Paris is well worth a Mass

Paris is well worth a Mass

On the 25th of July, 1593, King Henry IV of France publicly converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. Henry, or Henri in the French of the time, is a key character in The Suggested Assassin, the third book in the Sir Anthony Standen Advetures. King Henry IV...
War Wolf

War Wolf

On the 24th of July, 1304, King Edward I of England (Longshanks) took Stirling Castle, during the Wars of Scottish Independence,  using War Wolf, believed to be the largest trebuchet ever made. War Wolf, also known as “Ludgar” or simply “the...
Operations Edelweiss and Braunschweig

Operations Edelweiss and Braunschweig

On the 23rd of July, 1942, Hitler ordered Operations Edelweiss and Braunschweig to commence. Meanwhile my father would have been preparing for the first Battle of El Alamein. Operation Edelweiss: Launched in July 1942, Operation Edelweiss was a key component of...
Progress

Progress

It’s time for an update on progress with the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, The Favourite Murder. Today I edited chapter 19. So I have four more chapters to edit for the second draft. Chapter 23 will need to include some additional material, so that...
The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

On the 22nd of July, 1598, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice was entered on the Stationers’ Register, which by decree of Queen Elizabeth I, licensed all printed works. The Merchant of Venice is my favourite Shakespeare Play. Whilst researching The Spy who Sank the...
The Battle of Jemmingen

The Battle of Jemmingen

The Battle of Jemmingen was fought on the 21st of July, 1568, during the Eighty Years’ War. At that time my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen, was in Paris trying to gain the favour of the English ambassador. When Francis Walsingham took over as English ambassador,...