-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Previous Blog Posts
Categories
From my blog...
Category Archives: UK
The Last Kingdom, Episode 8: The Battle of Edington
878 A.D. In the seventh week after Easter King Alfred rode to Ecbryht’s Stone…All those of Somerset came to meet him, and those of Wiltshire and Hampshire…they were glad of his coming. ..He went from that camp…to Edington, and there … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Review, The Last Kingdom, UK, Vikings
Tagged Angl-Saxons, Battle, Book Review, King Alfred, Medieval, Review, TV Series, Uhtred, Vikings
3 Comments
The Last Kingdom, Episode Five: Uhtred vs Ubba
Alternate Title: UHTRED vs UBBA, ODDA 1, ODDA2, ALFRED, LEOFRIC, MILDRITH, OSWALD…oh heck. UHTRED vs EVERYBODY Episode 5 begins with shipwreck and concludes with a very different kind of wreck. In between, our hero Uhtred covers a lot of ground … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, Books, Review, The Last Kingdom, UK, Vikings
Tagged King Alfred, Review, TV Series, Ubba, Uhtred
Leave a comment
The Last Kingdom, Episode 3: The New King of Wessex
Despite the fact that the main character of Bernard Cornwell’s books is our hero Uhtred, it is Alfred who is the focal character of this episode. Everything and everyone revolves around him, and actor David Dawson does a spectacular job … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Review, The Last Kingdom, UK, Vikings
Tagged Anglo-Saxons, Battle, Bernard Cornwell, King Alfred, Ubba, Uhtred
Leave a comment
Falling Stars, Bloody Moons and Dragons
Tonight we will be able to witness a total lunar eclipse – the last in this year’s rare series of four such eclipses, which astronomers call a tetrad. This time round we have a harvest moon and a supermoon in … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, UK
Tagged Angl-Saxons, history, Medieval, Shadow on the Crown
4 Comments
What Happened at Corfe in 978?
Today, the chalk hill of Corfe on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset is crowned by the ruins of, for the most part, a 12th century Norman castle. But in Anglo-Saxon times a hunting lodge stood on the hill, and … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Research, UK
Tagged Aethelred, Anglo-Saxons, architecture, history
8 Comments
Review: The Ceremony of Innocence, a play written in 1968 by Ronald Ribman
It is Christmas Eve in the year 1013. The king of England, Ethelred, has retired to a cell in a monastery on the Isle of Wight. He is mournful, despairing, and self-exiled from his court and kingdom due to remorse … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, Art, History, Research, Review, Theatre, UK, Vikings
Tagged Aethelred, Anglo-Saxons, Art, Emma of Normandy, history, Medieval, Review
4 Comments
The Riddle of the Stones
They had arrived at last at a long, low ridge where the standing stone, its edges scored in primitive runes, pointed skyward. Athelstan checked his horse beside the ancient, lichen-covered stone. Gazing into the shallow vale beyond, he caught his … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Inspiration, Research, UK
Tagged Angl-Saxons, archaeology, Athelstan, Castlerigg, dolmens, history, Rollright Stones, Shadow on the Crown, Stone circles, The Price of Blood, Wales
Leave a comment
Guest Interview with Historical Mystery Novelist Candace Robb
Historical novelist and mystery writer Candace Robb is in the spotlight today as she celebrates the re-issue of her Owen Archer mysteries in brand new editions from Diversion Books, on sale today as e-books and next month as trade paperbacks. … Read More
Posted in Books, Guest Interview, Guest Interview, Inspiration, UK
Tagged Authors, Book release, Books, Candace Robb, historical, Medieval, mystery, Owen Archer, York
8 Comments
5 May 1010: The Battle of Ringmere
On 5 May in the year 1010, a great battle was fought between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes at a place in East Anglia called Ringmere. In the fall of 2012, as part of the research for my novel The … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Inspiration, Research, UK, Vikings
Tagged Angl-Saxons, Battle, East Anglia, history, Medieval, Ringmere, The Price of Blood, Vikings
Leave a comment
Æthelred II – the Haunted King
On 23 April 1016, King Æthelred II died in London. He was about 50 years old, and he’d ruled England for 38 years. At his death he’d not yet been given the byname, Unræd, (ill-counseled, a play on the Old … Read More
Posted in Anglo-Saxons, Art, Essay, History, Research, UK, Vikings
Tagged Aethelred, Angl-Saxons, Ghost, history, murder, The Price of Blood
Leave a comment