Tag: nonfiction

Book Review: “Holbein: The Ambassadors” by Tracy Borman

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Do you have a favorite painting? One that grabs your attention whenever you look at it and discover something new. Most paintings are from da Vinci, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, or Michelangelo, just to name a few. However, there is one artist that I feel doesn’t get a whole lot of attention unless you study the 16th century: Hans Holbein the Younger. While Holbein is known for his single portraits, his double portrait, known as The Ambassadors, is stunning to look at and is filled with symbolism. Tracy Borman, in collaboration with the National Gallery, has written a short book about this remarkable painting entitled “Holbein: The Ambassadors.”

Since this is a small book (less than a hundred pages), I will keep this review brief. The Ambassadors is a painting most likely commissioned in 1533 by Hans Holbein the Younger. For years, the identity of the sitters has been debated, but they were finally identified as Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador to England, and Georges de Selve, ambassador to Emperor Charles V. At the time of the painting of this double portrait, England was in the midst of the Great Matter, the divorce of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, so a few elements are alluding to the changes happening in Europe during this time, which Borman explores in depth. She also explores the life of “the King’s Painter” Hans Holbein the Younger and how you can see his distinct style in this piece. Finally, Borman also explores how the painting was kept for centuries, as well as the research that was conducted on it, and the preservation processes that the National Gallery

This was a fun and informative little book about one of my favorite paintings. It gave me a new appreciation for Holbein and this stunning painting. If you want a book about a piece of art from the 16th century, you should check out “Holbein: The Ambassadors” by Tracy Borman.

Book Review: “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza” by Susan Abernethy

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Throughout English history, a colorful cast of queens has left their marks in their distinct ways. While the Plantagenet and Tudor queens are more well-known, the Stuart queens and the mistresses of the Stuart kings were dynamic in their unique ways. One of the lesser-known queens was the wife of King Charles II. Though Charles II is known for his numerous mistresses, his wife Catherine of Braganza is not discussed much in England, but in her native Portugal, she is famous. So who was Catherine of Braganza, and what is her legacy in England and Portugal? Susan Abernethy tells the story of this almost forgotten queen in her book, “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am someone who is dipping her toes into the Stuart dynasty, so I wanted to explore a story about someone new to me. When I saw the title and subject of this book, it piqued my curiosity because I have heard of Catherine of Braganza, but I know nothing about her.

Before we dive into the actual life of Catherine of Braganza, Abernethy takes the time to explore the relationship between Portugal and England, which culminated in the union of King Charles II and Catherine. I didn’t know much about the history of Portugal except for the aspect that is included during the life of John of Gaunt, so I was excited to learn more about how Portugal became a trading and exploration powerhouse. It was the rise of the House of Braganza that propelled Catherine into a position to marry the King of England.

As the daughter of King John IV of Portugal and Queen Luisa de Guzman, Catherine was destined to marry a member of royalty, but the issue was a matter of faith. Catherine was a devout Roman Catholic, whereas Charles II was a Protestant who was trying to restore his kingdom after the reign of the Protector Oliver Cromwell. Catherine also had to deal with the numerous mistresses of Charles II, like Barbara Villiers, Lucy Walter, Louise de Keroualle, and Nell Gwyn, who were able to give Charles children while Catherine remained barren. Throw in a few anti-Catholic plots, and you can start to understand the strain Catherine was under while living in England. Eventually, after the death of Charles II, Catherine decided to return to her native Portugal, where her life took an unexpected twist with the War of the Spanish Succession until she died in 1705.

I found Catherine of Braganza such a fascinating figure. She did so much in her lifetime, and it is a shame that Catherine does not get more attention. Abernethy does an excellent job of telling the story of this queen who is often in the shadow of more boisterous figures of the age and integrating the history of Portugal into this book. If you want to learn more about a Stuart queen who is often forgotten and her impact on two nations, I highly recommend you read “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza” by Susan Abernethy.

Book Review: “Wortes and All: Medieval Cooking” by Emma Kay

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History is not just dates and conflicts with men and women sprinkled in, so we can learn a lesson. It’s not just births, conflicts, triumphs, marriages, and deaths. The people of the past are similar to us in so many ways, and it is through the field of study known as Living History or Experimental Archeology that we can understand the past through a more hands-on approach. One of the most popular methods of studying living history is cooking recipes from the past. But one must wonder how our tastes and understanding of the benefits of food change over time. Emma Kay takes the question of how eating and drinking changed over the medieval period in England and explores it in her book, “Wortes and All: Medieval Cooking.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. The study of Living History/Experimental Archeology has been an area of interest for me for a couple of years now, especially cooking, as it gives the past a bit more substance. When I heard about this book, it was a compelling concept to me, and I wanted to read it and see if Kay would provide new insight into this field of study.

This book is broken down into chapters where different foods are highlighted: soups and stews, bread and dough, meat, fish, sauces, dairy, eggs, fruits, vegetables, sweet treats, and drinks. Each chapter explores these topics through the early medieval period (4th-13th centuries) and the later medieval period (14th-16th centuries). While we do have manuscripts that have recipes written down, Kay also highlights leechdoms, which are medical remedies or medicinal tomes. She also explores how the theory of the four humors affected the diets of those living in the medieval world.

What I appreciate about this book is the diverse resources that she compiled for her research. It is not just English cookbooks and manuscripts, but Anglo-Saxon tomes on medicine, Scandinavian sagas, French cookbooks, and even Middle Eastern manuscripts. It shows how interconnected the medieval world was, even with all the conflicts and distances between nations. Kay goes a step further by including not only the original recipes in their original languages, but also her translations and even images of her recreating the recipes.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and the information that was provided. I learned quite a lot of new information about cooking and drinking in the medieval world, but part of me wishes it were a bit longer, as this is only about a hundred pages. I think I will explore other books written by Emma Kay. If you want a book that explores how the culinary arts changed over the medieval period, I recommend you read “Wortes and All: Medieval Cooking” by Emma Kay.

Book Review: “Royal Renegades: The Children of Charles I and the English Civil Wars” by Linda Porter

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Throughout history, many civil wars have altered the course of the history of the countries where they occurred. While we think about the American Civil War, the French Revolution, and the Wars of the Roses, another civil war often overlooked outside of England is the English Civil Wars. A series of conflicts between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists led to the execution of King Charles I and the rise of the English Republic under Oliver Cromwell. We often view the conflict from either Charles’ or Oliver’s perspective, but we have to consider the family that Charles left behind. How did the English Civil Wars mold the children of Charles I and his Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria? Linda Porter explores the lives of the royal children in her book, “Royal Renegades: The Children of Charles I and the English Civil Wars.”

I am a relative novice when it comes to the Stuart dynasty, especially the English Civil Wars. I have seen Linda Porter’s books but have not read any of them yet. I like a challenge so when I saw this book, I decided to give it a try.

Before we explore the lives of the children of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, we must understand how their relationship began in the 1620s. A Protestant English king married a French Catholic princess, the daughter of King Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici. To say that the English did not like having a Catholic queen would be an understatement. Charles I and Maria had nine children in total, but only five would survive into adulthood; Charles II, Princess Mary, James II, Prince Henry, and Henriette Anne. It is through the lives of these five children that we can get a grasp of what kind of impact Charles I’s decisions had on his family as the English Civil Wars took place.

The most difficult part of this book for me was understanding the conflict of the English Civil Wars themselves as it was not an area that I normally study. I think Porter does an admirable job of explaining the causes of the English Civil Wars and how Charles and his family dealt with the anti-royalist resentment. We see the children and Henrietta Maria escape to other countries like France and the Netherlands by any means necessary while Charles I stayed behind. Porter shows her audience that Charles I was a good father until his execution on January 30, 1649. The death of Charles I left a mark on his children. Charles II and James II would have to bid their time and fight for their right to rule after Oliver and Richard Cromwell with a few scandals mixed in. Henriette Anne and Mary would get used to married life with their husbands Philippe Duke of Orleans and William II of Orange respectively.

This is a story of a resilient family who fought for what they believed in, even if it meant that their father died in the process and their country hated them for a time. It is a story of how love and endurance brought the monarchy back from the brink to survive another few centuries. I now want to dive deeper into the Stuart dynasty and read more books by Porter. If you are like me and you want to learn more about the Stuarts and the English Civil Wars, I recommend you read, “Royal Renegades: The Children of Charles I and the English Civil Wars” by Linda Porter.

Book Review: “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II” by Tracy Borman

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England’s history is centuries old, full of colorful characters and change galore. What truly defines the history of England is the monarchy, which has lasted over a thousand years. Over 40 kings and queens left their distinct marks on the history of this proud island nation. While some could maintain the crown with no issues, others had to fight to earn the crown, and a few even died for the crown. While there has been a plethora of books and novels written about individual monarchs and their impacts on the history of England, only a select few have chosen to take the arduous task of telling the story of the British Monarchy from its origins to the modern-day. One such historian who has chosen the latter is Tracy Borman in her book, “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II.”

I have been a fan of Tracy Borman and her writing for many years now. She has a way of making history come alive, so when I heard about this book, it was something I knew I wanted to read. I usually don’t read books like this because in the past, I have not been interested in the Stuarts and Hanoverians, but as I have begun to dive more into the Stuarts, I think it was the perfect time to read this book.

Borman begins with a brief introduction to the early kings of England, the Anglo-Saxon kings, to show how different it was from the Norman kings. She has divided the book into sections to highlight the different dynasties; Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanoverian, and Windsor. Within each section is a mini-biography of each ruler during that dynasty. While there is not a whole lot of new information, it does give the reader a taste of what each reign was like.

As someone who usually reads about the Normans, Plantagenets, and Tudors, it was a nice review of the basic facts of the kings and queens during this span of history. Reading about the Stuarts, Hanoverians, and Windsors was something different for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me interested in studying the Stuarts and the Windsors, but I am on the fence about the Hanoverians. What is remarkable about the story is that the monarchy of England could have toppled at any point and did for a few years before it was restored, and continues to this day for over a thousand years.

Overall, I found this an interesting introductory read into the different dynasties that have shaped the English monarchy and the history of England. If you want new research about the individual monarchs, this might not be the book for you. However, if you want a great introductory book on the history of the British monarchy, I highly suggest you read, “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II” by Tracy Borman.

Book Review: “Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage – and Why He Failed” by Jerry Rabow

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The Great Matter was a defining event in the lives of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, and Anne Boleyn. One of the world’s messiest divorces, it saw Henry VIII trying everything in his bag of tricks to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to marry his new infatuation, Anne Boleyn. While we know that the basis for his argument that he should be able to divorce Catherine comes from the book of Leviticus in the Bible, we often see Henry’s debate through the Catholic and Protestant lenses. However, Henry relied on another group of people who had not been on English soil for centuries, the Jews. What does Jewish law bring to the discussion of the Great Matter and did it help Henry? Jerry Rabow examines this often overlooked aspect of Henry’s road to divorce in his book, “Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage- and Why He Failed.”

I want to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. Obviously, as a Tudor nerd, I am very familiar with the Great Matter, but when I saw that it was focusing on Jewish law and how it pertained to this case in particular. I have some knowledge of theological debates from college, so I wanted to see how in-depth Rabow would go.

Rabow begins by exploring the phenomenon known as Tudormania before diving into a brief history of the Jewish people in England before Henry VIII’s reign. He then takes the time to provide background information about the Great Matter, including discussing the Leviticus Prohibitions, which would be the base of Henry’s argument for his divorce. I have to say that the way Rabow covered the Tudor portion of this book felt like he oversimplified things or made assertions about their characters that felt generic.

When it comes to the main topic, Rabow spends a bit of time explaining Jewish law and the different Jewish traditions. This foundation is important because different Jewish traditions understand the Leviticus Prohibitions in different ways. One tradition believes in a levirate marriage, which allows a brother to marry his sister-in-law if his brother dies without an heir. So essentially what happened when Henry married Catherine after Arthur died. To say Henry was not thrilled with this branch of Jewish tradition would be an understatement. Rabow shows his audience how Henry VIII relied on Jewish scholars in Italy to help defeat the Pope’s gridlock on the matter.

I think the theological matters and the history of the Jewish people and scholars were interesting in this book. Where it fell short for me was when Rabow entered the Tudor court. Overall, it was an interesting book with a unique twist on the story of the Great Matter. If you want a book that explores the Great Matter with a twist, I suggest you read, “Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage- and Why He Failed” by Jerry Rabow.

Book Review: “Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore” by Catherine Nappington

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For centuries, man’s best friend has been the dog, but don’t tell your feline friends that. In ancient times, cats were revered as idols, but something changed during the medieval period. For a thousand years, from 500 to 1500, cats were vilified and believed to be working with witches and the devil—a harsh assessment for small, fluffy cats, which we consider pets nowadays. So how were cats portrayed in medieval art and literature? Catherine Nappington hopes to give her readers a glimpse of feline art and literature in her book, “Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore.”

I want to thank Ten Speed Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have been a cat owner most of my life; my current cat is an orange tabby named Colby, so when I saw this book title and subject, I thought it might be a light-hearted read.

Since this book is relatively short, I will keep this review short. In essence, this is a picture book full of illuminated manuscripts, witty sayings, and some interesting facts. While I did find the images interesting, the captions tended to be a bit distracting, and the fact that it was not in chronological order irked me (a personal pet peeve).

Overall, it was a fun read. I feel like it’s not really a nonfiction book that you are used to, but it would make a great gift for a medievalist who is a cat lover in your life. If this sounds like you or a loved one, I would suggest you read, “Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore” by Catherine Nappington.

Book Review: “Preparing Tudor Kings and Princes to Rule: The Men and Women Who Trained the Royals” by Julia A. Hickey

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In life, when it comes to a new skill or job, you must be trained to become good at it. The same can be said for the monarchy, which in a sense is a job that encompasses one’s entire life. You have to understand different languages, rhetoric, the arts of dancing, and music, as well as diplomacy and physical activities if you want to rule a nation. It may seem like a lot for one person to handle, but from the moment of their birth, a prince or princess has a team of people behind them to make sure that they are ready to either rule their home country or create an alliance with other nations. The Tudors knew how important educating their future monarchs was for the survival of the dynasty. Julia A. Hickey examines the people behind the teams raising the future Tudor monarchs in her book, “Preparing Tudor Kings and Princes to Rule: The Men and Women Who Trained the Royals.”

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. The premise of this book was fascinating to me and I wanted to see if Hickey would introduce any new people from the Tudor dynasty in this book.

Hickey begins her book by exploring the origins of the Tudor family, starting with the matriarch herself Margaret Beaufort, followed by Owen, Edmund, and Jasper Tudor, and concluding with how Henry Tudor’s education and his lifestyle shaped him to become the first Tudor king. While I do enjoy a review section about the Wars of the Roses, I felt like this section went a bit too long.

Once we see Henry Tudor on the throne, we get to see how the Tudor dynasty grew with the children of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York. We get to see how Arthur Tudor as the heir had a much different education than his brother Henry, who was deemed a spare. The education of the princes was vastly different than the education allocated to the princesses even though it was based on humanism. With the death of Prince Arthur, Henry had to go through a crash course on how to rule a country before his father died in 1509. Hickey also shows her audience how the children of Henry VIII, Mary I, Henry Fitzroy, Elizabeth I, and Edward VI, were raised and educated. She also takes the time to show what happens to his children after Henry VIII’s death. Finally, we do get appendixes that feature mini-biographies for all the men and women who are featured in this book to show a different aspect of the Tudor court.

Overall, I found this a rather nifty little book about the Tudor court. Hickey does a decent job of telling the stories of these men and women who trained the Tudor rulers, both male and female. If you want a book that explores what it takes to rule England during the Tudor dynasty, you should check out “Preparing Tudor Kings and Princes to Rule: The Men and Women Who Trained the Royals” by Julia A. Hickey.

Book Review: “Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: Justice, Weregild, Revenge” by Annie Whitehead

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What’s better than snuggling up on a cold winter’s day and reading a murder mystery? How about an entire book about historical murders and the laws about murder and revenge? While we do have murder mysteries in every century and every walk of life, the farther back into the past we go, the more difficult it can be to discern fact from fiction. Take, for example, the stories of murder, betrayal, and revenge in Anglo-Saxon England. Annie Whitehead hopes to reveal a deeper understanding of this period through numerous murder cases in her latest book, “Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: Justice, Weregild, Revenge.”

I want to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have read a few of Annie Whitehead’s books, including “Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom,” and “Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England,” so when I heard that she was writing a new book about this era, I knew I wanted to read it. Whitehead has always been able to make this era come alive, so I hoped to learn more about this period in English history.

Whitehead begins by explaining that she will cover close to a hundred cases of murder and revenge in this book from the 7th century to the 11th century. Each chapter focuses on a different kingdom: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, and Wessex, as well as a different concept like laws, women killers, and Anglo-Saxon saints. It is a lot of ground to cover in a book, but she also decided to include the different law codes that defined the era and how murder was dealt with in a legal sense. Whitehead also decided to take on myths and legends of how saints and martyrs were killed, as well as the mythological killing method of the Blood Eagle employed by the “Vikings.”

There are so many colorful stories full of betrayal, political intrigue, and legal implications. These stories and myths of killings tell us more about the period of the past. Anglo-Saxon England was not a lawless society as we do see how taxes like weregild and their punishments for murder evolved. These were not just some stories written down on paper. The men, women, and children lived and ultimately died at a time when England was figuring out its identity. Although most of these incidents are isolated cases of murder and revenge, the St. Brice’s Day Massacre saw the execution of many Danish men on English soil.

I found this book extremely informative and easy to follow. Whitehead does it again and makes the world of Anglo-Saxon England come alive with her extensive research and her writing style. I may be a novice to the Anglo-Saxon period in English history, but it is books like this that make me want to continue to study this era. If you are interested in murder mysteries from the Anglo-Saxon world, I highly recommend you read “Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: Justice, Weregild, Revenge” by Annie Whitehead.

Book Review: “Searching for the Last Anglo-Saxon King: Harold Godwinson, England’s Golden Warrior” by Paula Lofting

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We all know the story of William the Conqueror and the Norman Conquest. William claimed he was the heir of Edward the Confessor instead of his rival Harold Godwinson. Harold was seen as a villain throughout history thanks to the Norman sources, but what was the historical Harold Godwinson like? Was he a malicious usurper who had to die at the Battle of Hastings for the rightful King William I to take the throne or is there more to his story than his death? Paula Lofting scoured the archives to find the truth about this maligned man in her book, “Searching for the Last Anglo-Saxon King: Harold Godwinson, England’s Golden Warrior.”

I want to thank Paula Lofting and Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. I will be honest I am not super familiar with the life of Harold Godwinson other than his role in the Battle of Hastings and from the book “The House of Godwin” by Michael John Key. It’s been a while since I dived into the story of the Godwin family and the Norman Conquest, so I was hoping to learn something new about Harold Godwinson.

Harold Godwinson was King of England for only nine months and nine days, but he left quite an impact. What makes him an interesting character is how he rose to the position of power to become a king. It all had to do with his family connections. Lofting lays out the origins of the Godwins, especially Harold’s father Earl Godwin. What makes the Godwin family is that Harold’s father Godwin and his brother Tostig would end up in exile or an enemy to the crown numerous times and yet it was Harold, his brother-in-law, who Edward chose to succeed him due to his loyalty and his strengths.

Then, in walks William Duke of Normandy, the illegitimate son of Robert Duke of Normandy, who not only became the new Duke of Normandy but desired the crown of England. Well, the only thing Harold could do was defend England from this invasion. Lofting goes into great detail about the multiple battles that were fought the most famous one, the Battle of Hastings, where King Harold died. She also goes into detail about the theories about where Harold Godwinson might have been buried after the battle.

As someone who is a relative novice to this subject, I found myself getting lost while reading the first half of this book which detailed the origins of the family and the drama that led Harold to the throne. It was very detailed and a real challenge for me to follow along. Once we hit the introduction of Duke William and Harold’s path to the throne, it became a better read for me. I think if you are interested in the Anglo-Saxon world, the Godwins, and the Battle of Hastings, I would recommend you read, “Searching for the Last Anglo-Saxon King: Harold Godwinson, England’s Golden Warrior” by Paula Lofting.