Edmund II, the son of King Ethelred the Unready, ruled over Wessex for a short period of time. His reign lasted all of seven months, from April 23 to November 30 of the year 1016. During that time, Edmund managed to hold off Canute (or Cnut or Knute) from invading and capturing Wessex. Edmund fought […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on September 10th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
He was the pious king, the saintly king, one of the last Anglo-Saxon rulers to sit the English throne. He was St. Edward the Confessor, the son of King Ethelred II and Emma, the daughter of Richard II of Normandy. Exiled due to Danish invasions and unrest among the English nobility, Ethelred’s family took refuge […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on August 12th, 2009 | 17 Comments »
The power vacuum left after the deaths of King Henry I and his only legitimate son, William, resulted in a power struggle between Henry’s nephew, Stephen of Blois, and Henry’s daughter, Matilda. Before Henry’s death, the barons had agreed to support Matilda as the next ruler of England, but instead backed Stephen when the time […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on June 6th, 2009 | No Comments »
Henry I (1068 - 1135) was the fourth son of William the Conqueror, and might never have become king if not for the rebellious nature of his eldest brother (Robert Curthose) and the untimely deaths of his other two brothers (Richard and William Rufus). It is even speculated that Henry had something to do with […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on May 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
Robert Curthose (Robert II), Duke of Normandy (b. 1054 - d. 1134)
The eldest son of William the Conqueror and Maltida of Flanders, Robert Curthose was the likely successor to his father’s estates in Normandy. His unstable temperament and rebellious nature, however, led to his expulsion and exile to Italy, after two unsuccessful attempts at overthrowing […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on April 20th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Cerdic arrived off the coast of Britain with his son, Cynric, and a fleet of five ships in the year 495 and landed near Southhampton (Hampshire), or what the chronicle calls “Cerdic’s-ore.” That day, they fought against an army of Welsh troops.
In the year 508, Cerdic’s army slew Natanleod, a […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on April 7th, 2009 | No Comments »
The Capetians, called the Robertinians in earlier generations, ruled medieval France from 987 to 1328. A powerful family in the West Frankish Kingdom, the Capetians were likely of Saxon origin, migrating from the Rhine-Meuse region some time in the early 8th century. For several generations the Robertinians, descendants of Count Robert I, ruled as counts […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on January 27th, 2009 | No Comments »
The Angles and Saxons arrived in England sometime during the 5th century, not long after Rome had fled the island and left the Britons to fight against their northern aggressors, the Picts. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in A.D. 449:
In their days Hengest and Horsa, invited by Wurtgern, king of the Britons to his assistance, […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 24th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Charles Martel (b. 688 - d. 741) was the founder of the Carolingian dynasty and ruler of the Franks during the early 8th century. He was born near Liege around 688 to Pepin II of Heristal and Pepin’s mistress Alpaide. Tested militarily in his youth, Charles fought against his half-brothers after his father’s death, but […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 13th, 2008 | No Comments »
In my recent short story The Sea-Ghost, I make mention of William de Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. The following is a brief biographical sketch about him.
William de Longespée (also known as “Longsword”) was an English noble born in 1176, and he was the illegitimate son of Henry II, the King of England from 1154 […]
Filed under: People, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on September 1st, 2008 | 5 Comments »
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