Nearly 1,000 years have passed…
In October 2016 I began a series of posts in memory of 1066, arguably the most important year in the history of England. Interestingly enough, while I enjoyed history, this era was not always my favored, as it once seemed so complicated and intimidating; my memories of studying it in school were filled with details I didn’t really understand, or there were so many layered on top of each other they seemed to crush me.
Paula Lofting’s Sons of the Wolf persuaded me out of my comfort zone, the Wars of the Roses period, and when I began to see the era as populated by people rather than a series of dates (as I was able for the fifteenth century), plus the greater significance of exactly what had happened – what I only partially appreciated during my school years – I was hooked.
A couple of years after, I read Annie Whitehead’s To Be A Queen, which was poetry in prose and simply unforgettable. Whitehead’s examination of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, indeed the Lady herself, impressed upon me our great heritage of language, literature, spirituality and yearning for freedom – plus the willingness to fight for it. While I certainly admire other historical figures and groups, the Anglo-Saxons have to greater effect shown me the importance of remembering, thus this series for them and the freedom they fought to keep for us. Unfortunately, they did lose the most important battle and the end of their era arrived, but their legacy lives on.
950: 1066 Remembered, Book Review: Sons of the Wolf (Updated) (October 14, 2016) Marks the Battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066
950: 1066 Remembered, Book Review: 1066: What Fates Impose (October 14, 2016) Marks the Battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066
950: 1066 Remembered, Excerpt: 1066: What Fates Impose (October 25, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Excerpt: Sons of the Wolf (November 5, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Blog: “Senlac Ridge” (Ian David Churchyard) (November 12, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Book Review: The Wolf Banner (November 20, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Blog: “One Crown, Four Claimants” (G.K. Holloway) (November 25, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Poet Post: “Prayer to Woden” (Rob Bayliss) (November 26, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Excerpt: The Wolf Banner (December 11, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Post: Marching Toward 1066 (Annie Whitehead) (December 19, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Excerpt: 1066: What Fates Impose (December 25, 2016)
950 Intermission: Recording History in Film (December 31, 2016)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Post: The Bastard of Normandy v. the Golden Warrior (Paula Lofting) (January 16, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Book Review: Alvar the Kingmaker (January 23, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Post: Between Two Worlds (Annie Whitehead) (January 28, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Post: A Dynasty Denied (Rob Bayliss) (February 9, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Interview: Paula Lofting (B.R.A.G. Medallion Winner) (April 1, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Guest Post: The Price of Love and Loyalty (Annie Whitehead) (May 13, 2017)
950: 1066 Remembered, Interview (Glynn Holloway) (September 25, 2017) Anniversary of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, September 25, 1066
950: 1066 Remembered, Secrets Through a Tapestry of Time (October 14, 2017) Final installment, marking the Battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066
#iHeartAngloSaxons
Another series that may be of interest,
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen
Image of the Week: Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians (Blog that led to the series) (July 22, 2016)
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen, Book Review: To Be A Queen (September 13, 2016)
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen, Interview with Author Annie Whitehead and Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (September 20, 2016)
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen, Guest Post: Invitation to the Past (September 27, 2016)
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen, Excerpt: To Be A Queen (October 4, 2016)
The Age of Æthelflæd: Anglo-Saxon Warrior Queen, Cover Crush: To Be A Queen (October 11, 2016)
#iHeartAngloSaxons
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The pieces linked above first appeared individually beginning 2016 at Lisl’s blog, Before the Second Sleep. They were later compiled into a tab at the blog, which is always open for more. Lisl is the author of “Episodes in the Life of King Richard III,” a short story in The Road Not Travelled: Alternative Tales of the Wars of the Roses (ed. Joanne R. Larner), and is currently researching and working on the expanded story. She is fascinated with time travel, ghosts and the sea, and also enjoys poetry and stories and tales about Merlin. She can also be found at her blog and Instagram.
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