• Not so Roman Holiday-  The Normans in Sicily

    The Norman Conquest brings forth visions of William the Conqueror landing on English shores and going on to defeat Harold at Hastings.  There is another lesser known Norman Conquest, that of the Southern Italy and Sicily.  Overall, the region has better weather and wine, so why not? Roots of this invasion go back quite some time.  In 1054, the “western” church led by Rome and the “eastern” church led by Constantinople officially separated.  This had been in the works for some time, but the final blow just happened to land on this date.  The Pope did not like the Byzantine expansion in Southern Italy, and raised an army to kick…

  • Homosexuality and the Throne of England

    Rumors fly when a person is in a position of power.  The royalty of England is no exception.  One of the easiest and deadliest lobs to throw was sexuality- either adultery, homosexuality or a combination thereof.  This post will take a look at two of the most pervasive rumors. William Rufus Son of William the Conquerer, William Rufus inherited England in his father’s death.  Though not a large man, he had a definite presence and was described as a “wild bull”.  Muscular and stocky with fair hair and a taste for the latest fashion, he never married, which was odd for a king of the time period.  He needed a…

  • WILLIAM THE ATHELING

    William the Atheling (an Anglo-Saxon term meaning prince or of royal blood) was the only legitimate son of Henry I, King of England, son of William the Conqueror. Williams’s mother was Edith whose own father was Malcolm III King of the Scots and mother was St Margaret. St Margaret was the great Niece of Edward the Confessor. This made William a prince to represent the new Norman rulers but also the old Saxon dynasty of Wessex. Henry’s only other child was Matilda who married Henry V the Holy Roman Emperor after which she was known as The Empress. During Henry’s own reign he invested William as Duke of Normandy, this…

  • Reading’s Bayeux Tapestry

    The tapestry hanging in the Bayeux Cathedral was created to commemorate the Battle of Hastings and tells the story of this major event in History. It is generally believed that the Tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo, William the Conqueror’s half brother, although there are a number of alternative suggestions about who was responsible for the creation of this piece. There are no doubts however about the origins of a full sized replica hanging in a specially constructed gallery in the Museum in Reading, Berkshire. The replica was acquired for the town by former Mayor, Arthur Hill in 1895. The brainchild behind the replica was Elizabeth Wardle, who was the…

  • Stephen of Blois

    Following on from my recent post on the civil war known as The Anarchy ( http://www.historynaked.com/the-anarchy/ ), I thought I would delve a bit further into the major players in this period. Stephen was born in the County of Blois in central France in 1092 or 1096; there are conflicting reports of the date of his birth, probably due to the fact he was not an heir to the throne, nor a major member of the royal family, so there would not have been a lot of publicity surrounding his birth. He was however, a Grandson of William the Conqueror. His mother, Adela was the daughter of William the Conqueror…