After yesterdays brief stop in the Roman Empire, we are now back in Britain. It is the time of Arthur, of Guinevere and the Round Table. Except that in Helen Hollick’s take on Arthur, Guinevere is Gwenhwyfar and in no way a retiring violet. Helen writes marvellous female characters, and I personally think her take […]
Marching through history – Gwenhwyfar as Helen Hollick sees her Read More »
We’re leaping a couple of centuries forward today, more precisely to the 4th century. Today’s guest, Alison Morton, has written an excellent book about this tumultuous era – if you’ve not read Exsilium yet, you’re in for a major treat! – so I am more than delighted to have her shed some light on this
Marching through history – today’s protagonist is Galla, daughter and mother of emperors Read More »
We’re kicking off our march through female history with a post by Nancy Jardine. Nancy has written several engaging (and very educational, if you don’t know much about the period, like me) books about Celtic Britain, so it is no wonder she has chosen to introduce us to Cartimandua, queen of the Brigantes. With that,
Marching through history – meet Cartimandua, Celtic queen Read More »
History is like a wide, sweeping river, it’s source lost in a past so distant we know very little about it. Humankind rose on two legs in that long-ago past, hesitantly peering out over the endless expanses around them. The river of history was as yet a trickle, and these our ancestors have left scant
Beginning the March – a Woman’s History Month endeavour Read More »
Recently, I listened to a pod about a Byzantine princess (oops! Eastern roman princess) called Teophanu who was sent off to wed the future Holy Roman Emperor as a teenager. She would never see her home country again—a fate she had in common with many other women of royal birth, who often found themselves wed
In 1311, a very young Castilian infanta (princess) was betrothed to Jaime, heir to the Aragonese throne. Jaume did not want a wife. His father, however, was adamant. Aragon would benefit from a Castilian marriage. I guess Jaume would have sneered at that, reminding his father of his Castilian bride, little Isabel, whom he returned
Today, I am going to introduce you to St Eulalia. Both of them, because yes, there are two. Why St Eulalia, you may ask. Well, that’s all Alma’s fault. Alma is the main character in my WIP and at present (well, in the year 1337) she is in Mérida, one of those very, very ancient
Today, I am shining the light on Heidi Eljarbo and her dual timeline novel, The Paris Portrait. I’m a big fan of dual timeline stories, even more so when the historic timeline centres around a formidable woman–in this case the incredibly productive and talented painter, Madame Le Brun. I am thinking MS Eljarbo’s protagonist,
Some weeks ago, I shared a post about Constanza Manuel, daughter of Don Juan Manuel de Villena who was not only a power-hungry Castilian noble, but also an erudite writer. Juan Manuel was the grandson of Fernando III, a member of the royal house of Ivrea, and was thereby an Infante of Castile. “A legitimate
Juana Manuel de Villena – the matriarch of a dynasty birthed in royal blood Read More »
Today, I welcome Sharon Bennett Connolly to my blog—a belated celebration of her recent publication, Women of the Anarchy. Some may already be familiar with Sharon’s blog, History – the interesting bits, some of you may have read one of her other books, which means you know this lady lives and breathes history—especially medieval history.
Namesakes, cousins and antagonists – check out the Women of the Anarchy! Read More »