Litsy

The Magnificent Century | Thomas B. Costain

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#TodayILearned what a terrible leader Henry III was. That's probably why there aren't many films or books devoted to him. Still, I'm really enjoying Costain's Plantagenet series. It's very readable, even if some of the feelings and thoughts the author attributes to these real-life characters might have involved some guesswork.

#NFNovember @Bookwormjillk
#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

kwmg40 This book was an appropriate choice for the “Cursola: Read the oldest book on your TBR“ prompt for #gottacatchemall, as it had sat on my shelves for about 40 years! @PuddleJumper 2d

Bookwormjillk 40 years! Wow!! 2d

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2d

46 likes3 comments

LitStephanie

A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain | Marc Morris

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I highly recommend this for anyone interested in British medieval history. Edward I did terrible things: expelled all Jews from England, used trickery and atrocities to conquer Scotland, and subjugated the Welsh and forced them to fight in his wars, to name a few. But there is no question he was an exceptionally strong, effective king and a brilliant strategist. Morris lays out a very good case that his reign forged Britain as we know it. 👇

LitStephanie The audio reader is great, and pronounces all the French and Welsh names better than I ever could. This history is told from the perspective of an English historian telling the story of Edward I, so there isn't much of a discussion of how his policies harmed people. This same story would probably sound different if told by a Welsh or Scottish historian. Very well written, and I was never bored in 18 hours of listening. 1mo

15 likes1 comment

Abe

Come to the Castle!: A Visit to a Castle in Thirteenth-Century England | Linda Ashman

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Great read about castle life told in rhyme!

13 likes

Texreader

Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charter | David Starkey

Ireland‘s copy of the Magna Carta

Cuilin Are you in Dublin? 4mo

Texreader @Cuilin Yes for one more day 4mo

Cuilin Oh wow. I was born in the Rotunda, near O‘Connell Street. Will you visit other parts of Ireland too? 4mo

48 likes3 comments

suvata

Winds of Time (The After Cilmeri Series 1.5) | Sarah Woodbury

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3.5 Stars • “Winds of Time," is a novella and the third installment in the "After Cilmeri" series by Sarah Woodbury. Meg, a time-traveling character, finds herself once again in medieval Wales after a plane crash. This time, she's alone and must navigate the challenges of the past with the knowledge and maturity she gained from her sixteen years spent in the modern world. ⬇️

suvata The story explores Meg's struggle to adapt and survive in a world vastly different from her own, highlighting her resilience and determination. "Winds of Time" serves as a bridge between the events of "Footsteps in Time" and "Prince of Time," offering a deeper look into Meg's personal experiences and challenges during her journey back to the 13th century. 5mo

35 likes1 comment

Graywacke

Roman de Silence | Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Heldris (de Cornu�lle.)

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🤫 don‘t wake Nikki.

This is a delightful 13-century Arthurian romance with a female knight, Silence, forced to hide her identity and act a man. Jealous kings, slain dragons, female healers and a wild-man version of Merlin. It was discovered in 1911, a single manuscript in Old French verse in a box marked “old papers - no value”.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 6mo

Leftcoastzen 👏😻 6mo

55 likes2 stack adds2 comments

Dilara

Roman de Silence | Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Heldris (de Cornu�lle.)

Romance written in the 12-13th cent.
Silence is a girl brought up disguised as a boy so she could be her parents' heir. Of course, they are the most valiant, accomplished & virtuous person ever 😁
The King of England likes & values them, but after they reject the Queen's advances, she turns against them & tribulations start.
I thought their gender of birth would be uncovered in battle, as per trope, but no: something stranger & funnier happens 👏

Dilara It's short and not without humour, and very much inspired by Le roman de la rose and Arthurian lore. Just like in Le roman de la rose, there is a lot of casual of misogyny & reflections on the Nature vs Culture debate.
The original is in Old French octosyllabic verse; the version I read is in modern French prose that still retains a medieval flavour.

Picture is a miniature of Joan of Arc, so a couple of centuries later than the book

The Romance of the Rose

(edited) 6mo

Graywacke Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the English prose translation. But the misogyny was striking. 6mo

Dilara @Graywacke I enjoyed it too! The misogyny was inevitable, given the date of writing, but at least, we weren't repeatedly hit over the head with it like we were in Le roman de la rose 😁 6mo

Graywacke @Dilara ha! True. Have you read the Lais of Mary of France? Similar style (in English prose translation) 6mo

Dilara @Graywacke I read a couple and I can see the similarities. I even read one translated into English verse in The Penguin Book of Women Poets 😁 (Chievrefueil/Chèvrefeuille, or “honeysuckle“ in modern English, translated literally as “Goat's-leaf“ in the version I read). I mean to read them all at some point 😚

“Wrathful was King Mark,
Angry with Tristan his nephew,
Banished him from the realm
For the love he bore the Queen.“

The Penguin Book of Women Poets

6mo

34 likes1 stack add5 comments

bibliothecarivs

The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1272-1377 | Michael Prestwich

Recent acquisitions:

📖 The Three Edwards: War and State in England 1272-1377 by Michael Prestwich
📖 Early Irish Monasteries by Conleth Manning

#UniteAgainstBookBans #LetUtahRead

6 likes

Dilara

Roman de Silence | Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Heldris (de Cornu�lle.)

So far:
- Hébain married the King of Norway's daughter
- Cador slayed the dragon terrorising Winchester, and earned the right to marry the maid of his choosing
- Eufémie cured Cador's illness and earned the right to marry the man of her choosing
- You guessed it: Cador and Eufémie married each other
- Eufémie gave birth to a girl, but they announced a boy - and therefore heir - to the world
Medieval romances FTW!
I'll stop bc spoilers 😋

25 likes1 stack add

Graywacke

Roman de Silence | Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Heldris (de Cornu�lle.)

Now that I‘ve finished Chaucer, I‘ve made the Roman de Silence my morning book. This is a 13th century Old French Arthurian romance in verse. And so far, in translation, it reads a lot like the Lais of Marie de France - that is to say, light and charming.

Texreader 🐈‍⬛❤️ 6mo

Suet624 Impressive 6mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 #lebeauchat 6mo

See All 6 Comments

Graywacke @Texreader @dabbe she would thank you but, well, she has that goddess attitude cat thing (edited) 6mo

Graywacke @Suet624 it‘s easy, fun reading. 🙂 6mo

Dilara Ooh, I have seen that Silence is in my anthology of medieval love and chivalry writings but I haven't read it yet! Looking forward to your opinion on it 😁 6mo

52 likes6 comments

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