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The Shadow of the Cross – Imprisonment by Dmitry Yakhovsky, September 2016, MadeGlobal Publishing. I confess that I usually don’t read graphic novels, but this one seemed to be very different. The attention to detail in this book is impressive and each page is a work of art on its own with exquisite scenes. Not many words are needed for the illustrator and author Dmitry Yakhovsky to vividly describe an exciting story about an imprisoned woman and the Cathars, set in medieval Carcassonne. I cannot wait to discover what happens next in the second part and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in medieval history. For the sheer beauty of the water colour images alone this book is worth its purchase. As a huge bonus it’s telling a captivating story.  Once more, Claire Ridgway presents the reader with a wonderful source of information, and this time in a concise form on the lives of ALL the kings and queens in English history. It gives the reader a taster of their lives and reigns, providing you with a wonderful overview of all the highlights of every British monarch from King Alfred the Great to Queen Elizabeth II. Each of the 59 monarchs in the book covers two pages, one with a summary of important dates, interesting facts and a short biography, and the other with a beautifully restored vintage etching. Bright colours were professionally added to antique engravings from John Cassell’s “Illustrated History of England” by Claire’s husband Tim and daughter Verity Ridgway. This book will be a great addition to any history collection, it’s the perfect coffee-table book and I highly recommend this beautiful book to every history buff. Illustrated Kings and Queens of England by Claire Ridgway, Timothy Ridgway and Verity Ridgway, published by MadeGlobal Publishing in 2016 and available in hard cover, paperback and E-book from all Amazon sites and directly from the Publisher.  Today I am honored to welcome best-selling author Claire Ridgway to the website for an interview and to celebrate the release of the paperback version of Claire's "Illustrated Kings and Queens of England" there is a GIVEAWAY for a copy of her book at each stop on het book tour this week. To join the giveaway go to the INTERVIEW PAGE and make a COMMENT in the comment box below. Good luck!  Once more, Claire Ridgway presents the reader with a wonderful source of information, and this time in a concise form on the lives of ALL the kings and queens in English history. It gives the reader a taster of their lives and reigns, providing you with a wonderful overview of all the highlights of every British monarch from King Alfred the Great to Queen Elizabeth II. Each of the 59 monarchs in the book covers two pages, one with a summary of important dates, interesting facts and a short biography, and the other with a beautifully restored vintage etching. Bright colours were professionally added to antique engravings from John Cassell’s “Illustrated History of England” by Claire’s husband Tim and daughter Verity Ridgway. This book will be a great addition to any history collection, it’s the perfect coffee-table book and I highly recommend this beautiful book to every history buff.  If you haven't heard about the fantastic artist Dmitry Yakhovsky, I would really like to introduce you to him. Dmitry is experienced with watercolour and digital art, has just published his debut graphic novel 'Shadow of the Cross' with MadeGlobal Publishing and only recently started with oils. I'm so happy with the oil painting he did for me and really wanted to share it with you all. It depicts Jasper and Henry Tudor after the siege of Pembroke Castle in 1471, prior to their exile in Brittany. Many of you know Jasper is dear to my heart and I think this very image illustrates his character very well, his fatherly protectiveness towards his nephew Henry but also the determination in his eyes, while leaving his home at Pembroke, knowing that one day he will have it back.  Jasper and Henry Tudor After the Siege at Pembroke Castle 1471, by Dmitry Yakhovsky  Several days of ceremonies and festivities were planned for the days ahead. The coronation of Henry VII was set for 30 October. But even before that Henry had thought about the rewards he was to bestow upon those who had served him and had made his victory at Bosworth a fact. His uncle Jasper Tudor was on top of the list. On the feast day of St. Simon and St. Jude, Jasper was presented before his nephew the King in the ‘habit of estate of a duke’ in the Presence Chamber in the Tower of London. Duke Jasper was led by the Duke of Suffolk and his son the Earl of Lincoln, the Earl of Nottingham carried his cap of state and the Earl of Shrewsbury bore Jasper’s sword, pommel upwards and officers of arms walking before him. Others who attended were John de Vere, Earl of Oxford and the King’s stepfather Lord Thomas Stanley. While entering the room Jasper did his first bow, halfway through the room his second and standing in front of the King his third. The King then placed Jasper’s ‘girdle about his neck, and hanged the sweard before him’, styling Jasper ‘The high and mighty prince, Jasper brother and uncle of kings, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke’. There had only been two earlier Dukes of Bedford, the most notable Henry V’s younger brother John, the mainstay of the house of Lancaster who had enjoyed great popularity and it must have been him who Henry had in mind when seeking an appropriate title for his beloved uncle. It too demonstrated the link between the houses of Lancaster and Tudor. But most of all it showed Henry’s gratitude towards the uncle who had devoted his life to his nephew and without whom kingship or probably even his very survival would have been impossible. That same day Henry’s stepfather Lord Stanley was created Earl of Derby and Edward Courtenay received the earldom of Devon. After the ceremonies were completed the newly styled nobles took their seat at the dining table at the King’s Great Chamber. 29 October 1485: The day before Henry’s own coronation the dubbing of six knights of the Bath took place at the Tower, in which Jasper was to take part in.
After hearing mass together and in preparation of the coronation, Henry, bare-headed on a horse fully dressed with cloth of gold and trimmed with ermine with on his right hand Jasper, almost as splendidly dressed as the King himself, rode in a most impressive procession from the Tower of London to Westminster Hall. In the midst of this magnificent setting Jasper, now as Duke of Bedford, had the honour to play the leading role in the coronation ceremony of his nephew the following day.  The Tudor Society are having an open day this Friday 28th October, with expert live chats with many historians and giveaways planned throughout the day and full access to the website and its archive for both members and visitors. I am honoured to have been invited and will be live in te chatroom at 10-10.30pm UK time (5-5.30pm EDT, 2-2.30pm PDT) talking about the Battle of Bosworth and Jasper Tudor. Come and join me there!
You can see the whole programme of live chats over at the Tudor Society website - click HERE The Battle of Blore Heath was a bloody battle between Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury and his two sons Thomas and John against the elderly royalist James Tuchet, Lord Audley. Audley had not seen action on the field since the French wars three decades ago but nevertheless was a powerful lord and raised a large number of men to fight for Henry VI from his lands in Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. Audley’s large force was about double the size of Salisbury’s but when Salisbury realized he was outnumbered he feinted to prepare for retreat, Audley took the bait and send his cavalry out to give chase. A storm of arrows fell upon the royalists force, eventually leading to brutal hand-to-hand fighting. Audley too fought in the thick of the battle along with his men but was sought out by Sir Roger Kynaston of Hordley and was hacked down and killed. Around 2,000 men lost their lives. Audley was buried in Darley Abbey, Derbyshire and a stone cross, 'Audley's Cross,' was erected at Blore Heath. The monument we see today is a replacement from 1765.  Audley's Cross, erected at Blore Heath after the battle to mark the spot where Audley was slain. Shortly before and after the battle, Audley’s two daughters Margaret and Eleanor had married Sir Richard and Sir Humphrey Grey, sons of Sir Henry Grey, Earl of Tankerville and his wife Antigone Plantagenet (d. of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester) Five years later, in 1465, Kynaston married Elizabeth Grey, a daughter of the Earl of Tankerville, ironically making Audley’s daughters and the murderer of their father, Roger Kynaston, brother and sister-in-law.
This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in visiting places associated with the Tudors in Wales and/or enjoys history about the Tudors in general, from Henry VII’s 14th century great-great-uncles in Penmynydd to Henry VIII and from more well-known places like Pembroke and Harlech Castle to little ones like Ysbyty Ifan and Mold. In each entry Nathen Amin vividly describes the place, its surroundings and the role it played for the Tudors. From reading this book it is clear Nathen Amin did a great deal of research and has a great passion and knowledge about the subject. The many full-colour photos (taken by the author himself) were of interest and his writing style is engaging. I found myself unable to put it down and look very much forward to his next book.  Today I am honoured to welcome author Catherine Hokin to the website for a guest article about the Battle of Towton. Catherine is the author of Blood and Roses, a novel about Queen Margaret of Anjou. The Bloody Battle of Towton“That day there was a very great conflict, which began with the rising of the sun and lasted until the tenth hour of the night, so great was the pertinacity and boldness of the men, who never heeded the possibility of a miserable death”. So George Neville, Archbishop of York and brother to Richard Neville ‘The Kingmaker’, described the Battle of Towton, fought during heavy snowfall on Palm Sunday in March 1461, in letters written in its immediate aftermath to the papal legate Coppini. In more recent times, historian Dan Jones has described the conflict as “a long and fierce battle, which would turn out to be the bloodiest ever fought on English soil”. The outcome of the battle (the defeat and chase into exile of the Lancastrian King Henry VI by the soon to be King Edward IV of the House of York) was not a foregone conclusion. The Yorkist army was formed of three prongs which were scattered and the Lancastrian commanders were confident they could ambush and contain their enemies, particularly as they held a strong defensive position above the river. The combination, however, of a thick blizzard and a stinging onslaught by the Yorkist archers sent commanders into disarray and made a nonsense of strategies. As the key protagonist Margaret of Anjou puts it in my novel Blood and Roses: “And yet we did not win. If battles were fought on figures and plans, on paper not on battlefields, then the world would be a very different place but they are not: they are at the whim of weather and stray arrows and men’s fear or belief or lack of it. And a battle once begun is a beast run out of control.” Some of the details of the battle itself remain in dispute, in particular the numbers involved. Estimates vary from a probably exaggerated 100,000 soldiers and 40,000 deaths (twice the number killed by machine gun fire on the first day of the Somme to give some context) to a more probable 60,000 soldiers and upwards of 25,000 deaths. One thing, however, is inescapable: this was a battle and a slaughter on an unprecedented scale. One of the reasons for this was the startling change to the position normally taken regarding prisoners and fleeing troops: Edward of York, in all probability seeking revenge for the slaughter of his father at the Battle of Wakefield, issued the unprecedented command that no prisoners should be taken or enemies saved. As the battle continued towards the afternoon and the Yorkists unleashed their cavalry, this command was a death sentence for the thousands of Lancastrians mired down fighting in the water-logged fields around Cock Beck. So many corpses piled up in the river that the bodies dammed it and became a bridge for the fleeing soldiers.
Not only was the slaughter on a massive scale, the injuries inflicted during it were ferocious. Towton has given up its secrets in the form of mass graves which have enabled archaeologists to gather a considerable amount of information about the way the soldiers died. In 1996, 40 bodies were recovered from a grave at Towton Hall, their ages ranging from 17 to 50: 28 of these were complete skeletons and all showed a disproportionate amount of head trauma. The Towton bodies are numbered in the order they were taken from the ground: bodies 16 and 25 were struck on the head eight times, body 10 six times and body 32 had thirteen blows plus other mutilation, including a sliced-off ear. Analysis by the archaeologists at Bradford University of body 25 reveals a gruesome attack: the first five hits were made by a bladed weapon to the left side of the skull (suggesting the blows came from the front); this was followed by a strike from behind onto the top of the victim’s head which split the skill open and sent bone fragments into his brain; finally another blow to the right side which would have turned body 25 on his back before his face was bisected by another blade. Body 25 is typical of the wounds inflicted: many of the skulls show that the battle’s victims had been clenching their teeth so tight during the onslaught parts had splintered off. This was a killing frenzy and, whether these were routed Lancastrians being chased and mown down on Edward’s orders (highly likely in my opinion) or men who had fallen in the fighting itself, these soldiers died horrific deaths at the hands of their fellow-countrymen. A sobering thought made even more so when you consider that medieval weapons were built to decapitate in one stroke: another twelve really wasn’t needed. Perhaps the exhausted men had removed their helmets as they ran, perhaps the slaughter was a pure act of revenge and obliteration as Professor Christopher Knusel (one of the original archaeologist team) put it: “it’s almost as if they were trying to remove their opponent’s identities.” Whatever the truths still to be uncovered, the Battle of Towton was a turning point in the fortunes of the House of Lancaster and a stain on both sides. I shall leave the final words to my protagonist Margaret: “I have lost the battle and so much more. How can the people not hate me for this? Every woman who lost a husband, a son, a father; every man who lost his child. How can they not hate me for this?”   Catherine is a Glasgow-based author whose fascination with the medieval period began during a History degree which included studies into witchcraft, women and the role of political propaganda. This sparked an interest in hidden female voices resulting in her debut novel, Blood and Roses which brings a feminist perspective to the story of Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482, wife of Henry VI) and her pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses. Catherine also writes short stories - she was a finalist in the Scottish Arts Club 2015 Short Story Competition and has been published by iScot magazine - and regularly blogs as Heroine Chic.
'"A battle was fought. King Richard was killed on the battlefield and the Earl of Richmond was crowned King of England on the field with Richard's crown." Philippe de Commines. Amongst Richard III’s men casualties were ofcourse heavy. Amid his closest supporters the elderly John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, Walter Devereux (the younger), Lord Ferrers, Richard’s close companion Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Keeper of the Tower of London Sir Robert Brackenbury, Controller of the King’s household Sir Robert Percy and the King’s secretary John Kendall were all killed in battle. Richard’s other close friend Sir William Catesby fled but was soon captured and executed. Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland and Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey (son of the slain Duke of Norfolk) were both taken into custody and imprisoned but later restored to their lands and titles. John de la pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, Francis Viscount Lovell and the brothers Humphrey and Thomas Stafford all escaped. Polydore Vergil reported that a 1,000 men were slain amongst Richard III’s men and about 100 on Henry Tudor’s side. According to Vergil Henry’s standard bearer Sir William Brandon was ‘the only one from the nobility’ who had fallen on the victor’s side. For my second book (The Wars of the Roses Visitors Companion: Wales and the Borders, Book 1) I recently travelled through Wales and the borders and discovered that this is not the case. Sir Humphrey Cotes (or Coates) of Woodcote joint Henry’s army on route between Shrewsbury to Bosworth around 19 August, at Muster Hill near Woodcote, Shropshire. While on the winning side Sir Humphrey Cotes did not return home, he was killed during battle. He was buried at the church on the grounds of his home Woodcote Hall. Eventhough kept locked I was very lucky to visit the church and see the beautiful incised slab to Sir Humphrey Coted and his wife Eleanora Blount.  Incised slab to Sir Humphrey Cotes and his wife. © Debra Bayani. I am delighted to share with you the interview I had with author Matthew Lewis. His new book Richard Duke of York, King by Right was released last month. Click HERE to read the interview.  Yesterday I received the awful news that my dear friend and colleague Simon Anderson had passed away. Readers may know him from his excellent work The Claimant, A novel of the Wars of the Roses. I had the pleasure to interview Simon a while a go. To read the interview click here.  Simon was an incredibly witty, multi-talented, kind, charismatic and knowledgable man (I could go on and on) and I was lucky to have him as a friend.
I will miss him terribly. For me personally and for my book on Jasper Tudor, this month was incredible and today my publisher, MadeGlobal Publishing, shared my thank you message to everyone who bought it. You can read it by clicking HERE
My book Jasper Tudor, Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty has already been a #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK for a week! Ofcourse this a dream come true for any author and I cannot say how grateful I am with this! I would like to thank all of you for buying and reading my book. A BIG thank you also goes to my Publisher Tim Ridgway at MadeGlobal Publishing for making this possible  I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the followers of The Wars of the Roses Catalogue Facebook page. Because of a busy family life this page wasn't updated for months until recently, but nevertheless kept growing. Thank you all for your continuing support! The kindle version of Jasper Tudor, Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty is on offer at Amazon.co.uk and until the end of February you are able to get a hold on it for only 99p! This offer has been arranged by Amazon and is only available for those in the UK.   Katherine Woodville, detail of a victorian stained glass depiction in Cardiff Castle Today, 18 May, we commemorate the death of Katherine Woodville, who died on this day in 1497.She was the wife of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke and Sir Richard Wingfield and was around 40 when she passed away. She was a sister to Queen Elizabeth Woodville and, out of, probably, 13 children, she was very likely the youngest daughter of Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers.  Queen Elizabeth Woodville, wife to Edward IV and sister to Katherine Katherine married three times, first when still a child, somewhere in 1465, to Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, with whom she had 5 children. The oldest, Edward, was born in 1478, who would succeed his father as Duke of Buckingham, followed by Elizabeth, Henry, Humphrey (who died young) and Anne. Eventhough fruitfull, according to Dominic Mancini, an observer of English affairs during this time, it was claimed to be an unhappy marriage. Mancini declared that Henry Stafford “had his own reasons for detesting the queen’s kin; for, when he was younger, he had been forced to wed the queen’s sister, whom he scorned to wed on account of her humble origin.” It's impossible to say whether or not this is true. What is also known is that Katherine followed her husband in the final stage of his life while fleeing for Richard III after his betrayal.  Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Katherine's oldest son who succeeded his father Katherine's life changed drastically in 1483 when, Buckingham being, along with Richard Duke of Gloucester, responsible for the death of Katherine's brother and nephew, Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey, changed side again when Gloucester had seized the crown as King Richard III and rebelled against the monarch he first had given all of his support. As a result Buckingham was executed on 2 November. Just-widowed Katherine found herself in a difficult situation, with four very young children.  Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, brother to Katherine, who was beheaded on 25 June 1483 by the orders of Richard Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) and Rivers' own brother-in-law Two years later, when Henry Tudor became King, Katherine's life once again changed when she was soon, on 7 November 1485, married to the King's uncle, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke. Jasper was aroung 20 years her senior but together they would spend a considerable amount of their ten years ahead of them together at their Manor at Thornbury and Sudeley Castle. Jasper and Katherine's marriage was a one of strategic benefits and whether they were happy together is unknown.It was rumoured that the couple had a still born son in 1490.  The entire stained glass image of Katherine and her 2nd husband Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke at Cardiff Castle On 15 December Katherine's husband, Jasper Tudor made his last will at their manor at Thornbury, mentioning his wife only briefly, nearly at the end of his will: ''I will that my lady my wife and all other persons have such dues as shall be thought to them appertaining by right law and conscience." Jasper died 6 days later, on 21 December 1495, being in his mid-60's.
This time Katherine decided to take faith in her own hands and quickly remaired again. Jasper's will and the fact that Katherine, who was now in her late 30's, very hastily remarried a man named Richard Wingfield, a young man twelve years her junior, without a royal license, which also indicates a not very passioned relationship to her former husband. She possibly even had an affair with young Wingfield before Jasper's death. King Henry VII fined the couple two thousand pounds for their presumption. Katherine would have probably known Richard Wingfield for some time; Wingfield’s mother was connected to Anthony Woodville’s second wife Mary and two of Richard’s brothers, and perhaps Richard himself, had served in Katherine’s household. Katherine's 3rd marriage wasn't, unlike her previous two marriages, of any strategic benefit for her and likely this final matrimony was one made for love.Unfortunately for Katherine she was unable to enjoy her marriage for very long. Barely one year after, she died of unknown cause. Her burialp lace also unknown. She did not have any surviving children from either Jasper Tudor or Richard Wingfield. Wingfield did remarry and had many children with his second wife Bridget Wiltshire. In his will in 1525 Wingfield requested masses to be said for Katherine’s soul. (This is a reised version of an earlier blogpost, taken from my earlier blo 'Debra's 15th and 16th Century Blog') If you are interested in reading a bit more about Katherine Woodville or Jasper Tudor, my book 'Jasper Tudor, Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty' is now available worldwide in paperback or kindle. Click here to order it now! On 10 March 1513 John de Vere, Earl of Oxford died at nine in the evening at his ancestral home of Castle Hedingham at the age of 71. He was buried at Colne Priory on 24 April. Oxford was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the Wars of the Roses and as well as during the reign of Henry VII. He had joined Henry Tudor and his uncle Jasper after he himself had escaped prison from Hammes Castle near Calais and the Tudors at the same time were in exile in France in the 1480’s. John’s support, which eventually led to Henry’s victory at Bosworth, was of great significance.
John was the second son of another John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard. He married firstly, Margaret Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Alice, the daughter of Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury. Oxford's first wife was the sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, ‘’the Kingmaker’’. Margaret Neville died between 20 November 1506 and 14 January 1507, and Oxford married secondly Elizabeth Scrope, the widow of his colleague William, 2nd Viscount Beaumont, and daughter and coheir of Sir Richard Scrope, the second son of Henry, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton, by Eleanor, the daughter of Norman Washbourne. He is said to have had an illegitimate daughter, Katherine de Vere (d. after 20-06-1504) whose husband Sir Robert Broughton appointed the 13th Earl as his executor. Apart from this possible illegitimate daughter there were no children from these marriages. John de Vere was succeeded by his nephew, (the 2nd and only surviving son of his younger brother Sir George de Vere)another John de Vere, as 14th Earl of Oxford.  The tomb of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford and his first wife Margaret Neville. Drawing by Daniel King in 1653, now in the British Library, Additional MS 27348, p. 31. Photo taken from James Ross' book 'John de Vere, Thirteenth Earl of Oxford (1442-1513 : The Foremost Man of the Kingdom). To read about recent excavations at Earl's Colne and the remains of the Earls of Oxford and their tombs there, this article from Time Team could be of great interest. Click HERE.
  I'm very pleased to share the interview I recently had with Toni Mount. Toni is the author of several books about the Middle Ages, ‘The Medieval Housewife’ and ‘Everyday Life in Medieval London’. Those have been described as fascinating, interesting, enjoyable and informative. ‘Dragon’s Blood & Willow Bark, The Mysteries of Medieval Medicine’ is with the publisher and is due to be published this April.
Richard III, King of Controversy’ is her latest book. To read the interview simply click HERE. Thanks to Amberley Publishing we have a copy of Toni's excellent book 'The Mediëval Housewife', to giveaway to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post before Sunday 15 March Midnight. GOOD LUCK!  MadeGlobal Publishing has just republished a revised version of my book Jasper Tudor: Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty and is it's now available as both a paperback and kindle edition. Revisions include editing, updates and larger, clearer images. The kindle edition has colour images for those with colour kindles. Click here to order the paperback version from Amazon uK
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