tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post9130828640201410137..comments2024-03-14T05:56:44.390+00:00Comments on Edward II: Blog Birthday, and BetrothalsKathryn Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-92162986353901597002006-12-12T10:37:00.000+00:002006-12-12T10:37:00.000+00:00It's not a great book - it moves very slowly, and ...It's not a great book - it moves very slowly, and I've spotted quite a few inaccuracies, especially regarding the French situation - but still worth reading, I think.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-6969499660110504152006-12-12T10:30:00.000+00:002006-12-12T10:30:00.000+00:00It sounds familiar but I can't bring the details t...It sounds familiar but I can't bring the details to mind - I wonder if I read it a long time ago, or perhaps noticed it in a shop or library but decided on something else? I'll have another look for it.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-87909256710011163832006-12-09T18:59:00.000+00:002006-12-09T18:59:00.000+00:00It really is intriguing! Do you know Paul Doherty...It really is intriguing! Do you know Paul Doherty's <i>Crown in Darkness</i>, Carla? Hugh Corbett, who crops up in a lot of Doherty's novels, investigates Alexander's mysterious death...I'd love to write something about it, too - plotbunnies everywhere! :)Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-26270567856923280302006-12-09T17:48:00.000+00:002006-12-09T17:48:00.000+00:00I've always wondered if there was more to Alexande...I've always wondered if there was more to Alexander's death than an accident.... Great conspiracy theory material for a spy thriller :-)Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-72086932566225317002006-12-08T18:39:00.000+00:002006-12-08T18:39:00.000+00:00That is quite an opening sentence! (Not to mention...That is quite an opening sentence! (Not to mention an eye-grabbing cover.)Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-53428381245012654962006-12-08T09:54:00.000+00:002006-12-08T09:54:00.000+00:00I've been considering buying that book, Madeleine!...I've been considering buying that book, Madeleine! It's available on Amazon.com for 1 cent at the moment. I've used the 'search inside' function, and the first sentence is pretty eye-catching, to say the least.<br /><br />Recently I've been getting into the Scottish history of the period a lot more - it certainly is very interesting. Another great 'what if' is 'what if Alexander III didn't ride off into a storm in 1286, but lived another 20 years?'Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-86860551460634828642006-12-07T21:04:00.000+00:002006-12-07T21:04:00.000+00:00The Maid of Norway is an interesting possibility t...The Maid of Norway is an interesting possibility to consider. Scotland during that time is interesting in general, and I really enjoyed "Quest for a Maid", a young adult historical fiction that discusses both the problems in Scotland after Alexander's death and the Maid's effect on everything. The focus is mainly on the Scots, as all the main characters are Scottish, but the Maid is a character as well. It's not entirely accurate - the ending has something of an alternate take on history, but it's very interesting.<br /><br />I can't help laughing at the conversations where Meg (the main character) tries to convince the Maid that Edward will be really nice to her once they're married, though.Madeleinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12213709912633730430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-62019160718705343452006-12-04T07:39:00.000+00:002006-12-04T07:39:00.000+00:00Thanks, Gabriele! In fact, it was Isabella's sist...Thanks, Gabriele! In fact, it was Isabella's sisters-in-law who took lovers - the wives of her brothers Louis and Charles (Philip's wife was cleared of adultery). Isabella's sisters died in childhood. And maybe another wife of Edward would have taken a lover, fed up with him, but never thought to take things as far as Isabella did.<br /><br />And thanks, anonymous, for the kind comment - glad you liked it.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-60079575829356359482006-12-04T07:35:00.000+00:002006-12-04T07:35:00.000+00:00Very interesting.Loved reading itVery interesting.Loved reading itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-88123612527272860822006-12-04T03:18:00.000+00:002006-12-04T03:18:00.000+00:00Happy Bloggiversary.
The Maid of Norway scenario ...Happy Bloggiversary.<br /><br />The Maid of Norway scenario is an interesting one, but in case of Isabella's sister I don't think things would have been any different - they had lovers, too, as I recall.Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-26251932117682171032006-12-03T17:47:00.000+00:002006-12-03T17:47:00.000+00:00Thanks, both! Carla, there are some interesting s...Thanks, both! Carla, there are some interesting similarities between the two sets of Edwards and Marys, aren't there? I suppose a big difference is that, in 1290, the Scots had little if any say in who Mary married - although she was their Queen, her guardian was her father King Erik, and if he chose to marry her to the English heir, there wasn't a lot they could do about it. (Funny that Erik was only 14 or 15 when his daughter was born!)<br /><br />It fires my imagination, to think of Edward, married to Margaret, king of England and Scotland, no Bannockburn, no billions (in modern money) poured into an endless unwinnable war...but his character and deficiencies would have been the same, so his reign might have ended in disaster anyway! Of course there's no way of knowing what kind of person Margaret would have grown up to be - she might have made Edward a loving consort, or she might have detested him even more than Isabella did in the end.<br /><br />There's <a href= http://groups.google.com/group/soc.history.what-if/browse_thread/thread/ee0993edda3b7884/04255e97deed4a42?lnk=st&q=%22The+Bride+of+Norway%22&rnum=1#04255e97deed4a42>a great 'what if' thread</a> about Margaret and Edward, which has some good ideas.<br /><br />Susan - yes, Isabella's sisters aren't at all well known. The Philippa of Flanders story always sticks in my head, because I feel so sorry for the poor girl.<br /><br />I should have pointed out in the text that there's some dispute whether Queen Yolande had a stillbirth in November 1286, or if it turned out that she'd never been pregnant after all.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-66535071930353023372006-12-03T14:49:00.000+00:002006-12-03T14:49:00.000+00:00The Maid of Norway betrothal is a fascinating migh...The Maid of Norway betrothal is a fascinating might-have-been, isn't it? Like the scheme for marrying Mary Queen of Scots to Edward VI when they were both children (aka The Rough Wooing because of Henry VIII's characteristic coercive negotiating tactics). The Scots weren't keen on the idea because the female partner (their Mary) was subordinate to the husband (Engish Edward and by extension Henry VIII) and married Mary into France instead - but in the early 1300s, before the Wars of Independence embittered relations between the cuntries so much, it might have been much more acceptable. (Though Edward I was as coercive as Henry VIII, so maybe not). The similarity in age might have made the marriage more likely to work - it's always seemed to me that marriages where one party is old enough to be the other's parent or even grandparent are asking to be an instant personal disaster.<br />Happy blog-anniversary!Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-44069024128854971782006-12-03T13:21:00.000+00:002006-12-03T13:21:00.000+00:00Fascinating! I'd forgotten all about Isabella's si...Fascinating! I'd forgotten all about Isabella's sisters and the Philippa engagement (if I ever heard of it in the first place). <br /><br />Interesting to think what would have happened if there'd been no Battle of Bannockburn!Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.com