Dan Jones on writing historical fiction, The Anne Boleyn Cup and Mary I's Seal
Plus the Live Q&A Panel for the Stuart Summit is announced!
This week I met Dan Jones and found a seal of Mary I, both on the same day. Not bad! I can also now announce the author panel which will be taking part in a live Q&A during the Autumn Online History Festival, The Stuart Summit and hopefully see you on my weekly live, which is back on Thursday.
Let’s start with Dan! I travelled to St John the Baptist Church in Cirencester for the annual Winstone Talk. Last year I saw Tracy Borman speak in this amazing church and so was very keen to visit again. If you are following me on Instagram (@British_History_Tours) you will have seen that this beautiful old church is the home of The Anne Boleyn Cup. Members of my Patreon also received bonus images of the church, including a rare surviving example of a mid-15th century pulpit!
Dan Jones talked of the inspiration and the real history behind his new book, ‘Essex Dogs,’ which is set during the Crecy campaign fought by Edward III as part of what would become to be known as the 100 Years War. The story follows a band of 10 mercenary soldiers during the campaign. There are no accounts or diaries of the ordinary soldier in this period and so, as Dan explained, a fictional account was the only way to explore the escapades, thoughts and feelings of this band of men.
I asked Dan if he was able to explore the psychological effects on the men of the brutal warfare actions that they saw and took part in, through the book. I was interested in his thoughts on the old trope “people in the past were more immune to brutality because they saw it more than we do now”, of which I am very skeptical. His answer was interesting and comprehensive but, in summary, he said he was able to explore this throughout the entire book. Specifically to the point of adjusting to war trauma, what we would recognise as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I loved his summary…
Evolution doesn’t move that fast! - Dan Jones
Whilst in Cirencester, I not only explored the Church of St John the Baptist but took the time to explore the vast history of this once Roman City by visiting the Corinium Museum. Corinium was the name of Cirencester, once the second-largest city of Roman Britain.
The museum also covered the history since the Roman period. Among the many artifacts on display, I was very pleased to find a seal of Mary I and her husband Philip of Spain. Notice that Mary is seated on the right hand side, the side for the reigning monarch and Philip is on her left as consort. Mary was the first crowned Queen of England. England had never had a Queen Regnant before and this threw up many questions. When Mary married would she become subservient to her husband? Would Mary, and by extension England, become subservient to Spain? Mary was hands-on in creating the marriage treaty which restricted Philip’s power over his wife and stipulated that should he outlive her, he could not assume the throne of England. This power relationship was physically depicted on the seal used by the couple which shows Mary on the right-hand-side, the side usually reserved for the husband.
Autumn Online History Festival - The Stuart Summit
I am so excited to bring everyone this Autumn’s Online History Festival, The Stuart Summit.
The summit is taking place from 18th - 20th November but don’t worry if you can’t make it live, as all of the talks will be available until the end of January 2023!
All ticket holders not only get access to the 7 historian talks (the 7th historian will be announced this week so look out for that!) but also a live Q&A session with a panel of Stuart History authors, a live fun quiz closing event and entry in the free prize draw. All Ticket Holders will go into a draw for one of the following prizes:
Signed Stuart Book Bundle from Pen & Sword (2 prizes)
Ticket Refund: Get your ticket price refunded (1 prize)
Amazon Gift Voucher worth GBP£15/USD$15 (1 prize)
Winners of the Free Prize Draw will be announced live at the closing event and will be contacted directly via email.
Our Author Panel will be live with us on the evening of Saturday 19th November. If you can’t make the event live you can send your questions in prior to the event and one of the moderators will pose your question on your behalf.
The Panel
Robert Stedall’s ground-breaking two-volume history of Mary Queen of Scots and her son James VI, The Challenge to the Crown and the Survival of the Crown were published by the Book Guild in 2012 and 2014. Robert then produced five more books; Men of Substance, a history of the London livery companies in Ireland, a biography of Henry Lord Darnley, Mary Queen of Scots' Downfall, an account of the ongoing conflict in Ireland from the arrival of British settlers in the 16th century until about 1900, The Roots of Ireland's Troubles , a biography of Lord Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I's Secret Lover and a biography of the enigmatic William Maitland of Lethington, Mary Queen of Scots' Secretary. Robert’s most recent book Elizabeth I's Final Years, recounts the aging Queen's interplay with her younger favourites. He also maintains the website, www.maryqueenofscots.net which has become a focal point for those studying the Scottish queen's life.
Andrea Zuvich is an independent seventeenth-century historian and anthropologist specialising in the House of Stuart (1603-1714). Zuvich obtained degrees in History and Anthropology at the University of Central Florida and is the host of the popular blog, 'The Seventeenth Century Lady'. As @17thCenturyLady on Twitter, she created the well-received #StuartsSaturday hashtag. Zuvich is also a historical consultant for TV, film, and radio. She was one of the original developers of the award-winning Garden History Tours at Kensington Palace. Her biography of Barbara Villiers, the notorious mistress of King Charles II, is due next year.
Julia Hickey has an MA as well as a BA in History and English Literature and has taught in a range of educational settings, now working as an independent lecturer and speaker. She has written about border reivers, the grisly tale of Carlisle’s gallows, the shameful and mischievous women who shared the beds of medieval kings and is also the author of many short stories set in the past. She writes a regular blog at thehistoryjar.com about all things historical.
Shona Kinsella is the author of Outlander and the Real Jacobites: Scotland’s Fight for Freedom, her first non-fiction work. She was editor of the British Fantasy Society’s fiction publication BFS Horizons for four years and is now Chair of the British Fantasy Society.
Sydney Thorne holds an MA (Oxon) in Modern Languages and has taught languages in England and at the University of Augsburg in Germany. His interest in the story of Mary Ward, the subject of his book, dates back to 1982, and his passion has grown over the eight years or so in which he has been writing her story. Sydney has travelled widely in Europe, to visit many of the key locations in Mary Ward’s life.
Announcement to come later this week…
In a few days time I will be able to announce our 7th speaker on The Stuart Summit at which point I will also profile each of the speakers and their talks.
Look out for that but in the meantime, I wish you a relaxed remainder to your weekend and a great week ahead!
Philippa