by David West | Mar 24, 2025 | News
King James VI of Scotland was pronounced King James I of England and Ireland on the 24th of March 1603, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I. I confess that I’m not a great fan of King James, since he sent my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, to the Tower of London...
by David West | Mar 23, 2025 | News
On the 23rd of March, 1801, Paul I was struck with a sword, strangled, then trampled to death in his bedroom. Tsar Paul I of Russia, often overshadowed by his more illustrious predecessors and successors, was a monarch whose short and tumultuous reign from 1796 to...
by David West | Mar 22, 2025 | News
The Battle of Merton, fought on the 22nd of March, 871, was one of the defining clashes between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings during a period of intense conflict in England. Taking place in what is believed to be modern-day Marden, Wiltshire, the battle was part of...
by David West | Mar 21, 2025 | News
Thomas Cranmer, born on 2 July 1489 in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire, was a seminal figure in the English Reformation. His life and work played a pivotal role in shaping the Church of England as it transitioned away from Roman Catholicism. As the first Protestant...
by David West | Mar 20, 2025 | News
Sir Walter Raleigh was freed from the Tower of London on the 20th of March, 1616. I didn’t treat Raleigh particularly well in The Spy who Sank the Armada. That’s because my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, worked for the Earl of Essex after Walsingham died, and Essex...
by David West | Mar 19, 2025 | News
On the 19th of March, 1563, the Edict of Amboise was signed. Amboise is a location in my work in progress, the fifth book of the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. It is where Leonardo Da Vinci spent his final years, and where he lies in his tomb. The Edict of Amboise...
