Tag: religion

Book Review: “‘If Any Person Will Meddle of My Cause’: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn” by Heather R. Darsie

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We all know the story of Anne Boleyn. The story of the English noblewoman who caught the eye of King Henry VIII, who decided to divorce his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, to marry Anne. He broke away from Rome and created the Church of England to do it, but marital bliss did not last long, as a few years later, Anne would leave their three-year-old daughter Elizabeth behind when she was executed by Henry over charges of adultery. We know this version of the story, but what if we look at Anne’s story from a continental European perspective? How does her story change when we view her life through a religious lens? Heather R. Darsie hopes to show her audience a different side of Anne Boleyn in her latest book, “‘If Any Person Will Meddle of My Cause’: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have thoroughly enjoyed Darsie’s previous books because she adds depth to the Tudor dynasty by exploring European sources that are not prevalent in other nonfiction books about the Tudors. When I heard that she was writing a book about the fall of Anne Boleyn, I was curious to see what new information her continental sources would provide to Anne’s story.

So, how do you add something new to Anne Boleyn’s story when it is one of the most discussed topics when it comes to studying the Tudors? Darsie explains that her book is not a typical book about Anne Boleyn, as it focuses briefly on Anne’s life and examines the legal, religious, and international contexts surrounding her life. Each chapter of this book begins with part of a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt, which is a nice touch as he was an admirer of Anne Boleyn. The first part of the book was a bit of an overview of Anne’s life, but Darsie did not go into much depth about Anne’s fall. Instead, she shows the relationships between England and continental Europe with the different political powerhouses. I found the information about the relationship between England and the German princes particularly interesting. It is these relationships that would prove pivotal in Anne’s life, reign, and fall from grace.

It is truly part two where Darsie shines. It is here that she focuses on the religious aspects of Anne’s fall. We all know that Anne was a bit more radical when it came to her religious views, but Darsie takes it a step further. She shows how England was trying to break from Rome centuries before Henry came along. Then, we get to see the religious reformers of England and of Europe who impacted Anne’s religious leanings. There is also an incident in Munster with the Anabaptists that freaked out Henry VIII very badly. Once you put the pieces together that Darsie lays out, it is quite astounding. 

As someone who reads a lot about Anne Boleyn, I am always looking for a new approach to her life. This is exactly what I wanted. By the end, I was speechless, and it brought new life to Anne’s fall and ultimate death. If you are a Tudor nerd and want a new angle to Anne Boleyn’s story, I highly recommend you read “‘If Any Person Will Meddle of My Cause’: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn” by Heather R. Darsie.

Book Review: “Canticle” by Janet Rich Edwards

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Have you ever believed in something or someone so much that you were willing to do anything to be with them? What if it meant isolating yourself from everyone and everything you loved? Aleys knows this all too well. Born near Bruges during the 13th century, Aleys believes that she is destined for great things and has religious visions. Can this young woman survive both religious and political challenges to make her aspirations of being closer to God a reality, or will she fly too close to the sun and lose everything? Janet Rich Edwards tells Alleys’ tale in her debut novel, “Canticle.”

I would like to thank Spiegel & Grau and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I am always looking for a fresh approach to the past, so when I read the premise of this novel, it sparked an interest in me. As it is a debut featuring a religious group of women that I was not familiar with, the beguines, I wanted to see how Edwards’s writing style would bring something new to medieval historical fiction.

“Canticle” is a novel that follows three main narrators: Aleys, the young woman who longs to have a deeper relationship with God; Friar Lukas, who wants to grow his monastery; and Jaan Smet, Bishop of Tournai, who wants to get closer to the pope and power. We begin with Aleys as a young woman. She lives with her mother, father, brothers, and sister. Her mother died during childbirth, leaving the family broken. Aleys’s father decides to marry her off to a rich merchant, but Aleys decides that she wants to live a religious life, so she runs away. It is here she meets Friar Lukas, a Franciscan, and she wants to become a Franciscan, but Lukas convinces her to join the community of beguines.

It is in the community of beguines that Aleys discovers her true self and a series of translations that will send shockwaves all the way to Rome. The Bishop wanted to take down this community so that he could earn the respect of Rome and possibly become a cardinal. However, it was Aleys who was about to change with a miracle that sent the town into a frenzy. It was Friar Lukas who convinced Aleys to take the ultimate step and become an anchoress. It was when Aleys became an anchoress that Edwards truly shines because she shows the isolation that an anchoress might feel in her cell. But life has a way of reaching even an isolated cell, and Aleys must choose whether to save herself or her beloved beguines.

I found this a delightfully evocative novel about medieval religious life. It made me feel sympathy for the beguines and the anchoresses who were willing to risk it all to get closer to God. I really enjoyed Edwards’ writing style, and I can’t wait to see what she will write about next. If you want something medieval that focuses on religious life, I would recommend you read “Canticle” by Janet Rich Edwards.

Book Review: “Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life” by Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita

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Have you ever read about a historical figure and used what they went through to help you get through difficult times? It is as if you read about their life at the perfect time in your life to help you get through your own struggles. Growing up, for me, it was reading about young Elizabeth I. For Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita, it was reading about 16th and 17th-century nuns, the ones that they were researching for their PhDs. What lessons did Garriga and Urbita find when they were researching two centuries and the nuns who lived during this period? They share the lessons that they learned from the past in their book, “Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life.”

I would like to thank Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am a novice when it comes to nun research, especially when it comes to those outside of England, so when I saw the title of this book, it was intriguing to me. I wanted to see how they could blend the past with the present day.

Garriga and Urbita met while working on their PhDs at Brown University, and this book follows their journeys as graduate students. They choose to pair their life experiences with those of nuns like Saint Teresa, Maria de San Jose, Catherine of Siena, Veronica Giuliani, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. We get to see these nuns deal with everything from extreme diets, feats of levitation, relationships with other nuns, and entrepreneurship to keep their convents and their own legacies going. 

While I appreciate what they were attempting to do, I felt like the modern portions did take away from the stories of the nuns and were a tad distracting for me. I enjoyed learning about the different types of Catholic orders of nuns and fun facts about the nuns. I also enjoyed learning about the authors experiences as graduate students. When the separate elements were put together, it did not work as well as I had hoped in this book.

Overall, this was a decent book. A bit too modern for my taste when it comes to a historical nonfiction book, but that is just a personal preference. I do want to check out their podcast, Las hijas de Felipe, and I want to learn more about some of the nuns mentioned in this book. If you want a self-help book with advice from the past that has a modern twist, I recommend you read “Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life” by Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita.

Book Review: “A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities” by Lorris Chevalier

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When we think about how we study history, we often consider documents and chronicles that can provide us with dates and the stories of historical figures. However, this is only half the story. We can learn a great deal from the artifacts left behind. Each era left behind its treasure trove of trinkets for archaeologists and historians to discover and interpret their meanings and purposes. One of the most fascinating periods of history was medieval Europe, full of war, religious struggles, artwork, plagues, and technological advances. What types of artifacts were left behind from medieval Europe? Lorris Chevalier explores the trinkets and artifacts left behind in his book, “A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. When I saw the concept for this book, it was intriguing. I was hoping that Chevalier would expand the medieval world to include Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and perhaps Africa, as they don’t get a whole lot of attention when it comes to medieval studies and a more public history view. I wanted to learn something new.

Chevalier explains that this book explores fifty objects from the Viking Age to the end of the 16th century. These objects range from the religious and extraordinary to the most common articles of clothing. Each item has a unique story to share, which Chevalier discusses succinctly. His goal in this book is to break medieval stereotypes and show how diverse the medieval world was. A nice added feature of this book was that, instead of photographs of the artifacts, Chevalier included watercolor portraits at the end of each section to show what the artifact looked like.

I enjoyed this book for the new stories and characters that I got to meet along the way. These artifacts and stories were fresh and gave depth to the medieval period, even if he did bring up the Dark Ages a few times. I did have a few issues with the book. I did wish we had a wider range in medieval history, which covered more diverse stories than European medieval history. I also wish that the stories and artifacts were in more of a chronological order so readers can see the evolution of the medieval world. As it is written, it felt like it was a cluttered cabinet with no rhyme or reason to the organization, whereas I wanted something a bit more organized.

Overall, I found this quite a fascinating read. Chevalier is extremely knowledgeable about medieval Europe and these artifacts, no matter how obscure. If you want a book that tells the stories of medieval Europe through the trinkets left behind, I recommend you read “A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities” by Lorris Chevalier.

Book Review: “Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History” by Janina Ramirez

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When we think about the most impactful women authors, we often think about writers like Agatha Christie, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen. However, when it comes to religious texts, we have to go back in time centuries. We think about nuns like Bridget of Sweden and a mother of 14 children named Margery Kempe. Yet, we must include an anchorite who stayed in her cell for almost thirty years. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, is considered the first great work of English prose, but many people are not familiar with the author until now. Janina Ramirez tells the story of Julian of Norwich and how impactful her book was in her book, “Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History.”

I have heard the name Julian of Norwich before in books about the 14th century and church history, but I didn’t know much about her life. I saw this book when I was preordering the latest book by Janina Ramirez, and so I decided to give it a try.

Since this is a short book, I will try to keep this review brief. Ramirez divided this biography into sections: the history and the legacy. In history, we as readers learn about Julian’s life from the limited sources that we have about her, as well as learning about how England and Europe changed during her lifetime. It was a chaotic period in the past with the Bubonic plague, the Hundred Years’ War, the Great Western Schism, the Peasants’ Revolt, and John Wycliffe. Let’s be honest, it’s a lot to deal with, but Julian was positive in her anchorite cell. Ramirez shows how complex yet hopeful and full of love Revelations of Divine Love is while showing the theological arguments Julian of Norwich makes in her work of prose. Finally, we get to see how Julian of Norwich’s story and her writing survived for centuries.

This was a delightful little nugget of a book that was extremely well researched, that shone a light on an obscure medieval woman writer. Reading this book gave me a new appreciation for medieval female authors. If you want to learn more about this remarkable woman, I suggest you read “Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History” by Janina Ramirez.

Book Review: “The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England” by Ian Mortimer

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Have you ever read a history book and wondered what life was really like for those who lived in the past? To understand a time period and the motives of the people of the past, we have to understand the structure of their society. How they understood things like class, sex, violence, government, and religion is essential for us to understand what separates us from our ancestors. What they ate, what they wore, and where they slept also give a unique insight into the time period. It can be a difficult undertaking to figure out all of the different aspects of the past connect and to present it cohesively, yet acclaimed historian Ian Mortimer has embraced this challenge head-on to tackle one of the most complex periods of the past; the Elizabethan era. His love letter to the Elizabethan age entitled, “The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England” is a delightfully imaginative guide to the past.

There have been numerous books about the lifestyles of past eras, but what separates those books from the one that Ian Mortimer has written is his writing style and the imaginative descriptions that he included. Many writers give you the facts without the fluff. Mortimer has written this book as if you have stepped back in time and you are seeing the Elizabethan age with your own eyes. It is a treat for all of the senses. To engage the reader in such a way is not an easy feat, but Mortimer does it seamlessly.

I think we all have a vague idea of what the reign of Elizabeth I might have been like. After all, it was known as the “Golden Age”, so it must have been a time of opportunity and great providence for the people, no matter their social standing. Or maybe not. As Mortimer explains, this “Golden Age” was a varnish for a reign that was filled with its own set of trials and tribulations, very similar to what we experience today. Sure, the problems are different, but we can relate to the people of the past because they are human problems. We all deal with things like diseases, where we live, what we eat, what to wear, religion, entertainment, and education. Yet what makes each era unique is how we address these issues.

To see the Elizabethan era, which was on the precipice of the early modern age, in the midst of great progress was a joy. Obviously, this would not have been a time that modern readers would like to have stayed for an extended visit, but it was simply a fantastic guide for those who dream of the past.

I don’t usually share quotes from books in my reviews, but there was something that Mortimer said at the very end of this book that was too poignant not to share.

“History is not really about the past; it is about understanding mankind over time. Within that simple, linear story of change and survival, there are a thousand contrasts, and within each of those contrasts there is a range of experiences, and if we put our minds to it, we can relate to each one. “(pg. 325)

I picked up this particular book on a whim and I am truly glad I did. It gave me a deeper understanding of the Elizabethan age and what it meant to be Elizabethan. Although we are separated from these people by centuries, their experiences and ours are similar. We are all humans trying to get by each day the best we can. If you have ever wanted to know what the past was really like for those in the Elizabethan era, either for your own personal enjoyment or for research, I highly recommend you add, “The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England” by Ian Mortimer to your own personal collection.

Guest Post: “The Colour of Shadows” Book Tour- Children’s Early Education in Medieval and Tudor England by Toni Mount

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cover_proof crop2I am pleased to welcome Toni Mount back to my blog today as a stop in her The Colour of Shadows Book Tour. The Colour of Shadows is her eighth Sebastian Foxley murder mystery. Today, Toni will be discussing Children’s Education in Medieval and Tudor England. 

In my new Sebastian Foxley murder-mystery novel The Colour of Shadows, set in medieval London, some of the action involves a young scholar, Will Thatcher, studying at St Paul’s Song School in London. Song schools trained choristers – hence the name – for the cathedral to which they were attached. Since all the anthems and responses would be in Latin, this language was taught. In fact, children weren’t permitted even to chat with each other in English and everything was conducted in Latin. The ultimate intention was that every schoolboy would eventually become a cleric, priest, monk, or lawyer; professions carried out mostly in Latin, so an early grounding was vital. 

 But a child’s education began at home. By the time a boy – and the song school’s were always boys only – went to school, aged about seven, he should already know a few basics, so how did adults regard children’s early education in the fifteenth and sixteenth century? What was considered to be the correct way of raising and training children? Thomas Tusser, the Tudor commentator who generally gave parents good and sensible advice, as would have been applicable for the fifteenth century too, had this to say [I’ve modernised the spelling]:

We find it not spoken so often for nought,

That children were better unborn than untaught,

Some cockneys with cocking are made very fools,

Fit neither for prentice, for plough, nor for schools.

Teach child to ask blessing, serve God, and to church,

Then bless as a mother, else bless him with birch.

Thou housewife thus doing, what further shall need?

But all men to call thee good mother indeed.

This fascinating passage covers all that was required in educating a young child – a task undertaken most usually by its mother or, perhaps, by its nurse, if the mother wasn’t around. 

Cockney. We all know the word and these days we often use it to describe a Londoner. It used to be a little more specific, applying only to those born within hearing distance of the bells of St-Mary-le-Bow church in the city. However, as you’ll realise from Tusser’s instructions above, a ‘cockney’ was originally something very different and nothing to do with being born in London. A cockney was a boy-child, spoilt and coddled and therefore effeminate. ‘Cocking Mams’ were over-indulgent mothers whose children would be unsuited in future to being apprenticed, working the land, or even going to school. So Rule no.1 was ‘Do not indulge the child.’

 The first thing a child had to learn was the Lord’s Prayer or Paternoster, the Creed or Credo and, until the Reformation, when England became Protestant, the Hail Mary or Ave Maria. The Creed was the litany recited at mass, beginning ‘I believe in one God…’ At a baby’s baptism, the godparents had to promise, not only to keep their godchild safe ‘from the perils of fire and water’ but to teach him these basic recitations of the Christian faith. Since medieval times, these words, originally in Latin and often together with a basic ABC and numbers, were written on horn books. These weren’t really books at all but a sheet of parchment (later paper), covered with a transparent layer of horn to protect it, put in a wooden frame, shaped like a small, square table-tennis bat, complete with a handle, so the child could hold it easily. By Tudor times, they were more often written in English but these hard-wearing teaching aids often passed down the generations and were still popular in the eighteenth century.

Incidentally: a few words about godparents. From medieval times, child-birth had been a women-only affair. The mother might be in labour for days and need every encouragement from her female relatives, friends, and neighbours. These women also had to be on hand to stand as godparents at short notice, if the baby seemed unlikely to live and required immediate baptism. Godparents were also known as ‘godsibs’ or siblings in God. As you can imagine, a group of women, sitting around, waiting for days, perhaps, with not much to do, did a great deal of chatting and, as they ran out of relevant topics to discuss, probably resorted to exchanging rumours. This activity became known as ‘godsibing’ or – as we would call it – gossiping.

Children as young as three or four would be expected to attend church and to understand when to bow their heads or kneel in prayer and to reverence God. They would also join in family prayers with the household as often as the religious faith of the head of the house required. Many Protestant families took the act of reading aloud from the English Bible very seriously. It might be done daily or else, most certainly, on the Lord’s Day – Sunday. Thus, Rule no.2 was ‘Teach the child to respect God and the Church’.

Thomas Tusser’s final instruction would not be appreciated today: the use of corporal punishment. Beating children is now unlawful in most modern societies but the Tudors would have been dismayed by our idea. ‘Bless him with birch’, as Tusser said. In other words, a good thrashing never did anyone any harm and to ‘spare the rod’ was to ‘spoil the child’, as the Bible said. In the Book of Proverbs 13: 24, it states: ‘He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him’. The Tudors certainly believed this. Physical discipline was thought vital to achieving both learning and good behaviour and children were expected to take it with good grace, even welcoming it as just one aspect of the best educational methods. It would teach them to respect authority. If a child misbehaved, there was no point in trying to reason with him because children were illogical creatures, as yet incapable of rationalising what was good conduct and what was bad. So Rule no.3 was ‘Do not be lenient: a beating does far more good than harm and is vital to a child’s education.’

One last thing: a medieval or Tudor parent would never have told a child that it was naughty. In those days the word meant you were ‘as nothing’ (naught), so wicked you were less than human. It was a term applied to murders. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was naughty; unruly toddlers were not.

Further reading:

Elizabeth Norton’s ‘The Lives of Tudor Women’ Head of Zeus, 2016.  

For images of horn books see https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/172262754469747824/

The Colour of Shadows

When Seb Foxley discovers a child’s body in his workshop and another lad goes missing, our medieval sleuth is perplexed at every turn. His investigations take him across London Bridge to Bankside, where he becomes embroiled in the sinister shadows of the city’s underworld. Bankside is a labyrinth of depravity and crime where every harlot intends the downfall of respectable men and every scoundrel has a secret. In a netherworld unlike anything he’s experienced before, can Seb unravel the murky mysteries of The Mermaid Tavern, recover the stolen lad and restore him to his family? 

About the Author- Toni Mount

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I’m an author, a history teacher, an experienced speaker – and an enthusiastic life-long-learner. I’m a member of the Research Committee of the Richard III Society and a library volunteer where I lead a Creative Writing group. I regularly give talks to groups and societies and attend history events as a costumed interpreter. I write for a variety of history magazines and have created seven online courses for www.MedievalCourses.com

I earned my Masters Degree by Research from the University of Kent in 2009 through study of a medieval medical manuscript held at the Wellcome Library in London. My BA (with First-class Honours), my Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing and my Diploma in European Humanities are from the Open University. My Cert. Ed (in Post-Compulsory Education and Training) is from the University of Greenwich.

I have a strong online following with my various social media and web pages:

www.ToniMount.com

www.SebastianFoxley.com

www.facebook.com/toni.mount.10

www.facebook.com/medievalengland

www.facebook.com/medievalmedicine

www.facebook.com/sebfoxley

www.twitter.com/tonihistorian

My works to date include:

Self-Published

2007 The Medieval Housewife and Women of the Middle-ages

2009 (updated 2015) Richard III King of Controversy

2013 Dare they be Doctors.

Amberley Publishing

2014 (Hb) Everyday Life in Medieval London

2015 (Hb) Dragon’s Blood and Willow Bark: the mysteries of medieval medicine

2015 (Pb) The Medieval Housewife: & Other Women of the Middle Ages

2015 (Pb) Everyday Life in Medieval London 

2016 (Pb) Medieval Medicine: Its Mysteries and Science (the renamed paperback version of Dragon’s Blood & Willow Bark)

2016 (Hb) A Year in the Life of Medieval England

2019 (Pb) A Year in the Life of Medieval England

2020 (Hb) The World of Isaac Newton

Pen & Sword

2021 (Pb) How to survive in Medieval England

2021 (Pb) An affectionate look at sex in medieval England

MadeGlobal Publishing

The Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mysteries series:

2016 The Colour of Poison

2016 The Colour of Gold

2017 The Colour of Cold Blood

2017 The Colour of Betrayal

2018 The Colour of Murder

2018 The Colour of Death

2019 The Colour of Lies

2020 The Colour of Shadows

2018 The Death Collector (A Victorian Melodrama)

MedievalCourses.com

2015 Everyday Life of Medieval Folk

2015 Heroes and Villains

2016 Richard III and the Wars of the Roses

2016 Warrior Kings of England: The Story of the Plantagenet Dynasty

2017 Crime and Punishment

2017 The English Reformation: A Religious Revolution

2018 The Roles of Medieval and Tudor Women

Book Review: “Revelation” by C.J. Sansom

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820480The year is 1543 and King Henry VIII is looking for his sixth and final wife; the recent widowed Catherine Parr has caught his eye. It is her reformist values that make her a valuable asset for Archbishop Cranmer and his faction at court, and a target for others. A friend of Matthew Shardlake is viciously murdered, leading to a horrific discovery of a killer is on the loose. On top of that, Shardlake must defend a young man who has been placed in the Bedlam insane asylum for his radical beliefs. It is up to Shardlake and his intrepid assistant Barak, along with the former monk turned physician Guy Malton, to solve both cases before anyone else becomes the next victim. This is the world that readers are plunged to in the next book in C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake series, “Revelation”.

I will be honest. When I saw that this book was dealing with elements of the book of Revelation, I was a bit nervous. I thought it was going to be extremely dark and so apocalyptic that I would not enjoy it. However, Sansom proved that he could make a thriller and still keep the characters that I have come to love and enjoy just as engaging and real to me as they have been in the previous novels. You can never judge a novel by its title, you have to read the book to understand the author’s motive behind their title choice.

We are thrown into the next installment of this engrossing series with Shardlake attending a dinner party hosted by his old friend Roger. Sansom paints this simple and honest friendship between the two men, which is tragically cut short when Roger is found horrifically murdered. After meeting with Archbishop Cranmer and other prominent men, including the Seymour brothers Thomas and Edward, Shardlake soon realizes that this was not a random act of violence, but a stage act by a deranged serial killer who based his murders off of the book of Revelation from the Bible. The additional characters of Thomas Seymour, Archbishop Cranmer, and Catherine Parr adds a sense that these events could have happened. The meticulous details of each murder intensify the experience for the reader and make you wonder if they will ever catch the fiend.

Another element of this novel is Shardlake’s interaction with his client Adam Kite who is a patient at the Bedlam insane asylum. Although we do not know what these kind of facilities were like during the Tudor times, Sansom’s descriptions of mental illness and how people were treated is so believable that you forget that it is fiction. The way that Sansom blends religious radicalism, politics, mental illness, innovations in science, and murder in this novel is nothing short of ingenious. That is Sansom’s true strength as an author. He can create such a believable Tudor world that you never want to leave. There were points in this novel where I questioned whether Shardlake, Barak, and Guy would survive this entire ordeal. Sansom kept me on the edge of my seat throughout this entire novel.
I know that I say this about every Shardlake novel so far, but this one was brilliant. The character development was astonishing and at times, heart-aching as you see your favorite characters struggle to survive. The murders and the details were so vivid that it felt real, which is all due to Sansom’s captivating writing style. I may have questioned the title of this particular novel and whether or not I would personally enjoy it, but once I entered Shardlake’s Tudor world for the fourth time, I was spellbound. If you want a Tudor murder thriller that will keep you guessing until the bitter end, or if you have read the earlier books of the Shardlake series, the fourth installment of C.J. Sansom’s riveting series, “Revelation” is a must-read.

Book Review: “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction” by Daniele Cybulskie

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43972589Have you ever read a book, either historical fiction or nonfiction, about medieval Europe and wondered if what the author was writing about was true? What about historical movies or dramas? You know that they probably have the facts about the important people and events correct, or at least you hope, but you wonder about the small details. What did they eat? How did they keep themselves clean and healthy? How did religion and the criminal justice system work in medieval Europe? What was medieval warfare like? These questions and more are explored in Daniele Cybulskie’s enchanting book, “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction”.

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. I have spoken with Daniele Cybulskie on social media in the past about quite a few medieval topics, including when she spoke at the Tudor Summit, so when I heard about this book, I wanted to read it.

Cybulskie’s book is divided into chapters that explore numerous topics about average medieval life. As a reader, one would think that this book would begin with the birth and childhood of those who lived during this time. However, Cybulskie chooses to begin with how medieval people kept themselves and their cities clean. It may seem a bit strange compared to other books about medieval life, but the way she structures this book works in Cybulskie’s favor. Although this book is informative, it feels like you are having a casual conversation with the author about these topics.

By dividing the chapters into topic-based chapters, Cybulskie can explore numerous questions that fit into each topic. From cleanliness to religious life, warfare to pastimes, love to death, she can give her readers an experience that covers the thousand years of history that make up the medieval time period. Along the way, she includes little boxes that contain fun little factoids to provide even more trivia.

What is great about Cybulskie is that as a medievalist, she understands that there was a lot of diversity in the medieval world. It was not just fit European Christians. There were also Jews, Muslims, people with disabilities, rich and poor, and those who generally did not fit well into society. By including every type of person who lived in the medieval world, we can get a better understanding of how vast and colorful it truly was. Cybulskie also includes a simplistic overview of events like the Black Death and the crusades to show the dramatic and damaging effects that they had on medieval society as a whole.

To say that this book was fun to read would be an understatement. Cybulskie’s knowledge radiates in every page of this short book. I honestly did not want to stop reading this book, I wanted to learn more. It was educational and entertaining all at the same time. Simply a wonderful resource for novice medievalists and writers of historical fiction and nonfiction alike. If you want to learn the truth about different aspects of medieval life, I highly suggest you include, “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction” by Daniele Cybulskie, to your book collection.

Book Review: “Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands” by Dan Jones

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43899574The story of the Crusades has been told in many different ways from numerous directions. The epic conflict between Christianity and Islam for the Holy Lands that went on for centuries that has lived in infamy. Many questions have arisen as historians try to separate facts from the myths surrounding this topic. How and why did it start? Why did it continue to go on for so long? Was there really a winner in this conflict? Who were the people who defined this conflict? Dan Jones has taken on the challenge of writing a comprehensive history of this conflict and the people who fought during this time in his latest book, “Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands”.

I wanted to read this book since the day that it was announced. I did not know a whole lot about the Crusades and what I did know about this time was from quick overviews from history classes that I took while in school. I wanted a book that told the story of the Crusades from all sides to fully understand this struggle as a whole. This book delivered everything that I wanted and more.

Like the title suggests, Jones’s focus is more on the people, the crusaders, and how their decisions led to the numerous crusades from 1099 until 1492 when the Reconquista ended. But what separates this book from other books about the Crusades is that he doesn’t focus on one group of people, his focus is on multiple stories to paint a complex story of the time. Jones includes the tales of the dynamic and colorful people we think of when we study the crusades; Alexios I Komnenos, Anna Komnene, Pope Urban II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart, Simon de Montfort, Saladin, Henry Bolingbroke, and many others. However, the story of the crusades was not limited to royalty, generals and popes. Jones includes the tales of the lowly monks who preached for fellow Christians to defend the Holy Lands, scholars and poets who told the tales of those who fought, servants and peasants who fought for their homes and their religions.

This particular subject may feel like a daunting challenge to tackle, but this book is so easy to understand. With a more human-centric approach, Jones is able to present the history of the Crusades in a rather enlightening way. It was not just a series of wars about religion, Christianity versus Islam or, in some cases, against pagan groups. In fact, it was a lot more complicated. They were wars about politics, monetary gains, and to regain lands from other groups of people.

I was blown away with how truly remarkable this book was to read. Jones’s combination of a plethora of facts with an engaging and comprehensive writing style brought the Crusades back to life. There were so many people who I was introduced to by reading this book that I really want to study more in the future. “Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands” by Dan Jones was an absolute delight to read. If you want an excellent book that gives you a comprehensive look at the Crusades and the Crusaders, no matter if you are a novice or someone who has studied this period before, I highly recommend you read this book.