Category: Chroniclers

Boudica

1/6/2017

Boudica was the name given to the leader of the Iceni tribe by Tacitus the second-century Roman chronicler, it is thought to be the only contemporary use of the name. The name Boadicia was used in 1534 by Polydore Vergil and then used by other historians in later centuries.

As with many battles in our history, the site and the exact date Boudica's last battle is not known. The date of 60/61 is considered to the be the year it took place, and the site where this female warrior took on an army is thought to have been in the middle of England.

Boudica was long forgotten, however it was during the Victorian era that she was resurrected. The name Boudica means 'victory', and it has been suggested that Queen Victoria was named after her. I can see why this idea is popular, but the fact that Boudica was fighting against an empire and the Victorians were taking areas of the world to build theirs seems wrong somehow.

Her rape, and that of her daughters is thought to have been Boudica motivation of her cause, bringing together the indigenous tribes of Britain against the might of the Roman empire.

Roman historian Tacitus wrote of what Boudica said that day:

'it is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far that not our very persons, nor even age or virginity, are left unpolluted. But heaven is on the side of a righteous vengeance; a legion which dared to fight has perished; the rest are hiding themselves in their camp, or are thinking anxiously of flight. They will not sustain even the din and the shout of so many thousands, much less our charge and our blows. If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see that in this battle you must conquer or die. This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves.'

and he also wrote that Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman leader addressing his troops said:

"Ignore the racket made by these savages. There are more women than men in their ranks. They are not soldiers, they're not even properly equipped. We've beaten them before and when they see our weapons and feel our spirit, they'll crack. Stick together. Throw the javelins, then push forward: knock them down with your shields and finish them off with your swords. Forget about plunder. Just win and you'll have everything."

It is unlikely that these are the exact words spoken, and it would not be the last time we would read a bias report of an event by a historian is it?

Was Tacitus placing Boudica on a pedestal so that in the eyes of his Roman readers their mighty army could knock her down and put Britain in its place?

The Roman's were not stupid, they did learn a lesson, they were more careful when dealing with the British and its people after that. In this famous battle the Roman army was massively outnumbered but it was their strength and superior weapons that enabled them to inflict such a crushing defeat.

So what happened to Boudica? Well, we have to rely on Taticus again, he writes that she took poison, preferring to kill herself rather than face capture.

Maybe Boudica's fate was like that of the Welsh hero Owen Glyndwr or Cornish King Arthur, both men disappeared after a battle without a trace, after which they were never heard of again. Maybe, like the Welsh and the Cornish expected of their heroes, Boudica will one day appear to save us from our enemies.

Boudicca was the name given to the leader of the Iceni tribe by Tacitus the second-century Roman chronicler, it is thought to be the only contemporary use of the name. The name Boadicia was used in 1534 by Polydore Vergil and then used by other historians in later centuries.

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King Henry I

30/11/2016

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Henry of Huntington, the 12th century English chronicler wrote that Henry I was endowed with three gifts, that of wisdom,
victory and riches, but he also writes that these were offset with three vices, avarice, cruelty and lust.

Henry was cruel, on one occasion he sanctioned an act of vengeance, ordering the blinding of his own granddaughters when
he discovered a similar atrocity had befallen the son of one of his courtiers. In 1124, he had 44 thieves hanged on the same day. Henry the lustful he most certainly was, however, Henry the romantic he was not despite the stories we've heard of the Welsh beauty Nest ferch Rhys and his long-term mistress Sybil Corbit. Henry worked his way through a stream of women, from other men's wives to abbesses. He did acknowledge fifteen illegitimate children, the sons he placed in important positions and the daughters he married off to wealthy nobles, the others, another nine or so he had little or no time for.

Henry's ability to father children goes without question, it is a puzzle then, that with his first wife Matilda, he only fathered two children in their eighteen-year marriage and he fathered none with his second wife, the very young and beautiful Adeliza of Louvain in their fifteen years of marriage.

Henry was a good administrator, and as we have seen he was cruel and harsh, he demanded loyalty but was known to return
the latter to those who served him well, the result of which was from 1103 until his death, there were no significant uprisings during his reign.

The beginning of the end of Henry's thirty-five years on the throne of England came in the November of 1135 at a hunting
lodge at Lyons la Foret in France when death knocked on his door. According to his doctors, Henry had been well, but Henry
of Huntingdon wrote the king became ill during the night after

he partook of some lampreys, of which he was fond, though they always disagreed with him; and though his physician recommended him to abstain, the king would not submit to his salutary advice… This repast bringing on ill humours,
and violently exciting similar symptoms, caused a sudden and extreme disturbance, under which his aged frame sunk
into adeathly torpor

A few days later, on the 1st December the king was dead, as was the stability of his realm.

Henry I was buried at Reading Abbey.

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Waltheof, Earl of Huntingdon and Northhampton.

31/5/2016

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Following the Harrowing of the North, William the Conqueror set his sights on East Anglia, where men like Waltheof and Hereward the Wake were resisting Norman forces, eventually though, Waltheof accepted Norman authority and was rewarded for this with an advantageous marriage to the Conqueror's niece, Judith of Lens.

In the bottom left of my photograph taken at Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire, you can see a representation of Waltheof.

Five years later, Waltheof was suspected of being involved in what has come to be known as the Revolt of the Earls.

Historians differ over what exactly his involvement was, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle state that he one of its ringleaders, while Orderic Vitalis and William of Malmesbury suggest that he knew of the revolt but had sworn an oath to keep quiet. It was inevitable though, that news of Waltheof's actions would come to the Conquerors attentions, and when it did Waltheof confessed his guilt to the conqueror in person.

Ignoring the Earl's words, William the Conqueror ordered that he be tried, he was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Following a year in prison Waltheof was executed on the 31st May 1076 at St. Giles's Hill, near Winchester. His decapitated body was thrown in a ditch, however it was later recovered and buried in the chapter house of Crowland Abbey where it lay, untouched, for sixteen years until in 1092.

That year a fire in the chapter house forced Ingulph, Abbot of Crowland, to have Waltheof’s body moved elsewhere. On
opening the coffin it was said that the Earl's corpse was found to be intact, his severed head re-joined to the trunk.

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Christmas 1484 with Richard III

24/12/2014

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Standing proudly in the Fenlands of Lincolnshire are the ruins of the Abbey of Crowland, and as autumn brings its misty evenings, or winter its old crisp mornings, standing among the abbeys broken arches you cannot help but think of the forthcoming Christmas festivities.

Today, Crowland Abbey joins in the fun of Christmas just like any other religious establishment, on the 6th December it had its Christmas Craft and Food Fare when mince pies were eaten and maybe a drink of mulled wine was sampled. That very day in 1484, the second Christmas of King Richard III's reign, people celebrated St Nicholas's saints day.

On that day, our ancestors believed this Saint Nicholas brought gifts such as nuts, fruits and marzipan sweets, and with these gifts the ability to foretell the events of the following year. While most of the Fenland community where knocking back the Christmas ale, Crowland Abbey was not so festive. Within the abbey the monks were busy with local and national affairs, on one hand they were trying to keep talk of a local dispute quiet and on the other being quite vocal in its criticism of Christmas in the court of King Richard III.

Whoever it was that put ink to parchment, had much to say on the subject of the shenanigans going on at Richard's Christmas parties. The writer of the famous Croyland Chronicle states that he was unable to account for many of the activities in the court at this time “because it is shameful to speak of them” even Queen Anne and Elizabeth of York were considered "vain" because they had more than one party outfit. Richards best buddy, Bishop Thomas Langton, joined these medieval party poopers by stating "‘sensual pleasure holds sway to an increasing extent.’

What on earth did this mean?

Did Richard kiss the lovely Ann more than once under the mistletoe I wonder?

Not one of the writers made any attempt to elaborate on any of the events they were writing about.

All the criticisms of Richards "wild parties" came from the clergy who were very quick to point out that Richard saw himself as a " good, learned, serious and virtuous man" while also pointing out that he had called his brothers court "licentious and morally corrupt." The University of Leicester School of Historical Studies quite rightly points out ‘compared with the wild parties that were held at Rome during the reign of Pope Alexander VI, the English court under Edward IV and Richard III was a 'model of virtue’.

Surely, even the pious, like Richard, should not be frowned upon for having a good time, obviously there was more to these statements than meets the eye.

Perhaps these people were just a tad miffed and just bit disgruntled at not to being invited. Did they watch from a distance or listen enviously to tales told the following morning of how Catesby, Lovell and Ratcliffe danced in silly animal party hats or King Richard drank way too ale and threw iced cakes at the Earl of Warwick.

In reality of course, all these damning words were written years later. Those who pooh poohed the kings festivities were not irritated because a invitation hadn't landed on their door mat, they were spouting propaganda, words they thought their new king wished to hear, words that would keep them safe in the new Tudor era. History suggests that the events at court in 1484, as written in the Croyland Chronicles, were written two years later in 1486, by someone who was educated in law and who was privy to information within the court.

The Benedictine residents of Crowland Abbey had at their head one Lambert Fossdyke who had been Abbot at Crowland since January 1484 and who was a Bachelor of Law and it was such a man with a degree in law who was considered to be the writer of these malicious rumours about Richard III.

John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln, is commonly thought to be the author but it could just as well have been Fossdyke dictating to one of his monks?

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Boudica

King Henry I

Waltheof, Earl of Huntingdon and Northhampton.

Christmas 1484 with Richard III

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