January 12th 1312 - birth of Joan Gaveston

January 12th, 1312, saw the birth of  Piers Gaveston's daughter, Joan.   Joan's mother was Piers' wife, Margaret de Clare.  Piers had been exiled late in 1311, when  Margaret was heavily pregnant.   Margaret had accompanied Piers to Ireland for his second exile.  Being so heavily pregnant with their first child, there was no question that Margaret would be able to do so now.   There has been speculation that with the birth imminent, Piers may never have left England at all.  There were rumours that he was merely lying low, with of course the assistance of - who else? - Edward II.    Wherever Piers was, he was soon reunited with Margaret and his newborn daughter, Joan - but not before first being reunited with Edward II first!   All three were in the North of England, and it must have been a happy occasion.  

Best Books Review

Happy New Year to all!   As usual, my first post of the year is a review of the best books of the previous year 2018.   They are my personal choices and my opinions.  Not all will have been published in 2019, it's just that is when I read them.  I try to persevere with every book I start, even though it's sometimes difficult!  2019 have provided me with some real gems and a few disappointments.   

1.  Undoubtedly the best book of the year was Kathryn Warner's 'Blood Roses - the Houses of Lancaster and York before the Wars of the Roses'.   I absolutely LOVED this book!  There are many, many books on the Wars of the Roses, as we now commonly call the medieval civil war.   However Kathryn Warner takes us right back, to the very first Dukes of York and Lancaster, and their amazing links throughout Europe.   There are fascinating characters to meet along the way - particularly Henry of Grosment.    As usual with all Kathryn Warner's work, the research is out-standing.

2.  The  House of Beaufort - Nathen Amin.  A fabulous and detailed read on one of my favourite, complicated historical families!   That they should come from a 'bastard line' and produce a rank outsider Henry Tudor who became king is remarkable.   In particular, the history of Joan Beaufort and her 18 children is both complicated and riveting.  Very well researched and immensely enjoyable to read.

3.   Another of Kathryn Warner's books - 'Hugh Despencer, the Younger and Edward II'.  Again, meticulous research and what I particularly like about this book is that Kathryn Warner doesn't seek to excuse the behaviour and actions of Hugh Despencer, rather she lays bare all that Despencer has done but that doesn't mean everything he's accused of he is guilty of.  Intimidation, piracy and recklessness all apply to him!

4.  The Nevilles of Middleham by K L Clarke.    I've long had an interest in Richard Neville, the so-called Kingmaker and Earl of Warwick.  This book delves into the background of the Neville family in great detail - particularly the history of Maud Stanhope.   At times a little difficult to follow, but with such a family, it's to be expected.  

5.  Best fiction book of the year is 'The First of the Tudors' by Joanna Hickson.  This is a novel about Jasper Tudor, uncle of the future Henry VII.  The story is told from Jasper and his cousin Jane's point of view, and their romantic involvement during perilous times.  I particularly enjoyed the scenes at Pembroke Castle, with Jasper almost in awe of his young sister-in-law, Margaret Beaufort.   Despite the age difference, Jasper puts Margaret on a pedestal, and will do anything to protect her and her son.  His growing love for his cousin Sian/Jane is charmingly told and I couldn't wait to read the next installment.

6.  'The Tudor Crown' by Joanna Hickson is the follow up to 'First of the Tudors'.  Much as I was looking forward to it, it doesn't quite match 'First of..' , mainly because I was expecting - hoping - for the continuation of Jasper Tudor's story.  But it's not to be, for Henry Tudor himself takes the main role, along with his mother Margaret.  Jasper is present but not as a main character.  We know very little of Henry Tudor's early life, so this allows Hickson to invent a moving romance for the young Henry and his life in France and Brittainy.  I shall look forward to the next instalment.

6.  La Reine Blanche - Mary Tudor, a life in letters by Sarah Bryson.  Exactly what it says it is - a fascinating look at the life of Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary Tudor, using primary sources.  I hadn't realised so many of her papers survived.


7.  The White King - Charles 1st, Traitor, Murderer and Martyr by Leander de Lisle - again, does exactly what it says, and gives a balanced recount of the life of Charles 1st. 

8.  A slight cheat here, as I've still to finish this book, and it deserves a post of it's own (to follow).   It's a novel called 'The Spellbinders' by Aleardo Zanghellini - which at the moment, is the best - yes really - novel I've read on Piers Gaveston and Edward II.  Full review will definitely follow!

Biggest disappointment - and it really pains me to write this as Lauren MacKay's previous book, 'Inside the Court of Henry VIII'  was outstanding, but sadly her book 'Among the Wolves of Court: the Untold story of Thomas and George Boleyn' was very slim, and offered nothing new.  I was so looking forward to this book, and was very disappointed.  There are so many books on the Tudors, particularly Henry VIII, and the market is saturated, to be honest.  I expected so much more from Lauren MacKay.

Just to wish everyone.......

Piers Gaveston 's First Exile

Piers Gaveston's first exile came during the reign of Edward Ist.   Initially the King was delighted with Piers being in his son's service, thinking perhaps that the chivalrous and graceful young man would be an excellent role model for his son - a chronicle of the time says Piers was chosen was his 'fine manners...he was courteous'.   Piers entered the household of Prince Edward late 1300.   Piers began to rise in Prince Edward's household, seemingly with the blessing of the King, who had ultimate control.    Fast forward to 1307, and we have a very different scenario.   It was then that the King demanded Piers be exiled, and Piers and the Prince were made to swear an oath to uphold this command.

Piers had been removed from the Prince's household in 1305, along with Gilbert de Clare, but this was carried out to punish the Prince, rather than anything Piers or Gilbert had done, for both were allowed to return.   If Piers had angered King Edward, he surely would not have allowed him to return.   Yet return he did, and continued his rise.    The only chronicle to go into detail about Piers' first exile is by Walter of Gainsborough.    He tells the highly dramatic story of Prince Edward asking his father to give Piers the county of Ponthieu.    Suspecting his father might not find the idea palatable, he asked treasurer Walter Langton to ask for him!    It seems Prince Edward had done all he could for Piers, and now wanted his father to give him his own land.    Not surprisingly, King Edward was furious, and demanded the prince appear before him and explain himself.  The prince didn't stand a chance, and we have the image of the King grabbing his son by the hair and calling him 'a whoreson .....you should never enjoy your inheritance ' if he wanted to give away lands he'd never earned.  It's a scene played out in many fictional accounts.   If true, it shows the terrible rage of Edward 1st - calling his son 'a whoreson' suggests he lost all control of himself - and the prince's infatuation with Piers.    There's no indication Piers asked the Prince for Ponthieu.   He may have had no idea of Prince Edward's plan - for surely he would have known of the King's reaction?   Certainly Piers bore the brunt of the incident and was exiled.  However, he was exiled on seemingly good terms.

To begin with, Piers was not instantly banished, but was given 2 months to prepare himself.  This gave him time to prepare his household to take them with him and put his affairs in order.   Neither was Piers banished indefinitely.  Piers 'shall remain there without returning until he shall be recalled by the King and his permission '.   So the banishment was not permanent.    Piers was even to receive 100 marks per annum as long as he remained overseas.   Considering Edward 1st had violently assaulted his son and cursed him, Piers came off well in the incident.   There's no evidence that the King took out his violent temper on Piers.   Both Piers and Prince Edward were made to swear a sacred oath they would obey the King's orders.   Was Edward 1st actually far more concerned with his son's infatuation with Piers, and seeking to put an end to it?   And by making Piers exile quite comfortable, was his rage directed at Prince Edward, and that in fact, he did not hold Piers responsible?   Did the King hope the infatuation would burn itself out, and in a few years Piers could return and the past forgotten?

We will never know if the violent scene between father and son is true but there must have been an incident - or a series of incidents - that caused the King to fear the direction the Prince and Piers' relationship was heading, whether it was sexual, or whether Piers would become too influential on his son and become the dreaded 'over-mighty' subject.    However, it seems like the King blamed his son, not Piers.

Source:  'Piers Gaveston: politics and patronage in the reign of Edward II' by J.S. Hamilton

A visit to Hereford

This summer I visited Hereford for the first time in many, many years.  Hereford is famous for it's cathedral, first started in the 8th century (made of wood, and which the Welsh burned to the ground).  The oldest part of the cathedral dates from the 11th Century.  It is most famous for the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world that dates from 1300.   There is a charge to see the Mappa Mundi, but it is well worth seeing, as is the 'chained library', containing many books hundreds of years old.

Hereford Cathedral

The chained library at Hereford Cathedral.  Books are hundreds of years old.

This plaque in the centre of Hereford commemorates the execution of Owen Tudor.

Owen Tudor was the father of Edmund and Jasper Tudor, grandfather of  the future Henry VII.  He was married to the widow of Henry V, Catherine of Valois.  It was a love match, with the couple marrying secretly in 1429.  He was a former squire in her household.  There are 2 legends associated with the courting couple - one has it that Owen was drunk and whilst dancing, fell into Catherine's lap, whilst another legend says that Catherine saw him bathing in a nearby river - and liked what she saw!  It was a shocking and controversial marriage - Catherine was still very young and the mother of the infant Henry VI.   Fortunately, the couple managed to ride out the storm, and Henry VI was close to his 2 step-brothers, making Edmund Earl of Richmond and Jasper Earl of Pembroke.   Edmund went on to marry the richest heiress in the kingdom - Margaret Beaufort.  Margaret was very young, but despite this found herself pregnant - and widowed - at the age of 13.  That is another story.  As for Owen, he supported his stepson Henry VI, fighting for the Lancastrian cause.  He was captured at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross.  Possibly expecting to be ransomed, he became a victim of the vengeance of the Yorkists, who executed him in the town centre.  The Duke of York, father of the future Edward IV, had recently been killed and his head stuck on the Micklegate Bar in York.  Becoming aware that he was to be executed, Owen is quoted as saying "that hede shalle ly on the stocke that wass wonte to ly on Quene Katheryns lappe".  Owen's head was placed on the market cross, where it was washed and cleaned by an unknown woman who lit candles around it.  His body was buried in Greyfriars Church in Hereford.  

Another visit to Ludlow Castle

I first went to Ludlow Castle in my teens, and after absence of almost 25 years, I find myself going 3 times in the last 2 years.  During my last visit, I explored and blogged about the apartments of Prince Arthur and Katherine of Aragon, and was intrigued by this -

A platform had just been opened and led to the private apartments of the Prince.

This door prevented climbing the staircase to Prince Arthur's bedchamber.

I'm delighted to stay that this door is now open and the narrow, steep stairway leads to Prince Arthur's private bedchamber/apartments.  It certainly pays to keep going back to these places!  Well done to all at Ludlow Castle for their continued renovations.  Here's my pictures of the private apartments.

Some parts are still a no go area.

And once again, I ask myself 'if only walls could talk........'

Anniversary of the battle of Bosworth, August 22nd 1485

During my visit to the Cotswolds, I had the opportunity to visit the Bosworth Battlefield Exhibition Centre.  I would recommend a visit to the Battlefield Centre, even if it can be a bit tricky to find.  It's a fascinating exhibition, giving equal status to Richard III and Henry VII.  Both their stories are told really well, without bias.  There's also an explanation about the difficulty in identifying where exactly the battle was fought, as well as an explanation of what happened.   There's also a superb memorial to all those involved on that day.

Dramatic reconstruction of the crown allegedly found in a bush after the battle.

Calculating where the battle took place.

Examples and explanation of weapons used in the battle.

How the battle panned out.

Memorial to all those involved in the battle.