What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain? #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic
What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain?
As with everything to do with this period of the ‘Dark Ages,’ much was in flux. It’s believed that many languages were spoken by the inhabitants of the island of Britain. From the native Brythonic (also often termed British) who would have spoken a version of Welsh, to the Latin of the Christians, the Old Norse (or even older versions of Old Norse) being spoken by those emigrating to Britannia, as well as Pictish, and potentially other languages as well.
Our only written source commonly believed to be from this period, that of Gildas’ On The Ruin of Britain, was written in Latin, but then, he’s said to have been an educated Christian, raised in the ways of both Rome and Christianity. If he spoke Latin on a day to day basis, I’m unsure. I know scholars complain about his grasp of the written Latin language being somewhat convoluted, but whether that’s due to him, or the way his writings have been transmitted to us through the years, I’m unsure.
How then might these people have communicated with one another if so many different languages were being spoken? There must have been translators who could facilitate trade between the tribes. It would be amazing to discover one of these individuals in the archaeological record, but it seems unlikely.
I’ve worked hard to find names for my characters which feel authentic for the period. The Eorlingas have Brythonic names, Meddi has been shortened from Meddiwysti for fear it was impossible to pronounce, whereas Wærmund and his warriors, while having names that feel very Saxon, are, I hope, ones I’ve not used before, and according to the resource I used, are deemed as ‘early’ Saxon names. Other characters also have Latin names, and some have slightly made-up Latinised names i.e. Terricus who was named after one of my readers, who wanted to be a warrior, but became a blacksmith instead. I think he’s still one of my readers:)
I’ve also used different names for the settlements, again to reflect the mix in language. The Eorlingas, Gyrwe and other tribal names are from the Tribal Hidage a contentious (later and difficult to date) source but one believed to document the very small tribal affiliations that might have existed at this time. Uriconium/Viriconium has its Latin name, although I used a version of the name I found that’s not the most commonly used one. Corinium (Cirencester), Glevum (Gloucester) and Verulamium (St Albans) have their Roman-era names. The River Severn, has its Old Welsh name, Habren, and so, as I was writing the trilogy I was being mindful of reflecting the hodgepodge of names and languages my characters might have known and heard being spoken.
It also added to the drama to make it difficult for my characters to easily communicate with one another.
I’m delighted to welcome Wendy J Dunn to the blog with her new book Shades of Yellow ShadesOfYellow #Forgiveness #AmyRobsard #WomensFiction #DualTimeline #Romance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
What is the history behind Shades of Yellow?
There is a lot of history behind my novel — some of it expected and some of it more surprising. I always knew my character would be writing a novel about Amy Robsart. I love the Tudor period, so it made sense that my character would also share that love. It also made sense Lucy, as a breast cancer survivor, would also be drawn to the story of Amy Robsart. Some historians believe Amy Robsart had breast cancer, which led to the theory that her fall down a short flight of stairs resulted in a spontaneous spinal fracture because of bone metastasis. So, that meant I (and my character) had to research the life and times of Amy Robsart.
Amy was the first wife of Robert Dudley, the man who came closest to marrying Elizabeth Tudor. Amy was born in 1532, and met Robert when he accompanied his father, John Dudley, then the Earl of Warwick to deal with the Kett rebellion in 1549. Amy came from a wealthy family with good bloodlines. More importantly, she was her father’s heir. She was also pretty, pretty enough to catch Robert Dudley’s eye. They were also almost the same age. Robert’s father probably wanted a better match for his son, but he also had other sons. Robert was also not his heir, so when Robert and Amy fell in love (and it appears they fell in love), their parents agreed to their marriage in 1550 when they were around eighteen.
Amy married Robert while his father was solidifying his position as the actual power behind Edward VI’s throne. The first years of Robert and Amy’s marriage saw a fairly settled period for the Tudors. But then Edward VI died, and John Dudley failed to place Lady Jane Grey onto the throne. Mary Tudor claimed the crown, and Dudley soon lost his head at the Tower of London, and Mary imprisoned all his sons in the Tower. The following year, Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guildford were executed after another failed rebellion. For close to two years, Robert and his remaining brothers stayed in the Tower. His older brother died just days after their release. Another brother died while fighting in a war for Mary’s husband, Philip of Spain. By the time Elizabeth becomes Queen, Robert and Amy were living mostly separate lives. Robert and Elizabeth acted like lovers in the early years of Elizabeth’s reign – and caused a lot of scandal. The day after Elizabeth celebrated her twenty-seventh birthday, Amy was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs at Cumnor House, her neck broken. No one has ever solved the mystery of Amy Dudley’s death, and her husband Robert never escaped the suspicion that he organised her murder.
But most of my story takes place in 2010. While writing Shades of Yellow, I realised how long ago that now is. It was a different world in 2010. I ended up doing as much research about 2010 as I was doing about Amy’s life in Tudor times. I realised that Lucy’s life would have shaped her differently if she had been born around 1980 compared to 1996. She also would have had a few more life-changing options regarding her medical treatment if I had set the story in 2025.
By the time I finished Shades of Yellow, I had realised, with surprise, that history informed the entirety of my novel.
Here’s the blurb
During her battle with illness, Lucy Ellis found solace in writing a novel about the mysterious death of Amy Robsart, the first wife of Robert Dudley, the man who came close to marrying Elizabeth I. As Lucy delves into Amy’s story, she also navigates the aftermath of her own experience that brought her close to death and the collapse of her marriage.
After taking leave from her teaching job to complete her novel, Lucy falls ill again. Fearing she will die before she finishes her book, she flees to England to solve the mystery of Amy Robsart’s death.
Can she find the strength to confront her past, forgive the man who broke her heart, and take control of her own destiny?
Who better to write about a betrayed woman than a woman betrayed?
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Meet the author
WENDY J. DUNN is a multi-award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of Dear Heart, How Like You This, her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder.
Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.
Wendy gained her PhD in 2014 and tutors in writing at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She loves walking in the footsteps of the historical people she gives voice to in her books.
I’m sharing my review for Death At the School of Translators, A Rebecca DeToledo Medieval Mystery by Esther Knight #bookreview #historicalmystery #histfic #blogtour
Here’s the blurb
Ivanhoe meets Phryne Fisher in this medieval adventure of a woman sleuth.
Toledo, 1193: A city of scholars, secrets, and simmering tensions. When Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine’s Jewish spy is found dead, whispers of treachery reach all the way to England.
Rebecca DeToledo, a gifted healer and wealthy Jewish heiress, arrives under royal orders to investigate at the School of Translators. Her mission quickly turns perilous as she faces threats to her life and a sudden battle over her inheritance.
Assigned to guard her is Sir John of Hampstead, a disillusioned crusader burdened with knowledge that could threaten King Richard’s release from captivity. Forced into this partnership, he must protect Rebecca while grappling with his own prejudices.
As they navigate Toledo’s complex alliances, where Christians, Jews, and Muslims coexist in fragile peace, they uncover a web of secrets reaching deep into the cathedral. Can Rebecca and John unearth the truth before they become the next targets?
For fans of historical sleuths, slow-burn tension, and secret missions cloaked in royal intrigue.
Death at the School of Translators is a medieval mystery told from two points of view: Rebecca, our Jewish heiress, and John, our disillusioned knight. They are thrust together in England by Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, in somewhat confusing circumstances, and quickly embark on their journey to Toledo, where the real investigation quickly gets underway.
The author endeavours to bring together the many cultures within Toledo and the many interested parties at play. There is no end to the intrigue, as the appearance of Rebecca and John stirs up problems for those living in Toledo, while others have things they wish to keep hidden.
There are a few moments where the story falters slightly, but as it approaches the conclusion, it really excels, and I think the author finds her footing with these two characters, who will undoubtedly reveal more mysteries in the future. There are also one or two modernisms that detract from the depth of research the author must have undertaken to write the mystery, but they are only slight.
Overall, I found Death at the School of Translators to be a fine first story in this new mystery series, and I look forward to reading more of Rebecca and John’s mysteries.
Meet the author
Esther Knight writes historical mysteries featuring a bold heroine who challenges the norms of her time.
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I’m delighted to share my review for Adam Lofthouse’s Eagle and the Flame #historicalfiction #blogtour #Roman #bookreview
I’m reviewing Eagle and the Flame by Adam Lofthouse
Here’s the blurb
Rebellion is in the air at the far reaches of empire.
Wall of Hadrian, Britannia, AD 367. Tribune Sixtus Victorinus is scouting north of the Wall when he first sees the smoke. Riding south he finds a province in chaos, the local populace in flight, the soldiers absent.
Britannia is ablaze, overrun with barbarians and Valentia is the word on everyone’s lips. But no one seems to have the first clue what it means…
Victorinus may have let his life run to ruin and drunk his youth away, but now he must forge himself into the soldier he always wanted to be, the hero his children think he is.
Because his family are among the missing, and traitors lurk much closer than he could ever believe.
To save his family, he must first save an empire.
EAGLE AND THE FLAME will sweep you through the tumultuous years of the late Roman Empire.
The Eagle and the Flame by Adam Lofthouse is a fascinating reimagining of Britannia during the late 360s. This then is Roman Britain, complete with Roman soldiers and senators, Roman weapons and, of course, Hadrian’s Wall. But, this is also a world of Germanic warriors, Saxon invaders, the tribes from beyond the Wall, and even some pirates.
Historically, the end of Roman Britain might be a few years in the future, but this is a world on the brink, the reach of the Romans starting to fade, and the events in Eagle and the Flame tell of a people as yet unaware of the coming calamities, and, Adam describes it very well. We have abandoned Roman forts, discontented Roman soldiers who aren’t getting paid on time, and the tribes from across Hadrian’s Wall are more aware of what might be happening than the Romans. And the emperor is very far away in Rome.
Our two main characters, Tribune Sixtus Victorinus, and Felicius are opposites of the same coin; one jaded and drunk, the other, still a career Roman soldier. Between them, they must disentangle the unexplained events on the borderlands, and then they must rouse support from all that they can to defeat the coming rebellion.
Eagle and the Flame starts fantastically well, immediately sucking the reader into the world of the 360s. It’s really quite hard to put the book down as the tension ramps up. Tribune Sixtus is a sympathetic character; for all, he is perhaps to blame for many of his problems. The small group of warriors who make up his area of command are well-sketched, and there is tragedy in the offing. Felicius’ life is more regimented, and it is Felicius who gives us a glimpse of what it was to be a Roman in the waning years of the Empire.
I really enjoyed Eagle and the Flame. The book starts with a bang and builds nicely to its conclusion, introducing a great cast of characters along the way. If you’re a fan of stories set in Saxon England, then you’ll love this earlier glimpse of Britannia.
Adam has for many years held a passion for the ancient world. As a teenager he picked up Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden, and has been obsessed with all things Rome ever since. After ten years of immersing himself in stories of the Roman world, he decided to have a go at writing one for himself. He lives in Kent, UK.
I’m delighted to welcome Julia Ibbotson and her book, Daughter of Mercia, to the blog with a guest post.
Lady Mildryth of Mercia
It might surprise us to know that women in the Anglo-Saxon period, even early in their history, were regarded as equal in importance to their male counterparts. Women could hold their own wealth, land, possessions; they could inherit from their fathers or mothers on their own account and they could bequeath it to their children. They were not regarded as the property of their husbands or fathers. Their rights were protected in law and it seems that this applied across the social spectrum, from high-status families presumably to ealdormen to thegns to freedmen ceorls and grant-bearer geburs.
High-status women could be leaders of settlements / regions in the years following the immigration and settling of even the early tribes of Anglo-Saxons. They could be strategists and negotiators. Later, for example, Lady Ǣthelflaed of Mercia, the 10th century daughter of King Alfred, strategized battles to take Derby, Leicester, York, and of whom it is said that she was a “man in valour, a woman in name”. The Anglo-Saxon word cūning (king)applies to either male or female leaders, while the word queen (cwene) applies only to the wife of a king. The historical significance of strong female leaders goes right back to Boudicca of the Iceni in the first century AD. Post-Roman Britain was composed of many small kingdoms, and kingdoms fought to take over other kingdoms and thus wield greater power over a larger region. But our theories of this time of great change are beginning to recognise the way that stable everyday life and the quest for peace were also significant.
Lady Mildryth is a fictional character but is bred of such strong female leaders as these. I have based her on other Anglo-Saxon women who have a place in the history of Britain and I wanted her to represent an idea of the powerful yet peace-loving early settlers who wanted to create stable, secure communities, from the chaos and blood-shed of previous generations. Clearly, I have taken liberties with historical characters and events for the sake of my novel and it is not intended to be an accurate academic analysis of the time, but since archaeological excavation is only just gaining a clearer picture of the early Anglo-Saxon period and its domestic and cultural signigifance, maybe my imagination is not so far out!
Recent archaeological excavation and research has demonstrated that even back to the 5th century, high status ladies were buried with signifiers of their wealth in their grave goods: rich jewellery, gold artefacts, precious glass, beautiful fabrics.
Lady Mildryth, as the leader of a region, would have worn fabrics that were richly dyed and decorated: a chemise or shift, a long-sleeved kirtle (under-gown) often of expensive linen or wool, an over-gown trimmed with fur or braid, and an embroidered mantle(cloak). As a high-status woman, she would have eaten well, with home-grown meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit (hedgerow berries but also imported dates, figs, almonds), and she would have drunk honeyed mead and imported wine, during her mead hall feastings.
Although her antecedents are pagan, and she accepts the duality of her people, she finds herself on the cusp of Christianity, yet still drifting to some of the pagan beliefs of her upbringing. Her late mother was from the Cornovii tribe from the people of Pengwern / Powys, Celtic-Brythonic pagans. She was hand-fasted to Mildryth’s father and died when Mildryth was young. Lady M’s character takes after her mother’s strength of will and determination to be on a par with her brothers (Crydda and Cynewald) – although she knows that she must earn this.
Her antecedents are historical (well, possibly legendary!) characters. Her grandfather is Icel, son of Eomer, of the Icinglas (or Iclingas), an Angle from across the seas in Jutland. He is said to have led his people across the North Sea in around 515 AD to the region we now call East Anglia, and is said to have moved westwards across the country, founding the kingdom of Mercia in the 520s AD. His son, Lady Mildryth’s father, is Cnebba who ruled after Icel from possibly around 535 AD.
We speak of the archetypes ‘Peace-weavers’ and ‘Shield-maidens’ in Anglo Saxon society and I see Lady Mildryth as a Peace-weaver. She is a strategist and commander of men, like Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia generations later. But she is also a negotiator and does not wish to conquer other lands or fight to subdue other tribes. She is dedicated to her settlement, her community, and my novel is more about domestic history than that of battles and high kings.
Lady Mildryth strives to make her settlement run smoothly and to encourage the cultural enrichment of her people: a culture taken from her Angeln ancestors as shown in her use of the scōp, the poet story-teller who regales the thegns of the mead-hall with tales of tradition, of warriors, family and legendary heroism. Peace-weavers were often encouraged, or chose, to make expedient marriages with other kingdoms to avert potential strife. There is evidence to suggest that there were battles for lands, yes, but also deals and negotiations so that tribes could coexist. In Daughter of Mercia, Lady Mildryth is certainly aware of this.
If you’d like to read more of life in Anglo-Saxon times, you may like to look at my blog on my website and the 7-part series ‘Living with the Anglo-Saxons’ athttps://juliaibbotsonauthor.comwhere there are also some reference texts.
Here’s the Blurb
Echoes of the past resonate across the centuries as Dr Anna Petersen, a medievalist and runologist, is struggling with past trauma and allowing herself to trust again. When archaeologist (and Anna’s old adversary) Professor Matt Beacham unearths a 6th century seax with a mysterious runic inscription, and reluctantly approaches Anna for help, a chain of events brings the past firmly back into her present. And why does the burial site also contain two sets of bones, one 6th century and the other modern?
As the past and present intermingle alarmingly, Anna and Matt need to work together to solve the mystery of the seax runes and the seemingly impossible burial, and to discover the truth about the past. Tensions rise and sparks fly between Anna and Matt. But how is 6th century Lady Mildryth of Mercia connected to Anna? Can they both be the Daughter of Mercia?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley and Christina Courtenay.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited
Meet the Author
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
I’m sharing my review for The Atlantis Covenant by Rob Jones #actionandadventure #blogtour #bookreview
Here’s the blurb
The greatest mystery of all time is about to be revealed.
When world-famous archaeologist and ex-soldier Max Hunter finds a mysterious artifact in a tomb beneath the Gates of Nineveh, his lifelong dream of finding Atlantis comes one step closer.
But he’s not the only one looking for it…
His discovery unleashes a high-speed hunt for the lost civilization between a mysterious Swiss foundation, the FBI, and the world’s most secretive society.
From the dangers of the Iraqi desert to Cuba and the jungles of El Salvador to the enigmatic Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Hunter faces a race against time and murderous enemies who will stop at nothing to claim the greatest prize in history. As he fights for his life, it soon becomes apparent that his enemies are searching for something altogether more sinister than the lost city…
Hunter must use his unique ingenuity and knowledge to decipher the clues and find Atlantis – and its lethal treasures – before they fall into enemy hands.
The Atlantis Covenant is a rollercoaster of a ride, through the ruins of many of the worlds ancient civilsations, bringing us, hopefully, to the discovery of the mythical Atlantis, via a lot of guns, helicopters, ‘bad guys and gals,’ and the involvement of a number of government agencies.
While this is one of The Hunter Files, there are many more characters than just Max, and we get to hear from most of them with a little bit of head-hopping (alas, not my favourite literary device), discovering their back stories and working out how they all came to be hunting for mythical items in a modern-day adventure story.
It’s a lot of fun, if a little silly in places, filled with mostly irreverent characters who are very devil-may-care, but with some of those good old National Treasure vibes, which do certainly appeal to me. I love a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, and if it involves the Illuminati and some ancient Egyptian treasures, then all the better.
Meet the Author
Rob Jones has published over forty books in the genres of action-adventure, action-thriller and crime. Many of his chart-topping titles have enjoyed number-one rankings and his Joe Hawke and Jed Mason series have been international bestsellers. Originally from England, today he lives in Australia with his wife and children.
I’m delighted to welcome a returning Helen Golden to the blog with her new book, An Heir is Misplaced. #bookreview #cosymystery #blogtour #avidreader
Here’s the blurb
A missing heir. An out of sorts duchess. A Season in High Society that just became far more interesting…
London, 1891. With the gossip broadsheet The Society Page speculating that her husband is getting far too cosy with their female neighbour back at his country estate, Alice, Duchess of Stortford, is fed-up. And it’s raining! But when a flustered nobleman appears at her door, knowing of her reputation for managing discreet enquires, he begs her for help. His nephew, who is about to inherit an Earldom, has gone missing.
But the deeper Alice digs, the murkier things become. Why are the late Earl’s wife and his stepson so evasive? What really happened at The Carlton Hotel the night the heir was last seen? And who’s set to gain the Earldom if the heir ends up dead?
Aided by her loyal maid Maud, her quick-thinking footman George, and the ever-resourceful private investigator Ben Beaumont—not to mention a certain well-known detective with a pipe—Alice must untangle a web of secrets to find the missing heir before it’s too late.
The clock is ticking, the gossip is swirling—and only Alice can set things right.
An Heir is Misplaced sees Helen Golden creating a new feisty female sleuth, set in the later Victorian era. Alice, the Duchess of Strotford, clearly has some very interesting connections, as we learn through this first encounter with her.
Tasked with finding a missing heir, she calls on all the resources a well-born lady of high society has at her disposal, while remaining within the confines of what would have been acceptable. As ever, the mystery isn’t quite all it seems, and Alice quickly grows suspicious, as the tangled threads begin to make sense.
This is a fabulous introduction to Alice, and I’m excited to read more of her backstory, as well as her future sleuthing endeavours.
Check out my reviews for the books in Helen Golden’s Right Royal Mystery series, featuring one of Lady Alice’s descendants.
Helen Golden spins mysteries that are charmingly British, delightfully deadly, and served with a twist of humour.
With quirky characters, clever red herrings, and plots that keep the pages turning, she’s the author of the much-loved A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, following Lady Beatrice and her friends—including one clever little dog—as they uncover secrets hidden in country houses and royal palaces. Her new historical mystery series, The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries, is set in Victorian England and introduces an equally curious sleuth from Lady Beatrice’s own family tree—where murders are solved over cups of tea, whispered gossip, and overheard conversations in drawing rooms and grand estates.
Helen lives in a quintessential English village in Lincolnshire with her husband, stepdaughter, and a menagerie of pets—including a dog, several cats, a tortoise, and far too many fish.
If you love clever puzzles, charming settings, and sleuths with spark, her books are waiting for you.
I’m delighted to welcome Mike Weedall and his new book, Escape to the Maroons, to the blog with an excerpt.
Excerpt
Nathanial On Arriving At Maroons Camp
Besides the people waiting here, more are coming. I’m the center of attention. People whisper and point at me. I don’t like what’s going on. No one looks friendly. They must think I’m a white man. Should I say something? Better leave that to Lincoln.
This place looks sizable. The ground is dry. Trees and thick brush are on all sides. We crossed smaller islands like this getting here. Moses called them hummocks. This appears to be much bigger. There must be different ways in and out of here. I’m exhausted and need to sit. Better stand until Lincoln says that’s okay.
How did this day lead me here? This morning, I planned to stand up in court and explain why they should grant me freedom. My stepfather said I’d be a fool to do that and better run if I got the chance. I wasn’t expecting that advice from a minister who preached we should always obey the law. When that lazy deputy got distracted, I took off. What choice did I have other than to flee? I pray they don’t punish my family for raising me as a freeman.
What’s next? Lincoln is waving for me to follow him.
Here’s the Blurb
In 1792, an escaped slave, raised and living as white, is discovered and forced to flee into the Great Dismal Swamp.
Barely escaping a bounty hunter, a Maroons community of fugitive slaves rescues him. Over time, Nathanial comes to accept his true identity while fighting to overcome the suspicions of his new community. Because of his pale skin, he becomes a conductor on the underground railroad, slipping runners onto ships going north. On one of his missions, fate intervenes and places Nathanial’s community at risk.
This little-known chapter in American history tells how escaped enslaved people gave their all to live free while creating a community and economy in one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.
As the author of three books, Mike’s passion is finding the little-known stories of history and bringing them to life. History in school is too often events and dates. Mike seeks to discover the people who lived those events and reveal why those individuals made the decisions they did. Ultimately, there are stories to be mined, and who doesn’t love a good story?
In his historical novel “Escape To The Maroons,” Mike tells the little-known story of 1791 self-liberated slaves who chose to struggle for survival in The Great Dismal Swamp in their determination to live free. The term Maroons delineates areas where escaped slaves fled and could not be recaptured. It’s estimated that over 2,000 survived deep in the swamp around the turn of that century.
His first book “Iva: The True Story of Tokyo Rose” describes the tragic life of Iva Toguri. Trapped in Japan during World War II, this Japanese American woman was forced to work for Radio Tokyo. Although she never participated in propaganda, the racial animus of post-war America led to her being falsely labelled as Tokyo Rose and prosecuted for treason. Through her incarceration and the ongoing discrimination heaped upon her, Iva never lost her courage and determination.
“War Angel: Korea 1950” was his second book that followed a reservist nurse thrust into the carnage of The Korean War. Serving as an operating room nurse in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the real MASH and strength of a woman is revealed.
Mike resides with his family in the Pacific Northwest where they enjoy experiencing the outdoors.
I’m delighted to welcome G.M. Baker and his book, The Wanderer and the Way, to the blog #HistoricalFiction #MedievalFiction #SantiagoDeCompostela #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
I’m delighted to welcome G.M. Baker and his book, The Wanderer and the Way, to the blog with a guest post.
Guest Post
Religion has always been a problem for historical fiction. It’s not just that many readers today are not religious and tend to shy away from religious characters or religious ideas. Readers who are religious tend not to recognize their own beliefs or their way of believing in the religious habits and practices of the past. And yet, if we want our historical fiction to be anything more than modern people in fancy dress, we have to deal with the religious lives of historical characters, almost all of whom would have professed one faith or another.
But I think that the religious opinions and practices of people in the past were not as different in character from the opinions and practices of modern people as they might seem at first. I think religious belief in, for example, the early medieval period in which my novel, The Wanderer and the Way, is set, was different in character from religious belief today, and in some ways closer in character, if not in content, to the beliefs of modern non-religious people.
What I mean is that there are certain beliefs that we hold unselfconsciously. These are the beliefs that we grew up with, the beliefs of our friends and our community. We learn these beliefs growing up and adopt them not because we have subjected them to rigorous philosophical examination, but because they are the beliefs shared by our community. We are a mimetic species, and so we tend to believe what everyone around us believes. This ensures that we are accepted by our society, by our tribe.
For most of the development of modern humans we lived in small bands of hunter-gatherers. Those members of the band held in the highest esteem earned a place close to the fire and the best cuts of the latest kill. Those who were quarrelsome and disruptive of the tribe were dangerous to its harmony and safety. If they were too disruptive, they were likely to be exiled from the tribe, which was tantamount to a sentence of death. Today, teenagers sometimes take their own lives because they have been bullied online by their peers. Though they have suffered no physical harm, the ostracism of the tribe is so traumatic that it can drive some to suicide. In our bones and in our genes we still have a profound fear of ostracism.
Thus humans of all periods, including our own, are strongly driven to believe what the tribe believes, including its religious beliefs, or its rejection of religious belief. Historically we can note that during the Reformation, when a prince became protestant, his people tended to become Protestant with him. If he remained Catholic, his people tended to remain Catholic with him. In each case, there were martyrs, people like Thomas More and Bishop Fisher, people who clung to their beliefs on principle and would not change them to go along with the tribe. People of this kind hold their beliefs in a self-conscious manner. They know that their beliefs are at odds with those of the tribe, and while they may not all be martyrs, the nature of their beliefs is very different from that of most people who hold a belief unselfconsciously.
In the late 8th century Europe, in which my Cuthbert’s People series is set, most people were Christians, but most of them would have been unselfconscious believers. They were Christian because their tribe was Christian. I don’t mean that their beliefs were insincere, any more than modern people are insincere in their unselfconscious beliefs. In some ways, unselfconscious beliefs can be fiercely held, since they are one of the threads that bind us to our tribe and earn us their fellowship and protection. What I do mean is that their method of belief was different from that of the modern religious believer, whose beliefs are almost always self-consciously held. The modern believer knows that their belief sets them apart from society at large. Thus modern religious fiction tends to be fiercely self-conscious in a way that appeals to the believer but repels the non-believer.
What I have tried to do in my Cuthbert’s People series, and in The Wanderer and the Way particularly, is to create a believable portrait of people who are unselfconsciously Christian. This is very different from modern books such as Brideshead Revisited or The Power and the Glory, where the characters are painfully self-conscious about their Catholic faith and how it sets them apart from their society.
Unselfconscious beliefs are not held lightly. They are the beliefs that we grew up with, things we have simply assumed to be true, and thus we hold to them very strongly and behave in accordance with them as far as we can. But they are not held defiantly or obstreperously by most people, who assume that all of the people around them believe as they do.
In The City of God, St. Augustine wrote that when the barbarians sacked Rome, those who fled to pagan temples were not spared, but those who fled to Christian churches were spared the wrath of the barbarians. It was therefore a bewildering shock to the people of Northumbria, and to the people of Europe, when the great Christian monastery of Lindisfarne was not spared in the great Viking raid of AD 793, the event that set in motion the wanderings of Elswyth of Twyford, the main character of my Cuthbert’s People series. The great scholar Alcuin, himself a son of Northumbria and a minister of Charlemagne, wrote a letter to the Christian people of Northumbria trying to reconcile this event with their belief that they were under the protection of God. That letter figures in The Wanderer and the Way.
Human beings tend not to trust people who do not share, and therefore challenge, their unselfconscious beliefs. Thus it is now, as it was in the 8th century, a fundamental element of diplomacy to demonstrate one’s orthodoxy on the issues of the day. In the period covered by The Wanderer and the Way, the Kingdom of Asturias in Northern Spain was the last major holdout against the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. Alonso the Chaste, King of Asturias, sent several embassies to Charlemagne asking for recognition and aid against the Moors. I send my main character, Theodemir of Iria Flavia, as one of his ambassadors. There was at that time a controversy over the heresy of Adoptionism, originated by a Spanish bishop, which held that Christ acquired his divinity by adoption rather than being divine by nature. Thus I have Theodemir carefully instructed by Alonzo and Bishop Quendulf to demonstrate to Alcuin his knowledge of the controversy and his orthodoxy on the question.
In a book set today, I might have used a modern heresy, such as the rejection of vaccines or the denial of global warming, as an ideological purity test for an ambassador in the same way. Our fundamental tribalism and our insistence on adherence to orthodoxy as the basis for trusting one another has not changed much over the centuries, only what subjects we demand orthodoxy on.
This, I believe, is how historical fiction ought to treat religious belief in characters from the past, not by mocking it, nor by making an exemplary virtue of it, but by portraying it as the core unselfconscious belief that people of the past used to bind themselves together and explain themselves to themselves, in just the same way our unselfconscious beliefs bind us and help us explain ourselves to ourselves today. Whether such beliefs are true or false is, from an historical and fictional point of view, an entirely orthogonal question.
Here’s the Blurb
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, now the most famous pilgrimage route in the world, was founded in the early ninth century, largely due to the efforts of Bishop Theodemir of Iria
Flavia. As with most people of this period, nothing seems to be known of his early years.
What follows, therefore, is pure invention.
Theodemir returns footsore and disillusioned to his uncle’s villa in Iria Flavia, where he meets Agnes, his uncle’s gatekeeper, a woman of extraordinary beauty. He falls immediately in love. But Agnes has a fierce, though absent, husband; a secret past; another name, Elswyth; and a broken heart.
Witteric, Theodemir’s cruel and lascivious uncle, has his own plans for Agnes. When the king of Asturias asks Theodemir to undertake an embassy on his behalf to Charles, King of the Franks, the future Charlemagne, Theodemir plans to take Agnes with him to keep her out of Witteric’s clutches.
But though Agnes understands her danger as well as anyone, she refuses to go. And Theodemir dares not leave without her.
Born in England to a teamster’s son and a coal miner’s daughter, G. M. (Mark) Baker now lives in Nova Scotia with his wife, no dogs, no horses, and no chickens. He prefers driving to flying, desert vistas to pointy trees, and quiet towns to bustling cities.
As a reader and as a writer, he does not believe in confining himself to one genre. He writes about kind abbesses and melancholy kings, about elf maidens and ship wreckers and shy falconers, about great beauties and their plain sisters, about sinners and saints and ordinary eccentrics. In his newsletter Stories All the Way Down, he discusses history, literature, the nature of story, and how not to market a novel.
It’s the first day of the blog tour for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing a recording of me ‘trying’ to say the character names correctly #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic
MJ Porter 