ONCE AGAIN ON THE FOOTSTEPS OF RICHARD III - ENGLAND SUMMER 2013

Leicester

My recent journey through England was again partly on the footsteps of Richard III, like two years ago. Today is the anniversary of  King Richard's death in battle at Bosworth , 22nd August 1485,  and I think it is the perfect occasion to share with you some facts and pictures from the interesting sites I visited in July.

Leicester

This time last year (25 August 2012) work began on the excavation of the Greyfriars car park and the remains of King Richard III were finally rediscovered. Screenwriter Philippa Langley inaugurated the search for the king's lost grave as part of her research into the real Richard for a screenplay. 

The University of Leicester and Leicester City Council, with the support of the Richard III Society, excavated the site. During the course of the excavation, the skeleton of an adult male was discovered after just a few days. Surprisingly,  the first human remains found were proved to be, beyond all reasonable doubt, those of King Richard III through radiocarbon dating and DNA tests.

THE WHITE QUEEN AND A GREAT KING, RICHARD III.

The Three York Brothers: Richard, George and Edward

Regular readers of FLY HIGH! know how much I've come to love King Richard III and that I have started a personal quest in search for the real man and ruler - as opposed to Shakespeare's villain - in the latest years. After several readings and trips and journeys to England, I've become a convinced Ricardian. 

For instance, my interest in the last Plantagenet king has taken me to Leicester last month, to visit the place where his remains had been found few months earlier and even made me watch BBC The White Queen. 

RICHARD III AND THE OTHER ANNE - AUTHOR GUEST POST BY ELIZABETH ASHWORTH

Hornby Castle

Much is made in fiction, and sometimes non-fiction, about the love between King Richard III and his wife, Anne Neville. But Anne Neville was not the only woman in Richard’s life. He had at least one mistress and two illegitimate children – John and Katherine.

Historian Rosemary Horrox has suggested that Katherine Haute may have been Richard’s mistress.  She received an annuity from Richard of 100 shillings per year for life. The reason for the grant is not recorded, but as Richard’s daughter was given the same name, Katherine, it led Horrox to suggest that Haute may have been the child’s mother.

THE WAR OF THE ROSES IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA SERIES: THE WHITE QUEEN

I'm really excited for this new BBC drama series based on Philippa Gregory's novels  set during what she calls The Cousins' War , that is The War of the Roses.  THE WHITE QUEEN debuts tomorrow Sunday 16 June at 9 p.m. on BBC1 and will go on for 10 episodes. 

The 10-hour production blends in one series three of the novels by Ms Gregory: The Red Queen, The White Queen and The Kingmakers' Daughter. 

I've actually read only two of the three books and only liked the last one telling the story from Anne Neville's point of view. I'm a Ricardian, you know, and I'm really looking forward to my first Richard III in a TV series after a glimpse of him in an very old period drama I saw on Italian TV when I was a child, "La freccia nera", which was an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Black Arrow." I really hope they do him justice. We need to see him differently from what the Tudor propaganda made up and Shakespeare portrayed in his  eternal lines.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - ANNE EASTER SMITH, ROYAL MISTRESS BLOG TOUR - IF HISTORY WERE TAUGHT IN THE FORM OF STORIES

My guest today is Anne Easter Smith.  A native of England, Anne spent some of her childhood in Germany and Egypt and the rest at boarding school. She came to the US in the late ‘60s for two years and is still here, living in Newburyport, MA with her husband, Scott. Anne is the author of five novels about the York family in the Wars of the Roses, all published by Touchstone at Simon & Schuster. She has been a secretary, a PBS auction coordinator, the features editor at a daily newspaper, a folksinger and the administrator at a music school. When she is not writing, Anne is usually to be found either acting or directing in community theater productions, beach-walking, practicing yoga, or watching “Mad Men.” Her latest novel, Royal Mistress has just been published and she's here today to share her passion for history, the Ricardian cause and writing with us. Join me and welcome Anne at FLY HIGH! 

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere, Anne. It’s a pleasure and an honour to have you as my very special guest on FLY HIGH!

This is my first question. I know you love quoting Rudyard Kipling with his “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten." Does that mean we can learn the truth about our past and roots reading historical novels more than or as well as researching on documents?

I wouldn’t say that! Of course you will gain far more by reading the chronicles, letters and histories of the period. But what historical fiction does is bring those people to life and perhaps give you an appetite for doing more research on your own. However, just like watching a bio-pic on TV -- you shouldn’t believe everything you see. I try very hard never to have a person in the wrong place at the wong time--I will do my best to see if there is any evidence that someone was or was not at a certain castle when I want them to be, but I will not mess with history. If I cannot find anything that says Cecily Neville never met Joan of Arc, but the research tells me these two women were in the same building at the same time (one in the royal apartments and the other in the dungeon) then I feel it’s plausible that they did meet. As a reader of Historical Fiction, I think you have to learn to recognize a writer who respects the history rather than one who, with one obvious anachronism, can have me throwing a book across a room! If you question something in an historical novel, then go and seek out the truth in the non-fiction shelves. Fiction is fiction after all!

A DANGEROUS INHERITANCE BY ALISON WEIR - BOOK REVIEW

"I can never forget the day they brought me the news that my sister's head had been cut off. I was not yet thirteen, too young fully to understand why she had to die, but old enough to imagine the horrific scene at the end. They said she had committed treason, the foulest of all crimes, but it didn't make any sense to me for Jane had only done what she was forced to do. and by that reasoning, I too had been an innocent traitor, just as she was."

This is the opening of this incredible novel I've just finished reading. The young girl in distress for her sister's horrible, unfair death is Katherine Grey, only 13 at the time her sibling was crowned Queen of England for nine days only to be  sentenced to death as a traitor soon after by Queen Mary Tudor  (1554). After Jane’s death,  also the life of Katherine Grey will be full of sorrows and pains in her constant attempt to pursue  true love as well as  the recognition of her status as heiress to the throne of England. She will have to fight against a fierce and very powerful rival, Queen Elizabeth I,   who saw her as a danger to her rule.

Lady Katherine Grey’s fate is intertwined with the story of another unlucky young royal child, Kate Plantagenet, Richard III’s  illegitimate daughter.  Katherine Grey finds her miniature portrait and a diary, and starts feeling sympathy for whom she imagined to be,  like her,  an unhappy victim of a dangerous inheritance: they both have their destinies signed by their having royal blood running through their veins.

The two stories develop onto parallel levels, distant in time, but so close in human suffering. Both girls will have to fight in the pursuit of true love: being of royal blood, a marriage for love is highly improbable for them. They have to marry for state reasons, they have to accept what parents and monarchs choose for them. The two  different levels of the narration offer a privileged perspective on historical figures and facts: Kate Plantagenet lived at Richard III’s court after his marriage to Anne Neville, while Katherine Grey is part of the Tudor family, cousin to Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth and always kept close to the court by all of them in order to check her movements as a possible contender.

The two stories merge into a quest for the truth about the tragic fate of the Princes in the Tower, after Richard III’s coronation as king of England. Kate wants to purge her father tainted fame after his death at Bosworth, even risking her own life,  and Katherine Grey, imprisoned like the young Princes in the Bell Tower  by Elizabeth I,   will try to get to the truth thanks to Kate’s diary.

Is the mystery solved in the end? You’ll have to check that out yourself reading the book. I’m not revealing any further detail.

PHILIPPA GREGORY, THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER - MY REVIEW

Anne Neville and her sister Isabel are daughters of the most powerful magnate in 15th century England, the Earl of Warwick, nicknamed the "kingmaker". Ever ruthless, always plotting, in the absence of a son and heir. Warwick sets about using his daughters as pawns in his vicious political games.

Anne grows from a delightful child, brought up at the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Her life is overturned when her father turns on his former allies, escapes England and invades with an enemy army. Widowed at fourteen, fatherless, with her mother locked in sanctuary and her sister a vengeful enemy, Anne faces the world alone.

But fortune's wheel  turns once again. Anne plots her escape from her sister's house, finds herself a husband in the handsome young Duke of Gloucester, and marries without permission, in secret. But danger still follows her. She finds that she has a mortal enemy in the most beautiful queen of England. Anne has to protect herself and her precious only son from the treacherous royal court, the deadly royal rival, and even from the driving ambition of her husband - Richard III.

This is not my first fictionalised Anne Neville's account of the facts which involved her in The Cousins' War , nor my first Richard III novel. However, I was totally absorbed in this new version of the story by Philippa Gregory and even often surprised by her choices. As much as I disliked her The White Queen, I really liked her latest The Kingmaker's Daughter. Especially the second half of the book.

LOOKING FOR RICHARD III - LATEST NEWS AND COLLECTIVE READING OF THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR

Great news in the search for King Richard III's resting place. Yesterday the experts of the University of Leicester  officially announced  that the Greyfriars Project, which has attracted extraordinary global media attention over the past three weeks, had to date uncovered fascinating archaeological evidence. Key was the discovery of the lost medieval church of the Grey Friars where Richard is recorded as being buried after his death at the Battle of Bosworth. Moreover University archaeologists confirmed the discovery of human remains at the site (read the official announcement)

RICHARD III - SOME TOUCH OF PITY AND THE SEARCH FOR HIS RESTING PLACE IN LEICESTER

1. Rhoda Edwards, Some Touch of Pity. Book Review

“No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.”

(William Shakespeare, Richard III)

Another well written historical fiction novel about Richard III. Although this book is out of print  I managed to get  a used copy through Amazon.com and at a very special price. It is not my first Richard III novel since I started my quest for the real King. It is my fifth novel since, a couple of years ago,  I  joined the many loyal Ricardians who want to wipe off the stained reputation the Tudors stuck on Richard III after his defeat.

In 1976 Rhoda Edwards (author of another Ricardian novel, Fortune's Wheel)  won the Yorkshire Post’s Best First Work Award for this novel, Some Touch of Pity (The Broken Sword in the US edition) which was  her first work of historical fiction about King Richard III.

The peculiarity of Some Touch of Pity is that it  is  presented as a series of first person narrations of the key events in the last two years in the life of Richard III (March 1483 – August 1485)  We follow the compelling accounts of Lady Anne before and after becoming the Queen of England; King Richard himself; the King’s physician, Dr William Hobbes ; Sir Francis  Lovell, Richard’s best friend;   Robert Bolman a clerk in the Privy Seal Office; Lady Elizabeth, daughter of King Edward IV (King Richard’s niece and future wife to  Henry Tudor); George Stanley, Lord Strange; and finally a Squire of Sir William Stanley.

RICHARD III URGENT ARCHAELOGY APPEAL

What follows is an appeal in aid of the archaeological search for the lost grave of King Richard III from Philippa Langley. Philippa  is a screenwriter and founder, in 1999, of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society. Concurrently with this archaeological project she is preparing a script about the real Richard III. Here's what Philippa wishes to inform Ricardians and  friends about: 

After the battle of Bosworth, Richard III was interred in the choir of Greyfriars church in the centre of Leicester. Ten years later Henry VII had the remains placed in an alabaster tomb where they remained until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In late August 2012 archaeologists are due to excavate the site which, after exhaustive investigations, is believed to be his most likely last resting place, in the Choir of the former Church of the Greyfriars. 

New map regression analysis and Ground Penetrating Radar have helped to pinpoint the location, and it is here that the first-ever search for the grave of an anointed King of England will begin.

READING ABOUT RICHARD III ON BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE ( MAY ISSUE)

Look at this bizarre cover (left). Actually, I was not  attracted by it but by the central title: Richard III. Why Shakespeare made him a devil. Yes, this is the question we've wondered about more than once in our Ricardian quest: Why did Shakespeare make him a devil? Why did he choose to depict the last Plantagenet king, dead at Bosworth defending his crown against Richmond (future king Henry VII) in 1485, as the archetype of the tyrannical usurper and the most wicked  of his  villains? 

His Tragedy of Richard III,  was first performed on an Elizabethan stage in 1592-93 among religious tensions, fears of civil war and foreign invasion provoked by the unresolved succession to Queen Elizabeth I. The queen was then 60 years old, single, childless and king  James VI of Scotland would succeed her on the throne after her death in 1603. 

Shakespeare's Tragedy of Richard III was so influential that it characterized and shaped how history would look at those events for the centuries to come. But it's time we know why that happened , if there is a why.

JUDITH ARNOPP'S HISTORICAL FICTION NOVELS - GIVEAWAY WINNER

Judith Arnopp was my  guest here on FLY HIGH with an interesting piece about King Richard III's Queen, Anne Neville. Have you read it? (HERE)

Linked to the post there was an incredible giveaway : a book of your choice (e-book or paperback) among the several ones written by Judith Arnopp.

This quick post is to announce the name of the winner, of course. The commenter who won in this giveaway contest has chosen the paperback edition of The Forest Dwellers and her name is ... Natasha! 

Congratulation!!!

KING RICHARD III 'S QUEEN: ANNE NEVILLE - GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY BY JUDITH ARNOPP

Anne Neville

If, like me, you are an avid reader of historical novels you may be forgiven for thinking that we know a great deal about Anne Neville, the youngest daughter of Richard Neville, The Duke of Warwick, known historically as The Kingmaker.

I’m trusting the picture on the left does not do her justice but it seems to be the best we have of her. In truth, the details we have about Anne are very few and her movements can only be traced via the records of the men who lived their lives around her. Her thoughts and feelings can only be guessed at although, what information we do have of her, suggests her life was one of tremendous upheaval and suffering.

She was little more than a pawn, married off at around the age of fourteen to the Lancastrian heir, Edward, son of Henry VI, to seal Warwick’s alliance with Margaret of Anjou when he turned against his king, Edward IV. At around the same time, and to the same end, her sister, Isabel, was married to George, the Duke of Clarence, disloyal younger brother of the king.

What Anne herself made of her first marriage we shall never know, her feelings were not important enough to warrant recording or even speculating upon but she would have been raised to loath and distrust the Lancastrian faction and, to find herself suddenly part of it, must have been greatly disturbing.

FANSTRAVAGANZA 3: RICHARD III IN MOVIES OR ... WHY WE WANT A NEW KING RICHARD

Visit the site King Richard Armitage

I became an eager fan of this project as soon as I heard about it while watching an  interview with Richard Armitage at GMTV (3rd October 2007). Now, not only I signed the petition but I also started researching about Richard III and reading history books as well as historical fiction dedicated to him. I've also invited Ricardians and historical fiction writers to write for FLY HIGH to support the cause and I go on, fingers and toes crossed, hoping the project comes true sooner more than later. Of course, I'm talking about Richard Armitage's dream of producing and interpreting a new Richard III.
"And why do we need Richard Armitage's King Richard III project come true?", you might ask. Well, not only because it would be incredibly good to see our favourite actor achieve one of his dreams and ambitious goals -  one for which he has been working, reading and planning for years now - but also because the other Richard, King Richard III,   deserves the acknowledgement of how wronged he has been after his defeat at Bosworth (1485) by Shakespeare's portrayal and, especially, by the Tudor propaganda.
It's rather time people substitute the popular image of the deformed, hunchbacked, wickedly scheming murderer with a more balanced portrait, closer to the historical reality.
This is what Richard Armitage has been dreaming about in the latest years: a fictional,  biographical TV series proposing a new Richard III based on the belief that he was  probably one of the best king England has ever had. A prequel to The Tudors.

LATEST GIVEAWAY CONTESTS - WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR GISBORNE AND THE BOAR

 1. The Boar (Il Cinghiale) by Cecilia Latella
(from my review) This graphic tale focuses on the passionate love story between Richard III and the Earl of Warwick's younger daughter, Anne Neville. The story starts with a hunting scene, Richard is just a boy allowed by his father to hunt for the first time: he kills a boar. And a white boar will become his symbol once he is Duke of Gloucester, then king  Richard III.

The story is narrated from a very personal angle , focusing on the tormented, guilt-ridden soul of Richard Plantagenet  first as a boy, then as  a young man  and finally as an adult. The leitmotiv is his longing for Anne, his only love. She is the strength and light in his life, once she is no longer with him,  he will lose his will to go on living. Bosworth victory is not a merit of smart Henry Tudor, but a battle lost by a man already defeated by life.The historical facts, battles and politics,  are just hinted at:  it is mainly a romance made up of flashes with many shifts in time. 
Giveaway winners : The paperback copy in Italian has been won by Giada M.  and the e-book copy in English goes instead to Debra Brown 

2. Gisborne - Book of Pawns by Prue Batten (from my review)  Gisborne and Ysabel will be side by side in a long journey, an unfolding ride through Aquitaine and England, filled with unwanted self discovery and unwilling bonding with each other. Theirs is not a smooth, easy relationship. It will be taunted by her prejudices and lack of trust in him and his unwillingness to open to her. However, they will not be able to loose that strong, instinctive tie made of lust, passion and empathy.  She will have to face her mother’s death, her father’s financial ruin, the marriage to a brutal man, and she must grow up while trying to drown her memories of Gisborne in a sea of misunderstanding, rage and mistrust. She is sure he sold her to Benedict De Courcey, the man who ruined her father. She should only hate Gisborne but it will not be as simple as that.
Giveaway winner: Lauren Gilbert
Many thanks to Cecilia Latella and Prue Batten for their kindness and for providing the copies for these giveaways Grateful thanks to all the readers who commented and entered the contests.
You can get your copy of The Boar at lulu.com. You 'll find Gisborne on amazon Kindle store.

CECILIA LATELLA ABOUT RICHARD III - INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Cecilia Latella is my guest today to talk about her interest in Richard III and  about her comic book dedicated to him, The Boar (Read my review HERE)

Cecilia Latella was born in Naples in 1981. She has always loved stories of heroes and knights, so that her first comic, drew when she was in elementary school, was a short version of the Odyssey. While at university she has outlined 948 pages of a fantasy saga entitled Asanor. After her PhD in Comparative Literatures, she has returned to comics, writing and drawing The Boar, a biography of Richard III, that was self-published and presented in Lucca '09. In 2010, she was selected by Craig Thompson for a graphic novels residency that took place at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Florida. She is currently working as art director for the MAD Entertainment animation studio and is continuing to draw comics for a series of indipendent writers.

Richard III - Saint and Wicked by Cecilia Latella

Where does your interest in Richard III and the Ricardian cause come from? A book, a movie, a college course?

The first time I met the figure of Richard III was in the comic book adaptation of The Black Arrow by Gianni De Luca. I was 13 at the time. In it, as in Stevenson’s novel, Richard is described as a young captain, ruthless but at the same time following his own code of honour. Plus, he is superbly drawn (De Luca was and is one of my favourite artists). I was hooked in particular by the last scene, in which he regrets not being able to enjoy a normal, happy life. After that, I started looking for more stories featuring Richard III.

Which was the book /film/play that made the difference for you?

I’d lie if I didn’t admit that Shakespeare’s Richard III was a major factor of my fascination. I read it after The Black Arrow and it was a blast. I fell in love with Richard’s way with words, his wit and his black humour. I’ve always been fascinated by ambiguous characters, and Richard was the peak of charming villains. Then I found, by chance, an abridged version of Jean Plaidy’s The Reluctant Queen, and as easily as I was hit by Richard as villain, I accepted his version

MY TOP TEN CLASSIC LOVE STORIES

Download free DA cards at Chad Thomas's site

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! Are you happily celebrating? No? Like me trying to cope with  the great deal of messages and hearts sent to you? Joking. I must be honest: I've never loved this day's celebrations and all the marketing activity connected. So, why am I here?  Because I am really fond of love and of great love stories.  Especially the unforgettable ones from classic literature.

These are the first 10  that come to my mind if you ask me. Well, I know you didn't, but I'm afraid you must be patient, because I've asked that myself and I'm going to write about them. I'm also very curious to know what yours are. If not 10, at least one, your best favourite. Do you feel like sharing with us here on FLY HIGH?

1. Mr Thornton and Margaret's love story in Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.
Did any of you doubted that? My regular readers expected this for sure.

 They know how much I love this novel and that I've always found this beautiful romance blossoming in such an unusual, complex environment  very intriguing. For several different reasons. A curiosity: reading this book, I've always related to John and felt for him. Never for Margaret.  When he got the woman, I feel his pride and his gratification. Is that ... normal?

THE BOAR - A COMIC BOOK ABOUT RICHARD III BY CECILIA LATELLA

In my constant quest for real Richard III, I've found out this graphic tale online. It is by an Italian  artist who happens to be also a Ricardian with a degree and Phd in Foreign Languages and Literatures. Cecilia Latella has been a Richard III fan since she read Robert Louis Stevenson' s The Black Arrow at 13. Later on,  she studied English Language and Literature at University in Italy where she researched, wrote and discussed a thesis about Richard III. 

She works in a graphic studio now. You can visit her at  Holy Grail Comics, her blog.

In the preface to  The Boar  (first published in Italian as Il cinghiale)  she tells how she came to create a comic about Richard III: "I joined the Society in 2003-4 and in June 2008 I had the lucky chance to take part in the Ricardian Rover organized by the American Branch. During the long rides from site to site, to keep myself busy, I started doodling little scenes featuring Richard, who has

ME + RA + RICHARD III - AN INTERVIEW

I'm a visiting guest today at King Richard Armitage .   This is a site supporting Richard Armitage‘s dream project of producing a Richard III TV series by signing a Petition.

A group of very active supporters want to use the collective voice of the Richard Armitage fanbase to demonstrate to potential investors that there is already a global audience for this project. There is an active online community of bloggers and webmasters who will promote its launch and an ever-expanding loyal fanbase who will watch the series.

To revise this king’s negative and ill-deserved image in popular culture and pay tribute to his legacy, Richard Armitage has more than once expressed interest in developing a major film/television project that is envisioned as a prequel to The Tudors, a television series that aired on Showtime and BBC. 

This project is a deeply personal one for Richard, who was born on the day that Richard III died (August 22) and named after the king by his father.

I was glad to answer some questions about my interest in both Richard and, of course, I signed the petition. I would love to see this project come true. What about you? Have you signed the petition? Would you like a TV series proposing and popularizing a totally new image of Richard III?

I'll wait for you at KRA site to sign the petition and to read my interview

Thank you!

ANNE O'BRIEN: RICARDIAN JEWELS ... TOUCHING THE PAST - AUTHOR GUESTPOST & GIVEAWAY

Middleham Castle - Yorkshire

Anne O'Brien, the author of The Virgin Widow and  Devil's Consort (Queen Defiant in the US edition),  is my guest today with a new post for my Richard III series. "Ricardian Jewels ... Touching the past" is an intriguing post about medieval jewellery found out at Middleham Castle and  exhibited in York Museum. Who did the fine jewel belong to? What is the story behind it? 

Read and enjoy Anne's article. There's an extraordinary giveaway for you at the end of this blogpost. Discover which of her books you can win and how... 

Ricardian Jewels ... Touching the Past 

I find the whole subject of medieval jewellery fascinating.  How remarkable when we discover a ring or a brooch that has existed for hundreds of years, and we can actually trace who once owned it.  A jewel that was touched or worn or treasured by someone who lived so long ago allows us to reach out and actually touch the past.  When I researched the lives of Anne Neville and Richard of Gloucester for my novel Virgin Widow, I hoped to find some personal possessions to make these two special people come alive for me.