Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was a formidable Tudor warship, emblematic of England's maritime ambitions during the reign of King Henry VIII. Constructed between 1509 and 1511 in Portsmouth, she was named possibly after Henry VIII's sister, Mary, and the Tudor emblem, the rose. As a...
Longshanks
The 18th of July strikes me as bad day for Jews. It was on this day in 1925 that Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf, and it was the day in 1290 that King Edward I, or Edward Longshanks, issued his Edict of Expulsion, which banished all Jews from England. Edward...
Spanish Civil War
On the 17th of July, 1936, the Spanish armed forces rebelled against the recently elected left-wing Popular Front government, sparking the Spanish Civil War. Vendetta in Spain, by Dennis Wheatley, is one of my favourite books. It gives a good account of the start of...
Banknotes
On the 16th of July, 1661, the Swedish bank Stockholm Banco issued Europes first banknotes. I had wondered when folding money might appear in my books, the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. My characters must tire of carrying all those ducats, pistoles and livres...
Air Raid
On the 15th of July, 1849, Austria launched pilotless balloons against Venice during the First Italian War of Independence. This is the first recorded air raid. I have written about aerial warfare before, and about my pilot training, but I hadn’t known about this...
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, and marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a formidable fortress-prison located in Paris, originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the eastern...
AI – Artificial Intelligence
It’s the 13th of July and I am spoilt for choice for my daily post. I could have written about the Siege of Haarlem, a key battle of 1573 during the Eighty Years War, a war in which my ancestor, the Elizabethan spy Sir Anthony Standen, played his part. I could have...
Catherine Parr
On the 12th of July, 1543, King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr. Catherine was born in 1512. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Green, coming from a noble family with strong connections at court. Known for her...
Hamilton
On the 11th of July, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel. Alexander Hamilton was born on the 11th of January in either 1755 or 1757 in Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock, and his father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him...
Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was a formidable Tudor warship, emblematic of England's maritime ambitions during the reign of King Henry VIII. Constructed between 1509 and 1511 in Portsmouth, she was named possibly after Henry VIII's sister, Mary, and the Tudor emblem, the rose. As a...
Longshanks
The 18th of July strikes me as bad day for Jews. It was on this day in 1925 that Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf, and it was the day in 1290 that King Edward I, or Edward Longshanks, issued his Edict of Expulsion, which banished all Jews from England. Edward...
Spanish Civil War
On the 17th of July, 1936, the Spanish armed forces rebelled against the recently elected left-wing Popular Front government, sparking the Spanish Civil War. Vendetta in Spain, by Dennis Wheatley, is one of my favourite books. It gives a good account of the start of...
Banknotes
On the 16th of July, 1661, the Swedish bank Stockholm Banco issued Europes first banknotes. I had wondered when folding money might appear in my books, the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. My characters must tire of carrying all those ducats, pistoles and livres...
Air Raid
On the 15th of July, 1849, Austria launched pilotless balloons against Venice during the First Italian War of Independence. This is the first recorded air raid. I have written about aerial warfare before, and about my pilot training, but I hadn’t known about this...
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, and marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a formidable fortress-prison located in Paris, originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the eastern...
AI – Artificial Intelligence
It’s the 13th of July and I am spoilt for choice for my daily post. I could have written about the Siege of Haarlem, a key battle of 1573 during the Eighty Years War, a war in which my ancestor, the Elizabethan spy Sir Anthony Standen, played his part. I could have...
Catherine Parr
On the 12th of July, 1543, King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr. Catherine was born in 1512. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Green, coming from a noble family with strong connections at court. Known for her...
Hamilton
On the 11th of July, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded in a duel. Alexander Hamilton was born on the 11th of January in either 1755 or 1757 in Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock, and his father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him...