Royal Childhood and Child Kingship by Emily Joan Ward

Refining adult-focused perspectives on medieval rulership, Emily Joan Ward exposes the problematic nature of working from the assumption that kingship equated to adult power. 

Children's participation and political assent could be important facets of the day-to-day activities of rule, as this study shows through an examination of royal charters, oaths to young boys, cross-kingdom diplomacy and coronation. 

The first comparative and thematic study of child rulership in this period, Ward analyses eight case studies across northwestern Europe from c.1050 to c.1250. The book stresses innovations and adaptations in royal government, questions the exaggeration of political disorder under a boy king, and suggests a ruler's childhood posed far less of a challenge than their adolescence and youth. 

Uniting social, cultural and political historical methodologies, Ward unveils how wider societal changes between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries altered children's lived experiences of royal rule and modified how people thought about child kingship.

Not The Camilla We Knew by Rachael Hanel

Rachael Hanel discusses her new book, 'Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman's Path from Small-town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army'

On May 7, 1974, much of the nation watched a fiery shootout on television. Los Angeles police used “more ammunition than they'd ever used before,” according to the local ABC affiliate, in an attempt to detain members of the radical leftist Symbionese Liberation Army. Five people died.

Most viewers wondered whether Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst whom the SLA had kidnapped, was inside. In St. Peter, Minn., a pastor and his wife wondered whether their daughter was inside.

It turns out Patty Hearst was not, but Camilla Hall was. What led the pastor’s daughter to that house is the subject of a new book by Minnesota author Rachael Hanel. It’s called, “Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman's Path from Small-town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army,” published by University of Minnesota Press.

Read whole article here at: MPR News

Four Princesses From Provence by Amelia Rogers

BOSTON, Dec. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Amelia Rogers' novel, "Four Princesses from Provence," highlights the importance of women's roles in history.

This novel tells the tale of the four daughters of the Count of Provence. With their charms, beauty and intelligence, they rise to the top of the hierarchy — moving from their father's small kingdom in the south of France to positions of power across Europe. One sister discovers that her new life is a whole different world from the one she knew, and it's going to change everything she believes and knows.

While dynastic struggles of the Middle Ages have inspired many popular media pieces such as Game of Thrones, there is less knowledge of the period and its people in their full historical context. The author aims to fill this gap while, at the same time, creating an entertaining and dynamic experience for the reader.

Author Rogers is an Italian, and she became a writer because she wanted to know about the past. It makes her dream, and she has a desire to share this enchantment with others. An author with a classical background, her inspiration for "Four Princesses from Provence" comes from her love for the great poet, Dante. His masterpiece, "Paradise," mentions four daughters of the ruler of Provence, each of whom became a queen in various countries of Europe. Rogers also loves the period of the Middle Ages and had a desire to know more about this often neglected and misunderstood chapter in world history.

When asked about the best parts of her book, Rogers answered: "Since the time that I read about him during my school days, I have been a little in love with Manfred — the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick, and the man loved by Beatrice who is one of the four princesses and the protagonist of the book. Dante describes Manfred as 'comely and fair, and gently of aspect.' He would be a hero of any romantic story. Even his sins are forgiven by God and by Dante who placed him in Purgatory rather than in Hell (the Inferno)."

Rogers wants to bring the past to life by giving her readers an understanding of the historical context that shaped important events such as the Hundred Years War and the Crusades. Most of all, she hopes that they think about the underappreciated but crucial role that women played in shaping these events.

Find out more about "Four Princesses from Provence" at https://www.medievalwomenbyameliarogers.com.

Review: Courting Dragons by Jeri Westerson

Synopsis: Introducing Will Somers, the king's jester but nobody's fool in this exuberant, intriguing and thoroughly entertaining mystery set in Tudor England – the first in a new series from the author of the critically acclaimed Crispin Guest Medieval Noir series.

1529, London. Jester Will Somers enjoys an enviable position at the court of Henry VIII. As the king's entertainer, chief gossip-monger, spy and loyal adviser, he knows all of the king's secrets – and almost everyone else's within the walls of Greenwich Palace.

But when Will discovers the body of Spanish count Don Gonzalo while walking his trusted sidekick Nosewise in the courtyard gardens, and a blackmail note arrives soon after demanding information about the king, is one of his own closely guarded secrets about to be exposed? Trouble is afoot at the palace. Are the king's enemies plotting a move against him? Will must draw on all his wit and ingenuity to get to the bottom of the treacherous and deadly goings-on at the court before further tragedy strikes . . .

~~~

A mystery set in the time of Henry VIII of England - in this instance, the amateur detective is none other that Henry's own Fool, Will Somers.

Will Somers makes his appearance at the court of Henry VIII around 1525. Court jesters were permitted familiarities without regard for deference, and Somers was said to have possessed a shrewd wit, which he exercised without fear or favour.

Having become familiar with the character of Will Somers via my reading of all things Tudor, I was looking forward to how Jeri would make use of this personage in the role of sleuth. Whilst she does do a fair job of it, however, I didn't really feel myself engaged in either story nor characters in this instance. The novel is set four years after Will's arrival at court - Catherine of Aragon is still Queen of England, but Anne Boylen is becoming more noticeable. Somers' liaison with the Spaniard Don Gonzalo de Yscar, who is attached to the entourage of the Spanish Ambassador, Eustache Chapuys, is imagined by the author, as much of his own personal life is shrouded in mystery.

It is the first in a new series, so there are bound to be some background foundation laying and character building in the original instance before things develop over time.

Plenty will love this new series - however, I am unsure as to whether I will be pursuing this series further or not.

Review: The Enigma of Room 622 by Joel Dicker

Synopsis: "One night in December, a corpse is found in Room 622 of the Hotel Verbier, a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. A police investigation begins without definite end, and public interest wanes with the passage of time.Years later, the writer Joel Dicker, Switzerland's most famous literary ingenue, arrives at that same hotel to recover from a bad breakup, mourn the death of his longtime publisher, and begin his next novel. Little does Joel know that his expertise in the art of the thriller will come in handy when he finds himself investigating the crime. He'll need a Watson, of course: in this case, that would be Scarlett, the beautiful guest and aspiring novelist from the next room, who joins in the search while he tries to solve another puzzle: the plot of his next book.

Meanwhile, in the wake of his father's passing, Macaire Ebezner is set to take over as president of the largest private bank in Switzerland. The succession captivates the news media, and the future looks bright, until it doesn't. The bank's board, including a certain Lev Levovitch-Geneva's very own Jay Gatsby-have other plans, and Macaire's race to the top soon becomes a race against time... A matryoshka doll of a mystery built with the precision of a Swiss watch. Joel Dicker presents a diabolically addictive thriller where a love triangle, a power struggle, shocking betrayals and dangerous envy play out against the backdrop of a not so quiet Switzerland, where the truth twists and turns into something no reader will see coming. A European phenomenon, Dicker's latest page-turner is his most personal novel yet"

~~~

Seriously lost in translation.

Half the time I did not know if I was coming or going - were we in the past, present or future - at times we went back a few years, other times over a decade. There was not real point in time by which to securely anchor the story.

The character of Scarlet just grated on me to the point where I could quite easily have murdered her myself. Sure our author - himself the main character - needed some foil by which to begin his investigation, but this women's constant badgering of Dicker to investigate seemed redundant, especially when the mystery of Room 622 was already on Dicker's radar.  His Watson in this instance was superfluous.

The storyline, whilst promising, was highly convoluted, disjointed and at times I struggled to follow it at all. The narrative alternated between first and third person, Dicker's "story" and the mystery including a rather tiresome and confusing back story.  I felt the whole thing was some hodge-podge charade that at nearly 600 pages, was about 400 pages too long. The whole story within a story was done without any finesse or consideration for the reader.

Sorry to say not a fan of this one.

Review: All The Queen's Spies by Oliver Clements

Synopsis: The “lively” (The New York Times) Agents of the Crown series continues with this thriller about Queen Elizabeth I’s advisor John Dee in a race to save the Empire with the help of a mysterious manuscript that offers global power.With rumors of the end times swirling, philosopher and astronomer John Dee travels to Prague in an effort to prevent one of Catherine de Medici’s seductive ladies-in-waiting from luring the Holy Roman Emperor into a crusade against England.

To convince the famously occult-loving Emperor to join his side, Dee entices him with the esoteric Book of Secrets, a volume that, if decoded, could provide the chance to control the levers of heaven and earth. But Dee faces enemies at every turn, including a female codebreaker who could be the undoing of Dee and the British Empire.

~~~

I wasn't a fan. Despite the plotline, I was not really engaged and I think the reason is that this is the third in the series - and I had not realised that at the time.

I have read much historical fiction set in Elizabethan England, with the focus on her notorious spy network, with characters such as Marlowe and Shakespeare, Walsingham and Cecil; as well as non-fiction on the subject to hand. And whilst this tome had all the essential elements: Elizabethan espionage, a notorious manuscript, secret codes, notable nobles - jumping in the middle of a series can detract from anyone's reading pleasure.

I can see why Clements chose Dee as his main character: Dee was, among other things, court astronomer for Elizabeth I of England, an occultist, mathematician, and librarian. When he embarked on his travels throughout Europe, he was accused of being a spy - which really was a standard accusation against any diplomat of the time.

One of the main storylines concern's Dee time at the court of Rudolf II in Prague with Edward Kelly - and the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. Dee has often been associated with the Voynich manuscript, and it has been suggested that Dee not only may have owned it but sold it to Rudolph II. Kelley remained at the imperial court whilst Dee returned to England.

Add to this the legendary “escadron volant” or “flying squadron” which would become as much a part of Catherine de Medici’s legend as poison and intrigue. This band of beautiful women, loyal to their queen, were hand-picked for their charms and sexual prowess, all with the aim of helping Catherine retain power. Whether this extended beyond the French kingdom is open to conjecture but it does make for an interesting sub-theme.

Start at the beginning to ensure greater enjoyment of the work at hand. The two preceding works are:

The Eyes of the Queen:

In this first novel of the exhilarating Agents of the Crown series, a man who will become the original MI6 agent protects England and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I from Spain’s nefarious plan to crush the Age of the Enlightenment.

After centuries locked in an endless cycle of poverty, persecution, and barbarity, Europe has finally emerged into the Age of Enlightenment. Scientists, philosophers, scholars, and poets alike believe this to be a new era of reason and hope for all. But the forces of darkness haven’t completely dissipated, as Spain hunts and butchers any who dare to defy its ironclad Catholic orthodoxy.

Only one nation can fight the black shadow that threatens this new age, and that is Britain, now ruled by a brilliant young Queen Elizabeth I. But although she may be brave and headstrong, Elizabeth knows she cannot win this war simply by force of arms. After her armies have been slashed in half, her treasury is on its knees. Elizabeth needs a new kind of weapon forged to fight a new kind of war, in which stealth and secrecy, not bloodshed, are the means.

In this tense situation, Her Majesty’s Secret Service is born with the charismatic John Dee at its head. A scholar, a soldier, and an alchemist, Dee is loyal only to the truth and to his Queen. And for her, the woman he’s forbidden from loving, he is prepared to risk his life.

The Queen's Men:

As she travels through Waltham Forest, Queen Elizabeth I is ambushed by masked gunmen who leave her carriage riddled with holes before disappearing into the night. The Queen’s Private Secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham, is tasked with finding the perpetrators, about whom they know precious little. But someone alerted the gunman to the route of the Queen’s carriage, and Walsingham knows that the assassins will not stop until she’s dead.

While Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council debates how to best secure the throne in the wake of the attack and Catholic Spain’s further intrusion into the Low Countries, the queen herself searches for the ultimate weapon to protect her country and throne: Greek fire, the recipe of which disappeared with the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. She orders her friend John Dee—scientist, philosopher, and spy—to rediscover this vital secret, despite his misgivings. For he understands that in a world fraught with coded messages, ruthless adversaries, and deadly plot, his mission to secure his nation’s future may prove impossible, unless he deploys the most effective weapon of all: intelligence.

Review: Woman of Flames by Kim Stokey

Synopsis: Based on the life of a Jewish prophet, Woman of Flames is a sweeping epic of how faith, lust, and revenge can drive nations into war.

As a child, Deborah must convince those around her that her visions are a gift from the Hebrew God, whom she is called to serve. As she matures, Deborah battles the prejudices of her people to achieve the position God has ordained, that of a spiritual leader for Israel. Growing in confidence and power, Deborah accepts God’s promise to use her to free the Israelites from their oppressors. One man stands in her way‒Sisera, general of the Canaanite army.

With nine hundred chariots, thousands of soldiers and the help of a sadistic priest, Sisera relentlessly pursues his one objective—total annihilation of the Israelites. After he captures Deborah, his life is altered in ways he never dreamed possible. Attracted to her power and consumed by her beauty, Sisera’s single obsession becomes to possess Deborah, body and soul.

Deborah fights against the temptations of her enemy, and her own fears, to ignite a fire of rebellion that could set her people free.

~~~

Deborah/Debbora was the wife of Lappidoth. She was reputedly the only woman Judge in Israel. Deborah had been endowed with the gift of prophecy - this gave her authority over the tribes of Israel. She was said to sit under a tree between Ramah and Bethel, where people would come for her judgement on many matters. Deborah persuaded Barak to free her people from Canaanite oppression.

She told Barak to gather a great army about him, with which he would defeat the Canaanites. Barak agreed to do so on the proviso that Deborah accompany him. She agreed and further prophecised that it would be a woman who would kill the Cannanite general Sisera. Deborah instructed Barak how to deploy his troops, and when and how to attack the Canaanites. Sisera and the Canaanites were defeated at the Battle of Esdraelon. Sisera fled the battlefield and was killed, by Jael, wife of Heber the Henite, an ally of Canaan.

Following this victory, a long period (40 years) of peace ensued. It may be assumed that Deborah had a prominent role in the affairs of Israel during this time.

Stokey presents us with a highly fictionalised account of the life of Deborah, from her early childhood to the defeat of Sisera.

Read in 2022.

Review: An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton

Synopsis: 1715. A tale of two cities, and the man caught between them.

The Kingdom is riddled with a rumour. The late Queen Anne supposedly left a secret will promising the nation to her half-brother James – the man the Jacobites call the King Over the Water. With George I now settled on the throne, this document could prove devastating.

Enter Jonas Flynt. Gambler. Thief. Killer. Man of honour. A reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by the ruthless Colonel Charters, Flynt is ordered to recover the document, using any means necessary. But he is not the only one on the hunt…

The trail takes him from London’s dangerous streets to the dark Edinburgh of his childhood, where Flynt is soon embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.

Come what may he must uncover the truth, about the crown... and about his own past...

~~~

The backdrop to this series is the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, wherein James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) attempted to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. James II's son and heirs were excluded from the succession by the Act of Settlement 1701, definitively excluding any and all Catholics from the throne. Upon the death (1714) of Anne, daughter of James II, the throne went to her second cousin Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, whose coronation as George I in October led to rioting in over twenty towns in England. The following year saw more rioting, and in response to these riots, the new Whig majority passed the Riot Act to put down disturbances. This law strengthened magistrates powers and allowed Justices of the Peace to disperse demonstrations without fear of prosecution. In September and early October the government arrested the leading Tories in fear of a Jacobite rising.

There were, however, many in England utterly opposed to George, and chief among them was Queen Anne herself. Strongly Tory, surrounded by Tory ministers sympathetic to James, Anne had always felt guilty about her half-brother's deposition. She favoured autocratic monarchy, and felt that a legitimate Stuart monarch should be on the throne, not some obscure German princeling. She saw James as young and romantic, unlike the boring George, whom she despised. All of these things, combined with the election of successive Tory governments and the growing sympathy for James in Britain, seemed to offer the best hope for Jacobite success.

Skelton uses this sympathy of Anne for her half-brother to create the plotline for the first in his series. Did Anne leave a will naming her half-brother as her successor - and what are the repercussions if such a document was to come to light. Enter the shadowy Colonel Nathaniel Charters and his Company of Rogues; and Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury and Lord High Treasurer, a life long Catholic who was in secret communication with James after Anne's death. Whose side either of them are on is open for question.

Charters engages Jonas Flynt, a Serjeant in the Company of Rogues, to seek out this document which would endeavour to put the Catholic James on the throne and be used to call the succession of Protestant George into question. But, quite naturally, there are other interested parties who would use this document for their own purposes - which do not necessarily align with Charters et el. We have the biggest villain in London, Jonathon Wyld, Thief-taker General; Madame de Fontaine, member of yet another shadowy organisation, The Fellowship; and Lord Moncrieff, a villainous double-dealer.

In pursuit of this elusive, document, Flynt's foray into Edinburgh sees him reunited with family and old friends, but also set against new enemies, however betrayal, treachery and murder soon take centre stage as a family secret comes to light.

Skelton does well to convey the atmosphere of secrecy, betrayal and rebellion that permeated the lives of those not only in England but also Scotland, where politics was not just based upon party and family lines but religion as well.

I am looking forward to the next in this historical fiction crime series.

Read in 2022.

Review: Hawker and the King's Jewel by Ethan Bale

Synopsis: Three outlaw knights. Three secrets. One last mission.

August 1485. The eve of the Battle of Bosworth. King Richard III summons his loyal and grizzled retainer, Sir John Hawker, and charges him with one final mission. After the battle, he must return a priceless ruby – one of the mysterious Tears of Byzantium – to its giver, the Doge of Venice. Richard believes the jewel has brought ill luck to his family, and wants rid of it before anything else can go wrong. Hawker is also sworn to protect Richard’s newly knighted bastard son, an arrogant youth unaware of his true parentage. But Richard’s commands are overheard by a Tudor spy.

When the king falls in battle, Hawker, his royal bastard, and another “lost” knight make common cause and flee the field with Tudor agents in hot pursuit of both the ruby and the potential Plantagenet heir. Not knowing who to trust and with England falling under the grip of Henry VII, Hawker and his small Yorkist band take the only course left open: Venice, with all its conspiracies – and the love Hawker left behind there...

~~~

Mercenary veteran Sir John Hawker escapes the bloody battlefield of Bosworth, charged by the late King Richard III, to return a jewel, previously held in possession of the Yorkists' kings, to the Doge of Venice. The pathway from Bosworth to Venice, unfortunately is never easy - the compass does not always point north. And along the way, the motley group of exiles and spies are beset by drama and betrayal. Their quest is hardly the secret they think it is, as enemies and allies alike want the jewel for themselves and their own purposes.

This first in a series gets off to a great start, as the main characters establish themselves across the pages. Bale provides plenty of historical detail that conveys the reader along on the journey. The reality of these perilous times is evident - Bale has done his due diligence.

I am looking forward to the next in this series.

Read in 2022

Review: Reality Bites by Nick Lennon-Barrett

Synopsis: Doesn’t everybody want their five seconds of fame?

Daniel North, survivor of a gay pub bombing, wants to share his forgotten story with the world, but he’ll have to settle for millions of viewers in the 18-35 demographic.

Complex Neighbours is the latest ratings smash from billionaire media tycoon, Felix Moldoon. Think Big Brother meets the Hunger Games! To win the one-million-pound prize, contestants must compete in challenges that range from legal waterboarding to inducing projectile vomiting, or a showbiz quiz when it’s a low budget week.

Felix will do anything to ensure high viewing figures, even if that involves murder. As well as controlling the media, he also controls the edit. It is for him to determine who will be crowned the winner, and who will be “executed” from the show, with their lives destroyed forever.

Can Daniel resist the temptation of a younger man to achieve his goal? Will Felix sacrifice his own son for the sake of TV ratings? And just how far is the ultimate Reality TV villain willing to go for the grand prize?

~~~

I read this in one sitting - it is that type of book - you literally cannot turn away in case you miss something.

What the reader is witnessing is life inside a Big Brother style TV program - all the alliances, back-biting, romance (or lust) - in which the contestants must compete against each other in a series of challenges. There are the inevitable twists - and along with immunity, one contestant can have more control of who stays and who goes. The losers are then"executed" and upon leaving the compound, their deepest, darkest, most personal secrets are revealed to all and sundry - oft times with devastating consequences.

The main characters are the contestants themselves - though Daniel North seems to be the main one - the callous TV producer and media tycoon, Felix Moldoon; Felix's fix-it and assistant Desiree; hostess Zelda; and the shadowy Mrs P. Just how far any of them will go to win - both the cash prize and the ratings - is anyone's guess. Sacrifices will be made all in the name of entertainment.

The reader's focus is centered on Daniel and Felix - and it is pleasing to reader that neither of them seen have it all their own way. Whilst the characters have no real depth to them - they are at times as shallow as their storylines - it was still an entertaining read.

I am looking forward to reading the second in the series to see where things lead.