31 August 1142 The Middle Ages Was in America Too

31 August 1142 – With the aid of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, The Great Peacemaker, the Iroquois tribes establish the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee.

Yes, you can write historical fiction! Join in the fun with the Never-ending Round Robin, where you and untold numbers of others will write one really long story together! http://robinwithoutend.blogspot.com .

30 August 1574 Gurus Aren't Just for the Sixties Any More

30 August 1574 – Birth of Guru Ram Das became the Fourth Sikh Guru/Master.

Yes, you can write historical fiction!  Join in the fun with the Never-ending Round Robin, where you and untold numbers of others will write one really long story together!  http://robinwithoutend.blogspot.com .

29 August 1253 Miscarriage of Justice... Again

29 August 1253 - The dead body of the child, Hugh of Lincoln, is discovered near the house of Jopin, a Jew. Under torture and because his torturers offer him a pardon in exchange for his confession, Jopin declares that Hugh was murdered for a ritual. But King Henry III orders Jopin's hanging after he is dragged through the streets tied to a horse. Of the 100 Jews brought to London for trial, 18 were hanged without trial, 79 others were convicted and hanged, two were pardoned and one was acquitted.

For a dramatic depiction of this event, see:

The Fruit of Her Hands
By Michelle Cameron

Based on the life of the author’s thirteenth-century ancestor, Meir ben Baruch of

Rothenberg, a renowned Jewish scholar of medieval Europe, this is the richly dramatic fictional story of Rabbi Meir’s wife, Shira, a devout but rebellious woman who preserves her religious traditions as she and her family witness the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe

Excerpt

Fear gripped my heart. I grabbed the servant’s arm. “Found what?” I demanded.

She pulled away. “A boy. There’s a dead boy down there.”

I went over to the young wife, who was still retching despite having emptied her stomach. The smell rising from the well was searing and I covered my nose with a hand. “You should come inside, out of the sun,” I urged. “Come on, away from here.”

She shook her head. “No, I won’t leave,” she gasped, barely able to get the words out as dry heaves overpowered her. “The soldiers will be here soon.”

Someone tapped my arm. I looked up. Father John of Lexington hovered over us. The look of the man in his priestly robes made several of the neighbors draw back in alarm. A few terrified souls chose this moment to hurry away. Out of the corner of one eye, I saw Amelie moving quietly out of the yard, heading back to Chaya’s home.

“Shira of Falaise, is it not?” Father John asked. “Brother Anton’s friend?”

“Yes, Father. There has been a terrible discovery here.”

The look that crossed the man’s face appalled me — a look of incredulity and accusation. “I’m not at all sure this was a discovery,” he said carefully. “I think — perhaps — something more.”

“There’s a boy down the well, Father John! What are you thinking? That these poor people…?” I could not complete the thought.

But he could. Crossing himself, he went over to Jopin and took hold of him. “We will wait here for the soldiers,” Father John said. “They’re on their way.”

“We are lost,” Jopin moaned. “Lost.”

“If it is what I suspect, then you are not merely lost and not merely damned,” Father John said, shaking his head sorrowfully. “There is a special pit in hell for those who murder innocent children.”

The thought of the missing Gentile boy had not occurred to me before now. Blinding realization forced my protests to the back of my throat. I hoped against hope that this was a different boy who had, through some misadventure, perished in the well. For if it was the Christian child — the one they had been searching for — little Hugh…

---

Today in Medieval History is brought to you by An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England by Nan Hawthorne, available through online bookselllers now or visit Shield-wall Books!

28 August 1349 No Joking Matter

28 August 1349 – 6,000 Jews are killed in Mainz, accused of being the cause of the plague.

Read Ranulf's account of the atrocity in Nan Hawthorne's Beloved Pilgrim.

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

27 August 663 Japanese Running Dogs Last Bite of Korea

27 August 663 – Remnants of the Korean Baekje Kingdom and their Yamato Japanese allies engage the combined naval forces of the Tang Chinese and Silla Koreans on the Geum River in Korea; the outcome is a significant Tang-Silla victory, while the Japanese would not attempt another invasion of Korea until the Japanese invasions of Korea of the late 16th century.

Read Sheri Holman's  Sondok: Princess of the Moon and Stars (2002), set in seventh century Korea.

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

26 August 1346 Straight As an Arrow

26 August 1346 – Hundred Years' War: the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.

This battle is illustrated in many novels, including Bernard Cornwell's Vagabond.

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

25 August 1537 Old Guns

25 August 1537 – The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed.

learn more in Artillery: An Illustrated History by Jeff Kinard.
Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

24 August 1456 Hot Off the Press!

24 August 1456 – The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed

Read about the life and work of johann Gutenberg in The Justification of Johann Gutenberg, a novel by Blake Morrison.  You can also have your very own The Gutenberg Bible (Illuminated Gift)

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

23 August 1305 In His Grave-heart

23 August 1305 – William Wallace, Scottish patriot, is executed for high treason by Edward I of England.

Little in the book or movie Braveheart is historically accurate. Even the author of the novel, Randall Wallace admits this. Why is this important? Because it drives the rest of us historical novelists nuts.  The author says his version is history the way it should have been... but not from the point of view of "Peter" and his lover, Prince Edward, eh?

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biongraphies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

22 August 1485 The Kingdom/Horse Exchange Fails

22 August 1485 - The Battle of Bosworth Field. King Richard III is killed in this last battle in the Wars of the Roses by the forces of Henry Tudor, soon to be crowned Henry VII.

Read how upon his "death" at Bosworth Field, Richard III rather found himself in the 21st century and given a chance to clear the scurrilous tales of his life in This Time by Joan Szechtman.

Excerpt:
Chapter 1

Monday, August 22, 1485
The Battle of Bosworth
Bosworth Field, England

King Richard III spurred his steed through Ambion Wood, rejecting the advice of his generals to run from the battle. Two armies, one led by Lord Thomas Stanley and the other by Sir William Stanley, were positioned to support whoever won. Then King Richard broke line, forcing the Stanleys to show their fealty, taking the battle to Henry Tudor--king against usurper.

For a moment his thoughts strayed, and he saw not his select troops by his side or the battle before him, but Anne, his wife, now dead five months.

“Anne,” he whispered, reaching for her across the horse’s mane, but her image was gone.

He blinked and the battle came back into view. The balance was tipping to his enemy. He swept his gaze past the wood and saw Henry standing among his men. I will have you or I will be with Anne.

Sir John Cheyney loomed before him, blocking Richard’s charge. He swung his axe and sent this giant of a knight clattering to the ground.

With his select troops by his side, he fought on toward Henry’s camp, his blood hot in his veins. The challenger stood but a few feet away, protected by his knights and soldiers. Richard swung his axe savagely and inched forward. A horse screamed as it and its knight thudded to the ground.

The horror rose like bile in his throat as the legs of Sir Percival Thirwall, his standard bearer, were cut off.

Jesú! He still carries my banner.

His pulse hammered, matching the pounding of horses at his rear. Stanley’s army bore down and attacked—him.

No…they have turned against me!

Hands grabbed his reins and pulled; his warhorse was mired in thick mud.

“TREASON!” His courser crashed down and he was unhorsed. The mud pulled at him as he staggered to his feet.

Richard smashed his axe into the neck of a soldier. He tasted the man’s blood as it splashed through an opening of his visor. “TREASON!” he screamed, advancing through a blood-red rage. A blow crashed against his chest, stealing his wind. His armor pierced, Richard fell to his knees. The last sounds he heard were the shouts of Henry’s victory.

---

Today in Medieval History is brought to you by An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England by Nan Hawthorne, available through online bookselllers now or visit Shield-wall Books!

21 August 1153 Mr. Holier Than Thou Dies at 65

21 August 1153 – Death of Bernard of Clairvaux, French theologian (b. 1090).

Read Bernie in his own words wwith Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works (HarperCollins Spiritual Classics).

Ever heard of Texas entertainer Emily West? 19 th cnentury fax inventor Alexander Bain? Iish rebel Countess Constance Markewicz? Tudor navigator Richard Chancellor? Learn about some of the less-sung men and women of history at Random Biographies http://randombios.blogspot.com/

20 August 1000 On the Feast FOR Stephen

20 August 1000 – The foundation of the Hungarian state, Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.
Learn more in Pál Engel 's Realm of St. Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary (International Library of Historical Studies)

Random Biographies. Wish there were more biographies of people who didn't get all the headlines? Random Biographies is that something different you are looking for. Learn about the great but not so celebrated. http://randombios.blogspot.com/

19 August 1561 Scot Free

19 August 1561 – An 18-year-old Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland, after spending 13 years in France.

This is where the movie Mary, Queen of Scots starts.

Random Biographies. Wish there were more biographies of people who didn't get all the headlines? Random Biographies is that something different you are looking for. Learn about the great but not so celebrated. http://randombios.blogspot.com/

18 August 1572 Yeah, But What About Their Kids?

18 August 1572 – Marriage in Paris of the future Huguenot King Henry IV of Navarre to Marguerite de Valois, in a supposed attempt to reconcile Protestants and Catholics.

What was it like?  She said Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois - the Volume 1 [Court memoir series] and Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois - Volume 2 [Court memoir series], both for free!  No, I don't know why they are naked in the painting.

Random Biographies. Wish there were more biographies of people who didn't get all the headlines? Random Biographies is that something different you are looking for. Learn about the great but not so celebrated. http://randombios.blogspot.com/

17 August 1473 The Classic Funny Uncle

August 17 1473 - Birth of Richard, Duke of York, one of the "Little Princes in the Tower" whose deaths may or may not have been ordered by their uncle, Richard III.

Was it? Read two opposing views.

No: The Sunne in Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman
This Time, by Joan Szechtman

Probably: The Stolen Crown, by Susan Higginbotham

Absolutely!  Richard III, by William Shakespeare

Random Biographies. Wish there were more biographies of people who didn't get all the headlines? Random Biographies is that something different you are looking for. Learn about the great but not so celebrated. http://randombios.blogspot.com/

16 August 1513 Bluff -- and Buff -- King Hal

16 August 1513 – Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) – King Henry VIII of England defeats French Forces who are forced to retreat.

Let Henry and Will Somers tell you all about it in Margaret George's The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers.
Random Biographies.  Wish there were more biographies of people who didn't get all the headlines?  Random Biographies is that something different you are looking for.  Learn about the great but not so celebrated.  http://randombios.blogspot.com/