10 May, 2010

Update, Kind Of

Oh dear, I'm very lax about updating the blog these days! Apologies; I've been busy with (lots of, ack) dental appointments, teaching a seminar and various other things, and truth be told, am not feeling very inspired Edward II-wise at the moment. Merely a temporary state of affairs, I'm sure. My next post, on the aftermath of Thomas of Lancaster's execution in 1322 and his 'sainthood', is coming very soon. (I hope.)

I got an email a couple of days ago with some great news: a film about Edward II called Uncertain Proof is currently in production and is due for release in the spring of 2011. The film is set in 1340 and features Manuel Fieschi, the Italian cleric who wrote to Edward III in the 1330s to tell him that his father survived Berkeley Castle, as the main character, who investigates Edward II's true fate. To quote from the website, "the action covers just 24 hours but flashbacks portray Edward II’s life, his love of the joust, his supposed death and funeral, and the execution of his friend, Hugh Despenser." Yippee!!!! Can't wait! (Not entirely sure about that 'love of the joust', however; 'love of watching Piers Gaveston joust', maybe?)

There are a few historical novels I'm really looking forward to reading in the next few months: Susan Higginbotham's next one, of course, the excellently-titled The Queen of Last Hopes, about Margaret of Anjou, queen of Henry VI. Sherry Jones' novel about the four sisters of Provence in the thirteenth century who all became queens, one of whom was Edward II's grandmother Eleanor. Sacred Treason, a thriller set in 1563, by James Forrester, better known as historian Ian Mortimer. Vanora Bennett's The People's Queen, about Edward III's mistress Alice Perrers (another novel about her, not long after Emma Campion's The King's Mistress; funny how you wait years for a novel about Alice Perrers then two come along within a few months). And Christy English's The Queen's Pawn, about Edward II's great-great-grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine and Alais of France, who should have been Eleanor's daughter-in-law and who was also Edward II's great-great-grandmother. (Alais, married Guillaume Talvas, count of Ponthieu -> Marie of Ponthieu, married Simon de Dammartin, count of Aumale -> Jeanne de Dammartin, countess of Ponthieu and Aumale, married Fernando III of Castile -> Eleanor of Castile, countess of Ponthieu, married Edward I -> Edward II.)

And to fill up this post, here are some blog search strings from the last day or two.

thomas boleyn pimp

red hot plumbing beeston

why did they torcher with hot poker during 15th century I love it that someone can't spell 'torture'.

means of death by inserting a sharp object into the anus up the spine

It wouldn't be my blog if I didn't get this search a few times a week: Did Willaim Wallace have an affair with issabel and William Wallace and Queen Isabella

eleanor of aquitaine's fornication with Henry's father

Two questions I can't answer: What happened in portugal in 1219?

Which Saints wore a purple robe encrusted in jewels?

mortimers living in Seend Wiltshire in 1700

the ordinance caused the great famine of 1315 Whatever Edward II may have thought, I'm sure it wasn't the 1311 Ordinance banishing Piers Gaveston that led to the Great Famine.

white battle north yorkshire 1322

Isabella of Castile facts: Her comparison. Google helpfully suggested Did you mean: Isabella of Castile facts: Hire comparison

Hope Keepers of Caernarfon Castle

leeds castle queen bedchamber initials on the cloths

How did Eduard ii was murdered

Edward II death homophobia poker

Eleanor de Clare sex

ordinances of 1311 early problems Gaveston`s exile The Lord Ordainers the ordinaries the aftermath

Proper post coming soon! Soonish anyway...

8 comments:

Clement Glen said...

Considering the imense amount of research you have to do Kathryn, I have often wondered how you manage to create such detailed work on a weekly basis.

Please don't worry, I think most bloggers have periods where we lack inspiration and motivation, plus of course every day life tends to get in the way!

Susan Higginbotham said...

Love the search terms, and thanks for mentioning my novel! (Which means I really ought to get back to writing it . . .)

Looking forward to Uncertain Proof. But I couldn't find Hugh in the cast of characters! (Maybe he doesn't have a speaking role, only a dying role?)

It is funny about having two novels about Alice Perrers--like city buses, you wait for one, and then a whole bunch of them come at once.

Anerje said...

Hope you feel inspired soon - I'm so greedy:> I do of course appreciate all you put into your research. Love the searches! Homophobia poker?!

Gabriele Campbell said...

I haven't been very inspired to lenghty history posts, either, those last weeks.

Dman that red hot poker, it keeps coming up, doesn't it?

Louis X said...

What happened in portugal in 1219?

Likely, there were at least a few people who had lunch, changed clothes, did some kind of work, and perhaps even bathed. Though we cannot be certain about that last, as it WAS Portugal, after all. ;P

I agree wholeheartedly with Clement of the Glen. Ma douce dame, you post enough of these fascinating posts to put some of us (*ahem* meaning myself, as I am quite lazy in this area!) to utter shame.

It might be, too, that your feeling uninspired is Edward's fault. He might be off swimming with peasants, again, instead of poking at you to write about him. I am sort of doing the same with Kai, except that instead of swimming, I am hiding in the Palais de la Cité and whining about the weather and about being stuck in Paris. He keeps insisting I must finish the post that I do not wish to work on at this time, so what is there for me to do but hide? Well, I could yell at him, but knowing him, he would only yell back at me and I should have to throw him into the Louvre so as not to appear nepotistic.

Par Dieu, how I ramble... So, perhaps Ned is off swimming, or digging a ditch, or thatching some roof or other. I am certain he shall return, soon. :)

Kathryn Warner said...

Clement, the trick is that I have no life, hahaha. ;) Seriously, I much prefer immersing myself in the early 14th century to doing almost everything else! Most of the time, anyway, if not at the moment.

Susan, you're welcome! I wonder about Hugh in the film - maybe you're right that it's not a speaking part. The man in black on the website is seriously attractive... ;)

Anerje, thanks! I'm sure I'll have lots of proper posts soon. ;)

Gabriele, wonder if there's something in the water! And yes, the damn red-hot poker appears numerous times a day in blog searches.

Mon trescher sire le roy de Fraunce et de Navarre, I love it when you ramble, and your ramblings are always most welcome here and on Facebook! LOL re Portugal. ;-) I think Edward has abandoned me to go swimming with peasants, actually. Either that or he's digging ditches at Langley. Pffft, abandoning me who loves him most! I don't blame you for whinging about the weather, monsire, if it's the same as here - how dare the weather gods send us such rubbish in May?? ;-)

Anonymous said...

How much would it cost to hire Isabella anyway.....lots by the look of her spending....but whose counting?!

Kate Plantaganet
[stupid blogger would not let me log in.....grumble]

Louis X said...

Ah, there you go, ma chère Kathryn, being so kind to me, again! But also, PFF! upon Kai, for he will not allow me to play on Facebook. He says I am already over-spoilt with a blog, Twitter and Myspace. Myspace is no fun; I never play there and no one ever speaks to me! I believe he is just afraid he shall have to do more scribe work. And he thinks *I* am lazy. Huh!

I forgot to say last time that the ordinance causing the famine was funny. Would that we could ordain such things! I should ordain nothing but fair weather, except in times when rain is needed. Then it should never rain when I am in Vincennes! That is my complaint: it rains when I am in the woods, and stops when I go back to Paris!! Now it rains all over, so I am miserable either way. :(

Silly Edward. He should be ashamed to abandon you! He should take you along to share the entertainments. It is what I would do. Except for the digging of ditches. I would not dig ditches, in the first place. But swimming...Mmm. That would be nice. Of course, we could go swimming on the roof of the palais, right now, with all this incessant RAIN. *grumble* :(