccupied with even if they were just a hobby. It suits me perfectly.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

When you’re starting out, the competition is crushing – especially if you had a bad start as I did. Unless you’re fortunate to have strong backing from a good agent, you may feel you’re embarking on an impossible quest that will only end in heartbreak or madness: I know, I suffered from both at various times! It can also be a horribly cruel and unjust industry. So many talented writers get crushed under the wheels of the machine and never get anywhere, while success very often doesn’t depend on the quality of the work. While most editors are lovely folks, you may be unlucky enough to have to work with people who have great control and leverage over what you do, and don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart. I could talk a lot about the high number of truly decent writers I’ve known who have fallen by the wayside, some very sad stories among them. It is a tough world.

You have been writing modern thrillers with a historical twist for years, what made you take the leap into full-on historical fiction?

I’ve always loved history. I wish I had had the sense when I was seventeen to want to study it at university! And it was a fascinating, highly educational and satisfying experience to write all those Ben Hope novels, each featuring its own historical backstory or mystery to a greater or lesser degree. The downside was that, because I’ve always produced two books a year, every six months I would have to uproot myself from whatever fascinating historical world I’d been so immersed in, clear it all from my head and plunge straight into the next. One minute you’re delving into ancient Babylon or Egypt, the next you’re off to the Chinese Cultural Revolution or the American Civil War. All wonderful stuff, of course, but it’s like being a perpetual globetrotter, always on the move, and never being able to stay in one location for long even though you might have fallen in love with the place and wanted to live there forever. Then one day while I was working on Ben Hope 28, The Tudor Deception, and deep into all the intrigues of medieval England, I thought: ‘You know what, I really love being here reading and writing about all this medieval stuff. What if I could just keep on doing that, and remain in one setting rather than having to jump about all the time?’ So, to cut a long story short, that’s what I’ve done. It wasn’t as simple or easy a decision as I’m perhaps making it sound – and of course the end of the Ben Hope series has upset a lot of fans – but nonetheless I’m really happy that I took the plunge.

I’m going to miss Ben Hope…

What were your main challenges when you switched from thrillers (Ben Hope was excellent, by the way) to historical fiction?

Because you’re going much deeper into just one time setting, it becomes all the more important to get the details as correct and authentic as possible: hence the research process is that bit more intensive. The good news for me is that I love research! I’ve accrued such a library of books on my favourite areas of history that when I get stuck in, they pile up so high around me on the desk that it’s like being inside a canyon. Because I’ve picked a medieval time / place setting that’s so well chronicled (the events of the Third Crusade), and because I want to stay as faithful to the true facts and timelines as possible, my plotline is already laid out for me to some extent by the historical sources. That’s been an unusual experience for someone who’s used to having to make it all up themselves! But although it might make life easier in some regards, it also creates the new challenge having to insert, or you might say superimpose, a fictitious main protagonist into the mix, through whose eyes we experience those well-known events in a fresh and dramatic way. Having to blending the worlds of fiction and non-fiction together like that, so that the (non-historian) reader hopefully can’t see the joins, is a whole new kind of fun. I’ve enjoyed being able to create scenes where my fictitious character is in dialogue with famous real-life figures like King Richard I and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Tell us about The Pilgrim’s Revenge. What attracted you to writing about the Crusades?

The Pilgrim’s Revenge is the first book in my new series introducing the character of Will the Bowman, or just Will Bowman. The story begins in the year 1190, when Will, a young Englishman, has his happy married life torn apart by marauding soldiers who raid his home, and he’s forced to join up with King Richard’s expedition to the Holy Land as a means of catching up with the villains who did it. Actually we don’t quite reach the Holy Land in Book 1 – that’s for the next. But I hope there’s plenty there to excite and interest the reader. I adore the medieval period – grew up in a historic town, wept as a child when taken to the spot in Rouen where they burned poor Jeanne d’Arc, later read medieval French at University, learned to play with great big swords and shoot a bow – but the whole crusades period has a particular fascination for me. And what could be more cool than the most iconic crusade of them all, the conquest that pitted Richard the Lionheart against the great Saladin? Will Bowman and his comrades get embroiled right in the thick of the drama, and it’s a ride! At any rate it has been for me. I hope readers will love it too . . .

How are you going to cope with the lack of guns? Will the body count be lower?

Are you kidding? We don’t need guns. We have bows and arrows that can pierce chain mail armour from a long way off; we have double-edged swords and scimitars that’ll whip off arms, legs and heads; we have great big siege catapults that can take down massive stone ramparts from two hundred paces; we have thundering great charges of heavy cavalry bearing down on the enemy with lances; we have crossbows and axes and flails and daggers and all sorts of goodies to play with! And did I mention Greek Fire? It’s like The Iliad out there . . . No question, the body count and general level of mayhem and destruction are considerably higher than anything in the Ben Hope books . . . not that that makes it better, of course!

Phew! That’s a relief!

What comes first, the story or the research?

When I was constantly hunting around for fresh material for the Ben Hope books, it was more a question of finding the basic idea first. That could come, and did come, from all kinds of possible places as I was (and am) constantly reading. The basic idea for The Mozart Conspiracy came about from an old book I’d had for years about Mozart’s last year and just happened to revisit one day. The Babylon Idol popped into my head while driving and listening to a Louis Armstrong gospel number about King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol. The Forgotten Holocaust, dealing with the Irish famine of 1847, was a subject I’d wanted to do for years and nearly did as a historical stand-alone because I’d no idea at first how to make it work as a Ben Hope book. But in general, that initial concept could come from anywhere. Then you’d have to delve a little deeper to see if your idea had any legs or not – sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t and you’d need to go and find something else. From there, the story and the research would generally develop in parallel. There was no particular system, but I’m pleased to say it worked pretty well. Now with the Will Bowman series, the case is slightly altered: the historical backdrop dictates a lot about the trajectory of the storyline, and the depth of research required fleshes out what’s going on while also providing inspiration for new story and character angles. If you can get all those stars lined up for you, then it all happens in an organic kind of way that feels very natural.

Have you got the historical fiction bug now? What comes next?

This is going to be the shortest answer. Yes, for sure! What comes next? More Will Bowman books. I’ve got four to do to begin with, but I would like to do more. A lot more. Mustn’t jinx it by saying too much, though.

Are there any other eras – or writing genres – you would like to write about?

As I think anyone who’s read much of my backlist knows already, my historical interests are pretty wide-ranging. Who can say if something else would come up in the future? Never say never: and that goes for genres too. Right now, however, I’m very content to stay exactly where I am. I no longer have to worry about where I’m going next: I’m free to trace the story arc of Will Bowman for as long as I’m able to. What better way to create a truly immersive experience for readers interested in our rich and exciting past?

The Pilgrim’s Revenge will be available from 24 April 2025

Pre-order The Pilgrim’s Revenge.

About Scott Mariani:

Scott Mariani is the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the multi-million-selling Ben Hope thrillers. From 2025 he is launching into a new historical adventure series featuring medieval English hero Will Bowman, who is forced from his home to join King Richard ‘the Lionheart’ on the Third Crusade and rises up to become a knight. Book 1,THE PILGRIM’S REVENGE, is available from April 2025 and is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Scott lives and writes in west Wales, UK. You can find out more about his work by visiting his official website.

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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.

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 for pre-order 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.

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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly, FRHistS and Scott Mariani

Guest Post: The Book and the Duchess by Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

Last month, we lost one of the great historians of medieval history, Martin Aurell. A few years ago, I had the honour of translating one of Martin’s essays on Eleanor of Aquitaine for a compilation on England’s medieval queens. He had a wonderful insight into Eleanor and I would have loved to meet him. So, when my dear friend Kasia asked if I would publish her tribute to Martin, I jumped at the chance.

The Book and the Duchess: Eleanor of Aquitaine and her Artistic Legacy….

In memory of Professor Martin Aurell

Eleanor of Aquitaine’s tomb effigy, Fontevraud Abbey

Richard of Devizes called her femina incomparabilis “a woman without compare” and in many respects she was. Queen of both France and England respectively, duchess of a great duchy in her own right, rebel wife who openly went to war against her husband, Eleanor of Aquitaine needs no introduction. And yet very little is actually known about one of the most famous women in history. Thus we should not find it surprising that all the myths and misconceptions about her got so firmly established in the popular consciousness. One of them is Eleanor as a very active artistic patron. However, if we raise the question, her artistic legacy is rather modest. There are only few surviving objects that can be safely associated with her.

First and foremost, there is her tomb effigy at Fontevraud Abbey, which is the earliest funerary monument that we know of to depict a woman with a book. Also, as it seems, it is the only one to depict a man or a woman in the act of reading. The book Eleanor is holding is a restoration. The original had been destroyed during the Revolution. It is probably devotional work…. book of prayers, psalter or gospel book.

A noble lady kneeling in a psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine

The effigy is one of the few instances when Eleanor can be safely identified as an artistic patron. She most probably commissioned it herself. Also the effigies of Henry II and Richard I the Lionheart (the one of Isabelle of Angouleme was commissioned more than forty years later) which were created at the same time (as stylistic similarities indicate). Made from tuffeau limestone from the Loire valley they successfully stood the test of time. despite different vagaries of history. What makes us believe Eleanor was a commissioner? First and foremost, Eleanor’s presence at Fontevraud Abbey at the time. After Richard’s death in 1199 she left the walls of the abbey, but stayed in Anjou, defending it for John. Later she retreated to the abbey again and spent her last years there. The effigies must have been created between the death of Richard and her own death in 1204 (also the year Anjou fell to the Capetians).

Another object connected with Eleanor is the afore-mentioned Eleanor’s vase, which was a wedding gift she presented to her first husband Louis VII of France. It had stayed in her family since the reign of her famous/infamous grandfather, William IX the Troubadour, who had brought it with him from Spain. Louis gave it to Abbot Suger as a gift for St Denis. Suger added all the ornamentation. It was a classic crystal rock vessel when Eleanor presented it to Louis.

Another work of art associated with Eleanor is the so-called Fecamp Psalter (or Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine), one of the oldest manuscripts preserved at the Dutch Royal Library at the Hague. With 27 full-page miniatures, 36 calendar miniatures depicting the Labours of the Months, and 11 historiated initials illustrating the major divisions of the psalter it is exquisitely beautiful. By the end of the 11th century Fécamp was a leading centre for manuscript copying in Normandy and in the late 12th century (c. 1180) this beautifully illuminated psalter was probably commissioned by Eleanor herself. In 2016 student Jesus Rodriguez Veijo identified the figure on the Beatus page of the psalter with Eleanor, relying in part on the scholarship relating to the Radegonde mural. You can view the manuscript on the official site of Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Hague.

An image of the chase in a fresco in the chapel of St Radegonde

The so-called Poitiers Window is one of the few contemporary depictions of Eleanor. She, Henry and their four sons are shown in a small scene, being a part of a larger depiction of Crucifixion, in the area reserved for patrons. Eleanor and Henry hold an image that represents the window itself. This image is not a part of the original, but a result of 19th-century restoration by Adolphe Steiheil. The window must have been commissioned between 1166 and 1173, the birth of John and the outbreak of the Great Revolt, when the royal family was still undivided.

The famous Radegonde Mural preserved in the chapel of Sainte Radegonde, Chinon has been a subject of heated debates since its discovery in 1964 by Albert Heron. This representation has been widely accepted as a depiction of the Plantagenet family, identifying the central ”crowned” figure as Eleanor. Later research, however, helped to determine that all the figures were actually male. This led the historians to believe that the central crowned figure was in fact Eleanor’s eldest surviving son, Henry the Young King.

The Eleanor Vase

In her article entitled Two reputed representations of Eleanor of Aquitaine from her lifetime – a re-evaluation Sara Cockerill, the author of the latest Eleanor biography, revisits the evidence for both these representations and formulates yet one more theory that the scene is in fact a representation of the characters from St Radegonde’s legend. This led her to the following conclusion: while the same person may well have commissioned both depictions, only one, the Psalter, should be regarded as attempting to portray Eleanor herself.

By Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik

About the author:

Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik specializes in British literature and history, her area of expertise being the first Plantagenets (the Angevins). She lives in Poland. She writes for different magazines and websites on Polish and European Middle Ages. She runs a blog dedicated to Henry the Young King. She consulted a BBC documentary on William Marshal.

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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.

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 for pre-order 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.

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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.

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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly, FRHistS and Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik

The Works of Marie de France

Sharon Bennett Connolly9 Comments
Marie de France from an illuminated manuscript

If you have visited the British Library’s latest exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words, you may have spotted the work of Marie de France. Marie was a poet in the late 12th century, who wrote three major works that can be definitively attributed to her, even though we don’t know who she was. All that is left of Marie is her work, and the vague notion that she comes from France, because she wrote in her Fables ‘Marie ai num, si sui de France’.1 The traditional view is that Marie was a Frenchwoman writing at the court of Henry II of England based on the fact that if she was writing in France, she wouldn’t have to say that she was from that country. However, France in the 12th century was far from one unified, indivisible country. In fact, it was a series of counties and duchies with their own rulers, who paid homage to the King of France; the French king’s own domains at the time were the Île-de- France, which incorporated Paris and its environs.

Another argument for Marie writing in England, is that her lais, her poetic verses, were dedicated to a ‘noble reis’, or ‘noble king’, and this is thought to be Henry II of England. However, it could just as easily been intended for Louis VII of France, or his son Philip II Augustus. In turn the Fables, an adaptation of Aesop’s Fables, were dedicated to a nobleman she identifies as ‘Count William’. There were several earls in England at the time who were named William, including William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke; William Longspée, Earl of Salisbury; and William Mandeville, Earl of Essex; or even the son of King Stephen, William of Blois, Earl of Warenne and Surrey. However, William was a common name at the time, even on the Continent, where you could find many a Guillaume.

Everything we think we know about who Marie was is pure conjecture. It has even been suggested that she was the illegitimate daughter of Geoffrey of Anjou, father of Henry II, and therefore a half-sister of Henry. She has also been variously identified as a nun at Reading Abbey, the abbess of Shaftesbury between 1181 and 1216, and Marie de Meulan, wife of Hugh Talbot of Cleuville.2 We do know that Marie had a knowledge of Latin and English, and a familiarity with the works of Ovid and Wace’s Brut, and wrote in an Anglo-Norman French.

“Marie de France presents her book of poems to Henry II of England” by Charles Abraham Chasselat

Her works have been dated to the second half of the 12th century, with her poetry, the lais, dating between 1160 and 1199, the Fables between 1160 and 1190, and her last work, the Espurgatoire, has been dated to after 1189 and possibly as late as 1215.3 L’Espurgatoire Seint Patriz (The Purgatory of St Patrick) is believed to have been written after 1189 as it appears to have been heavily reliant on the Latin text of Henry of Saltrey as her source, which was published around 1185. L’Espurgatoire is dedicated to ‘H. abbot of Sartis’, who may have been Hugh, Abbot of Wardon Abbey, in Bedfordshire, between 1173 and 1185 or 1186; the abbey was originally named St Mary de Sartis.4 The only surviving manuscript of this treatise is now stored in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

The lais were a series of twelve poems, many of which were drawn from Celtic legends. Only one is based on Arthurian legends, specifically the story of the lovers, Tristan and Iseult. Many of the lais were translated into Old Norse in the 13th century, while two, Lanval and Le Fresne were translated and adapted into Middle English in the 14th century. The lais were narratives, written in verse and intended to be set to music. One such included the lines; ‘when a good thing is well known, it flowers for the first time, and when it is praised by many, its flowers have blossomed.’5

Marie’s stories included fairy mistresses, twins separated at birth, and one relating the troubles of the wife of a werewolf. Her lais explored love and conflicting loyalties; they dealt with the issues of courtly behaviour and documented the struggles to fulfil the conflicting aims of individual needs and cultural expectations. They varied in length, with the shortest, Chevrefoil, having 118 lines and the longest, Eliduc, comprising 1,184 lines; this last was the story of a wife having to adapt when her husband brings home a second wife.

The Woman and the Wolf in Marie de France’s “Bisclavret”

Marie’s collection of Fables, known as Ysopets in French and written for the mysterious ‘Count William’, are based on the older Aesop’s Fables, from antiquity, but she also adapted and added to the original stories. The Fables, a rhyming collection of works, demonstrate Marie’s concern for the well-being of the lower classes and the poor, criticising the political and social conditions of the time. Her work was widely read and influential; the fable Del cok e del gupil (The Cock and the Fox) is one of the inspirations for Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, written in the 15th century. Marie ends The Fables with an epilogue, in which she includes a plea to be remembered,

To end these tales I’ve here narrated
And into Romance tongue translate,
I’ll give my name for memory:
I am from France, my name’s Marie.
And it may hap that many a clerk
Will claim as his what is my work.
But such pronouncements I want not!
It’s folly to become forgot!6

Wherever she came from, geographically and socially, Marie de France was a keen observer of the social undercurrents of the time, incorporating them into her Lais and Fables. And we cannot say for certain that her work was produced in England, at the English court. With the Anglo-Norman empire stretching from the borders of Scotland to the borders of Spain she may have travelled within Henry II’s domains, but not necessarily with the court. Although we have few clues to her identity and origins, at least we have her works – her poetry through which she has lived on for more than eight centuries.

Notes:

1. ‘My name is Marie and I am from France’, quoted in Rethinking Marie by Dinah Hazell; 2. Marie (fl. c.1180–c.1189) (article) by Tony Hunt; 3. Rethinking Marie by Dinah Hazell 4. Marie (fl. c.1180–c.1189) (article) by Tony Hunt; 5. The Plantagenet Chronicles edited by Elizabeth Hallam; 6. Translated from; ‘Al finement de cest escrit, Que en romanz ai treité e dit, Me numerai pur remembrance: Marie ai num, si sui de France. Put cel ester que clerc plusur Prendreient sur eus mun labur. No voil que nul sur li le die! E il fet que fol ki sei ublie!’ Taken from Marie de France: Fables, edited and translated by Harriet Spiegel.

Images: Courtesy of Wikipedia

    Sources:

    Marie de France: Fables, edited and translated by Harriet Spiegel; Dinah Hazell, Rethinking Marie, (article) sfsu.edu; Tony Hunt, Marie (fl. c.1180–c.1189) (article), ODNB; Elizabeth Hallam, editor, The Plantagenet Chronicles;  The Plantagenets, the Kings who Made England by Dan Jones; History Today Companion to British History Edited by Juliet Gardiner and Neil Wenborn; he Plantagenets, the Kings that made Britain by Derek Wilson; England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings  by Robert Bartlett; Roy Strong The Story of Britain.

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    My Books:

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

    Coming 30 January 2025: 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.

    Available for pre-order now.

    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 for pre-order 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 discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved.

    *

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

    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.

    ©2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS

    Book Corner: Return to the Eyrie by Katerina Dunne

    Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

    Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice.

    Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470

    Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father’s murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat. When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it – even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures’ nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’. Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin’s traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour – if she can survive long enough to see it through. Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman’s unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary.

    A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Lord of the Eyrie by Katerina Dunne, a novel set in late medieval Hungary. It was a fascinating introduction to a country whose History I know very little about. And the story was incredible, a family drama, with vivid battle scenes and intricately woven plotlines. It certainly left me wanting more. It was an absolute pleasure to read. So, when Katerina told me she had written a sequel, I jumped at the chance to read it. I was intrigued as to how the story would continue.

    And it is a stunning sequel to Lord of the Eyrie, following the daughter of Sandor, the hero in the first book, who is trying to find out exactly what happened to her father. She also wants to clear his name. unscrupulous enemies branded Sandor a traitor. Margit aims to prove he wasn’t.

    Margit grew up without family, protected by her nurse and her father’s best friend, and knowing that she had been deprived of her inheritance and position in the world. The search for the truth drives her. But she is not the traditional Hungarian girl. A born leader, she learns to fight – against her father’s enemies and against the life that is planned out for her.

    In the lambent glow of the oil lamp, Ahmed traced a thumb down the flat of Margit’s blade, carefully like touching a precious gem. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

    “Will you show me how to use it?”

    Fixed on the etching, Ahmed’s eyes narrowed, and his forehead wrinkled as though his mind was caughter by a distant recollection. “Where did you find this?”

    Margit swallowed back her sudden apprehension. “Why do you ask?”

    “You didn’t steal it, did you?”

    “No!” She snatched the dagger from Ahmed’s hand, placed it back in its box and slammed the lid shut. “It’s mine.” She wrapped her arms about her precious possession.

    “Why are you so angry?” Adnan ventured but shrank back at once, cowering under her fierce gaze.

    “Forgive me,” Ahmed said. “I don’t know the family, but I remember the coat of arms.”

    Margit’s stomach tightened. “You do?”

    “An old story. Some other time. You don’t keep Erzsi waiting outside.”

    He waved Margit away, but she let the canvas bag with her other gifts drop from her shoulder. “Erzsi will not mind waiting. Please, tell me.”

    Ahmed cleared his throat. His eyes wandered away to times long past. “When Sultan Mehmed besieged Belgrade fifteen years ago, I fought beside Janissaries against Hunyadi’s army -“

    “General Janos Hunyadi? The king’s late father?” Margit interrupted him, eyes wide open with excitement.

    The general was her own father’s overlord. Hungary’s bravest protector as Imre always referred to him, tearing every time he uttered his name.

    Ahmed nodded. “Yes. His defenders trapped us in the town. I killed many but then saw this tall and skilled knight. No Shield; just a sword in one hand and axe in the other, slaying Janissaries like untrained peasants.” He pointed at Margit’s box. “He wore this coat of arms. I thought I must stop him. I attacked. But I never fought anyone like him. By Allah, he had no fear; didn’t care if he lives or dies.”

    Margit is a wonderful heroine, determined to seek out the truth, and to forge her own path. Not always aware of, or concerned for, the feelings of others, the teenager searches out her own destiny and confronts her enemies, putting herself and those who love her in danger.

    Margit is not always a likeable heroine. She is sometimes selfish. But, she is a teenage girl who has lost practically everything – family, home, identity. In trying to recover what is lost, she becomes a more sympathetic character, learning to compromise and reach an understanding with those around her. The reader will become invested in her journey.

    Return to the Eyrie by Katerina Dunne is set in medieval Hungary, a land which Katerina Dunne recreates in astonishing detail. The landscape, the settlements, castles and people help to draw the reader into the story. Hungary is a land rich in resources but beset by enemies, both within and without, and the heroine, Margit, must navigate not only national politics, international enemies but also her own identity as a young woman and the daughter of an accused traitor.

    It is a wonderful, rich and absorbing story. I highly recommend it!

    To Buy the Book:

    Return to the Eyrie is available in paperback and on Kindle from Amazon – and is currently only 49p, so snap it up!

    About the author:

    Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin. While she used to write short stories for family and friends in her teenage years, she only took up writing seriously in 2016-17, when she started work on her first novel.

    Katerina’s day job is in financial services, but in her free time she enjoys reading historical fiction and watching historically-themed movies and TV series. She is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.

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    My Books:

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

    Coming 30 January 2025: 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.

    Available for pre-order now.

    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 for pre-order 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 discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved.

    *

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

    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.

    ©2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS

    Interview with Gemma Hollman, author of Women in the Middle Ages

    Sharon Bennett Connolly4 Comments

    This week, I have had the distinct pleasure of chatting with author and historian Gemma Hollman about her new book, Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queen.

    I cannot wait to get my hands on this book!

    Sharon: Tell me about your new book, Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queens

    Gemma: The book is an illustrated history which aims to shed light on the lives of medieval women. Focusing on roughly 500 years, from 1000 – 1500, I take a look at European women from all levels of society. By using surviving artwork, we see what the visual record can tell us about these women that might be lost in the written record. We often have this idea that the medieval period was a male-dominated world, with women at the sidelines, but this is not quite the case and art is an excellent place to see this. Women appear everywhere in it, but they were also very often the makers of it, too. Women ran households, worked in taverns and textile hubs, invested money in businesses, created books and paintings, saved souls through their prayers and ruled countries. And in a visually-dominated culture, where the majority of people were illiterate, women were able to leave their mark on tapestries, manuscripts, beads, bowls, and more. The book is hopefully a marvellous romp through time with something for anyone, whether it’s your first time learning about medieval women, or the hundredth book you’ve read.

    Sharon: What inspired you to write the book?

    Gemma: My first two books were biographies, and I already had a vision for my third book as another biography, but I was also keen to do something more general. I was pondering how to do this, when a contact at Abbeville Press got in touch with me and let me know they were wanting to publish an art book centred on medieval women. This immediately sparked dozens of ideas in my head, and a chat with my future editor revealed that we had very similar visions for the book. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to dive in, and I relished the idea of doing such an image-heavy book. There are so many beautiful objects and artworks from the medieval period that I haven’t had the chance to showcase in my previous books, and I was excited to learn something new myself. I didn’t want to regret turning it down, so I didn’t!

    Sharon: Do you have a favourite woman you highlighted in the book?

    Tamar of Georgia

    Gemma: Oh gosh, that’s such a difficult question because there are so many featured within! I don’t know that I can pick just one, but certainly one of my favourite stories is that of Astrid, Gunnvor and the Dynna Stone. The Dynna Stone is an 11th century runestone from Norway that commemorates a woman named Astrid. It was erected in her memory by her mother, Gunnvor, and commemorates Astrid as “the handiest maiden in Hadeland”, suggesting Astrid was skilled at some kind of craft. We know little else about the two women, but the runestone is also important as being one of the earliest instances of Christian pictorial art in the country. In a book about medieval women and art, having an object commissioned by a woman for her daughter, who may also have been an artist of some form, is really special.

    Sharon: Who was the hardest person to write about?

    Gemma: I don’t know that I struggled so much to write about a particular person – I cover so many countries and centuries that there was always someone you could find – but more particular groups of people. Being someone who specialises much more on Western Europe, it was easy to think of examples of significant people to write about, but I was keen that the book would make sure to cover as much of Europe as possible, and so I sometimes had to do some real digging to find an example of a woman who fit in with what I was talking about from different regions. In the same vein, it was sometimes tricky finding specific examples of women to use in my Peasants and Professionals section. Although we do know the names of some craftswomen from the later Middle Ages, due to increased record-keeping, finding names of ordinary, lower-class women is really, really difficult. There were often few reasons for these women to turn up in the written record. This is, of course, where the art was an excellent filler, as we at least have visual representations of them, but it was almost impossible to tell individual stories of particular women in the same way as in other chapters.

    Sharon: Did you come across a particularly interesting or obscure character?

    Gemma: One woman who really struck a chord with me was Marietta Barovier, who was part of a well-known Venetian glassmaking family. Her father had invented cristallo glass, and had clearly given equal weighting to the talents of his daughter as well as his son. When he died, he bestowed his workshop to his two children jointly. Marietta gained a significant reputation of her own, and in the 1480s she invented the rosette or chevron bead, which became an iconic Venetian glass bead. Women in Italy were in many ways more restricted in the world of work than other women in Europe, and yet here you have a woman who was not only allowed equal inheritance, but became famous in her own right for her exceptional skill.

    Sharon: Was there a particular image or manuscript that struck you?

    Margaret von Zurich

    Gemma: Another difficult question as there are so many wonderful images! I think I’ll go with a simple little manuscript initial from a German nunnery. The picture shows a nun named Margaret von Zurich bathing the Christ Child in a barrel bath. It’s a very simple, small drawing, with some beautiful colour, and to modern eyes it is nothing extraordinary. But this small picture is actually incredibly subversive. The Catholic Church had forbidden women from touching Christ, and so not only was Margaret’s vision dangerous, but so was the recording of it in a manuscript. Religious women in Europe were often at the spearhead of reform and religious fervour, and this small drawing really succinctly demonstrates that.

    Sharon: Did you have to leave anyone out through time constraints, lack of images or word count? If so, who?

    Gemma: Oh, most certainly! The book is not very long by history book standards, and yet it aims to cover a continent and five centuries of history! I could have written so, so much more and there are always people you wish you could include or expand upon but can’t. In the early days of writing and researching, I realised I needed to find a way to narrow the scope a little to make the book somewhat more manageable, and so I made the decision to focus on Catholic Europe, which thus excluded many eastern countries. This was a disappointment as one woman I wrote about in a sample chapter was Queen Tamar of Georgia. She ruled from 1184 to 1213 and was the first woman to rule the country in her own right. Despite early objections to her reign, her time as queen went on to be seen as a Golden Age, and her story is so fascinating. It was a shame to have to cut her out, but maybe she can find her way in to a future project of mine!

    Sharon: What was your biggest challenge when writing about women in history?

    Dynna Stone

    Gemma: I think for this book in particular, it was trying to correctly balance what women did, with what people at the time thought about what women did. There was a lot of misogyny in the Middle Ages and so lots of written sources or pieces of art criticise women for working too much, for being too involved in politics, for being too promiscuous, for being too…. But we also have to remember that just a fraction of what existed in the medieval period has survived to today, and the people creating these sources were sometimes the very people most likely to criticise women – monks sequestered away from the world, courtiers who didn’t like submitting to female authority, and so on. And so just because we might have some of these thoughts that have made it to today, it doesn’t mean that everyone or even the majority of people thought that. You don’t want to belittle the struggles that women at the time went through; some women did lose their kingdoms because people wanted a male ruler instead, and some peasant women who had to work in taverns to support their families were derided as prostitutes. But those female leaders also had thousands of men willing to fight for them, and there were popular ballads and texts that praised women for all the hard work they did to keep their families afloat. And you also want to try and avoid praising certain women for their exceptionalism, especially when some of their contemporaries used exceptionalism as back-handed compliments, a way to deride the rest of the female sex.

    Sharon: What are you working on now?

    Gemma: I am now busy getting started on my next book! I’ve gone back to England and will be looking at the court of Richard II, and I’m really excited to see which threads I’ll choose to pull at. It’s such an interesting and tumultuous reign, there is plenty to choose from! But I am definitely keen to return to a similar style book as Women in the Middle Ages in the future so my mind is already whirring with possibilities…

    About the Author: 

    Gemma Hollman is a historian and author of The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III and Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she works full-time in the heritage industry whilst running her historical blog, Just History Posts. You can find Gemma on Twitter: @GemmaHAuthor, and Facebook: facebook.com/JustHistoryPosts,

    To Buy the book:

    You can buy Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queen in the UK from Waterstones and Amazon. And in the US from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

    *

    My Books:

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

    OUT NOW! Heroines of the Tudor World

    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. These are the women who made a difference, who influenced countries, kings and the Reformation. In the era dominated by the Renaissance and Reformation, Heroines of the Tudor World examines the threats and challenges faced by the women of the era, and how they overcame them. From writers to regents, from nuns to queens, Heroines of the Tudor World shines the spotlight on the women helped to shape Early Modern Europe.

    Heroines of the Tudor World is now available for pre-order from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK.

    Coming 30 January 2025: 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.

    Available for pre-order now.

    Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

    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 Gemma talking about the two women in the life of Edward III on the A Slice of Medieval podcast, which I co-host with Historical fiction novelist Derek Birks.

    *

    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 and Instagram.

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    ©2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS and Gemma Hollman

    Guest Post: Empresses, Saints and Female-Kings: The Four Great-Granddaughters of King Ladislaus the Elbow-High by Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik

    Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

    Today it is a pleasure to welcome my good friend, Kasia Ogrodnik to History…the Interesting Bits with a little bit of Polish history for us. I have been wanting to tell the story of King Jadwiga since writing about her in Heroines of the Medieval World. But Kasia is far better qualified to write about her compatriot, Poland’s famous female king and saint, and Jadwiga’s influential female relatives.

    So, over to Kasia…

    Empresses, Saints and Female-Kings: The Four Great-Granddaughters of King Ladislaus the Elbow-High

    Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Schweidnitz [Anna Świdnicka], c. 1357, Chapel of St. Katherine, Karlstejn

    The night of 19 May 1365 saw a young girl leaving Pisa on horseback. With her hair loose, clad only in her nightgown she was galloping to safety after fire broke out in Palazzo degli Anziani. Judging by her looks no one would have guessed this girl was in fact Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Bohemia. 

    Anna of Schweidnitz, Silesia (today Poland), was the only child of Duke Henry II, the grandson of King Ladislaus the Elbow-High of Cracow (Poland). Upon her father’s death she was placed under the care of his elder brother, her uncle, Bolko II the Small. The ruler of the small, but politically important duchy, Bolko was the last independent Silesian Piast. Since Charles IV of Luxembourg intended to annex the entirety of Silesia to the Kingdom of Bohemia, Bolko’s duchy, being the only missing part, was crucial to his plans. To secure the Schweidnitz inheritance Charles married Anna and this is how her journey began. Of course, she was not the only great-granddaughter of King Ladislaus to make an illustrious career. His three other great-granddaughters were to leave their marks on the world, too, and indelible ones. Two of them were to be crowned ”kings” and one proclaimed  saint. 

    Anna of Schweidnitz [Anna Świdnicka], bust in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague, c. 1370

    Anna of Schweidnitz (b.1339), Queen of Bohemia and Holy Roman Empress, was Charles IV of Luxembourg’s third wife. Initially she was betrothed to his son, Wenceslaus, but the boy died while still very young. His mother, Charles’s second wife died too shortly afterwards. To secure the Schweidnitz succession Charles decided to marry his late son’s fiancee himself. Anna was raised and educated at the splendid court of Queen Elizabeth of Poland (her late father’s aunt) at Buda, where she was sent by her uncle and official guardian, Duke Bolko II the Small. It was there where she and Charles were married in the closing days of  May 1353. Shortly afterwards the newlyweds returned to Prague and paid a visit to Schweidnitz, where the succession treaty was signed according to which the duchy was to be inherited by Anna and her children by Charles upon the death of her uncle Bolko and his wife Agnes of Habsburg. On 28 July 1353, Anna was crowned Queen of Bohemia and the following year, on 9 February 1354, Queen of Germany. The year 1355 saw the royal couple in Italy, where on Easter Sunday (5 April 1355) they were crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Holy Roman Empress in a splendid ceremony in the Basilica of Saint Peter, Rome.

    Anna and Charles’s first child, a daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1358. Charles was overjoyed, but Anna felt she failed her husband (which we know thanks to her surviving correspondence with Petrarch). A much awaited son and heir arrived three years later, named Wenceslaus, traditional name of the rulers of Bohemia. He was to become Charles’ beloved and favoured child. Anna died on 11 July 1362, in childbirth, aged 23. The child did not survive, either, and they were buried together in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague. Anna was remembered for her personal charm and sweet nature. Not only did she receive a bluestocking education, but she was also considered one of the style icons of her time, her reputation as a great beauty resting on the surviving images created during her lifetime and shortly after her untimely death. Tradition has it that of Charles’ four wives it was Anna he loved most. Stricken with grief upon her passing, he did not remarry until a political situation forced him to. His fourth wife was Anna’s kin, Elizabeth of Pomerania, also great-granddaughter of King Ladislaus the Elbow-High. 

    Elizabeth of Pomerania (Eliška Pomořanská, Elżbieta Pomorska)

     
    Reliquary Shrine of Elizabeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary, Maria and Jadwiga’s paternal grandmother, attributed to Jean de Touyl, ca. 1350 . Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

    Elizabeth was a daughter of Duke Bogusław the Great of Pomerania and Princess Elżbieta of Poland. In 1362 her maternal grandfather, King Casimir the Great of Poland together with his nephew, Louis the Great of Hungary, dukes of Austria and Bavaria formed a coalition against Charles IV of Luxembourg. The opposing parties found themselves on the verge of war, which did not break out, however, perhaps due to Anne of Schweidnitz’s untimely death. The rulers came to terms instead and a marriage was forged to consolidate their agreement. Charles was to marry Elizabeth. He was thrice her age, shorter than her and not very attractive. She was described as beautiful, full of life, and as fit as a fiddle. Stories had it that she could break horseshoes with her own hands. She was an avid horse rider and hunter. 

    The wedding ceremony was celebrated in Kraków on 21 May 1363. Afterwards the couple travelled together to Prague where Elizabeth was crowned Queen of Bohemia. Five years later her imperial coronation at Rome followed. Despite the age difference she and Charles got along well, being married for fifteen years. Their union produced six children, four of whom were to reach adulthood. Charles and Elizabeth’s eldest child, a daughter Anne, was to marry Richard II and become Queen Consort of England. Their son, Sigismund was to be crowned King of Bohemia, Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor. Charles IV died in 1378. Elizabeth herself was to outlive her husband for fifteen years. She died in 1393 and like his three wives before her, she was buried in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague.

    Mária [Mary] of Anjou, King of Hungary

    The coats of arms of Hungary and Poland, c. 1340. Treasury of Aachen Cathedral, Germany

    Mary was one of the three daughters of Louis the Great of Hungary and his second wife, Elizabeth of Bosnia. In 1379, Mary’s elder sister Catherine died, leaving her and her sister Jadwiga Louis’s sole surviving children. The matter of Polish succession had been on the agenda long before Mary was born. Upon King Casimir the Great’s death in 1370 his nephew, Mary’s father, Louis was crowned king of Poland. Initially it was Mary, who was to succeed him as the king of Poland, but the events took a different turn, and in the end she was replaced by her younger sister, Jadwiga [Hedwig]. 

    Mary was crowned “king” of Hungary on 17 September 1382, seven days after her father’s death. However, the idea of a female monarch was not popular among the Hungarian nobility. Many nobles considered Charles III of Naples, Mary’s distant cousin, the lawful heir. 

    Charles landed in Dalmatia in September 1385. In October Mary was married to Sigismund of Luxembourg, however, this  could not prevent Charles from entering the capital.  Mary was forced to renounce the throne and Charles’s coronation took place on 31 December 1385. He did not rule for long. Two months later, in February 1386, he was murdered, most probably at the instigation of Mary’s mother. Mary was restored, but in July she and her mother were captured by the dead king’s supporters. Famed for her beauty, but not for her political decisions, Mary’s mother met a violent end. After imprisonment by her opponents in Novigrad castle, she was found guilty of the murder of Charles III of Naples and strangled to death before her daughter’s own eyes, her body put on display, hanging on a rope from the castle walls. Mary survived and was rescued by her husband, Sigismund, who was crowned king of Hungary afterwards. Mary officially remained his co-ruler, but had no real influence on the government. She died on 17 May 1395 after falling from a horse during a hunting accident. She was pregnant at the time. Her prematurely born son did not survive either. 

    Jadwiga [Hedwig] of Anjou, king and patron saint of Poland

    Jadwiga and Maria, their mother and their sister Catherine as depicted on the St Simeon’s casket, Zadar, Croatia

    Mary’s younger sister, Hedwig was born on 18 February 1374, being the youngest of the three daughters of Louis the Great of Hungary and Elizabeth of Bosnia. 

    Both Mary and Jadwiga received a bluestocking education, Jadwiga both at the cultivated court of Hungary and in Vienna, at the court of her future father-in-law. Not only could Jadwiga read and write, but she also spoke fluent Latin and German. As the king of Poland she owned a big library and always  showed an active and generous support of scholars and learning institutions.

    Since Polish nobles did not like the idea of Mary’s consort, Sigismund of Bohemia, becoming de facto their king, they appealed to Elizabeth of Bosnia, the dowager queen, who had assumed regency, asking to send the younger of her two surviving daughters to Kraków. Elizabeth agreed and absolved the Polish nobles from the oath of loyalty they had pledged to Mary. 

    Jadwiga’s coronation took place on 16 October 1384 in Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, where she was crowned ”king” of Poland. On 18 January 1385 the Lithuanian delegation came to the capital and a meeting was held with the representatives of the Polish nobility. Jadwiga was to marry the ruler of pagan Lithuania, Jogaila. In the opening days of 1386, Jadwiga publicly called off her engagement to Wilhelm Habsburg and married newly baptised Jogaila, who was to come down in history under his new name, Władysław Jagiełło [Ladislaus Jagiellon]. At the time of their wedding she was twelve, he was thirty-five. Władyslaw was crowned king on 4 March 1386. 

    Despite her young age Jadwiga continued to play an active role in the administration and politics of her realm. She conducted the negotiations with the knights of the Teutonic Order, but also on the Hungarian front. Jadwiga conferred with her sister Mary on numerous occasions. Their meetings were held both in Hungary and in Lesser Poland. She also intervened in Lithuania, where she peacefully resolved dynastic disputes between the ruling fractions.

    Jadwiga’s tomb effigy from 1902 by Antoni Madeyski, Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland. The queen’s earthly remains were transferred here from her original resting place at the high altar in 1949 and stayed here till 1987. Then they were transferred to the altar with the Black Crucifix

    She was famed for her charity and showing great care to the poor and the ill. Her active and generous support of scholars and learning institutions did not waver over the years. In her last will she donated all her jewelry, her rich dresses and other valuable objects to the Kraków Academy (the first Polish university founded by Kazimierz Wielki), now the Jagiellonian University. Additionally, she founded a dormitory for Polish students at the University of Prague. 

    Jadwiga died from complications in childbirth on 17 July 1399. She was twenty-five at the time. Her daughter did not survive, either. Almost immediately after her death, Jadwiga’s tomb became the focus of miracles and the destination of pilgrimages. Her cult flourished, with her canonization first mentioned during the funeral ceremony. However, it was to take seven centuries before she was actually canonised by Pope John Paul II. Ever since she has been recognised as patron saint of Poland and considered Polish national hero. 

    About the author:

    Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik specializes in British literature and history, her area of expertise being the first Plantagenets (the Angevins). She lives in Poland. She writes for different magazines and websites on Polish and European Middle Ages. She runs a blog dedicated to Henry the Young King. She consulted a BBC documentary on William Marshal.

    *

    My Books:

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

    OUT NOW! Heroines of the Tudor World

    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. These are the women who made a difference, who influenced countries, kings and the Reformation. In the era dominated by the Renaissance and Reformation, Heroines of the Tudor World examines the threats and challenges faced by the women of the era, and how they overcame them. From writers to regents, from nuns to queens, Heroines of the Tudor World shines the spotlight on the women helped to shape Early Modern Europe.

    Heroines of the Tudor World is now available for pre-order from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK.

    Coming 30 January 2025: 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.

    Available for pre-order now.

    Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

    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 discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved.

    *

    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 and Instagram.

    *

    ©2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS and Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik