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Wordly Women: Kathryn Warner

16/08/202502/07/2025Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

I am very happy today to welcome historian Kathryn Warner to History…the Interesting Bits in a new instalment of my Author Spotlight series, Wordly Women. Kathryn is the ‘go to’ person for all-things Edward II. She has also written about John of Gaunt, the Beaumont kings of Jerusalem, the Clare sisters and her latest book is The Black Death in England: Journal of the Plague Years in the Fourteenth Century. Her books are always well research and enjoyable reads. And when we get together to chat on A Slice of Medieval, it is always a fabulous discussion and a pleasure.

So, over to Kathryn…

Sharon: Hi Kathryn, I would love to know what got you into writing?

Kathryn: In a nutshell, my passion for Edward II and his era! It was strange, because during my time at university studying medieval history, I’d never been that interested in him, but my fascination developed some years after I graduated. I started writing stories about him, then started a blog about him and his reign as well, because my passion was so overwhelming that I just had to get it down on paper or on a screen and share it with people. Some years later, I wrote some academic articles about him, then went on to write a full-length biography of Edward and his life and reign, which became my first published book.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Kathryn: I’ve written at least twenty non-fiction books now. My earlier ones are biographies and joint biographies, including Edward II’s queen Isabella of France, their daughter-in-law Philippa of Hainault, their grandson John of Gaunt, Edward II’s last and most powerful favourite Hugh Despenser the Younger, Edward’s nieces the de Clare sisters, and Edward III’s granddaughters. These days, I’m massively getting into social history too, and have written a book about aspects of life in London between 1300 and 1350, one about the victims and survivors of the fourteenth-century pandemics of the Black Death, and one called Life in a Medieval Town.

Sharon: What attracts you to the 14th century?

Kathryn: It was such an astonishingly dramatic and turbulent era. As well as the chaos of Edward II’s reign early in the century – battles, rebellions, executions, betrayals, changes of fortune, hatreds and passions, Edward’s forced abdication, and much else – there were natural disasters too. The pandemics of the Black Death are well known, especially the first one in 1348/49, but there was also a massive famine in England in the 1310s. Edward III began what we know as the Hundred Years War against France in the 1330s, his grandson Richard II witnessed the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, and so on. I really don’t think I’d have liked to live in the fourteenth century, haha, but it’s an endlessly fascinating era to research and write about.

Sharon: Who is your favourite 14th century person and why?

Kathryn: To the surprise of absolutely no one who knows me, Edward II! Without question, he’s one of England’s most unsuccessful kings in history, and was the first one who suffered the fate of deposition or forced abdication in 1327. His reign of just under 20 years is dramatic almost beyond the telling of it, as Edward lurched constantly from one crisis to the next, crises almost entirely of his own making. He was completely unsuited to the position he’d been born into, and was a deeply unconventional man by the standards of his era. I feel that he makes much more sense to us than he did to his contemporaries: he openly loved men, he enjoyed the company of his common subjects and even went on holiday with them, he enjoyed being outdoors and doing hard physical labour. Edward II, born in 1284, is exactly 700 years older than Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex, born in 1984, and I often think that Edward would have been much happier and more successful if he’d been born into the royal family of the late twentieth century than he was in his own lifetime.

Sharon: Who is your least favourite 14th century person and why?

Kathryn: That’s a tricky question to answer, really, as even the people I instinctively don’t tend to like all that much intrigue me and led fascinating lives that I want to delve into. Someone like Roger Mortimer, the first earl of March, for example. He played a massive role in Edward II’s downfall in 1326/27, and as such is someone I feel I should dislike, but I really don’t, because he’s such a complex fascinating person. It’s not Roger that I dislike, it’s the way he’s often been written in modern times, in this absurdly over-romanticised way as the adored lover and saviour of Edward II’s queen, Isabella of France. It flattens his character and turns him into a caricature that has very little to do with the person he actually was. So I can’t say that I have a least favourite fourteenth-century person, but I do often profoundly dislike the simplistic, one-dimensional ways in which many fourteenth-century people are depicted nowadays.

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Kathryn: I think a lot of people might be surprised at just at how many sources we have from the fourteenth century, and how much information there actually is once you start delving into them. In the period I write about, pretty well all the sources are written in Latin or French, and though many have been transcribed and translated, many have not. Looking at original documents in the National Archives is such a joy! I’ve found lots of wonderful details about Edward II and his life and household from his extant accounts, for example. I often fall down a rabbit-hole of research and emerge blinking hours later, and oddly enough, some of my best finds are things I stumbled upon by accident while researching something else.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ 14th century story you have come across in your research.

Kathryn: While I was researching a book about London between 1300 and 1350, I came across this fab story. The rector of the church of St Margaret Lothbury in London around the year 1300, whose name was William (his last name was not recorded), had an insatiable curiosity about a disease he called Le Lou. This means ‘The Wolf’ in medieval French, and probably referred to the condition we now call lupus, which means ‘wolf’ in Latin. Believing that wolf flesh could cure the disease, William ordered a cask of four dead wolves from abroad (where exactly was not specified) to be sent to his church. By the time the dead animals arrived in London, however, their corpses had become ‘putrid’, and William was hauled before the court of the mayor of London, Elias Russel, on 5 January 1300, and ordered to explain himself. To me, this situation reveals several things that are worth knowing about the early fourteenth century. Firstly, that a man in England somehow managed to contact a person on the Continent who was willing and able to send him dead wolves; secondly, that officials around the year 1300 were aware that the welfare of the general public in a crowded city might be worsened by the presence of decaying animal corpses; and thirdly, that a person was deeply interested in a particular disease and cared about its victims, and attempted, albeit in a comically misguided way, to find a cure for it.

Sharon: Tell us your least ‘favourite’ 14th century story you have come across in your research.

Kathryn: It’s one that breaks my heart. At the start of the year 1349, Agnes Stokwell was living on Whitecross Street in London with her family, who consisted of her father Walter, a painter; her mother Joan; her older brother Laurence; and her three older sisters, Christine, Imania, and Alice. She also had an aunt named Isabel and an uncle named William, her father’s siblings, and her father’s apprentice Thomas Bournham lived in the household as well. The Stokwell family were pretty well-off and thriving, but by the end of 1349, all of them were dead in the first massive pandemic of the Black Death, except only Agnes. She was just seven years old, and within a few months had lost her entire family, every living relative; her parents, her four older siblings, and her aunt and uncle. Thankfully, her late father’s apprentice Thomas Bournham also lived through the plague, the only other survivor of the household, and was given custody of Agnes at the end of 1349. They both disappear from written record after that, or at least I’ve never been able to find them again, but I hope they lived long and thrived.

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

Kathryn: My second favourite era after the fourteenth century is the eleventh century. I did a few courses on Old English language, literature, history and culture at university, and loved it. I’m particularly interested in the first few decades of the 1000s – the end of Aethelred’s reign, the brief reign of his son Edmund Ironside, King Cnut and his son, and Emma of Normandy, who married both Aethelred and Cnut.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Kathryn: My current project is provisionally titled Murder and Mayhem, and is about some of the violence, homicide, gangs and feuds in fourteenth-century England. There’s a wealth of material, almost too much, in fact! The book after that is about the royal English household in the late Middle Ages, which is a subject I’ve been wanting to write about for ages.

Sharon: Now that, I want to read!

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

Kathryn: For me, it’s the chance to immerse myself in the fourteenth century, to discover fascinating stories and to share them with readers. I also love that my time is unstructured, and I can write whenever I like and take breaks whenever I like, which suits me very well. And finally, it’s simply amazing that I’ve been able to turn my passion for fourteenth-century history into a job!

About the Author:

Kathryn Warner holds two degrees in medieval history from the University of Manchester. She is considered a foremost expert on Edward II and an article from her on the subject was published in the English Historical Review. She has run a website about him since 2005 and a Facebook page about him since 2010 and has carved out a strong online presence as an expert on Edward II and the fourteenth century in general. Kathryn teaches Business English as a foreign language and lives between Dusseldorf and Cumbria.

To buy: Kathryn’s books

My books

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

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

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

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

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

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

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

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

Podcast:

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

Every episode is also now available on YouTube.

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

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Anne de Beaujeu, ‘the least foolish woman in France’

09/08/202516/08/2025Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments

History ... the Interesting Bits — *Anne de Beaujeu*

Anne de France, also known as Anne de Beaujeu, crosses the invisible divide between the medieval and Tudor eras. As with many rulers from medieval times, Anne was called upon to act as regent for an underage king. She was regent of France during the minority of her younger brother, Charles VIII. Anne was the third child born to Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy, but she was the first to survive infancy. Louis’ first wife, Margaret of Scotland, was a daughter of James I and Joan Beaufort and had died in August1445, aged 20.

Anne was born at Genappe, near Brussels, in April 1461. At the time of her birth her father was still dauphin of France. However, just a few months later, Anne’s grandfather, Charles VII, the man who had attained the crown thanks to the efforts of Joan of Arc, died.

The unfortunate king had had a fractious relationship with his son and heir, Louis; they did not see each other for the last fifteen years of Charles VII’s life. Louis plotted intrigue with his neighbours and had even raised an army against his father in 1455, following arguments over Louis’ marriage to Charlotte. He eventually fled to Burgundy with his wife after his father threatened to invade his lands in the Dauphiné. He refused to return to France, despite being told that his father was dying; Louis waited at the French border for news that he was king. Charles VII died of starvation on 22 July 1461, after a tumour in his jaw prevented him from eating, and Louis immediately returned to France for his coronation.

Louis XI was thirty-eight years old when he became king. He was not a likable man. He possessed a keen intelligence and few scruples. His main political aim was to expand his kingdom, using whatever methods would achieve this. He was pious and cultivated, in contrast to the ostentation and debauchery of his predecessors. His web of political intrigues often got him into international hot water, such as the adventure of Péronnne in 1468, when Louis incited the people of Liège to revolt against the Duke of Burgundy. Under the pretext of negotiation, Louis was arrested by the Duke and forced to offer him financial aid. However, these initial setbacks did not last. Louis was a wily diplomat, at home and abroad, earning him the nickname ‘the universal spider’. He managed to extend French territory by acquiring the French duchy of Burgundy, Picardy, Anjou, Maine and Provence. Louis relied on men of modest means to run his administration, rightfully anticipating that they would be more dependent on him and his goodwill than wealthy nobles. He encouraged the bourgeoisie and initiated the Grand Conseil. He also increased the number of military companies who came directly under the command of the king rather than his nobles.

On his accession, Louis’ daughter, Anne, was installed in the Chateau at Amboise, away from the court, with her mother Charlotte of Savoy and paternal grandmother, Marie of Anjou. Anne was given her own attendants, including chambermaids, nurses and a cradle-rocker. Her mother was in charge of Anne’s education. The queen had an extensive library, including classical works by authors such as Cicero, romances, psalters, histories and books on government. Anne inherited the books on her mother’s death; they were still in her library at Moulins when she herself died.

While still in the cradle, in fact as soon as her father was on the throne, Anne was the most eligible princess in Europe. Combined with great energy; many thought her the mirror image of her father in her keen political mind, although not in other ways. She was considered as a bride for Edward IV in England, Duke Francis II of Brittany and even her uncle Charles, Duke of Berry. Any age difference did not matter to her father, who offered the four-year-old princess to the thirty-two-year-old Count of Charolais– Charles the Bold, the future Duke of Burgundy. A betrothal to Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine, came to nothing when the duke broke it off to pursue Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. When she was twelve, almost thirteen, Anne’s future was decided when she married Pierre de Bourbon on 3 November 1473. At thirty-four, Pierre was twenty-one years her senior.

Pierre’s brother, the Duke of Bourbon, allowed him to use the courtesy title of Lord of Beaujeu and gave him rule of the Beaujolais. However, the newly married couple resided in the king’s court at Plessis-lès-Tours. For Anne, the next ten years were spent at the court and, particularly, with her father– during which time Louis XI said Anne was ‘the least foolish woman in France, but a wise one there was not’ (‘Elle était la moins folle femme de France, car de sage il n’en était point’). Anne, who would be called ‘Madame La Grande’ had a sharp political intelligence. She had a handsome face but was not considered beautiful. She fell pregnant in 1476, but little is known of the outcome of the pregnancy, it is possible that she had a short-lived son, Charles, Count of Clermont, but the details are sketchy. In 1481, Anne was given the County of Gien by her father to allow her to finance her own household. In April 1483 she was despatched to Hesdin to bring her little brother’s bride, three-year-old Margaret of Austria, to France. The little princess was to be brought up at the French court until she was old enough to marry the thirteen-year-old dauphin, Charles.

Anne was twenty-two years old when Louis XI died aged sixty on 30 August 1483, at Plessis-lès-Tours in the Loire Valley. He was succeeded by his son, Charles VIII, who was thirteen years old. Louis had not provided for a regency – young Charles was ten months short of his majority – although he had intended to set up a regency council, which would include the young king’s mother, Charlotte of Savoy, and Louis, Duke of Orléans. Louis was a great-grandson of Charles V and brother-in-law to the king and his sister, Anne de Beaujeu, being married to Jeanne de France; he was also Charles VIII’s heir until he produced a son of his own.

Anne’s husband Pierre, Lord of Beaujeu, was to be appointed the council’s president. However, Anne and her husband had also been appointed Charles’s guardians and it seemed a natural progression for them to take over the government of the realm. Charles was crowned on 30 May 1484 and, in the same year, to appease the populace, an Estates General was called. The body which brought together representatives from the Three Estates (nobility, clergy and commons) had last met in 1439. Their grievances, such as requests for reductions in the tailles and no taxation without the consent of the Estates, were heard and promises made; and the representatives went home content they had been listened to, even though their demands were not entirely met.

The nobility, who had control of the army, and Louis d’Orléans in particular, were not happy with the arrangements. Encouraged by Archduke Maximilian of Austria and Duke Francis of Brittany, Louis and his supporters took up arms in what became known as ‘the mad war’ or ‘the silly war’. They were soundly defeated, their army crushed at Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier in July 1488, and the Duke of Orléans taken prisoner.

Anne’s greatest success was in Brittany, a semi-autonomous duchy within France. The Duke of Brittany, Francis, died in 1488 leaving his thirteen-year-old daughter Anne as his sole heir. Before his death, in an attempt to keep Brittany from being swallowed up by the French crown, the Duke offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to Maximilian of Austria. However, Maximilian was too far away to protect the duchy when the French army invaded. Anne of Brittany was forced to agree to marry Charles VIII, although Brittany would remain in Anne’s hands. This move eventually led to the annexation of Brittany by the crown. No longer needed as a bride, little Margaret of Austria was sent home and Charles VIII married Anne of Brittany on 6 December 1491. The marriage treaty had one unusual clause in that should Charles die before they had children, Anne was to marry Charles’s heir, the next king of France.

This diplomatic coup was one of the last of the Beaujeu regency as Charles VIII was now twenty and of an age and desire to rule. In 1488, Anne de Beaujeu had become Duchess of Bourbon following the death of Pierre’s older brother, John; the title had initially passed to another older brother, Charles, an Archbishop, who was persuaded to relinquish it after holding it for just two weeks, following Pierre’s invasion of the duchy. Anne and Pierre, now the Duke and Duchess of Bourbon, had become the richest, most powerful nobles in the realm. Although she still acted as an advisor to her young brother, Anne de Beaujeu now turned her attention to her new duchy, familiarising herself with her lands and its administration. She started a building programme, which included the rebuilding of the ducal castle at Gien, and the palace at Moulins. She also reorganised the duchy’s administration, codified its laws and raised taxes. Theirs was the epitome of a Renaissance court, the couple being patrons of the arts and literature. Anne particularly loved paintings, tapestries and books.

Anne finally gave birth to a surviving child, a daughter, on 10 May 1491, who was named Suzanne. Suzanne was carefully educated by her mother, who wrote a book, Les Enseignements d’Anne de France, Duchesse de Bourbonnais et d’Auvergne, à sa fille Suzanne de Bourbon, giving advice to her daughter on the proper behaviour expected of a noblewoman. Anne de Beaujeu was made regent again in 1494, when her brother Charles VIII led his army into Italy. She financially supported the king’s campaign by loaning him 10,000 livres; she made him pay it back in instalments and had recovered the full amount within a year. Charles died in 1498 after striking his head on a door lintel, leaving no direct heir. His distant cousin Louis, Duke of Orléans, succeeded him as King Louis XII. He immediately applied to the papacy for an annulment of his marriage to Anne de Beaujeu’s sister, Jeanne, in order to marry the dowager queen, Anne of Brittany, as the terms of her original marriage contract dictated. In return for Anne de Beaujeu’s support of his accession and repudiation of her sister, Louis agreed to waive royal rights to the duchy of Bourbon and the Auvergne and to allow these rights to pass to Suzanne, should Anne produce no male heir.

In 1503, Pierre de Beaujeu, Duke of Bourbon, fell ill while returning home to Moulins from the French court. He succumbed to a fever, which attacked his body for two months before he died on 10 October. Pierre arranged for Suzanne to marry a prince of royal blood, Charles d’Alençon, and called him to Moulins so the wedding could take place before his death. However, Charles arrived too late and could only act as chief mourner at Pierre’s funeral, rather than as bridegroom to Suzanne. Suzanne’s mother then broke the marriage contract and Suzanne would marry her cousin, Charles III of Bourbon Montpensier, Constable of France, but she died in 1521, childless.

Anne de Beaujeu, Duchess of Bourbon, died on 14 November 1522 at the Château of Chandelle, Coulandon. She was buried alongside her husband and daughter in the abbey at Sauvigny. Her lands and personal title, at her own request, passed to her son-in-law, Charles of Bourbon-Montpensier.

Anne de Beaujeu was regent of France at a time when the country was transitioning from the medieval to the early modern era. She successfully steered the country through civil unrest and initiated the merging of Brittany into the French crown, which would be definitively sealed in 1532.

Images:

Sources:

Pierre Goubert, The Course of French History; Les Enseignements d’Anne de France, Duchesse de Bourbonnais et d’Auvergene, à sa fille Suzanne de Bourbon (‘The lessons of Anne of France, Duchess of Bourbon and Auvergne, to her daughter Suzanne of Bourbon’); Abernethy, Susan, ‘Anne de Beaujeu, Duchess of Bourbon and Regent of France’ (article);

My Books:

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

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:

Podcast:

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.

Wordly Women: Aimee Fleming

02/08/202502/07/2025Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

In today’s episode of my Wordly Women, author spotlight series, I have a chat with Tudor historian Aimee Fleming. I have followed Aimee’s career from the very beginning. Her first book, The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper came out last year and just last month Aimee published her second book, Tudor Princes and Princesses: The Early Lives of the Children of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

So, it was wonderful to get the chance to talk with Aimee about her writing…

Sharon: Hi Aimee. First question, what got you into writing?

Aimee: I have always enjoyed writing as a process, but it was really during secondary school I was encouraged to write poetry by my English teacher. I did English Literature A Level and loved studying the classics, but it was History that really sparked my interest. After I finished my BA I remember I wanted to keep going and write more, but I didn’t begin properly until after my MA when I decided to really put pen to paper properly. I loved to read work by Alison Weir and Tracey Borman (amongst lots of others) and think that I could perhaps do something like that!

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Aimee: My books are all non-fiction books about the Tudor period. My first book came out in summer 2024 and was a biography of Margaret More Roper, the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, called ‘The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer’. I also have a study of the early lives of the children of Henry VII coming out soon, called ‘Tudor Princes and Princesses.’ It is available for pre-order now and is due to be released at the end of June.

Sharon: What attracts you to the Tudor period?

Aimee: I think the Tudor and Early Modern period generally is fascinating. There are such larger-than-life characters, the artwork and portraits bring those characters into such clear detail, dramatic events just keep on coming, and the clothing is so flamboyant and over the top. I do love other periods too, the medieval period and the later periods of the Stuarts and Georgians are also very interesting, but I am always drawn back to the tempestuous Tudors.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor and why?

Aimee: Do I have to pick just one? I obviously have a soft spot for Margaret More Roper. She is such an inspirational woman, and I genuinely believe that we all owe her a debt; if it wasn’t for her taking that first step of getting her work published, we may not even be doing what we do today!

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Tudor and why?

Before I wrote my most recent book, I probably would have said Henry VIII. I was always a bit of a critic of his, but my writing and research has actually made me a lot more sympathetic. I think now my hatred properly ends up at Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk’s door – an all-round unpleasant creature if ever there was one.

Sharon: Howard was horrible, but I will have to read your book to see if I can find any sympathy for Henry VIII!

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Aimee: I start quite broad and work my way in. I think we all have out go-to textbooks on subjects and for me it’s always my old copy of John Guy’s ‘Tudor England’. I start by looking up whatever I’m researching up in that, and then other books that may be on my shelf. I’m lucky enough to live close to York and I do try to make full use of the University library and their archives too for those all-important primary sources. If it’s possible I also like to try to take a trip to see some places and experience the surroundings that my subjects would have known.

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

Aimee: I have a few favourites, but I think the one that I particularly love is the ‘shipwreck’ of Archduke Phillip, heir to the Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Queen Joanna of Castile. The Archduke had led his fleet from Flanders intent on taking the throne of Spain for himself, but the weather turned against him, and he, Queen Joanna, and the rest of the fleet had to take refuge in the harbour at Weymouth. They came ashore at Melcombe Regis in Dorset – about as far from London and civilisation as you can get, and in November too! Henry VII of course welcomed them and invited them to London, even sending carriages for them and their luggage, but the Queen was too shaken and took refuge at Wolfeton Hall near Dorchester. A welcoming party was sent to greet them, led by fourteen-year-old Henry, the royals did eventually meet up and they held all sorts of talks, agreeing marriages seemingly for everyone…but none of them came to fruition.

I have spent many a family holiday in Dorset, especially Weymouth, and it makes me smile that Queen Joanna may have walked up that beach on a cold November afternoon.

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

Aimee: The worst bit of writing history is the sad stories that you have to read and write about. In Tudor Princes and Princesses, I had to research about Elizabeth of York’s pregnancies and the deaths of the Tudor children who did not survive until adulthood. The arrangements made for the funerals, particularly of little Elizabeth really brought home just how much these children were loved in their short lives.

On the other side, writing about the death of Thomas More’s first wife, Joanna, was particularly heart-rending. She died when Margaret was only 5 years old, but Margaret would have been expected to play a full role in her mother’s funeral, reading a prayer in front of the whole congregation. That in itself was bad enough, but reading further it was commonplace for people who weren’t connected to the family to still attend the funeral. I was in bits writing about Margaret standing up and reading the prayers, imagining her fear as she looked out on all those strangers’ faces.

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

Aimee: I am doing a lot of research into Stuart Scotland at the moment, and it has made me want to go deeper into Stuart England and the English Civil War. I would love to learn more about the people as well as the politics of the period, but it’s not something I’ve ever really looked at in depth.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Aimee: My current project is a period study of Tudor England and Stuart Scotland, looking at the relationship between the two countries while the Tudors were on the throne in England and what brought us to 1603 and the succession of James VI and I. It’s a lot of work but I am thoroughly enjoying it, and I’m loving looking at Scottish history in more detail. That manuscript is due for submission in the Autumn, and then after that I have another book lined up to write, about Elizabeth Barton, the Holy Maid of Kent.

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

Aimee: I enjoy the freedom it gives me to explore things I find interesting. No two days are the same, and it’s never boring. Losing myself in documents at the library really is a dream come true.

About Aimee:

Aimee Fleming is a historian and author from North Yorkshire. She is happily married, with three growing boys and a whole host of pets. She studied history at the University of Wales, Bangor and then later completed a masters in Early Modern History at the University of York as a mature student. She has a passion for history, particularly the Tudors, and worked for over a decade in the heritage industry in a wide variety of roles and historic places.

Books by Aimee Fleming:

The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper

Tudor Princes and Princesses: The Early Lives of the Children of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

Where to find Aimee:

Website; Facebook; Threads and Instagram: @historyaimee; Substack.

My books

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

Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books

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Guest Post: Othon and the Templars by John Marshall

23/07/202525/07/2025Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

Today, it is a pleasure to welcome John Marshall to History…the Interesting Bits with an article about a very intriguing chap, Othon de Grandson. Othon was a very good friend of Edward I and one who could arguably challenge William Marshal for the title, Greatest Knight. John’s new book is a biography of this remarkable man.

So, over to John…

Othon and the Templars

A question I asked myself in writing Othon de Grandson: Edward I’s Loyal Knight of Renown was exactly what was the Savoyard knight’s relationship with the Knights Templar? The relationship of Edward’s friend and envoy with the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon is a long one and indeed began over a century before he was born.

Othon’s ancestor Barthélémy de Jura, treasurer of Reims, then Bishop of Laon in Picardy, was there at the very beginning of the crusader order. Barthélémy was at the 1128 Council of Troyes, chaired by Bernard of Clairvaulx which ratified the rule of the the Templars. He was a kinsman, through his mother, of Bernard of Clairvaulx, and would later retire as a monk to the Cistercian abbey he helped found at Foigny. Another ancestor was another Barthélémy who took up the cross and joined the Second Crusade. He is reported to have departed this life in Jerusalem in 1158.

So, when Othon de Grandson accompanied his liege the Lord Edward on the ninth crusade in 1271 his family was no stranger to crusading.

But the story of Othon de Grandson’s close association with the Templars begins in earnest with his flight from Acre accompanying Templar knight Jacques de Molay in 1291. Grandson had likely been sent to Acre in 1290 as preparation for a crusade by King Edward I that never came to pass. They were all overtaken by Al Ashraf Khalil, the sultan of Egypt who successfully led a Mamluk assault on the last crusader outpost in Outremer. King Henry II of Cyprus, the gravely wounded Master of the Hospitallers Jean de Villiers, the soon-to-be Master of the Templars, Jacques de Molay and Othon de Grandson washed up on the shore of Cyprus as refugees from Acre. The Templars were in need of a new Grand Master, and it is said that Othon de Grandson was “involved” in the election of Jacques de Molay.

*The former Templar Commanderie at Épailly in Burgundy which passed to Othon on the Templars suppression.*

The idea of being ‘involved’ came from a declaration given later during the suppression of the order; a Templar, Hugh de Fauro, gave testimony that Jacques de Molay had sworn before the Master of the Hospital and ‘coram domino Odone de Grandisono milite’ that is ‘before the knight Sir Othon de Grandson.’ We then hear from Hethum of Corycus that Grandson and Jacques de Molay, had had a hand in affairs and the better reordering of the kingdom of Cillician Armenia to meet the Mamluk threat and preserve it as a base for ongoing crusading ventures. Grandson’s relationship with Molay and the Templars does seem to stem from this time at Acre, on Cyprus and in Armenian Cilicia between 1291 and 1294.

We then meet the financial entanglement of grandson with the Templars. Evidence of this comes not only from payments from the Templars to Grandson but also grants in the other direction. When both Molay and Grandson were back in the west, on 14 July 1296, Othon would grant the Templars 200 Livres from his salt revenues at Salins-les-Bains in the Franche Comté, a source of revenue he had used to similarly grant the monks of Saint-Jean Baptiste in Grandson before he had left for the

Holy Land. The first grant was in essence for prayers of safe return; the second grant looks like thanks for a safe return. The great salt works of Salins belonged to the Count of Burgundy; they were also known as the Seigneurs de Salins, and the works and its grander enlightenment era equivalent today enjoy UNESCO-listed status. The grant to the Templars was in consideration of the great help Othon had received from ‘mes chiers amis en dieu freres Jaques de Molai’, that is, ‘my dear friend in God brother Jacques de Molay’ and he referred to the help which ‘li freres du celle meismes Relegion ont fait a mes accessors, e a moi deca mer et de la mer en la sainte terre e ne cesse encore de faire’ or ‘the brethren of that same order have given to my ancestors and to myself in the West and in the East in the Holy Land, and still continue to give’. His reference to his anccessurs is likely to mean Barthélémy de Grandson who had, as we saw, died in 1158 in Jerusalem.

The reverse Templar ongoing and enormous financial commitment to Grandson is confirmed to us in a papal confirmation of 17 August 1308 by Pope Clement V. Upon suppression of the order Grandson was keen, obviously, that Templar payments continue, since they were the tremendous annual sum of 2,000 Livres Tournois, equating to £500 at the time, and over £350,000 in today’s money. The pension arrangement was made by a Grand Master, named as Jacques de Molay, and variously dated to 1277, 1287 or 1296–97. French Templar historian Alain Demurger wrote: ‘Fault lay with the editor of Clement V’s records … The editor put the date 1277, while M. L. Bulst-Thiele transcribed it as 1297, whereas the original, very clearly and without abbreviations or deletions says 1287.’ In his notes to this assertion, he cites the Vatican Archives date as ‘Anno millesimo duecentesimo octuagesimo septimo’ or ‘In the year one thousand two hundred and eighty-seven.’

Now of course Molay did not succeed Beaujeu until 1292, which renders the dating of the award problematic. Demurger suggested that it was not Molay who made the award despite specific reference to him ‘Jacobus de Mollay’, but his predecessor Beaujeu – in short, that the date was correct but the master’s name incorrect. Alan Forey argued the contrary, writing that it was: ‘more likely that the grant was made by James of Molay and that the date was wrongly copied’. Given, Molay’s 1292 election as Grand Master this would suggest 1296–97 – in short, the date was incorrect, but the master’s name correct. Demurger acknowledged in his notes that ‘a new problem arose … Grandson and the Temple were already connected in 1287: where, how and for what reason?’ Indeed, Demurger’s dating would create such questions, while Forey’s dating would place them squarely in the context of the Fall of Acre and his time in the east with Molay. This ‘compensare’ was given by the The Templars for ‘operibus virtuosis’ or ‘virtuous actions’ rendered by Othon in support of the order, but surely more likely post-Fall of Acre than before.

*Templar Commanderie at Épailly in Burgundy*

In confirmation of the pension, Clement V granted Othon three former Templar houses in France as a part of the continuing settlement, those at Thors, Épailly and Coulours, an act unlikely to have been undertaken at the time in favour of a knight of the order. And so, the ‘virtuous works’ referred to by Pope Clement would appear to date from Grandson’s time in Acre in 1291. So, the date of 1277 attached to the payments by the transcription of them is certainly mistaken, and for the 1287 dating of the original 1308 manuscript we should read 1296–97. Demurger gives 1296 clearly as the date for Molay meeting with Grandson in Paris and the Salins grant. Othon de Grandson’s intimate links with the Templars continue to intrigue, but in Cyprus and Armenia 1292-4, as at Acre in 1291, and here with his pension payments they point to a significant and close ally in matters Outremer rather than a member of the order itself, of which there is no mention.

Grandson, was a close friend of the Templars, having fought alongside them at Acre in 1291, been there in Cyprus as a part of Molay’s election as Grand Master, and in receipt of a handsome annual pension from the order. So, at Philippe ke Bel’s suppression of the order and Molay’s arrest and the rumours swirling around France, the scandal would have touched directly upon him. But at no point can we find Grandson implicated in events, other than petitioning Pope Clement for the maintenance of his pension. But nowhere too can we find him leaping to the defence of Molay, his former friend and ally, at least not in a way that has left any trace. As Demurger said in conversation with the author of this book, Grandson did not try to defend Molay. A character flaw? Demurger went to affirm that one cannot speculate about possible motives, Grandson was by now seventy years of age, had discretion become the greater part of valour?

It is because of his avoidance of implication in the suppression of the Templars, that despite his Templar connections, we can be as certain as certain can be that Othon de Grandson was a friend, ally, indeed fellow traveller of the Templars, but not actually a member of the doomed order, As Alain Demurger said unequivocally to the question, was Grandson a Templar? – Non. What were the enormous payments from the Templars to Othon de Grandson for? What were the “operibus virtuosis”? It’s only speculation but what did Grandson have that might be valuable to the Order? – access better than anyone to Edward I’s ear and access to the English court.

About the Book:

There were once two little boys – they met when they were both quite young; one was born in what’s now Switzerland, by Lake de Neuchâtel, his name Othon de Grandson, and the other was born in London, his name Prince Edward, son of King Henry the third of that name. Othon was probably born in 1238, and Edward, we know, in June 1239. These two little boys grew up and had adventures together. They took the cross together, the ninth crusade in 1271 and 1272. Othon reputedly sucking poison from Edward when the latter was attacked by an assassin. In 1277 and 1278, they fought the First Welsh War against the House of Gwynedd, Othon doing much to negotiate the Treaty of Aberconwy in 1278, which ended hostilities. When war broke out again in 1282 they fought the Second Welsh War together. Othon led Edward’s army across the Bridge of Boats from Anglesey and was the first to sight the future sites of castles at Caernarfon and Harlech. Edward made his friend the first Justiciar (Viceroy) of North Wales. When Edward and Othon went to Gascony in 1287, Othon stayed in Zaragoza as a hostage for Edward’s good intentions between Gascony and Castille. Later, in 1291, when Acre was threatened by the Mamluks, Edward sent Othon as head of the English delegation of knights. When Acre finally fell to the Mamluks bringing the Crusades to a close, who was the last knight onto the boats? Othon de Grandson, helping his old friend, the wounded Jean de Grailly onto the boat. When Othon returned from the East, he found England at war with Scotland and France; he would spend his last years in Edward’s service building alliances and negotiating peace before retiring to his home in what is now Switzerland after the king’s death in 1307. Grandson lived in the time of Marco Polo, Giotto, Dante, Robert the Bruce, and the last Templars. He was right there at the centre of the action in two crusades: war with Wales, Scotland, and France, the Sicilian Vespers, and suppression of the Templars; he walked with a succession of kings and popes, a knight of great renown. This is his story.

Othon de Grandson: Edward I’s Loyal Knight of Renown is available now from Amazon.