Marshal 15 The Fall - Members Only

Marshal was at the top of his game, feted and lauded. But success attracts the envious, and pride goes before a fall…

Marshal 14 Hubris - Members Only

William was now a big name on the tournament circuit, and it made him a tidy income. And he indulged himself in more ways than one, and gloried in hisRead More

Sh 31f LLASE Going Nuclear - Members Only

As lords intensified their demands, as pressure on land increased the search was on for more productive ways to farm the land. One impact was the introduction of open field systems andRead More

Sh 31e LLASE The Manor - Members Only

From the 9th century, the need of warfare and resulting taxation drove an ever greater bureaucracy. Meantime trade and population both grew, and towns with it. All these produced profoundRead More

Marshal Omnibus 4 EPs 11-13 - Members Only

William joined the court of the Young King, but it was not a happy place. William would be at Henry’s side throughout, and help his young master find a new role.

Marshal 13 The Circuit - Members Only

Marshal and the Young King were getting hammered. So they needed to sort that out – and still enjoy all the fun of the tournament occasion

Marshal 12 Tournament - Members Only

Henry the Young King needed a career. Maybe the answer lay in the tourney.

Marshal 11 Rebellion - Members Only

The Young King throws his toys out of the pram

Sh 32 Christine de Pisan with Caitlin Chapman - Members Only

Christine de Pizan (1364 – c. 1430) was a prolific and versatile French poet and author. Her diverse writings include numerous poems of courtly love, a biography of Charles V ofRead More

Sh 31d LLASE Warland - Members Only

Away from the Inland estates, the Anglo Saxon peasantry and thegnage often held their lands of ancient right, and the land they held defined their public obligations as well asRead More

Sh 31c Life on the Inland - Members Only

The arrival of resident landowners and the ever present danger of economic disaster would change the way many lived their lives and create the system of serfdom so centralRead More

Marshal Omnibus 3 EPs 8-10 - Members Only

If William’s career was a landscape, this episode would be taking us into the deepest of valleys. From thrusting young esquire, to the pit of despair. And back? WELL you’llRead More

Marshal 10 Rescue - Members Only

William is at a low point. a landless knight, held in captivity, with a hideous leg wound and no bandages. plus, no great value in the ransom market and therefore his futureRead More

Marshal 9 Ambush! - Members Only

Back home in 1168 with fears of the rest of his life as a dull hearth son, William would instead find his way quickly back into danger

Sh 31b LLASE Life on the Scir - Members Only

New petty kingdoms and lordships, scirs, began to form around tribal groups and identities, and then to consolidate into Anglo Saxons kingdoms we will begin to recognise. How were thoseRead More

Eleanor 24 The End of Days - Members Only

The last years were no less busy than any of the others. And please, feedback here on the poll.

Eleanor Omnibus 6 EPs 20-24 - Members Only

The last 15 years of Eleanor’s life saw her more able than ever to exercise influence and even to see her daughters; but retirement to Fontevraud was constantly interrupted. TellRead More

HiT A Knights Tale

By David Crowther 6 months agoJul 07, 2019 2 Comments

A romp, ladies and gentlemen. Chaucer walking naked after betting his shirt, peasants jousting as knights, rock music at medieval jousts. A bit of fun or hideous tosh?

Eleanor 23 John - Members Only

The Struggle for Angevin France is on

Eleanor 22 Retirement - Members Only

In 1193 Richard was held hostage by the Holy Roman Emperor. It was up to Eleanor to get him back before John took his kingdom. Eleanor’s Letters It isRead More

Eleanor 21 Crusade - Members Only

How to manage when you go away and leave your things with an evil brother itching to get his hands on them

HoS 37 The Road to Flodden - Members Only

James IV's road to glory and immortality

Eleanor 20 Freedom - Members Only

In 1189 in Winchester castle, Eleanor saw an entourage approach the gate led by a man from her past – William the Marshal. He had come with news.

Eleanor Omnibus 5 EPs 17-19 - Members Only

In 1173 Eleanor took a decision about whom she would back - husband or sons. She would be paying the consequences for the next 15 years.

Eleanor 18 Captivity - Members Only

Escape to Chartres!

Eleanor 17 Rebellion - Members Only

Henry threw a massive party in the Auvergne and afterwards at Limoges. As he left the party, Raymond of Toulouse gave him a grim warning – and the hangover wasRead More

HoS 35 The Prince and his Wings - Members Only

James IV of Scotland finds his wings and opens them

Eleanor 16 The Devil’s Brood - Members Only

Henry and Eleanor were well aware of the potential problem of all those boys. So they tried to sort things out for their brood nice and early.

Eleanor Omnibus 4 EPs 14-16 - Members Only

The 1160s and into the 1170s saw growing children, and a growing distance between Eleanor and Henry. Both would promise trouble

HoS 34 The Legacy Of Sauchieburn - Members Only

The first gift of Sauchieburn - yet another minority

Eleanor 15 - Members Only

Eleanor’s rule in Aquitaine was proving somewhat frustrating when four blokes barged into Canterbury cathedral

Eleanor 13 Home - Members Only

A new strategy was needed to govern Aquitaine

Eleanor Omnibus 3 Eps 10-13 - Members Only

From 1152 to 1172, from Poitiers to Poitiers

Marshal 6 Court and Kit - Members Only

The life and kit of the aspirant esquire

Eleanor 12 Partners - Members Only

The Toulouse Campaign and the start of tension

Marshal 5 Tancarville - Members Only

Around 1160, William left home to the sound of his family’s tears, and travelled to Tancarville to learn the skills of courtesie.

Eleanor 11 Power - Members Only

Queen of England: Power or pawn?

Marshal 4 Fathers and Sons - Members Only

The story of John Marshal, William’s father with a big of wandering around in the genesis of the legendary King Arthur, king of the Britons.

Eleanor 10 Queen 2 - Members Only

Escape to Poitiers - and the search for a protector

Marshal Omnibus 1 EPs 1-3 - Members Only

We set the scene – William’s background and lineage, and the Anarchy – until William himself appears strapped to a trebuchet at Newbury. As you do

Marshal 3 Hammer and Anvil - Members Only

During the Anarchy, John Marshal makes hay - and William joins our story at last

Eleanor 9 Hunted - Members Only

Escape meant avoiding the wolves that blocked the path to Aquitaine

Eleanor Omnibus 2 EPs 6-9 - Members Only

We take in the full extent of Eleanor’s time as Queen of France – through her struggle for his sister, the dramatic 2nd Crusade and her final dash for freedom