Tudor Treasures & Medieval Musings
WITH GRADUATE HISTORIAN JESSICA CAREY-BUNNING
Empress Matilda, daughter and heir of Henry I, mother of Henry II, and ultimately unsuccessful claimant to the throne of England in her own right, is often titled as ‘The Lady of the English.’ There is a perception that she did not take the title of ‘queen’ because of the suspect nature of female rulership, she could not bear such a lofty title in her own right. However, this view ignores the language differences between the 12th and 21st centuries.
As part of the funeral ceremony, a shield, helm, saddle, and sword, his funeral ‘achievements,’ were carried in procession, to show Henry V’s martial success and knightly honour, and then displayed on a wooden beam above the chantry chapel built around his tomb. Unfortunately the sword has been lost to us, but remarkably the saddle, helm, and shield still survive in the Westminster Abbey museum.
After the Norman Conquest the nobility of England medieval French. English was slow to be accepted by the courts of the English kings…but with the efforts of Edward III, Henry IV and Henry V, English, after many centuries, once more became the language of English kings.
This portrait of Richard II is believed to have been painted in the 1390s. Though Richard’s coronation took place some 20 years earlier, on the 16th July, 1377, it shows Richard as he would have appeared that day, in his crimson and ermine coronation robes on the Coronation Chair, holding the orb and sceptre. As far as we know, it has been displayed in Westminster Abbey since its creation
Many writers of history – factual and fictional – have weighed in on the case and character of Richard III, and the fate of the Princes in the Tower. None have approached the task with their tongue placed quite so far in their cheek as the famous Jane Austen. Here is Jane Austen’s whimsical take on the highly divisive Richard III:
Research done of the Royal Collection Trust portrait of Richard III in 1970s and in 2016 have shown that the figure we see in the portrait today is subtly, but distinctly, different from the one the artist originally painted.
‘The Genealogical Roll Chronicle of the English Kings’ show Henry II and his children. This spectacular manuscript is from the reign of Edward I. It is a genealogical account of the kings of England and their families. The genealogy starts with Egbert, king of Wessex, down to Edward III.
Deciding on a name for your new dog can be a challenge at times; one medieval duke clearly thought so when he compiled a list …
I’d like to take a moment to honour the passing of Ian Hamilton, who will be remembered by the world for the significant role in …
