The Black Death had swept through England taking out great swaths of the population with terrifying efficiency. The only silver lining to be found in this great expanse of death is that it left the survivors in the possession of more wealth and power than their forebearers. Men who had been scratching a living, suddenly […]
Tag: Plantagenets
The Eleanor Crosses
Edward I of England and his queen, Eleanor of Castile, were deeply devoted to one another. Their marriage, like most marriages at the time, was pure rooted in pragmatic politics. Henry III, Edward’s father, was having a dispute with Eleanor’s half brother Alphonso over claims to the duchy of Gascony. A deal was struck that […]
The White Ship Disaster
On November 25, 1120 the newly refitted vessel the White Ship captained by Thomas FitzStephen White Ship sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur. Only one of those aboard survived. William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England, his half-sister Matilda, and his half-brother Richard […]
Eustace the Monk- Sorcerer, Monk, Pirate, Admiral and Legend
Born in 1170 near Boulogne, France, Eustace was the younger son of Baudoin Busket, a lord of the county of Boulogne. His upbringing was typical until he traveled to Toledo, Spain as a youth where he is rumored to have studied black magic. According to the contemporary work, Histoire des Ducs de Normandie, “No one […]
The Saintonge War
In previous posts, we have discussed the throne of England was intertwine with the family of the Lusignans, mainly through the link of Isabella of Angouleme. For more information please see posts: and In 1241, the Dowager Queen of England and the mother of the present king, Isabella of Angouleme, encouraged […]