HT News

The Shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize which is the new major prize for historical fiction writers in the UK has been announced. The books that made the list were:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel  - Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer - 1930s Czechoslavakia
Lustrum by Robert Harris - Rome
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant - 16th century Italy
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds - Two poets in the 1840s
Stone's Fall by Iain Pears - early 20th century England
Hodd by Adam Thorpe - retelling of the legend of Robin Hood

No prize list seems to be complete without Wolf Hall this year! I haven't read any of these! Have you? Are they worthy of winning the inaugural prize?


Current Giveaways

The Queen's Pawn by Christy English at Scandalous Women
 The Greatest Knight, The Scarlet Lion and The Time of Singing, all by Elizabeth Chadwick at A Reader's Respite
The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer also at A Reader's Respite
The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
The Queen's Pawn by Christy English at The Queen of Happy Endings (along with two other books)

In other news, Ana recently reviewed Rosanne E Lortz's novel I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince. Rosanne also guest posted for us, and now she has just announced that her book trailer is complete, and Ana's review has been quoted as part of the trailer! Well done Ana, and well done to Rosanne!

Why I Love the Fourteenth Century by Rosanne E. Lortz

Choosing a century out of the timeline and crowning it king is a bit like choosing your favorite child. It seems unfair to pick just one. Out of all the centuries to pick, I have chosen the fourteenth. Many people may be surprised by my choice. The fourteenth century was a grim time; one of the greatest disasters imaginable overtook the Western world, with nearly half the European population perishing in the Black Plague. The fourteenth century was a bloody time; France and England became locked in the interminable struggle known as the Hundred Years’ War, with the Scots, the Spaniards, and the Germans joining in intermittently.

But despite these harsh realities, the fourteenth century was also a seminal time, a time of change, courage, and determination. Strong men and women saw the world that they had, took it in their hands, and began to mold it into something new. In religion, literature, societal structure, and warfare, mankind made monumental strides, preparing the way for the more earth-shattering changes that the Renaissance and Reformation would bring.

“It is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” Pope Boniface wrote these words at the dawn of the fourteenth century, increasing papal power as his predecessors had done for nearly a millennium. Anyone who disagreed with the pope was summarily excommunicated and condemned to hell. Since the pope was the picture of Christ on earth, Christ Himself was perceived as an iron taskmaster. The common people trembled in fear of God’s wrath, making lengthy pilgrimages and elaborate penance to avoid the pangs of Purgatory or damnation.

As the fourteenth century wore on, however, many movements arose in reaction to this stern picture of God. Julian of Norwich, an English mystic who claimed she had conversations with God, saw Christ as a caring mother, not a frowning judge. She taught that our sin produced suffering, suffering gave us knowledge, and knowledge brought us closer to a kind and merciful Father. John Wyclif, also a native of England, challenged the tyrannical claims of the pope, arguing that he did not truly represent Christ. Translating the Bible into the common tongue, Wyclif ensured that the priests would not have a monopoly on God’s Word. Fourteenth century religious thinkers like Julian and John Wyclif sent fissures through the foundation of the Roman church that would split her wide open in the centuries to come.

The world of literature paralleled and aided these developments in the world of religion. Dante and Chaucer used poetry to provide social criticism. Instead of confining themselves to the scholarly language of Latin, both men chose to write verse in the common tongue of their people. Dante’s Divine Comedy provided a literary corrective to the Roman church, showing Pope Boniface in hell and lyrically illustrating the goodness of God, the “Love that moves the sun and the other stars.” Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales satirized the greed and hypocrisy of the monks, nuns, pardoners, and friars that filled the Church, commending the charity of the simple parish priest as a model for the rest.

This new spirit of questioning, independence, and change manifested itself in all classes of society. By the beginning of the fourteenth century, the system of feudalism had already begun to creak and totter. The Black Plague nearly pushed it over. When half the labor force of Europe disappeared over night, noblemen found their manors and estates shorthanded and short tempered. France erupted with riotous serfs determined to avenge centuries of iniquitous treatment from their masters. England’s unhappy taxpayers had their own Peasants’ Revolt, wringing concessions from a frightened aristocracy.

Yet despite these domestic disturbances, France and England still found time to fight each other. England’s Edward III claimed the throne of France, by right of inheritance through his French mother, and set sail in force to make good his claim. This began an epic conflict, known as the Hundred Years’ War, which spanned five generations. The pitched battles of Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt showed that the old way of warfare was dying out. Mounted knights, the premier fighting unit of the earlier Middle Ages, fled in fear from armies of infantry and longbowmen. The first rumbles of cannon filled the air at Crecy, ushering in a new age of gunpowder.

Though the age of chivalry was passing away, its spirit still lingered on in the heroes of the fourteenth century battlefield. Edward, the Black Prince, became the pride of England, inspiring a strong national identity as his countrymen reveled in his victories. Sir Geoffroi de Charny, the finest knight in France, penned the Book of Chivalry, striving to instill in the new generation a respect for the evaporating institution of knighthood.

The fourteenth century was a hard time and it was a tumultuous time. It was a threshold, a lynchpin, a crucible. But in the words of one of my old teachers, “It’s only when something is hard that you have the chance to truly shine.” Men and women of faith, honor, and courage took the opportunity to think, to object, to write, to lead, to change—and that is why I love the fourteenth century.

You can find more about Rosanne E. Lortz and her novel at I Serve

I Serve, A Novel of The Black Prince by Rosanne E. Lortz

I had no idea, when I was offered this book for review of what was in store for me. After reading the blurb, I knew I couldn't resist it for a couple of reasons: it was a medieval, my favourite period, and one of the main characters was the Black Prince, about whom I've had a long lasting curiosity. It really was inevitable that I should start reading this book as soon as it arrived.

The story opens with Sir John Potenhale on a quest to find a woman, the widow of a man he fought in battle, with which he shared adventures and long conversations. At her request, he starts telling his story and how his life crossed with her dead husband.

Potenhale was a young squire following the English army during the Hundred Year war. His actions bring him to the attention of the Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, and he becomes part of his household. As they follow the path of war Potenhale grows in experience and in wisdom both in the battlefield and out of it.

Through the Prince's interest in the Fair Maid of Kent, Potenhale becomes acquainted with Margery, one of her ladies. While the interest seems mutual the young lady previous marriage to Lord Thomas Holland puts a hold in both the Prince's and Potenhale's aspirations.

For the next years, they will fight for England in French soil; they will learn strategy, when to make alliances and when to punish traitors. They will attend happy tourneys and they will face the merciless Black Death. In one of the battles Potenhale makes a prisoner of the French leader, Geoffroi de Charni. He returns to England with them until his ransom is paid and it is immediately obvious that he is the man whose widow he is telling the story to.

What could have been a dry read becomes a tale of an age of honour and chivalry, of being steadfast in the face of adversity and of pondering matters of life and death, when faced with your perceived destiny.

Charny, who wrote a book on the Art of Chivalry is a very interesting character and, in the end, become the one I was most fascinated with. It is a gift from the author that she writes her tale so well that when he was telling Potenhale and the Prince the story of the Templars I felt I was right beside them listening.

With Potenhale we witness one man's growth, a life's journey, gaining physical and intellectual maturity and through him we can see the fourteenth century way of life and way of thinking. This is a story about following a code of honour, the code of chivalry, about being virtuous, being true to God and to their Lady. Rosanne E. Lortz wrote an intelligent and engaging tale based in real characters and events that made this reading journey one of the most exhilarating of this year. Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this.

Grade: 5/5

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Come back March 23rd for Rosanne E. Lortz guest post on why she loves the fourteenth century.