The siege of La Rochelle ended on the 28th of October, 1628, after fourteen months. It falls beyond the span of my work in progress, The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. However it does introduce Cardinal Richelieu, a key figure...

On the 27th of October, 1553, Michael Servetus was burnt alive on a pyre of his own books. He features in Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. A key character, Manuel, is a doctor of medicine. The main theme of the book is racism...

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was fought on the 26th of October, 1881. My father loved Westerns, and they were pretty much the only books he would read. So I rather grew up watching a lot of westerns, although my reading was much more varied. The gunfight at the...

The 25th of October is Saint Crispin’s Day. Crispin and Crispinian, also known as Saints Crispin and Crispinian, were twin brothers who became revered figures in Christian hagiography, celebrated as the patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. Their...

The Peace of Westphalia was signed on the 24th of October, 1648, bringing to an end both the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War. Regular readers will know that the Eighty Years’ War was my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen’s war. He spied for Walsingham against...

On the 23rd of October, 1295, the first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England was signed in Paris.  Origins and Formation The origins of the Auld Alliance lie in the complex power dynamics of late 13th-century Europe. England,...

On the 22nd of October, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas. I confess that I know little about Sam Houston other than that John Wayne and Richard Widmark were waiting for him to arrive with an army and relieve the siege...

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on the 21st of October, 1805. So when I crack open a bottle of something alcoholic this evening I shall say the toast, ‘to the immortal memory of Lord Nelson and those who fell with him.’ I have written about the use of intelligence...

The 20th of October was my father’s birthday. I’ve posted about my father a few times, so for today’s blog I shall write about the Relief of Goes, an amazing feat during the Eighty Years’ War, which was my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen’s war. Context of the Conflict...

The siege of La Rochelle ended on the 28th of October, 1628, after fourteen months. It falls beyond the span of my work in progress, The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. However it does introduce Cardinal Richelieu, a key figure...

On the 27th of October, 1553, Michael Servetus was burnt alive on a pyre of his own books. He features in Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. A key character, Manuel, is a doctor of medicine. The main theme of the book is racism...

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was fought on the 26th of October, 1881. My father loved Westerns, and they were pretty much the only books he would read. So I rather grew up watching a lot of westerns, although my reading was much more varied. The gunfight at the...

The 25th of October is Saint Crispin’s Day. Crispin and Crispinian, also known as Saints Crispin and Crispinian, were twin brothers who became revered figures in Christian hagiography, celebrated as the patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. Their...

The Peace of Westphalia was signed on the 24th of October, 1648, bringing to an end both the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War. Regular readers will know that the Eighty Years’ War was my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen’s war. He spied for Walsingham against...

On the 23rd of October, 1295, the first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England was signed in Paris.  Origins and Formation The origins of the Auld Alliance lie in the complex power dynamics of late 13th-century Europe. England,...

On the 22nd of October, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas. I confess that I know little about Sam Houston other than that John Wayne and Richard Widmark were waiting for him to arrive with an army and relieve the siege...

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on the 21st of October, 1805. So when I crack open a bottle of something alcoholic this evening I shall say the toast, ‘to the immortal memory of Lord Nelson and those who fell with him.’ I have written about the use of intelligence...

The 20th of October was my father’s birthday. I’ve posted about my father a few times, so for today’s blog I shall write about the Relief of Goes, an amazing feat during the Eighty Years’ War, which was my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen’s war. Context of the Conflict...