Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, is reputed as the first authoress to publish under her own name. However, this is a considerable …
RECONSIDERING EARLY ENGLISH FEMALE AUTHORS
medieval
THE HISTORY OF WILLIAM MARSHALL: KNIGHTING THE YOUNG KING
‘L’histoire de Guillaume de Maréschal,’ known in translation as ‘The History of William (the) Marshall,’ is a rich source of information for historians of 12th …
THE WEDDING AND CORONATION OF BERENGARIA OF NAVARRE
In 1191, King Richard I of England married Berengaria, the daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre. Theirs was one of the more unusual royal …
RICHARD III VISITS YORK
Following their coronation on 6th July, 1483, King Richard III and Queen Anne, along with their young son, Edward of Middleham, set off on a …
HENRY V’S VALENTINE?
One of the earliest mentions of Valentine’s Day in English literature comes in the form of a poem by John Lydgate. Lydgate was a 15th …
ELEANOR OF CASTILE AS A LANDOWNER
Eleanor of Castile is most remembered for the ‘Eleanor Crosses’ – the beautiful statues that her grieving husband, Edward I, had erected to mark the …
MEDIEVAL MELANCHOLIA
In the Middle Ages, there was a very limited understanding of mental illness. One ailment, which we would categorise today as a mental illness, was …
MARITAL STRIFE: ISABELLA OF ANGOULÊME AND THE LUSIGNANS
Whilst Henry VIII is renowned for his complex marital life, his 13th century ancestress, Isabella of Angoulême, could give him a run for his money. …
NEW YEAR’S FESTIVITIES IN SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Celebrating the new year is a tradition which has a long history. One of the most evocative medieval accounts is in ‘Sir Gawain and the …
HENRY VIII’S TRIAL OF ST. THOMAS BECKET
Over 400 years after his death, the shrine of St. Thomas Becket fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII seemed to take …
