Blogs
From confession to curse… The death of Jacques de Molay
On 18th March, 1314, Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake. He was the 23rd Grand Master of the Knights Templar, a seasoned warrior, and a man of seventy years. But though he was old, his voice had clout, and as his tortured body melted in the flames, he bellowed out a curse that…
Read MoreWould the real St Valentine please step forward…
Hearts… flowers… Cupid… Valentine’s Day is so much a part of our culture little thought is given to from whence it actually came. We take for granted that it’s to do with love, and that St Valentine would have been into chocolate if he’d known about it. But as is often the case with very…
Read MoreJohn D. Rockefeller – A businessman born, a philanthropist made
Success, incredible wealth, and philanthropy… counterbalanced by ruthless commercial practices and monopoly. All words appropriately associated with the oil magnate that was John D. Rockefeller. But if questionable collusion and predatory pricing tarred his empire for many years, his extraordinary benevolence coats it too. He was a man of opposites and his legacy still impacts…
Read MoreA story of loyalty vs love, and shining leadership
11th December, 1936, King Edward VIII officially abdicated. 12th December he announced this to the nation via broadcast on the radio, and the next day his younger brother was proclaimed king. Loyalty vs love Edward was the first English monarch to abdicate voluntarily. And yes, his decision was significant then and still is now, despite…
Read MorePenny for the Robert…
Everyone’s heard of Guy Fawkes. Let’s face it, we’ve all chanted, “Penny for the Guy…” and watched fireworks popping in the sky because of him. However, what many people forget is that he wasn’t the only person involved in the Gunpowder Plot. Far from it! In fact, the real mastermind behind the conspiracy was a…
Read MoreKing John and the Crown Jewels – Are we awash with wishful thinking?
King John, a royal well known for losing things… including much of England to the French, the respect of his barons (leading to his signing of Magna Carta), and… some believe… the crown jewels. Add to the mix that he’d been excommunicated too, and one starts to get the picture of a king out on…
Read MoreThe Death of William the Conqueror – An Explosive Affair
William the Conqueror… a name that trips off the tongues of even primary school children. He turned Britain on its head, shaped the history of England for ever more, and has since been a household name for centuries. But bearing in mind the fact that he invaded England back in 1066 and took over, the…
Read MoreThe Wars of the Roses – The Final Thorny Exchange
The Battle of Bosworth Field, 1485; the end of 331 years of Plantagenet rule, and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. As if it were staged for a soap opera, it had everything from politics and treachery, to brutality and brinkmanship. If one chucks in a slain king whose body is found over five hundred…
Read MoreThe Battle of Northampton – Drama, treachery, and the risk of treason
York and Lancaster. Two powerful English factions, each with an extraordinarily fanatical following. Religion; politics; a mentally unstable king; large egos; and competing lust for power in abundance. It was a heady mix that had been bubbling for many years during The Wars of the Roses, and on 10th July, 1460 yet another head to…
Read MoreFor a king in all but name? White Rose Day…
Heard of The Old Pretender? If you haven’t, think troubled political times, Jacobites, and James Francis Edward Stuart. Anyone who fought as a Jacobite back in the early Eighteenth Century was loyal to Catholic James and his line of successors. But what’s that got to do with the title of this piece? Simply that 10th…
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