Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots - The Men Who Kept the Stuart Queen

Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots - The Men Who Kept the Stuart Queen written by

Mickey Mayhew and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 224

Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots covers the lives and careers of the men and women who

‘kept’ Mary Queen of Scots when she was a political prisoner in England, circa 1568/9-1587.

Mary’s troubled claim to the English throne - much to the consternation of her ‘dear cousin’

Elizabeth I - made her a mortal enemy of the aforementioned Virgin Queen and set them on

a collision course from which only one would walk away. Mary’s calamitous personal life,

encompassing assassinations, kidnaps and abdications, sent her careering into England

and right into the lap of Henry VIII’s shrewd but insecure daughter. Having no choice but

keep Mary under lock and key, Elizabeth trusted this onerous task to some of the most

capable - not to mention the richest - men and women in England; Sir Francis Knollys, Rafe

Sadler (of Wolf Hall fame), the Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, and finally,

the puritanical nit-picker Sir Amyas Paulet. Until now, these nobles have been mere bit-

players in Mary’s story; now, their own lives, loves and fortunes are laid bare for all to see.

From Carlisle Castle to Fotheringay, these men and women all but bankrupted themselves in keeping the deposed Scots queen in the style to which she was accustomed, whilst fending off countless escape plots of which Mary herself was often the author. With the sort of twist that history excels at, it was in fact a honeytrap escape plot set up by Elizabeth’s ministers that finally saw Mary brought to the executioner’s block, but what of the lives of the gaolers who had until then acted as her guardian? This book explains how Shrewsbury and Bess saw their marriage wrecked by Mary’s legendary charms, and how Sir Amyas Paulet ended up making a guest appearance on ‘Most Haunted’, some several hundred years after his death. In that theme, the book also covers the appearances of these men and women on film and TV, in novels and also the various other Mary-related media that help keep simmering the legend of this most misunderstood of monarchs.

An excellent book looking at the various imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots who

needed to be kept safe/imprisoned securely in order to be able to execute her. This

would obviously take a lot of work and commitment especially if you were the family

entrusted with keeping her captive. This would have big effect on some people who

had to look after her, both financially and with regard to the relationships, the captors

already had. This book was full of wide range of stories all quite interesting and I felt

not really the usual we get in these types of history books. I really enjoy this author

Mickey Mayhew’s writing, and although a little different to his previous book House

of Tudor was still just as good. I enjoyed the profiles of all the main people in the

back of the book along with an excellent bibliography. A book, very well worth a read.

Armies of Plantagenet England, 1135–1337

Armies of Plantagenet England, 1135–1337 written by Gabriele Esposito and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 184

 

The ascent of the Plantagenets to the English throne in 1154 led to the beginning of a new

historical phase in the British Isles, which was marked by numerous wars that were fought

between the Kingdom of England and the 'Celtic nations' of Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

During the rule of the Norman kings, the English armies had not completed the conquest

of Wales and had established only some footholds in Ireland; Scotland was still independent

and was ready to contest the Plantagenets’ possession of northern England. As a result of

this situation, the two centuries between the rise of the new dynasty and the beginning of

the Hundred Years’ War were characterised by a series of wars that ravaged feudal England.

Gabriele Esposito covers all these conflicts, following the campaigns of Richard the Lionheart

as well as those of his younger brother who was defeated on the continent at the large Battle

of Bouvines; the conquest of Wales is analysed in detail, as well as the First Scottish War of

Independence that saw William Wallace playing a prominent role. The organization and

equipment of all the troop types taken into account is described in full detail and lavishly

illustrated with colour images of reenactors, bringing these forces to life.

 

Gabriele Esposito has written a complete and informative book here, looking at the armies, soldiers, tactics and weaponry based around the English Plantagenet Armies. These were the armies that cover the first fighting in Wales, Ireland and the first Scottish wars. The book covers a lot of history and leading Royals which is good to read and helps give the reader a good, solid knowledge of this period of time in medieval history affecting the home nations and their relationships between them. The author covers the weapons, armies and strategies used by the various Kings of the time and what also supported the text was some good photography of a number of re-enactors dressed in accurate uniforms with weapons too. Very informative and ideal for someone who wants a comprehensive book.

Outlander and the Real Jacobites

Outlander and the Real Jacobites written by Shona Kinsella and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 224

Outlander has brought the story of the 1745 Jacobite uprising to the popular imagination, but

who were the Jacobites, really? Explore this pivotal moment in Scottish history, visiting some

of the key locations from Jamie and Claire’s travels. Discover what clan life was really like,

read about medicine in the 1700s and find out whether the red coats were really as bad as

Jack Randall. Meet Bonnie Prince Charlie and explore how he managed to inspire an uprising

from France and then storm England with a force of no more than 5,000 soldiers. Witness

the battle of Culloden and what really happened there, before exploring the aftermath of this

final attempt for a Stuart restoration.

This book looks at the rise of the Jacobite nation in the mid-1700s, looking at various aspects of life for the Jacobites during this time and the uprising against the English, which was played in a number of films/programmes such as Outlander. You often find with films/programmes based on history can often be romanticised but having read a number of books on the Jacobite rebellion this book does a good job in documenting events and being quite accurate historically. I must admit that I have not watched the Outlander series, so I can’t comment on any comparisons. A series usually has to be very well received if it’s a history-based series for me to watch it, but from this book, I found it very informative, detailed and well written so maybe I should try and watch the series. A good honest read and I would say it would go down well with television fans of the series.  

The Welsh Braveheart

The Welsh Braveheart - The Last Prince of Wales written by Phil Carradice and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 216

Like William Wallace in Scotland, Owain Glyndwr fought for his country and was only finally defeated by superior numbers and the military genius of Henry V. Yet Glyndwr was not just a freedom fighter. He was the last native-born Prince of Wales, a man who initiated the first Welsh Parliament at Machynlleth and proposed an entirely independent Welsh church.

Glyndwr also laid plans for two Welsh universities, proposed a return to the far sighted and revolutionary Laws of Hywel Dda and formed a Tripartite Agreement with Henry Percy and Edmund Mortimer. It led to an invasion of England and nearly brought the reign of Henry V to an end.

And yet, despite his success and popularity, Glyndwr's rebellion seriously damaged the Welsh economy with towns destroyed and much agricultural land laid to waste. Even so, he was never betrayed by his people, despite a huge reward being offered for his capture.

Glyndwr refused at least two offers of pardon from the English crown and remains the supreme champion of the underdog.

The only bad point I found about this book was the title, The Welsh Braveheart. While this isn’t really a negative about the book or for those that like to read history. It’s the association with William Wallace, there is nothing wrong with the man, strong, independent, a man who wanted the best for his country, just like Owain Glyndwr did. It's the modern day association with Mel Gibson, who starred in the morally corrupt and historically inaccurate film Braveheart, which I think stands as one of the most disparaged films in history when it comes to historical content. This is all from a book blogger who was born in Scotland and has spent the last 20 years living in Wales.

But on a lighter note and something Pen & Sword will want to concentrate more on. This was a really good read from start to finish, it is so good to read more books about Welsh figures, especially when the book can be written by Phil Carradice, who I know writes a lot about Welsh history. His books are always so clear and easy to read, when you are not Welsh the language and the names can feel a little intimidating but you don’t feel that with a Carradice book. Excellently explained story and facts, certainly a book I would champion to one and all, and I would love to see more books about Welsh leaders and heroes.