Falchion
Pronunciation: [fawl-chuhn, -shuhn]
Etymology: Middle English fauchoun, from Anglo-French fauchun, from faucher to mow, from Vulgar Latin *falcare, from Latin falc-, falx
1) Broad-bladed cutting weapon.
(Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience, 347)
2) Short, curved single-edged sword with a broad blade, used for cleaving blows.
(Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 248)
Filed under: Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on March 28th, 2008 | No Comments »
The Physician by Noah Gordon
Product Details:
Paperback - 720 pages
Publisher - Little, Brown Book Group (2001)
Average Customer Review on Amazon - 4.5 stars
Editorial Review from Library Journal:
When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother’s hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead […]
Filed under: Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fiction on March 25th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
George R.R. Martin recently posted the British cover art for A Dance with Dragons on his blog. A Dance with Dragons is the fifth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. A few weeks back I posted the American cover art version of A Dance with Dragons. I think I prefer the British […]
Filed under: George R.R. Martin, Fantasy, Literary News on March 19th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The Cunning of the Dove by Alfred Duggan
Product Details:
Paperpack - 256 pages
Publisher - Phoenix Press (2007)
Novel Description:
St. Edward the Confessor, King of the English, is commonly despised by historians. He was the last of his dynasty, and after his death his country was conquered by foreigners—which was exactly what he wanted. In this chilling, fast-paced novel, […]
Filed under: Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fiction on March 18th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Set in 14th century medieval England, World Without End by Ken Follett centers around the town of Kingsbridge and follows the lives of the descendants of Jack and Alien from Pillars of the Earth. Twenty years after Follett wrote Pillars of the Earth and after numerous requests from fans to write a sequel, Follett decided […]
Filed under: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Reviews on March 15th, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Relief
Pronunciation: [ri-leef]
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English relef, relief, from Anglo-French from relever to relieve
1) The fee paid by the heir of a deceased person on securing possession of a fief. Tradition determines the amount demanded.
2) A fine paid by the heir of a vassal to the lord for the privilege of succeeding to an estate.
(Gies, […]
Filed under: Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on March 14th, 2008 | No Comments »
Bernard Cornwell’s new historical fiction novel Azincourt is expected to be released this October (2008) in the UK. The US version will not come out until January of 2009 most likely. The novel will be a stand-alone, not a series, and will obviously cover the events surrounding the famous Battle of Agincourt in October of 1415. […]
Filed under: Bernard Cornwell, Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary News on March 13th, 2008 | No Comments »
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
Product Details:
Paperback - 720 pages
Publisher - Ballantine Books (1993)
Average Customer Review on Amazon - 5 stars
Novel Description:
Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England’s ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king’s beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant […]
Filed under: Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fiction on March 11th, 2008 | 4 Comments »
I almost exclusively stick to medieval history when posting on my site, but I’m curious about the new movie 10,000 B.C. The story follows the life of young hunter whose love interest is taken captive, and then he sets out with a small group to pursue the captors and save her. The movie premiered this […]
Filed under: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Books and Movies on March 10th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Retinue
Pronunciation: [ret-n-oo, -yoo]
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English retenue, from Anglo-French, from feminine of retenu, past participle of retenir to retain
a) small troop of fighting men of all types raised on the estate of a knight
b) body of persons “retained” in the service of a noble or royal personage
Filed under: Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on March 7th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
