Tag: middle ages

Guest Post: “Inspiration for the Novel ‘The Spirit of the Times’ by Justin Newland”

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I would like to welcome Justin Newland to my blog today to share his inspiration for his novel “The Spirit of the Times.” I would like to thank Justin Newland and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

The word Zeitgeist means the spirit of the times, and this was one of the inspirations for my novel of the same name. The German word alludes to the governing principles of the age or epoch. 

It’s not just wars or battles that are influenced or determined by the Zeitgeist, it’s everything. The spirit of the times form up as the ideas, beliefs and aims that typify or characterise a particular period in history. Another way to view the spirit of the times is as a set of governing permissions.  

Historians perceive that periods of history are sufficiently different to warrant giving them identifying names: such as the Dark Ages, the Age of Discovery, the Reformation, the Great Enlightenment, or the Information Age.   

These are best represented by the saviours, the prophets, the leaders, the kings and queens, the explorers, the scientists, the artists, the composers, and all those great men and women who drew close to and were inspired by the spirit of their times.   

I’ve always been fascinated by the Middle Ages, and how this period above all others sowed the seeds of the modern world. The Mongol leader Genghis Khan in particular seemed to personify the spirit of those times. Because, through his actions, his inflexible will and belief in the sky god Tengri, he set about unifying a bunch of disparate nomadic tribes and forged them into the era’s most effective killing machine. 

Why did they conquer such a huge area that stretched from China in the East to Hungary in the West? In truth, Genghis was driven by an inexorable belief, given to him by the god Tengri. In 1220, he led his army across the wide steppes and reached the city of Bukhara, which was known as God’s Fascination. He mounted the pulpit of the great Namazgokh Mosque (shown in the image), and spoke to the conquered city. A nomad, accustomed to living in a yurt and beneath the clear blue sky, this was an unusual if not a radical act on his behalf. 

This is an extract of what he is reputed to have said: 

“O People, know that you have committed great sins. If you ask me what proof I have for these words, I say it is because I am the punishment of God.” 

Basically, he’s saying, he’s conquering them because of the Law of Karma. Because of the bad things they had done (they had killed his envoys), he was compelled to take revenge to balance the scales of justice. 

Genghis was a scout for the coming spirit of the times, in that he and his Golden Horde destroyed obsolete cultures, preparing the way for a new set of influences that govern our times. Like a strong autumn wind breaks off the weak, rotten boughs from the trees, his mission was to remove decaying, redundant cultures including the Khwarazmian Empire, Western Xia Tangut Empire, the northern and southern Chinese Dynasties, the Delhi Sultanate in India, the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, the Kievan Rus’ and then into eastern Europe. 

One way in which this phenomena can be seen is in the founding of the Moghul Empire in India in 1526 by Babur, a direct descendant of  Genghis Khan on his mother’s side and the Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) on his father’s side. Moghul means Mongol. Remember that Shah Jahan was the fifth Moghul Emperor, and is fondly remembered to this day for constructing perhaps the most sublime monument to a love by a grieving husband – the Taj Mahal. Without Genghis Khan, the Taj Mahal would never have been built. 

Just as a bird or a fish knows exactly when to migrate, and how to get to their destination, so men like Genghis Khan’s higher instinct responded to and translated his Zeitgeist. That meant that he was current with the influences washing over the world at that time. 

He lived by the rules of his times, not of the previous era. He searched and found the spirit of his times, because that was the only valid currency of the day, so to speak. 

The two messages he left for us were: Be in your times. And in them, be in the full of your full.  

These are some of the inspirations that prompted me to explore The Spirit of the Times.  

Justin Newland 

9th July 2026  

Blurb: 

From a land of milk, 

And a Road of Silk, 

To a ring of roses, 

And a dance of posies, 

Comes the tale of the spirit of the times!  

In fourteenth-century Central Asia, Karia is a young woman living under the yoke of Mongol occupation. But she’s different. She’s a fighter with supernatural powers. She could use them to keep the Black Plague at bay and solve the mystery of the purple skies at dawn – if only she could overcome her self-doubt.  

Travelling in caravans on the Silk Road, she faces dangers seen and unseen – from sandstorms and slave traders to the desert djinn and folk who believe she’s a witch. She fears losing Abi, her little cousin, who’s fascinated by roses and the dance of the Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara. 

When Karia falls in love with an English sailor fleeing the Knights Hospitaller, they sail to England with Abi to unravel the meaning of the purple skies, a dance, a posy tree, and a ring of roses. 

The Spirit of the Times is part history, part fiction and part speculation: on the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times. 

Buy Links: 

Universal Paperback Buy Link: https://mybook.to/thespiritofthetimes  

Author’s Website: The Spirit of the Times – PREORDER, RELEASE JULY 2026 £9.99 – Justin Newland – Author of secret history thrillers  

Publisher website: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/historical/the-spirit-of-the-times  

Waterstones: The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland | Waterstones  

TG Jones: The Spirit of the Times: Justin Newland: 9781806344154: TGJones  

Coles Books: The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland 9781806344154 Coles Books  

Shakespeare & Company: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/the-spirit-of-the-times  

iMusic: https://imusic.co/books/9781806344154/justin-newland-2026-the-spirit-of-the-times-paperback-book   

Author Bio: 

Justin Newland’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres, from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. 

Undeterred by the award of a doctorate in mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. Next came The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.  

The Coronation (Matador, 2019) features the Great Enlightenment and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith. 

At this point in his writing career, after four self-published books, Justin was offered a part-funded contract with the Book Guild. 

The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book ‘The Island of Angels’ series. It tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (Book Guild, 2024), charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.  

His latest novel, The Spirit of the Times (Matador, 2026), is to be published in July. It tells the story of a young Kyrgyz woman’s journey westwards along the Silk Road. With purple skies at dawn, and a supporting cast of Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, a perplexing rhyme, a ring of roses, it explores the greatest mystery of all – the spirit of the times.  

Justin’s enduring passion is to explore the origins of our current time. This prompted a broad research into what we’ve inherited from history – encompassing Egypt, China, Prussia and Tudor England. He also writes entertaining talks which he gives to the WI, U3A, Probus, Rotary and local historical associations. Please visit his website for a current list of the talks.  

Alongside the talks, Justin promotes his work with regular book signings at TG Jones (ex. WH Smith) high street stores, selling over 3,500 books since 2019. He has sponsored over 40 UK and US blog tours, given frequent radio interviews and penned many guest posts.  

His current book signing motto is: Enjoy, Imagine, Discover. 

As a member of the Society of Authors, he has Public and Products Liability Insurance. 

Born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his lady in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.justinnewland.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjustinnewland/ 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/justinnewland 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jnewland  

Book Review: “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living” by Peter Jones

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When we go into a bookstore, we will notice there are tons of self-help books from all walks of life. Self-help books tend to have more of a modern take when it comes to solutions, but what if we looked to the past for advice? It is an interesting approach to this genre of books, but what if we took it a step further and looked at how medieval people viewed their own minds through the Seven Deadly Sins? Peter Jones dives into his own life experiences and the archives to explore how the sins can help us find wisdom and understanding, which is explained in detail in his book, “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living.”

I would like to thank Doubleday Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed medieval self-help books that I have read in the past, so I wanted to see how Jones would add to this genre. I think by centering this book on the seven deadly sins, it adds depth and interest to this topic, so I was excited to see how they could be applied to one’s life. 

Peter Jones was a professor of medieval history at a university in Siberia when he fell into a dark place. He turns to the Middle Ages for help, which was an era known for self-help guides written by scholars, priests, and mystics. It is through their writings that he realized how the seven deadly sins could be used as a tool to learn about self-knowledge and forgiving oneself. 

It almost seems counterintuitive to rely on sins for advice on how to better our lives, but in a way, it makes sense. There have been many different iterations of the seven deadly sins, but the ones that we are paying attention to are: pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Each chapter focuses on a different sin, from the most hazardous sin to the least deadly sin. Jones explores his own experiences with the sins before diving into the archives to look at how historical figures from the Middle Ages dealt with the sins. That could range from their own life experiences to art and literature. Some of these stories were familiar to me, but the majority of this book included new information for me, which was rather exciting.

This was one of those books that took me a while to get used to what Jones was doing, but once I did, I learned a lot about the Middle Ages and the sins. It was a different approach, but I appreciate that he wrote about how the sins helped those in the Middle Ages and Jones himself. I think if you want a unique look at the Middle Ages and self-help, you will enjoy “Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living” by Peter Jones.

Book Review: “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth” by Michele Schindler

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Throughout history, many aspects of life have changed drastically, but one thing has remained the same: the different stages of life—birth, youth, adolescence, adulthood, old age, and death. It is the first stage of life, birth, that tends to get the least amount of attention when it comes to historical research. In recent years, it has been gaining more and more attention, especially when it comes to royal births, which have the most amount of written records. Michele Schindler has chosen to focus on the aspects of medieval childbirth in her latest book, “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed the previous book that I have read by Michele Schindler, and so when I saw that she had a new book about the medieval period out, I was excited to read it. I have read a few books that featured childbirth, primarily in the Tudor period, but never when it comes to the medieval period, so I wanted to learn more.

Schindler has decided to divide her book into sections, each part focusing on a different stage of childbirth: conception, pregnancy, birth, baptism, infant care, and how society as a whole understood childbirth as part of a woman’s life. Each section has sub-sections that explore aspects like miscarriages, twins, confinement, stillbirths, wet nurses, and deaths during infancy. These are very heavy topics, but they are discussed in a respectful manner.

To give context to the topics discussed, Schindler uses examples from multiple centuries to show how royal and noblewomen dealt with childbirth and its struggles. Some of the women featured in this book include Margaret Beaufort, Margaret of Anjou, Eleanor Cobham, Isabella of Castile, Alice Chaucer, Anne Neville, and Elizabeth of York. She also compared these lives and how they experienced childbirth to the common people to show the difference in status and the importance of ceremonies like confinement to the nobility.

Overall, I found this book to be really well researched, as well as being pretty easy to follow along with. I found a deeper appreciation for medieval women and what they had to go through to have a child. If you want to learn more about medieval childbirth practices pertaining to the higher echelons of society, I would recommend you read “Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth” by Michele Schindler.

Book Review: “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions of Christmas in the Middle Ages” by Toni Mount

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The weather is getting colder, and life is getting a bit busier in preparation for winter and family gatherings. It’s time to get ready for the holiday season, and there is one that is universally loved. No, it’s not Halloween, even though it is October when I am writing this review. No, I am talking about Christmas. But one wonders what the origins of Christmas and how our traditions evolved? Toni Mount explores this most important holiday time in her latest book, “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions of Christmas in the Middle Ages.”

I would like to thank Toni Mount for sending me a copy of her latest book. I am always interested in learning the origins of holidays, especially Christmas, so when she sent me a copy of her book, I was excited to read it so that I can get into the holiday mood a bit early.

Since this book is relatively short, I will keep the review short. Mount explores the different aspects of Christmas and its origins in short sections. We begin with the origins of the holiday itself and how it went from Midwinter/ the Winter Solstice/ festival of Yule and Saturnalia to Christmas through the expansion of the Christian faith. In England, the first Christian Christmas was celebrated in 597 AD with Saint Augustine and King Aethelberht, but it was not until King Alfred that Christianity became the religion of England.

Christmas is not only a solemn day in the Christian calendar, but in the Middle Ages, it was an entire season full of feasting, music, and pageants. We also see how the concept of Santa Claus morphed overtime from Father Christmas and Old Man Winter to Saint Nicholas. We also learn the importance of gift giving and how politics would play a huge part in how Christmas was celebrated, or in the case of the Puritans, banned for many years.

I found this book enjoyable and extremely cozy in the vibes. I did wish it was a bit longer as I did enjoy learning about this topic and did not want it to end. Overall, I think “Medieval Christmas: The Origins and Traditions in the Middle Ages” by Toni Mount, was a delightful book and the perfect choice for medievalists who want to get into the holiday spirit.

Book Review: “The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God’s Holy Warriors” by Dan Jones

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The TemplarsThe Crusades were a series of wars between Christian and Muslim warriors for the right to control the Holy Lands of the Middle East. Many men on both sides earned legacies that would surpass their earthly bodies during bloody battles. It created many bands of knights that would last for generations, such as the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights. The Templars were the most famous of these knight groups, who may have lasted only for less than two hundred years, but whose legacy would turn into myth. Dan Jones has taken on the arduous task of discerning fact from fiction about the Templars in his book, “The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God’s Holy Warriors.”

I have heard of the Templars from other books that I have read about the Plantagenets and the Crusades, plus the myths of Templar gold and Friday the 13th, but that was the extent of my knowledge about the knightly order. I am a fan of Dan Jones and his books, so I have wanted to read this book for a while now.

Jones’ tome about the Templar knights is broken down into four sections; the origins of the order, how they earned their reputation as soldiers, how they transitioned to the world of banking, and finally the abrupt fall due to greed and rumors of sexual misconduct. The Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, also known as the Templars, was created by Hugh of Payns in 1119 as an order of warriors who lived in poverty, were strictly celibate, and swore oaths to protect innocent Christian pilgrims. Slowly, this rag-tag group of warriors was recognized by the Pope and began to fight battles during the Crusades.

The Templars were known for their willingness to fight until the last man in brutal battles to defend the pilgrims and regain the holy lands for Christianity. There were men like Richard the Lionheart of England and James of Maille, who gained tremendous reputations for their association with the Templars; then there were men like Frederick II Hohenstaufen, the Holy Roman Emperor, who chose to fight with the Templars and ended up fighting against the knights after disputes. The Templars’ greatest threats during the Crusades were the Mamluk sultan Baybars and the Kurdish sultan of Egypt and Syria Saladin, however, the greatest threat to the order was closer to home.

King Philip IV of France, a man who ruthlessly persecuted the Jews in France and fought against Pope Boniface III, turned his greedy eyes on the Templars. He created false charges against the order over sexual misconduct between the knights and forced members of the order, including James of Molay, the last Templar master, to admit to the charges through torture. The death of James of Molay and his fellow Templar warriors marked the end of the order, but the legacy lived on through the present day.

Jones has done it again and delivered a meticulously researched behemoth of a book that is accessible for novices and experts alike. He truly cared about telling the compelling tale of the Templars, full of bravery amid bloody battles and treachery amongst men that they thought supported their cause. A brilliantly engaging book, “The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God’s Holy Warriors” by Dan Jones is the perfect book for anyone interested in this order of knights and their impact on history.

Book Review: “Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages” by Dan Jones

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57347786When we study human history, in general, we tend to pick a country and a period to focus on and research. Books on the subject material tend to focus on one land with interactions between other nations. It is infrequent for authors to take on multiple countries unless concentrated on one event that affected numerous locations. Those books often read like textbooks and can be a bit dry. Finding the perfect balance between these elements and engaging with the reader is a monumental task for any author, but Dan Jones has taken on the challenge. His latest behemoth tome, “Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages,” takes on the gigantic task of telling the story of the Middle Ages from diverse perspectives.

To take on such a massive undertaking is no easy feat, but Jones seems to do it seamlessly. He breaks this book into four segments to not overwhelm his readers, each dealing with a different element that made the Middle Ages unique. Every story has a foundation, and the story of the Middle Ages begins with the fall of the Roman Empire. With the empire’s fall, we see the rise of Barbarian groups, the Byzantines, and the Arab states that would define this era with the Crusades. Jones takes his readers on a journey through climate change and pandemics that forced humanity to move from place to place to survive.

We encounter revolutions of all kinds; religious, political, artistic, architectural, and technological. Humankind was not as stagnant as many people believed during the Middle Ages. This was an age full of life and colorful figures that shaped the world around them, from philosophers and artists to kings and conquerors. Men and women like St. Aquitaine, Attila the Hun, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Leonardo da Vinci, Martin Luther, and Christopher Columbus defined this era. Although Jones does focus on more European figures, he takes the time to show people groups like the Mongols, the Franks, the Arabs, and the Byzantines to show how diversity ruled this period in history. Those who study the Middle Ages know the stories of the Black Death, the Crusades, and the Sack of Rome, but there are so many more stories that give life to this period in human history.

I felt nostalgic for my high school and college classes when I read this book. These were the classes that made me fall in love with studying history. Other stories in this book were brand new to me, which thrilled me to read. If there were an element that I wished he would have included, I think I would have liked to have seen more stories of medieval Asia and Africa. I think it would have added a new element to the story of the Middle Ages.

Out of all of the books that I have read by Dan Jones, I think this one is my favorite. I could tell how much passion and the amount of research Jones poured into this book, and it shows. Combining over a thousand years of history into one book is an impressive feat that Jones has mastered. “Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages” by Dan Jones is a triumphant tome that any fan of medieval history will appreciate.

Book Review: “The Last Knight” by Norman F. Cantor

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the-last-knight-9781439137581_lgWhen we think of knights, we often think of shining armor, King Arthur and his fabulous court, fair maidens, and of course chivalry. These are considered to be literary ideals, almost too fantastic to be real. However, knights did live in the Middle Ages into the 14th century where some of the greatest knights lived. One is known as The Black Prince; the other was John of Gaunt. Both were brothers, sons of Edward III, the one who helped launch the Hundred Years’ War with France. The Black Prince might have a pretty cool nickname, but the one who really stole the show was John of Gaunt. The subject of Norman F. Cantor’s book “The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era” is none other than the third son of Edward III, John of Gaunt.

Now I know what you are thinking, why do a book review for about someone who lived in the 1300s when this blog is focused on the Wars of the Roses and the Tudors. The answer is simple. It is because John of Gaunt and his children with his third wife and mistress Catherine Swynford would create the Beaufort line, the same family of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, the founder of the Tudor Dynasty. It was also with John’s first wife Blanche of Lancaster, that the line of Lancaster was formed. He may have only been a third son but he became one of the wealthiest men in Europe and his family would shape the future of England forever.

Cantor, in this book, explores the world that John of Gaunt called home. What was it like in not just in England but in all of the medieval world? What about religion and literature? What was life like for women and knights in court? All of these aspects are explored throughout this book as well as elements in John of Gaunt’s life that made him unique, including his wealth and becoming King of Castile after he married his second wife Constance. Through wars and plagues, politics and rebellions, exploration and the beginning of the Renaissance, John of Gaunt navigated through it all.

It sounds like a very complex time, however, Cantor has a way of explaining it all in such a way that is both engaging and educational. Cantor through his writing style makes it easy to understand John of Gaunt’s legacy, not only is his time but how his legacy affected even our time. It was through his patronage that men like Chaucer and John Wyclif were able to complete their best works.

Shakespeare gave John of Gaunt a very patriotic speech, “this sceptre’d isle…This other Eden, demi-paradise”. Shakespeare was speaking as though John of Gaunt was an old man, reminiscing about the good times as the younger generation was taking over like Henry Bolingbroke and Henry the Navigator. Cantor brings to life the legend of John of Gaunt. Towards the end of his book, Cantor nicely sums up John of Gaunt’s life:

Above all, Gaunt’s taste for war, his frenetic energy, and his physical strength, as well as his love of women and his wealth and lifestyle, set the model for European aristocratic behavior, which went unchallenged until the nineteenth century and is still the pattern for all effective and durable social elites. (Cantor, 239).

John of Gaunt was a Renaissance man of his times. He wasn’t just some old man of Shakespearean lore. Cantor makes John of Gaunt and his world of the Middle Ages come alive. If you want to learn more about John of Gaunt, his family, and his world, Norman F. Cantor’s book “The Last Knight” is the book for you.

 

Sources

Cantor, Norman F. The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.