Tag: Spain

Book Review: “Reign of Madness” by Lynn Cullen

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The daughters of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon lived very interesting lives. Of course, we know what happened to Katherine of Aragon, but her elder sister, Juana, has her own tragic tale. She was known as Juana the Mad because the rumors were that when her husband, Philip the Handsome, died, she carried her coffin around for months and would not let him be buried. Was Juana truly mad, or was it all a ruse by powerful men to steal her lands and titles? Lynn Cullen explores Juana of Castile’s life in her novel, “Reign of Madness.”

This was a book that I found when I was in a used book shop. I saw that it was about Juana of Castile, and I’ll be honest, I have never read a novel that is solely about her life. I know the basic information about her life and reign, but I was hoping that a novel would help me connect to Juana a bit more.

Juana of Castile was the daughter of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Since she was the second daughter, she was third in line for the throne of Castile, behind her brother, Juan, and eldest sister, Isabel. She was not destined to become queen, so her parents married her off to Philippe the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy. While it was a marriage for an alliance, love did bloom between Juana and Philippe, even though she did not always get along with Dowager Duchess Margaret of York. Eventually, the honeymoon stage ended, and it was replaced with paranoia and fears of infidelity. At the same time, fortune’s wheel turned in such a way that Juana became her mother’s heir to Castile. Juana doesn’t want power for herself, but Philippe desires power. Juana just wants to take care of her family, which includes her son, the future Charles V. Eventually, the desire for power would become so great that the idea of Juana as mad would overtake her entire life and her legacy.

I had some issues with this book, and there were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room. Some of the biggest ugh moments for me were when she said that bathing was something that only the Spanish were familiar with, and when Philippe kept breaking into Juana’s confinement chamber. These elements, along with a few others, showed me that Cullen didn’t fully grasp the 16th-century European world and its nuances. I also did not like how Juana was portrayed as a mousey character, and her father, Ferdinand, came across as almost a trophy husband.

This novel had the potential to do something groundbreaking when it comes to writing a novel about Juana of Castile by showing that she was sane, but it fell a bit flat. I think if you are someone who is not particular about historical nuances being accurate in a historical novel, and you want something about Juana of Castile, you might enjoy “Reign of Madness” by Lynn Cullen.

Book Review: “A Daughter’s Place” by Martha Batiz

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Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, lived quite an interesting life. He was a poet, soldier, war hero, prisoner, husband, brother, uncle, father, and author. His writing might portray a man of honor and dignity, but his home life was messy. You see, Miguel was married, but his daughter was not the daughter of his wife, Catalina de Salazar. His daughter, Isabel, was illegitimate, and when her mother died, Miguel decided the best possible solution was to invite Isabel to live with his sisters and his niece. What’s the worst that could happen? Martha Batiz explores the women’s lives connected to Miguel de Cervantes in her debut novel, “A Daughter’s Place.”

I would like to thank the House of Anansi Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I had never read Don Quixote, and I knew nothing about Miguel de Cervantes or his family, so I was excited to learn more. Stories like this add depth to the understanding of the late 16th and early 17th centuries in Spain and Europe as a whole.

This novel is broken into five sections and contains three different narrators: Isabel, the illegitimate daughter of Miguel de Cervantes, Constanza de Ovando, Miguel’s niece, and Catalina de Salazar, Miguel’s wife. Our story begins with Isabel, who just turned fifteen. All of her life, she believed that she was the daughter of a tavern owner, that is, until she met Magdalena de Cervantes, who claims to be her aunt, as Isabel’s true father is none other than the famous war hero turned author Miguel de Cervantes. After the death of Isabel’s mother, Miguel has decided to have Magdalena as Isabel’s legal guardian and raise her to be part of his family, although not with the de Cervantes name. Constanza de Ovando has been dumped after a long engagement and is nearing the age of spinsterhood. She is jealous of Isabel and wonders if she will ever marry and have her own life. Finally, we have Catalina de Salazar, who lives far away from the family and did not know that her husband, Miguel, had an illegitimate child.

We see this family slowly adjust to having a new family member and the repercussions of Isabel being part of the de Cervantes family. While the family is getting used to one another, King Philip III of Spain threw a monkey wrench into their plans as he moved the royal court from Madrid to Valladolid and back to Madrid. Since Miguel is writing his magnum opus, Don Quixote, and is looking for sponsors, the family has to move alongside the court, which causes its special kinds of headaches and heartbreaks. There are so many twists and turns, especially the last twist, that kept me guessing until the end of how this novel was going to end.

Batiz has created such a believable world of 16th and 17th century Spain with a colorful cast of characters in the de Cervantes family. I got very attached to this family, and to see what would happen to them as life kept causing chaos. As a debut historical fiction novel, this is such an enjoyable, beautifully written, and extremely well-researched novel, and I hope that Batiz continues to write historical fiction. If you want an excellent novel about one of the most celebrated authors in Spanish history and his family, I highly recommend you read “A Daughter’s Place” by Martha Batiz.

Book Review: “Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: ‘I Am Not as Simple as I May Seem’” by Heather R. Darsie

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We all know the gist of the tragic tale of Katharine of Aragon. A Spanish princess who was brought to England to marry the heir of the Tudor throne, Prince Arthur Tudor. When the prince died mere months after their wedding day, Katharine was left in limbo and desolate as the Kings of Spain and England bickered over her dowry. Eventually, she would marry King Henry VIII, was his wife for over twenty years, and have numerous miscarriages before Henry decided to divorce her and marry Anne Boleyn. We know how Katharine’s story ends, but how did the stories of her Trastamara family influence her life and her reign as Queen of England? Heather R. Darsie explores Katharine’s Spanish origins in her latest book, “Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: ‘I Am Not as Simple as I May Seem.’”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed Darsie’s books, “Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister” and “Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings.” While her previous books focus on German history and sources, Darsie decided to shift her attention to Spain with this particular book. I was curious how much new information and insight Darsie would provide about Katharine’s life.

Darsie begins by having lovely family trees and a timeline listing the numerous figures that will be covered in this book, because as stated before, this book covers the origins of Katharine of Aragon’s family, the Trastamaras. The book is broken down into three sections. The first focuses on the Trastamaras and the history of the crowns of Castile and Leon and Aragon, culminating with Katharine’s parents, Isabella I of Castile and Leon, and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The second focuses on Katharine’s early life, how she became the bride of Prince Arthur Tudor of England, and how his death affected Katharine. Finally, part three explores Katharine of Aragon’s life as queen consort of King Henry VIII.

To me, the true highlight of this book is the exploration of the Trastamara family tree. While I do know a bit about the origins of Isabella I of Castile and Leon from a book I just read on her life, I did not know the origins of the family. Starting with the origins of both the elected composite crown of Aragon and the inherited composite monarchy of Castile and Leon, we see how the Trastamara dynasty started like the Tudor dynasty. It was a dynasty full of drama, civil wars, a member who married a corpse, a king who died due to alcohol burns, and many mistresses. It is through these stories that you can see where Katharine of Aragon and her daughter Mary I got their strength and determination to keep on fighting for what they believed in, even when the odds were very much against them.

This is yet another triumph by Darsie. It is extremely informative, meticulously researched, and easy to read. It gives the reader a better understanding of not only Spanish royalty and its complexity, but also a better appreciation of Katharine of Aragon. If you want an excellent book exploring the life of King Henry VIII’s first wife from a different perspective, I highly recommend you read “Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: ‘I Am Not as Simple as I May Seem’” by Heather R. Darsie.

Book Review: “The Girl From Oto” by Amy Maroney

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the girl from otoTwo independent women separated by time but united over two compelling portraits and the secrets hidden behind the paint. Mira (Miramonde) is a nun from a Renaissance convent in the Pyrenees who believes she is an orphan who wants to escape her small community and explore the world. Five hundred years later, Zari, an art scholar, begins the journey to discover who Mira is by using the clues she left behind in her works of art that will take her on a journey that will change her life forever. These two tales are woven together in the first book of the Miramonde series, “The Girl From Oto” by Amy Maroney.

I have seen this novel on social media, and it was an intriguing premise. I always look for books that present a fresh new look into the 16th century.

Our story begins with the birth of twins to Marguerite, the baroness of Oto, a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, in the house of Oto, daughters are not allowed to live, so Marguerite gives her daughter named, Miramonde, or Mira for short, to Elena, a mountain woman. Elena decides to make the journey to Belarac Abbey under the supervision of the Abbess Beatrice of Belarac. They make a plan that Mira will never know the truth about who she is and will be raised in the abbey until she is old enough to choose her path, which is her mother’s desire.

Jumping 500 years into the future, we meet Zari Durrell, a young art scholar on the hunt for paintings by a female Renaissance artist, Cornelia van der Zee, the topic of her dissertation. Her topic is well known, but while examining a portrait she believes was painted by Cornelia van der Zee, she discovers that the painting was painted by another artist named Mira. Zari’s journey to discover who Mira is will take her all over Europe as she follows the clues to the truth.

There is just something about a good history mystery mixed with a dual-timeline story that is so much fun to read. Maroney has done extensive research, not just for Mira’s story in the world of the Pyrenees, the wool trade, and life in a convent, but Zari’s adventures in academia and her journey along the Camino de Santiago.

Maroney created a colorful cast of characters, from the Renaissance to the modern day, that will grip the readers with the mysteries they must uncover. I cannot wait to see what other adventures Mira and Zari will go on. If you want a delightfully engaging and thrilling dual-timeline novel about 16th-century Spain, I highly recommend reading “The Girl From Oto” by Amy Maroney.

Book Review: “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters” by Wendy J. Dunn

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the duty of daughtersA young Spanish princess sits with her close friend, sisters, and brother as their beloved tutor, Dona Beatriz Galindo, tells them a story. As the children of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, they must marry and create alliances to strengthen their kingdoms, while Beatriz must ensure they are ready for the challenge. Childhood ends rather quickly with a holy war against the Moors, the expulsion of the Jews from the kingdom, and death around every corner. In her novel, “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters,” Wendy Dunn transports readers into a world of hope and sorrow, life and death.

After I read the second book in the Falling Pomegranate Seeds series, “All Manner of Things,” I wanted to read the book that started it all. There have not been many Tudor novels about Katherine of Aragon’s childhood, so I was curious what Dunn would bring to her story as a whole.

Our adventure into the house of Trastamara in Spain begins with Dona Beatriz Galindo being called to Isabel’s chambers. The two women deeply connected as Beatriz taught the queen Latin and tutored her children; Isabel, Prince Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina. Now, Isabel has given Beatriz the task of teaching her youngest daughter Catalina how to be Queen of England. Alongside Catalina, Beatriz would teach her companion Maria de Salinas, how best to serve Catalina in their new kingdom.

Beatriz’s relationship with her royal students throughout the novel evolves through trials and tribulations. Through the eyes of Beatriz, we get to see the fall of Granada and the treatment of the Jews during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel. We also get to see Beatriz’s relationship with the love of her life Francisco Ramirez through letters that she writes to him as he is away at war against the Moors. We are also introduced to Cristobal Colon, also known as Christopher Columbus, as he begs permission to travel to the New World.

At the heart of this novel are the children of Ferdinand and Isabel as they grow up and marry, sometimes moving away. Marriage does not always provide happy endings, as we see with Alfonso, Prince of Portugal, and Margaret of Austria. Death and grief run rampant in the once glorious court as the children grow up quickly. Secrets tear the foundations of this family asunder, but love still overcomes sadness.

Dona Beatriz Galindo may have been just a tutor to the royal family, but Dunn has elevated her tale to one of great significance. Beatriz is a strong, independent woman who fights for those she loves. This sensational novel brilliantly gives Tudor readers a better understanding of what Katherine of Aragon’s childhood might have been like through the eyes of her royal tutor. If you want a novel showing how Katherine of Aragon became the strong queen she was and the women who raised her, I highly recommend you read “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters” by Wendy J. Dunn.

Book Review: “Henry VIII and Charles V: Rival Monarchs, Uneasy Allies” by Richard Heath

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75418858._SX318_Two kings, two rivals from different countries defined the 16th century. One was the spare to his father’s crown, but when his eldest brother suddenly passed away, he became the next Tudor king. The other was the sole heir to his parent’s large kingdom and would become the Holy Roman Emperor. Wars, the Reformation, and family drama kept these two men, Henry VIII and Charles V, busy and at each other’s throats. They would sometimes join and fight for one another’s causes, showing the importance of international politics. With each new scenario, their relationship would shift, either for the best or the worst. Richard Heath has combined the stories of these two monarchs, these “frenemies,” into one joint biography, “Henry VIII and Charles V: Rival Monarchs, Uneasy Allies.”

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. I have read many books about Henry VIII, but Charles V was a side character in many of these books. When I saw this book, learning more about Charles V intrigued me.

Heath begins his book with Henry VIII, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He was never destined to become king, but when his eldest brother, Arthur, died unexpectantly, he became the next King of England. In contrast, Charles V was destined to become King of Spain as he was the only son of King Philip I, King of Castile, and Queen Juana of Castile and Aragon. Henry VIII had multiple wives and one legitimate son who would not live long as king. In contrast, Charles V had one wife, Isabella of Portugal, and numerous children, including the next King of Spain, Philip II.

Henry VIII and Charles V had similar ideals and were raised to be devout Christians, even if the way they fought for their faith was different. Charles V’s aunt, Catherine of Aragon, was Henry VIII’s first wife. The two monarchs and their respective countries, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and England, enjoyed close relationships. However, the 16th century was notorious for its ever-shifting political landscape, especially concerning the wars in France, and Italy, that involved King Francis I, the Pope, and Suleiman the Magnificient.

To untangle the messy political dilemma of the 16th century in a dual biography is quite a feat, which Heath does well. I wish he had included a chart to break down the different treaties and wars he chose to highlight in this book because I needed help figuring out which war was which and what each treaty agreed to do. Overall, I think if you want a decent introduction to the life of Charles V and how his relationship with Henry VIII changed over time, I would recommend you read “Henry VIII and Charles V: Rival Monarchs, Uneasy Allies” by Richard Heath.

Book Review: “Elizabeth I’s Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex” by Sarah-Beth Watkins

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56283014A man who was young and had charisma would attract the attention of the Virgin Queen herself, yet that attention came with a price. The young man could not do what he desired and was buried in debt. His anger could not be quenched and he would end up rebelling against the very queen who brought him so much glory and honor. This rebellion would lead to his execution. The man’s name was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and his story is told in Sarah-Beth Watkins’ latest bite-size biography, “Elizabeth I’s Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex”.

I would like to thank Chronos Books for sending me a copy of this book. I had heard that Sarah-Beth Watkins was releasing this book around the same time that Tony Riches released his novel about Robert Devereux, so I thought it might be nice to read about this man through fiction and nonfiction.

The son of Walter Devereux and Lettice Knollys, Robert Devereux was destined to his father’s heir when he passed away. However, when Walter died, he left his young heir a mountain of debt. His mother would remarry, but her choice would cause her to be an enemy of the queen herself. Lettice Knollys married Elizabeth I’s most prized favorite at court, Robert Dudley. The legacies that Robert’s mother and father left him forced the penniless earl to think big and to strive to gain the queen’s favor.

His looks helped win the queen’s favor, but Robert wanted more. He wanted power, money, and military prestige, which was typical of an earl during the Tudor time. However, Robert was pretty terrible at being a military leader. No matter if it was in France, Spain, or Ireland, Devereux managed to fail on his missions and irritating the queen. Watkins included transcripts of poems and letters that Devereux and Elizabeth I exchanged and you can feel the anger and frustration centuries later. Devereux comes off as a spoiled brat who whined when he didn’t get his way and Elizabeth just continued to exasperate him.

Devereux would redeem himself slightly when he uncovered a plot by Elizabeth’s doctor Lopez to assassinate the queen with poison. Yet for the most part, the queen was almost always upset with the young man, which made him act recklessly. Although he did marry the daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, he was known to have a few mistresses and illegitimate children on the side. When he was really upset with the queen, he would break into her chamber or he would sulk at home feigning illness until she would beg for him to come back to court. This was his routine until he was pushed over the edge and would stage a rebellion against the woman who raised him so high, ultimately leading to his own demise.

.Robert Devereux was the moody last favorite of Elizabeth I who depended too heavily on her influence to guide his life choices. Watkins does a very good job at portraying Devereux’s numerous attempts to change his fate and how he failed miserably. The length of this biography was reasonable and it did allow readers to get to know the truth about the young man who would be the final favorite. If you want a short biography about the man behind the Essex Rebellion, you should check out, “Elizabeth I’s Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex” by Sarah-Beth Watkins.

Book Review: “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things” by Wendy J. Dunn

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48815162._SY475_A journey to a foreign land for a long-promised marriage that will unite the royal families of Spain and England. Two friends caught in the middle far away from their beloved Spain. One is Princess Katherine of Aragon, who will marry Prince Arthur. The other is her cousin and close confidant, Maria de Salinas. Their journey like their friendship will last for decades, full of loyalty and love. Katherine’s story has been told many times in different ways, while Maria de Salinas has remained faithfully in the shadows. That is until now. In Wendy J. Dunn’s continuation of her Katherine of Aragon story, “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things”, Maria de Salinas is the protagonist telling the tragic tale of love and heartache from her perspective.

I would like to thank Wendy J. Dunn for sending me a copy of her latest novel. I have heard wonderful things about Wendy’s novels from my friends. When I heard that Dunn was writing a novel about Maria de Salinas, I was intrigued by the concept. I only knew about Maria de Salinas through brief mentions of her in biographies and other novels about Katherine of Aragon, so I was excited to read her story.

Dunn’s novel begins as a letter that Maria de Salinas is writing to her only daughter. It is the story of her life with Katherine with the intention that her daughter understands the tough decisions that she made throughout her life and how unbelievably loyal she was to her queen, Katherine of Aragon. By having Maria recalling the story, Dunn adds another layer of depth to Katherine’s story. Maria knew Katherine her entire life so she knew how Katherine was feeling even when Katherine hid her emotions from the rest of the world. Her initial reactions to her new home, England. The love she had for Arthur and what happened on their wedding night. Katherine’s opinions of her father and her father-in-law. And of course, her tumultuous relationship with her second husband, Henry VIII.

Maria’s personal story is full of love and tragedy as well. Her love story with the man of her choice, who will be her husband, is gut-wrenching yet so beautiful. You will root for Maria to get her happily ever after. There were so many points in this book that I was on the brink of tears. I did not want this novel to end. Dunn created a protagonist with her own strength and a story that is nothing short of remarkable. The vivid descriptions that are in this work of art create a realistic Tudor world that you never want to leave.

This novel was a masterpiece in Tudor historical fiction. Maria’s story and how she helped Katherine of Aragon is riveting you will find yourself wanting to know more about Maria de Salinas. I wish we did have more of the relationship between Maria and her daughter, but that is because I wanted more of the tale. I have read many historical fiction novels about the Tudors and their world and I have to say this novel is one of the pinnacle Tudor novels that I have ever read. This is the first time that I have read a novel by Wendy Dunn, but now I want to read her other works. If you want a sensational novel centered around the astounding friendship of Maria de Salinas and Katherine of Aragon, “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things” by Wendy J. Dunn is a must-read for any Tudor nerd.

Book Review: “Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother and Sister of History’s Most Vilified Family” by Samantha Morris

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51351927A family mired in myths and rumors of incest, murder, and intrigue for centuries. A brother and sister caught in the middle, attracting the attention of gossips and historians alike. No, I am not referring to a royal family in England. In fact, this story starts in Spain with Alonso de Borja, who moved to Italy and helped create the infamous Borgia family. Caught in the middle were the son and daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, Alonso’s nephew, and his mistress Vanozza Cattanei; Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. How close were these famous siblings? What were their lives really like? In Samantha Morris’ latest biography, “Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother and Sister of History’s Vilified Family”, she dives deep into the archives to find out the truth about the legendary Borgia family.

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I will be honest and say that I did not know much about this family before I started reading this book. I knew about the rumors and that they had to do with the papacy, but that was it. I was excited to learn more about them and to understand why so many people are so fascinated with the Borgia siblings.

To understand how the Borgias rose to power, Morris takes her readers on a journey through papal history and the many different councils that occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries. This was familiar to me as I took a class in college on Church History, in which we did discuss these councils, but for those who are not familiar with them, Morris takes the time to explain the significance of each event. We see how Alonso de Borja rose through the ranks to become Pope Calixtus III and how his nephew, Rodrigo Borgia, was the complete opposite of his uncle. Rodrigo, later Pope Alexander VI, was a ladies man, and his children by his mistress, Vanozza Cattanei, were all illegitimate, including Cesare and Lucrezia.

It is the lives of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia that historians, including Morris, tend to focus on. These siblings created so many enemies that rumors were bound to be associated with them. From incest between them to murder using poison, and numerous affairs, Cesare and Lucrezia endured scandals that made the Tudors look like a normal family. Morris takes on each myth and rumor head on to explore the truth about these siblings, which is of course more complex than the fictional tales of their lives.

I found myself enthralled in the true-life tales of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. Like most historical tales, the truth is much more compelling than the fictitious tales. The trials, triumphs, and tribulations of the siblings are so compelling and to realize that they lived when the Renaissance in Italy and the Tudor dynasty was still new in England is remarkable.

This book made me fall in love with the Borgia family. The story of their rise to greatness and what Cesare and Lucrezia had to endure to protect their family and its name was nothing short of extraordinary. Samantha Morris’s writing style is easy to understand but you can tell how much care she took in researching these simply sensational siblings. I want to study the Borgia family even more because of this book. If you want an engrossing nonfiction book about the Borgia family, I would highly suggest you read, “Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother and Sister of History’s Most Vilified Family” by Samantha Morris. A fabulous introduction to the Borgias and their tumultuous times.

Guest Post: Walter Raleigh, The Self Made Myth- By R.N. Morris, author of Fortune’s Hand, a new novel about Walter Raleigh

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unnamedI am not sure how I came to write a novel about Walter Raleigh. I think I can trace it back to visiting an exhibition on the myth of El Dorado at the British Museum in 2013. But thousands of people went to that exhibition and I dare say very few of them were foolish enough to start writing a 100,000 word novel under its influence. 

The dream of the fabled city of gold was one that obsessed Raleigh for decades. He pinned his political hopes on finding it and bringing home its treasure, first for Queen Elizabeth I, so that he could provide her with the funds she needed to defend herself against her great enemy Spain; and later for her successor James I, no longer at war with Spain, but still, like every sovereign in history, desperately short of finances.

In both instances, however, the dream proved to be illusory. 

Nonetheless, it was a dream that sustained him through periods of imprisonment and personal tragedy. A dream that he invested his reputation in, and one that he used to entice investors into his highly speculative voyages of discovery and predation. However, it surprised me to discover that Raleigh took part in surprisingly few of these voyages himself; he was an indifferent sailor who suffered badly from seasickness. 

Raleigh first heard about El Dorado from a captured conquistador called Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa. It was just a rumour. A rumour carried on a warm breeze from a distant land. 

It seems ironic that a man who was so talented at creating his own mythology should fall victim to a myth. But perhaps that was why he was so drawn to the story, because he knew a great myth when he saw one, and understood more than most its power to inspire minds and influence behaviour. The myth of El Dorado was useful to Raleigh, not because he himself necessarily believed it to be true (there is evidence he didn’t) but because he knew that other men – and, most importantly, one woman – would. 

I fell under its spell too. 

When I started my research for the book, I knew very little about Walter Raleigh. The one thing I did know was the one thing that everyone knows: he spread his cloak across a puddle so that Elizabeth could walk across it without getting her feet wet. The more I progressed in my research, the less sure was I that this incident actually happened, at least not as it is depicted in countess children’s history books. 

It is a compelling idea imbued with meaning. There’s another word for compelling ideas imbued with meaning: myths. 

As a child, I thought the point of the story was simply to illustrate what a gentleman Raleigh was. Now I realize there was a bit more to it than that. Raleigh was positioning himself (to borrow a term from modern marketing) as the man who would safeguard his sovereign’s passage across a body of water. In other words, he would be the instigator of England’s colonial project on the other side of the Atlantic. 

Raleigh’s life seems to be filled with stories that, even if they fall short of mythical, have at the very least a strong whiff of the apocryphal about them. I don’t believe it’s an accident. Whatever else he was, Raleigh was a poet. His life was his greatest poem, even if it didn’t quite have the ending he might have planned.  

In my novel, I see him as a man of boundless imagination. There was nothing he could not envisage. And for him, imagining something was tantamount to accomplishing it. As he gets older, the lines between what he dreams and what he does blur. 

Of course, reality did not always play along. But that never seemed to deter him from putting even greater faith in the power of his imagination. 

This was the age of Dr John Dee, after all, the great conjuror of angels and demons. Raleigh consulted Dee on navigational matters as well astrological ones. You could say between them they conjured up the British Empire. 

In Fortune’s Hand, I imagine Raleigh reciting the names of the places in Guiana that lead to Manoa – the city identified with El Dorado – as if he is uttering the words of an incantation. He even uses this litany of exotic names to soothe Elizabeth when she is distressed. 

Raleigh wrote a long, unfinished epic poem in which Ocean addresses his love, Cynthia – AKA the moon. He was given the nickname ‘Water’ by Elizabeth, mocking his West Country pronunciation of his own name. He clearly identified himself with Ocean and Elizabeth with Cynthia, in other words he saw them both as mythic figures. I think it’s a very compelling image for their relationship. The moon is ever remote, changeable, presenting a cool, pale beauty. The ocean’s tides are subject to the lunar gravity, just as Raleigh was subject to Elizabeth’s commands, and whims. 

The problem with such self-mythologizing is that it tends to be self-aggrandizing too. And if you see yourself as a hero or a demi-god, it probably means you don’t have much empathy for others. Especially those who have to be defeated, displaced and destroyed to make your myth a reality. 

Empathy is not a quality much evident in the Raleigh of my novel. I said above that I saw him as a man of boundless imagination, but it is only boundless when it applies to himself and his interests. He has a curious imaginative blind spot when it comes to considering those whose interests are at odds with his, whether they are his rivals for Elizabeth’s favor, or the rebels he massacred in Ireland. 

That makes him a problematic figure in today’s world. But then, to be fair to Raleigh, he wasn’t living in today’s world. The attitudes and beliefs that were woven into the intellectual fabric of the Elizabethan age strike us now as at best baffling and at worst appalling. 

So why write a novel about this pre-eminent Elizabethan, at a time when others are petitioning to pull down his statue? The mythology that he created and others have added to has become entangled with England’s national story. I wanted to explore and try to understand the impulses that drove Raleigh through his remarkable life, in which he laid the groundwork for the British Empire. That is clearly a contested legacy now. To challenge and critique that legacy fully, I felt the need to confront one of its key originators – warts, myths and all. 

R.N. Morris Bio:

Roger (R. N.) Morris is the author of thirteen novels. The latest is Fortune’s Hand, a historical novel about Walter Raleigh.  He is also the author of the Silas Quinn series of historical crime novels and the St Petersburg Mysteries, featuring Porfiry Petrovich, the investigating magistrate from Crime and Punishment. 

His website is rogernmorris.co.uk. Roger has a Facebook page for his novels, which is https://www.facebook.com/RNMorrisauthor

He is on twitter as @rnmorris and on Instagram as rogermorris7988. He would love to hear from you so drop him an email at contact@rogernmorris.co.uk