Women’s History

Wordly Women: Catherine Hanley

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

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

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

Sharon: What attracts you to the 13th century?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sharon: What are you working on now?

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

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

That’s probably enough to be getting on with!

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

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

About the Author:

Dr Catherine Hanley holds a PhD in Medieval Studies and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. After producing several scholarly publications she decided to write something more interesting, and she now splits her time between writing popular history and historical fiction.

Catherine: I have no social media (anyone who wants to contact me may do so by writing in ink on parchment and then sending it via a messenger on a fast horse).

Bookshop link: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/catherinehanley

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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.

And we will be chatting with Catherine Hanley about Joanna Plantagenet, Lionessheart, in a couple of months!

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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 Dr Catherine Hanley, FRHistS

Book Corner: Bess – Tudor Gentlewoman by Tony Riches

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

Today, it is an absolute pleasure to welcome Tony Riches back to History … the Interesting Bits for a little chat about his latest book, Bess: Tudor Gentlewoman, the sixth and final book in his magnificent, and enthralling, Elizabeth series.

Sharon: So, Tony, what made you pick Bess Throckmorton as the subject of your sixth and final book in your Tudor series?

Tony: The idea behind the Elizabethan series was to see the enigmatic Queen Elizabeth through the eyes of three of her favourite men and three of her ladies. Each had a very different relationship with the queen, as Drake was in awe of ‘Gloriana’, Essex was like the son she never had and Raleigh was the captain of her guard. I had plenty of ladies to choose from, and was intrigued by Essex’s sister Penelope Devereux (who he blamed for encouraging his ‘rebellion’). His wife, Frances, seemed an unlikely choice, but as I looked into her life as the daughter of the queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, I found she was closely involved with the key events of the Elizabethan era.

Bess’ story allowed me to complete the story of Walter Raleigh (which ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth), and I was intrigued at how she remained so loyal to Walter, even living in his cell at the Tower of London to keep him company. As my research continued, I found she lived until the age of eighty two – well past the end of the Tudors and into the Stuart era, making her one of the last true Elizabethans.

Sharon: Who has been your favourite Tudor to write about?

Tomb of Katherine Willoughby

Tony: I would have to say Bess Raleigh, as she was a remarkable woman, (and I’ve been living with her every day for the past eighteen months), but if time travel is perfected I would love to visit Katherine Willoughby, as she knew every one of the wives and children of King Henry VIII, and must have a lot of secrets! I visited Katherine’s home at Grimsthorpe Castle during my research, and felt a real connection with her at her tomb in Spilsby parish church.

Sharon: Are there any Tudors you would still like to write about?

Sir Philip Sidney (Wikimedia Commons)

Tony: The ‘one who got away’ is Sir Philip Sidney, the fascinating and brilliant warrior poet. He features in three of my books, as he was the Earl of Essex’s mentor, Lady Penelope Devereux’s lover and Frances Walsingham’s first husband.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor?

Tony: I never tire of reading about Queen Elizabeth I, who appears in seven of my books. Every time I think I understand her, I discover something new that makes me think again.

Sharon: And who is your least favourite Tudor?

Tony: The villain of the piece, Sir Richard Rich, who oversaw the trials of Catholic martyrs Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher, as well as the Protestant martyr Anne Askew. Richard Rich can never be forgiven for what he did to poor Anne Askew, who never betrayed Katherine Willoughby – even when tortured on the rack and burned at the stake.

Sharon: What’s next?

Tony: I am now researching the life of the first Stuart queen, Anna of Denmark, who I introduce in my last book, when she visits Bess and Walter at the Tower of London to speak with Walter about his herbal potions. Although I covered the English Civil War in my history lessons, the Stuart queens had only a brief mention, so I would like to help restore them to the place in history they deserve by bringing their stories to life.

About the book:

Bess: Tudor Gentlewoman

“A thrilling portrait of a remarkable woman who witnessed the key events of Elizabethan England.”

Bess Throckmorton defies her notorious background and lack of education to become Queen Elizabeth’s Gentlewoman and trusted confidante.

Forced to choose between loyalty and love, duty and desire, will she risk her queen’s anger by marrying adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh without permission?

Entangled in a web of intrigue, from the glittering Palace of Whitehall to the cells of the Tower of London, Bess endures tragedy and injustice, becoming a resilient, determined woman, who takes nothing for granted.

Can she outwit her enemies, protect her family, and claim her destiny in a world where women are pawns and survival is a game of deadly consequences?

This is the true story of the last of the Elizabethans, which ends the story of the Tudor dynasty – and introduces their successors, the Stuarts.

Buy the book

About the author:

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter @tonyriches.

Links:

Website: Facebook: Twitter: Bluesky: Instagram: Amazon Author Page: Goodreads: LinkedIn.

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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 and Tony Riches

Queen of Scots

Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments
St Margaret, Queen of Scots

The Queens of Scots of the medieval era are a fascinating variety of women and I can only hope that I have done them justice in my latest book, Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From St Margaret to Margaret of Denmark.

Scottish history is fascinating! It is violent, politically charged and passionate. Being inconveniently situated on England’s northern border was never easy for Scotland, but it has made for some great stories over the centuries. Scotland’s story is often that of brother against brother, ambition and family rivalries causing feuds that threatened the stability of the crown itself. Such fissures, of course, grew and ruptured with the aid of English interference and encouragement. The King of England was always happy to play one side off against the other if it weakened Scotland’s position.

And Scotland’s medieval queens, be they Scottish, English, Danish or French, formed a big part of that story.

More often than not, these disputes north and south of the border were resolved in peace treaties, sealed by wedding bells. A number of English princesses and noblewomen found themselves married to Scotland’s kings as a consequence.

Queen Elizabeth de Burgh

For over 400 years, Shakespeare’s version of Lady Macbeth has been the woman most people are familiar with. In the bard’s famous drama, also known as ‘The Scottish Play’, Lady Macbeth is not even given her name. Presented as a scheming, manipulative woman, Shakespeare did as good a hatchet job on Gruoch, a royal princess in her own right, as he had on Richard III. Unfortunately, there is no society established to repair Gruoch’s reputation.

The scheming, ambitious woman who will stop at nothing to put her husband on the Scottish throne – and commit murder to keep him there. But is that the real Lady Macbeth? The story of Queen Gruoch, Lady Macbeth, is one shrouded in mystery, tantalisingly obscure. If only we could know more. The lack of information on Gruoch makes it easy for Shakespeare’s interpretation to be accepted as fact, but it is more than likely an injustice to a woman who survived her first husband’s gruesome death, protected her son and came to an agreement with Macbeth to become his wife, securing her son’s future in the process, and later becoming queen as a consequence.

Queen Gruoch is the first queen of Scots for whom we have a name.

From the highly educated and pious Margaret of Wessex to the glamorous Margaret of Denmark, their lives and experiences tell the story of their nation. Some, such as Matilda de Senlis and Ermengarde de Beaumont, barely make an impression on history, though merely by producing a son, they each guaranteed that Scotland would persevere. And Isabella de Warenne, wife of John Balliol, who is a ghost on the pages of Scotland’s history. And it is not that these made no impression. Their influence was in the domestic sphere, raising children and supporting their husbands, rather than on the political or the international stage. Although Isabella’s story is even more obscure by the fact all mention of the Balliol dynasty was forbidden by the Bruce regime.

Marrying an English princess, for example, did not always guarantee the peace with England that was intended. As the wife of Alexander II, Joan of England did her best to maintain cordial relations with her brother Henry III, often using private letters to broker diplomatic solutions. And Henry III’s own daughter Margaret, in marrying Alexander III, brought Scotland more years of peace with England. As a consequence, Scotland and England enjoyed over 70 years of peaceful relations. These years were shattered dramatically by the deaths of Alexander III, his three children and his little granddaughter, Margaret, the Maid of Norway. Little Margaret’s death left the Scots throne vacant, with thirteen Competitors vying for the crown, staking their claims as Edward I of England acted as adjudicator.

Margaret, Maid of Norway

Edward I took advantage of this to try to assert his overlordship of Scotland, but William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and countless others pushed back, ushering in decades of war with England, the Scottish Wars of Independence.

Edward III’s sister Joan of the Tower was to have no such legacy of peace as the earlier Joan and Queen Margaret could boast. Her brother’s ambition would blight her marriage for years. Edward leant his support to the rival claimant to the Scottish throne, Edward Balliol. If he had not been so keen to exploit Scotland’s dynastic divisions, maybe Joan and David II would have had a happier marriage. We will never know.

One cannot help but feel sympathy for Elizabeth de Burgh, seeing her fortunes rise and fall at the whim of England’s king, Edward I, held captive for eight years when she should have been sitting in splendour on Scotland’s throne.

Or poor Marjorie Bruce, whose childhood was torn from her by that same English king, held far away from everyone she loved, only to be married as she tasted freedom, and dead in childbirth by the age of 19. Passed over for the throne because she was a woman, she still managed to give birth to a dynasty, the Stewarts.

Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots

Scotland was the first nation in the British Isles to accept a queen regnant when Margaret, Maid of Norway, was recognised as its queen in 1290. How her queenship would have developed, we have no way of knowing. The poor girl died before she even landed in mainland Scotland. Her significance is in that she was proclaimed queen and the possibilities that heralded, even if it got no further. We can only speculate as to how a successful rule by a queen regnant in the thirteenth century may have changed the lives and experiences of women in subsequent centuries. Her death was a tragedy, not just to her family, but to women’s rights to rule.

But then again, as her father-in-law, it may well be that Edward I would have taken Scotland under his wing … and never let go.

Although we have charters and chronicles, and evidence of religious and charitable donations, most of these women remain elusive. They are enigmas.

We do not – and cannot – know them intimately as the one thing that is missing is their own voice. Their thoughts and personalities are lost to us. Even letters to family members are often formulaic and rarely speak of their true feelings, of their happiness – or not – and their cares and concerns for themselves. We know what they endured for the sake of Scotland, the risk of death in childbirth, the grief of lost children, or the grief of no children. Every woman in medieval Europe was exposed to similar experiences. Scottish queens, however, had to endure imprisonment, scheming noblemen and the early deaths of their husbands more times than they should have had to.

Anabella Drummond, Queen of Scots

But, once in a while, we come across a marriage that is a true partnership. A love story, even. And we discover moments of affection, of amusement, of unity and mutual support. Little moments that remind us that these people are not just stories. They are lives that were lived to the full, however short or long a time they had.

Scotland’s story is often violent and suffered greatly from the machinations if its powerful southern neighbour. However, Scotland did emerge from the Middle Ages as, still, an independent, sovereign nation. And Scotland’s medieval queens had each made their own contribution to the country’s continuing survival and independence. From Saint Margaret – even from Gruoch – to Margaret of Denmark, each queen, to varying degrees of success, made their own indelible imprint on Scotland’s remarkable story.

Images:

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Selected 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; Nigel Tranter, The Story of Scotland; David Ross Scotland, History of a Nation; Liber pluscardensis, edited by Felix James Henry Skene; Mediaeval chronicles of Scotland: the chronicles of Melrose and Holyrood, translated by Joseph Stephenson; The Chronicle of Lanercost, edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell; The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy by Ordericus Vitalis; The historie and cronicles of Scotland … by Robert Lindesay of Pitscottie, 3 volumes, A.J.G. Mackay, editor.

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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

Wordly Women: Annie Whitehead

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

Joining me today as part of my Wordly Women series is the wonderful Annie Whitehead. Author of both fiction and non-fiction books based in Anglo-Saxon Mercia, Annie’s latest book, Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: Justice, Wergild and Revenge is replete with dastardly murder stories.

Sharon: What got you into writing?

Annie: It was just something I always wanted to do – I remember writing ‘The Adventures of Ferdinand the Hedgehog’ when I was around 7 or 8. I think the desire to write history came later, partly influenced by the sorts of novels I preferred reading, and partly from a growing love of history generally, probably beginning when I lived in York for six months. Living there, even as a child, you can’t not notice the history all around you.

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

Annie: I think they are both equally hard, but they are different. The research is pretty much the same, although with fiction you need every day details as well as the actual historical events, but where they differ is that in fiction you are free to fill in the gaps in the history (although in a way that fits with your plot and with your characters), but if you take them on a journey you need to give details, whereas in nonfiction you can just say, ‘The king took an army to York.’ On the other hand, with nonfiction, you can’t make stuff up, and if you make any pronouncements you have to back those up.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians

Annie: I’ve written four novels, featuring prominent Mercian characters, including Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and Penda, the last pagan king. I’ve also written three nonfiction books, one about the history of Mercia, one about Women of the era, and my latest release, Murder in Anglo-Saxon England. I’ve also contributed to two nonfiction anthologies and three and a half fiction collections (the ‘half’ is one that’ll be published later this year).

Sharon: What attracts you to the Anglo-Saxon period?

Annie: I think there’s an element of romanticism, a Tolkien-esque aura if you will. The names are very noble sounding, including one of the main characters of my second novel, Alvar the Kingmaker, whose real name was Ælfhere. I like the characteristics that set the period apart from the rest of the (mainly Norman) Middle Ages and I like, on the whole, their values. Particularly, their treatment of women, which was in many ways better than that of their later medieval counterparts. I also find the personalities interesting and characterful – rich pickings for the novelist.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Anglo-Saxon and why?

King Edgar

Annie: There are so many to choose from! I’ve already mentioned three, but I also find the little-known King Edgar (959-975) fascinating because he breaks the mould. His reign was not especially violent – it was more a time of politics and scheming nobles and there were no ‘Viking’ raids – and Edgar’s love life was, shall we say, interesting. He might have had up to three wives, one of whom was said by some – unreliable – chroniclers to have been a nun!

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Anglo-Saxon and why?

Annie: I’m going to get into a lot of trouble with this, especially from some of my writer friends, but it’s Harold Godwineson. Obviously I’d rather he’d won at Hastings, not William, but I do find his whole family rather unappealing, treacherous and self-entitled. (Sorry, Harold fans!)

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Annie: I always start with the primary sources, contemporary if possible, looking for any reference to the characters I’m planning to write about. I find out, or remind myself, about the timelines, then I look at the later, usually Anglo-Norman sources, to see where they embellish and flesh out the tales. If I’m writing fiction, I might use some of their more detailed and frankly at times outrageous stories, but if it’s nonfiction, I have to use a lot of scepticism in the pursuit of the truth, or at least getting as close to the truth as I can.

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

Annie: I have so many! But one is the tale of King Offa’s daughter, accused of poisoning her husband’s advisor and accidentally poisoning her husband too. He was the king of Wessex. She fled to the Continent where the Emperor Charlemagne set her up in an abbey but she was caught in debauchery there and died in poverty. It’s highly unlikely to be a true story, as we have evidence that her husband probably died in battle and if she fled, she was most likely fleeing the wrath of his successor, who’d been forced into exile by her father and her husband.

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

King Æthelred the Unready

Annie: It has to be the story of the St Brice’s Day Massacre, sanctioned by King Æthelred the Unready, where a number of Danes were chased through Oxford into a church which was then set on fire. It sounds like the scene from a bad Hollywood historical film, but it really happened. We know this a) because we have a charter from the king himself saying that he ordered it and b) charred bones dating to the right time unearthed at the location.

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

Annie: I’ve always been interested in the seventeenth century and the early Stuarts in particular. They are coming out of the shadows a bit more now and there have been some excellent books, both fiction and nonfiction, published recently, but they still take second place to the Tudors, which for me is a shame as it’s such an interesting period of history.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Annie: I’m working on the novel which I shelved to research and write Murder in Anglo-Saxon England. It’s set in the tenth century and features Mercians, Northumbrians, Vikings and Scots and also has a murder or two thrown in!

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

Annie: Something I’ve enjoyed from a very early age is reading – I loved being transported to other times and places, meeting new characters and learning their stories. Writing, for me, is almost the same, and to spend my working days making up similar stories and spending time with those characters is a dream come true. It’s a form of escapism and it’s bliss!

About the Author:

Annie is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines. She has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine’s Prose and Poetry Competition. She has been a finalist in the Tom Howard Prize for nonfiction and was shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association (HWA)/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and was subsequently a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition, and was a 2024 judge for the HWA Crown Nonfiction Award. Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (published by Amberley books) and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books). In 2023 she contributed to a new history of English monarchs, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in February 2025 Murder in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Amberley Books.

Find Annie at: Website; Buy Annie’s Books; Blog; Facebook; Twitter/X; Instagram; BlueSky.

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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

‘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.

*

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

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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

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.

*

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.

*

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

Wordly Women: Wendy J. Dunn

Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments

In the third edition of my Author Spotlight series, Wordly Women, I chat with Wendy J. Dunn, author of both historical fiction and non-fiction based in the Tudor period

Sharon: What got you into writing?

Wendy: I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t read – or love books. By eight, I knew I wanted to be an author. I was ten when a friend had given me a child’s book of English history for my tenth birthday. That book, or rather its chapter about Elizabeth I, changed the course of my life.

But claiming a writer’s mantle meant walking a hard, long and challenging road. I was born into a working-class family. My parents never encouraged me to write—or even to complete High School. They expected me to follow the normal narrative for a working-class girl: work until I found a husband. I found him at seventeen, married him at eighteen. Ten months later (LOL), we welcomed the first of our four children.

By the time I married, life had done a good job of knocking down my confidence about ever becoming a writer. I also had this silly, working-class imposed idea that I could not write because I was now a wife and mother. I believed my class and world would not allow it. As I say, I had a lot of silly ideas. But I was very young. It took the traumatic birth of my second son to wake me up at twenty-two and make me remember I had other choices, and my dreams of authoring books. A few months after that, I applied to a local university’s Early Leaver Scheme, and they accepted me. Completing my Bachelor of Arts restored my confidence and returned me to writing.

With raising a family, working as a primary teacher, and a lot of health challenges along the way, the road was still difficult. Also, my family always comes first. LOL – I can hear them protesting that is not how they see it, but I know it is true. I would have written far more books by this stage of my life if writing came first. While family is at the core of my existence, writing keeps me sane. Writing is also where I have found my authentic life.

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

Wendy: Both are hard – but nonfiction is harder because I am far more passionate about writing fiction than writing nonfiction. I love surrendering to my imagination and being there – back then – with my characters. On a good writing day, I emerge feeling so alive, I could float on air.

But what makes me passionate about writing nonfiction is my love of research – of finding answers that deepen my understanding of people of the past and sharing that knowledge with others.

Sharon: Tell us about your books….

Dear Heart, How Like You This? was my first published novel, and so will forever hold a special place in my heart because it was the novel that proved I could complete a novel, and one also good enough to be published. It tells the story of Anne Boleyn from the point of view of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. Tom and I developed an extraordinary relationship when I wrote that book. He became so real we often argued about the direction of the story – and the story would just come to a stop until he got his own way.

Dear Heart ignited my desire to write about the life of Katherine of Aragon. I wrote the first version of The Duty of Daughters – the novel about Katherine of Aragon’s early life in Castille – through the point of view of the child Maria de Salinas and then faced the fact I needed to write it through an adult point of view. I knew it just had to be Beatriz Galindo, the scholar who may have been Katherine of Aragon’s tutor, but I despaired about pulling apart the book and starting again. So much so, it took completing my Masters of Writing and then my PhD – when I wrote The Light in the Labyrinth as my creative artefact – before I returned to this work, for it to be published in 2016.

Dear Heart also ignited the inspiration for The Light in the Labyrinth because my first novel left me with so many questions about why Henry VIII murdered the woman he had turned his kingdom upside to marriage. I decided to target this novel to young adults, with the hope adults would like it, too. LOL – I suspect far more adults have read and enjoyed it than young adults. As it became a bestseller in its early published life, I have no complaints about that.

All Manner of Things is the conclusion to my Falling Pomegranate Seeds duology. All Manner of Things imagines Katherine of Aragon time in England from her arrival in 1501 to 1520, with an epilogue that takes the reader to her deathbed. I used Maria de Salinas, one of Katherine’s closest friends and a fellow Castilian exile, as my narrator, which offered a close view of Katherine’s life.

All Manner of Things has done me proud since its publication by gaining quite a few awards and being translated into Spanish and published as Mi Hermana, Mi Reina.

Henry VIII’s True Daughter: Catherine Carey, A Tudor Life is my first published major work of nonfiction. COVID lockdowns made researching that book difficult. I was stuck in Melbourne, Australia, when I should have been researching in England. But we are fortunate to have a wealth of archival material now available online.

Sharon: What attracts you to the Tudor period?

Wendy: I have loved the Tudor period since my childhood. It is a fascinating period with so many fascinating people. For me, this period offers a wealth of stories to draw from for my storytelling, with a cast of archetypes, heroes and villains, with stories of adultery, murder, lust, love, passion, betrayal, tragedy and triumph, family secrets, ambition and vainglory. The Tudors offer a treasure trove of multilayered tales that speak to our shared humanity.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor and why?

Wendy: No question about it. Elizabeth I. I know she was not perfect, but she was an exceptionally intelligent human being. The fact she ended up the queen of England, after years of walking a road where any misstep could lead to her death, is such a story of triumph. And the triumph continued all through her life. Elizabeth remained queen for close to forty-four years, despite all the plots to bring her down.  

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Tudor and why?

Wendy: Henry VIII. I don’t think I could ever like any man who murders his wives. I confess I wrote The Light in the Labyrinth hoping I’d find him more likeable. Alas, I liked him far less after completing my second Anne Boleyn novel. He was a bully, a tyrant (especially after 1536), possessed little empathy, emotionally abused his eldest daughter and forced her to betray the memory of her mother, all of which broke her spirit, made it harder for women to work in professions – for example, a law early in his reign excluded women from the medical profession, and was, many times, simply cruel.  

OMG – he annulled his marriage to Anne Boleyn just days before her execution, so how could she be accused of adultery then? But he still executed her!

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Wendy: Books. Many books. And more books. Academic papers. Hours of searching for primary sources to help me with my topic. Living in hope of having funds to get to the places where my people once lived, just so I can walk in their footsteps.

I build my people – real and imagined – through thorough research. I love researching history and deepening my knowledge about people of the past, which means every book I write increases my own personal reference library.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ Tudor story.

Wendy: The day they crowned Elizabeth. Whenever I read the primary sources about her coronation, I am always swept away by the joy of the day. By Elizabeth’s joy. And I get an extra shiver up and down my backbone to know Anne Boleyn was remembered on this day. What Elizabeth must have felt to see her mother included in the processional display that celebrated her lineage.

I have written about this day in Henry VIII’s True Daughter, and also touched on this scene in FIRE FROM THE COMET’S TAIL, one of my short stories:

One of the honoured women helping carry Elizabeth’s long, heavy mantle up the steps, Kate couldn’t resist doing a dancing step, far too excited and happy to mind the cold.

Drums rolled and trumpets blared. A thousand voices roared in triumph: Long live the queen. Long live the queen.

Bess looked over her shoulder at the crowds, and waved. In the sudden hushed silence, before the crowd shouted out as if in one voice, “Elizabeth! God Save Elizabeth!” the wind carried to Kate the well-remembered laugh of another queen. One more shout mounted up, God save the queen.

Out of the corner of her eye, her aunt seemed standing beside her. Love. Love never dies, or is forgotten, her aunt’s voice said in her mind. Strange. She had no memory of her saying that while she lived.

Snow-light blinding her again, Kate rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, Bess had entered the ancient doors of Westminster.

I really look forward to revisiting this day in the novel I am writing now.

Sharon: Tell us your least ‘favourite’ Tudor story.

Wendy: The execution of Anne Boleyn. Such an unjust end to her life. I also believe she only gave up hope of a reprieve in her last moments. How awful it must have been for her, knowing Henry wanted her dead so much he set in motion her execution. He may have given her the mercy of the French swordman, but he was merciless in other ways. And to die knowing she was leaving behind her infant daughter who would no longer have her protection. My heart breaks for her!

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

Wendy: I hope to live long enough to write about a few women from medieval Spanish history who have caught my attention. Researching Katherine of Aragon’s life has left me with a deep love of Spain and its history.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Wendy: I’m working through the edits of Shades of Yellow, my novel about an Australian woman writing a Tudor novel (not me!), which is scheduled for publication on September 7th. I am also writing a novel inspired by the life of Frances Newton Brooke, a woman who served Elizabeth I even before she became queen until 1592. She is also subject I’m researching for my next nonfiction book for Pen& Sword Books

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

Wendy: Oh – finding kindred spirits, like you, Sharon! I feel so blessed with the friendships I have made along the way on this writing road of mine – and blessed to have this passion that helps me grow as a human being. Writing turned my life into a true adventure.

About the Author:

Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally. Wendy is married, the mother of three sons and one daughter—named after a certain Tudor queen, surprisingly, not Anne. She is also the grandmother of two amazing small boys. She gained her PhD in 2014 and loves walking in the footsteps of the historical people she gives voice to in her novels. Wendy also tutors at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

Where to find Wendy’s books:.

Original version of Dear Heart, How Like You This?, New edition of Dear Heart, How like You This?

Original version of The Light in the Labyrinth. New version of The Light in the Labyrinth.

Falling Pomegranate Seeds duology: Part One, 
The Duty of Daughters
https://mybook.to/FPS, Part two: All Manner of Things.

Pen and Sword Books: Henry VIIIs True Daughter: Catherine Carey, A Tudor Life

Mi hermana, mi reina: La historia de Catalina de Aragn contada por su dama y fiel amiga Mara de Salinas (Spanish Edition)

Where to find Wendy::

Website – Newsletter – Facebook – Instagram: wendyjdunnauthor, Bluesky: wendyjdunn.bsky.social, LinkedIn: Dr Wendy Dunn – Academic Tutor and Lecturer – Goodreads – Bookbub

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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 Wendy J. Dunn

Wordly Women: Amy McElroy

Sharon Bennett ConnollyLeave a comment

After sharing the interview with Helene Harrison a couple of weeks ago and introducing my Author Spotlight series, Wordly Women, I was surprised and grateful for the amazing response from readers and writers alike. So, I am going to carry it on, hopefully for a whole year – or at least until I run out of astounding female authors – which could take a while! In the second of my Wordly Women interviews, I welcome Amy McElroy to History…the Interesting Bits to talk about her writing journey.

Hello Amy!

Sharon: What got you into writing non-fiction?

Amy: I had started a blog as a place to jot down my thoughts on books I had read, I did not really expect people to read it, I just wanted to be able to keep track of my reading and the books I had enjoyed. I often read other peoples blogs to find recommendations so thought it would be a good way to record my own thoughts. I ended up joining NetGalley where 99% of the books I requested were non-fiction, and many were published by Pen and Sword and continued to publish my reviews on my blog. Eventually I was approached by Pen and Sword and asked if I had ever considered writing my own book. I had absolutely not thought about it at that point despite my love of history and writing so it came as a complete surprise! After working my way through many thoughts of doubt and imposter syndrome I decided to go for it, why not? I was given an incredible opportunity that I will always be grateful for.

Sharon: Tell us about your books…

Amy: My first book Educating the Tudors was published in January 2023 and looks at the education of those well-known Tudor individuals we all know and love (or dislike), including Henry and his siblings, as well as his children. It also covers the education of the general public and the different opportunities available such as apprenticeships. Finally there is a little on who the tutors of the royal household were, and what people did for fun when they weren’t learning!

My second, Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era, was published in February 2024, the title pretty much gives everything away but it essentially discusses the milestones in the lives of Tudor women; childhood, courtship and marriage, motherhood, employment, widowhood, and death. I loved researching this book, although not all women left behind a Will, those that remain are fascinating!

My most recent publication is Mary Tudor, Queen of France, which was due to be published 28 February 2025 but came out a little early on 30 January, so you and I now have a shared book birthday! Mary was the younger sister of Henry VIII, and aunt of Mary I. She began to interest me when I was researching my first book and I could not help but keep digging and rushing down rabbit-holes. I do hope I have done Mary justice as she was much more than just a sister to a king.

Sharon: What attracts you to the Tudor period?

Amy: There are so many events it is hard not to be interested! Not only are there many fascinating individuals but we have lots of marriages, executions, the Reformation, and events such as the Field of the Cloth of Gold, there is lots for people to read and research. I am also attracted to the Tudor period as it was at the centre of huge changes to education, the Renaissance was in full swing and how it impacted education in England continues to intrigue me.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor and why?

Amy: Oh this is a difficult one! If we are referring to monarchs I would have to say Henry VIII. I know, I know, he was a tyrant, but he wasn’t always and he accomplished a lot as king. I am also a little biased in that I enjoy researching his education and continued learning as an adult. If we are referring to any individual in the Tudor era, then that would be Mary, I really enjoyed writing about her and found she is often overshadowed by her brother and whenever someone reads ‘Mary Tudor’ many will assume it to be Mary I. Hopefully my book and those of others will help in bringing Mary out of the shadows.

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Tudor and why?

Amy: Haha, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, husband to Frances Brandon and father of Lady Jane, Lady Katherine, and Lady Mary Grey. I will just never understand his actions, especially once Jane was held in the Tower, you would think he would do everything he could to stay out of trouble but no!

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Amy: I generally write a rough chapter plan detailing what I want to cover. When I say rough, I really do mean that but it gives me a start on my research. I then look at what resources do I already have and what do I need. I live in the Midlands so I try to plan my research so that if I need to travel somewhere for a source e.g. National Archives or British Library then I have a clear plan of everything I need from there so I can try and make the most of my time there but giving myself enough time that I can go for another visit if I miss something or find something else I need. I am old school so I write most of my notes by hand which can then take me forever to type up, therefore I try to ensure I have everything I need before I start typing.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ Tudor story.

Amy: I love the story of Thomas More and Erasmus visiting the royal children at Eltham. Erasmus did not know that was the plan so he was very surprised when they arrived at Eltham Palace and found Margaret, Henry, Mary and Edmund all there. Thomas More had prepared some writing for Henry but Erasmus had come unprepared so was not happy with More! They stayed for dinner and Henry actually challenged Erasmus to write something for him. Erasmus spent 3 days writing a poem which became Prosopopӕia Britanniӕ and praises Henry VII, the princes, and England. He dedicated the poem to  Prince Henry and it was printed in the first edition of Adages in 1500. I think this was both a surprising yet memorable event for Erasmus and was the beginning of his friendship with Henry.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘least favourite’ Tudor story.

Amy: I think I would have to say that I really dislike the stories that Henry VII was a miser. The records and accounts show he more than willing to spend a great deal of money when he wished to. He made gifts to his children, spent money on building and was certainly not afraid to show his wealth when it came to impressing ambassadors and visitors to the royal court. Yes, he was very intelligent when it came to money but I think it is unfair for him to have the reputation of a miser.

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

Amy: I think if I were to ever write about another era it would likely be the Plantagenets but I’m not sure if I ever will!

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Amy: I am finishing up writing a book on Desiderius Erasmus which is due to be published early 2026 then I will be moving on to my 5th book, Teaching the Tudors. This will expand on my first book and focus on some of the tutors we know so well and others that were extremely influential on education during the Tudor era but are maybe not so well known.

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

Amy: Another hard one! Firstly, getting to know so many incredible historians, I have been made to feel so welcome in the history community by historians I greatly admire such as yourself, Nathen Amin, and Estelle Paranque and others but I can’t name everyone or this may be a very long answer. I have made some wonderful friends including Rebecca Batley, Rebecca Larson, and Helene Harrison and had fantastic opportunities to appear on podcasts like Talking Tudors and Royals, Rebels, and Romantics. But overall, I love history, so I am doing something I love, does it get better than that?

About the Author:

Amy McElroy is the author of Educating the Tudors (2023), Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era (2024), and Mary Tudor, Queen of France (2025). Amy has long had an interest in history, beginning with a blog where she shared her love of books before culminating in her own book, Educating the Tudors. Amy is currently writing her fourth book, Desiderius Erasmus and has a fifth in the pipeline with many more ideas for the future. Amy co-hosts the blog, The Tudor Notebook on Substack. She has appeared on numerous podcasts including Talking Tudors, Royals, Rebels, and Romantics, and Tudors Dynasty. Amy has also spoken at events including the Wolves Literature Festival and After Hours at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Where to find Amy:

Facebook – Amy McElroy; Instagram – @amymcelroy_author; Blue Sky – AmyMcElroy; Threads – amymcelroy_books; Twitter/X – @AmyMc_Books; Substack – The Tudor Notebook; Blog – website.

To Buy Amy’s Books:

Educating the Tudors: Pen and Sword Books: Educating the Tudors – Hardback. Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era: Pen and Sword Books: Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era – Hardback, and is also available to order with a signed bookplate at Fox Lane Books. Mary Tudor, Queen of France: Pen and Sword Books: Mary Tudor – Hardback and is also available to order with a signed and dedicated bookplate at Fox Lane Books

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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 Amy McElroy

Wordly Women: Helene Harrison

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I have been inspired by the British Library’s Medieval women: In Their Own Words exhibition to launch a series of interviews featuring women writers of History, Wordly Women, to give us an insight into their books, their writing habits and themselves. My guinea pig – er, I mean – first Author Spotlight is the wonderful Helene Harrison, author of two fabulous books on the Tudors, with a third on the way.

So, over to my chat with Helene…

Sharon: What got you into writing non-fiction?

Helene: ’ve always enjoyed research, no matter on what topic. But it was during my A Levels that I really got into history, which then developed at university during my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. When I finished my undergraduate degree in 2012, I started my blog, Tudor Blogger, because I felt a bit bereft, even though I was about to start my postgraduate degree. It took off from there really, as I started reviewing history books in my collection on my blog and then publishers started to send me books to review. I was then approached by my publisher to ask if I was interested in writing a book for them and that’s how writing non-fiction came about really. I’d always wanted to, but I didn’t think anyone would actually be interested in reading them.

Sharon: Tell us about your books.

Helene: My first book was ‘Elizabethan Rebellions: Conspiracy, Intrigue and Treason’ which was published in January 2023. It still didn’t really feel real that I was a published author even when I held it in my hands! My second book ‘Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block’ was then published in July 2024. I’d been researching Tudor executions and treason as an interest for several years anyway, so I had a lot of the background in my head already. My third book ‘The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception’ is due to be released in July 2025 and is now available for preorder. This upcoming one is the one I’m, I think, most nervous about. It has developed from my undergraduate and postgraduate history degrees which looked at Anne Boleyn’s public image (undergraduate) and then at perceptions in literature and film (postgraduate). This book combines the two and builds more on it. I didn’t feel quite ready to write this book when I wrote my first two, but this felt like the right time.

Sharon: What attracts you to the Tudors?

Helene: When I was doing my A Levels, I did a module on Tudor Rebellions, which is really where I delved into Tudor research, though I had some very basic knowledge before that. My GCSE had been in modern world history, so I didn’t really have an earlier chance to do proper research on the Tudors. At university I did modules on early modern women’s history which included witchcraft and women in power which ignited my passion for Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. Showtime’s TV show, The Tudors finished its final series while I was at university, and that just added to my interest, wanting to know what was real and what was fiction, and that really fuelled the subjects of my dissertations. But I think that what really attracts me to the Tudors today is that they seem to be quite a unique dynasty, but that their blood still feeds down into the royal family today. The Tudors won the throne in battle, and that was the last time an English monarch died in battle, and we also see the advent of successful female monarchy. England rises as a global power, and we begin to see the reach extending beyond the British Isles in an age of exploration, great literature, and new ways of exercising power.

Sharon: Who is your favourite Tudor and why?

Helene: This will probably be the same answer as a lot of people, but Anne Boleyn. She is such a fascinating figure, more than the first beheaded wife of Henry VIII. Her upbringing was singular for a woman of her class, being raised at the courts of the Low Countries and France, exposed to new religious ideas and with an exoticism which marked her out at the English court. Anne was at the centre of massive changes happening in England, in many ways the catalyst for them, and that’s why she has held my interest for so many years. But I do also have a soft spot for Anne of Cleves, and I’m fascinated by Mary Boleyn and her daughter, Catherine Carey Knollys, as well.

Sharon: Who is your least favourite Tudor and why?

Helene: I often think it’s difficult to have a least favourite Tudor because they’re all fascinating in their own ways, even those that perhaps aren’t very likeable. I find Henry, Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots, quite difficult to like, but then the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death are so interesting! I also find it very difficult to find redeeming qualities in Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, who saw two nieces, a nephew, and a niece-in-law, as well as his own son, executed, but always managed to save himself. In the sources he comes across as very cold and self-serving, willing to do whatever it took to save himself, even if it meant his own family being executed. But he was active over a large period of the first half of the long Tudor century, so he is important to study.

Sharon: How do you approach researching your topic?

Helene: Often it depends on the topic! With my second book ‘Tudor Executions’ I had a lot of the secondary source knowledge already, and quite a bit of the primary source knowledge. With my first book ‘Elizabethan Rebellions’ there was a lot more that I didn’t know, so I wanted to make sure that I covered as much as I could from both primary and secondary sources. But I always think it’s important to make sure that you go back to the original sources as much as possible and form your own opinions. Others might disagree with what you think, but I think that it’s important you know your own thoughts before reading those of others otherwise you might be unduly influenced by them. With my third book ‘The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn’, this was a very different approach to research because I knew the primary and secondary sources really well anyway from nearly 15 years of reading and research, but this book does a close analysis of a selection of sources including television, film, novels, and theatre, so there was a lot of analysis of those with comparisons to primary and secondary sources. I started by going back to my undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations, then branching out from there to know what I thought at the time and how my opinions have changed, which they have in some ways! So that was a really interesting way of approaching it, and very different to things I’ve done before!

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ Tudor execution story.

Helene: Hmm, tricky! Anne Boleyn is always an interesting one, but I know it so well that I thought it would be a relatively easy chapter to write, but I went so far over my word count on that chapter that I really had to work to trim it back! I was very aware that I wanted each chapter to be the same length so that one person wasn’t getting more attention than any other. I did achieve that! I find the Earl of Warwick’s story interesting, but also so sad to write about. Nathen Amin’s work on the Tudor Pretenders was invaluable in working on that chapter. It’s the first execution I discuss in the book and the only one under Henry VII so I was very aware of that, and of how unjust it was, so that may have been my favourite chapter to write actually. The Earl of Warwick was imprisoned in the Tower for fourteen years before his execution, and he was only 24 when he died. It just seems like such a wasted life.

Sharon: Tell us your ‘favourite’ Elizabethan rebellion story.

Helene: My favourite of the rebellions to write about was undoubtedly the Babington Plot of 1586. There was so much intrigue with that one. The Ridolfi and Throckmorton Plots never really quite got off the ground, and neither did Babington, but we have the added knowledge that it was the Babington Plot that led directly to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, which was really a pivotal moment in Elizabeth’s reign, and in the history of monarchy in the British Isles as well. The Babington Plot had letters being smuggled in beer barrels, ciphers and codes, international conspiracy and plots to invade, and it all being known about seemingly from the beginning by the English government. How far was it all manipulated by Francis Walsingham? The early spy networks of Walsingham his codebreaker Thomas Phelippes I could have written so much more about!

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

Helene: I am fascinated by the royal women of the Wars of the Roses – Margaret of Anjou, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, and Isobel and Anne Neville. I would like to write more about them in the future, perhaps just on my blog though, as there do seem to be more books about them coming out now, both fiction and non-fiction. But if I hadn’t done by undergraduate dissertation on Anne Boleyn and started all of this, my second choice was to do something on the Holocaust. Very different, I know! My grandma was Austro-Polish and was in a labour camp during the Second World War before she moved to England, so that personal connection, in a way, to it I think has just made me more interested. It’s the psychology that I struggle to understand more than anything. I also have an interest in the Jack the Ripper case, though there is so much written on that, I don’t think my kind of amateurish interest will merit much in the way of writing.

Sharon: What are you working on now?

Helene: I am currently waiting for my final set of edits for my third book ‘The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception’ which I then need to index, which is always time-consuming to do right. I am also currently writing my fourth book, also for Pen and Sword, which is about Henry VIII’s Great Matter and his quest for an heir, which has been really interesting to delve into; I wanted to look at it from a people perspective rather than the parliamentary and legal standpoint, how it affected the people involved at different stages and how Henry VIII changed throughout. I’m just over halfway writing that one now, and I am commissioned for a fifth book after that, though I’m keeping mum on the topic of that one for the time being, though it is still firmly in the Tudor period!

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

Helene: That one’s easy actually! The best thing I’ve found about being a writer is the history community. Blogging is one thing, but when you’re writing and publishing, you become part of this community, and everyone is so lovely and helpful, and I’ve made some wonderful friends and met some lovely people through it. Amy McElroy and I released our first books on the same day back in January 2023 and have since twice met up in person in London, going to exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery and British Library. It is definitely the engagement with like-minded people that is so great, and though I was incredibly nervous doing podcast interviews at the start, now I’m a lot more relaxed and I think that’s because the people you’re talking to are just as passionate about history as you are, and they are just so great at putting you at ease and they want you to succeed.

Huge thanks to Helene for such a fascinating discussion. Do take a look at her books – the links are below.

About the Author:

Helene Harrison studied at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, achieving both a BA and MA in History before going on to complete an MSc in Library Management. Her passion for Tudor history started when studying for A Levels and completing a module on Tudor rebellions. Her master’s dissertation focused on portrayals of Anne Boleyn through the centuries, from contemporary letters to modern TV and film adaptations. Now she writes two blogs, one Tudor history and one book-related, and works in the university library of her alma mater. In her spare time, she loves visiting royal palaces and snuggling up with a book or embroidery project. Her previous books are ‘Elizabethan Rebellions: Conspiracy, Intrigue and Treason’ and ‘Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block’, both published by Pen and Sword. Her third book, ‘The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception’, is due out in July 2025.

Where to find Helene:

Website – Substack – Facebook – Instagram – Blue Sky – Threads

To buy Helene’s books:

Elizabethan Rebellions: Conspiracy, Intrigue and Treason is available from Pen & Sword Books (though you can contact me directly on social media or through my website if you would like a signed copy of Rebellions). Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block is also available from Pen & Sword Books. The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception is currently only available for preorder through Amazon and Waterstones

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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 Helene Harrison