Our window on to the Henrician court There is a great deal of historical fiction written – some of it excellent and some of it not so good. If you ask an academic about their opinion of a historical novel it produces a raised eyebrow, often with a sniff and the dismissive response of “it’s fiction!”.… Continue reading Hans Holbein the Younger and Thomas Cromwell as depicted in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy
An example of early 16th century intellectual entertainment, or a seditious text? Henry VIII’s marital history has been picked apart by so many historians of varying disciplines and writers of fiction, all with varying degrees of insight, to the point that some might think there is very little more to say about it, especially on… Continue reading The Devonshire Manuscript & its place in history
Conor Byrne studied for his Bachelor's degree in history at Exeter University, and his Master of Arts in medieval and early modern history at the university of York. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Southampton research the history of executed queens. He has previously written on the life of Katharine Howard.… Continue reading Guest Post: Lady Katherine Grey : A Tragic Inheritance by Conor Byrne.
Dame Hilary Mantel DBE FRSL. Source Wikipedia. Immediate source: https://us.macmillan.com/author/hilarymantel In June 2024 The Wolf Hall Weekend will celebrate Dame Hilary Mantel's magnificent trilogy describing Thomas Cromwell’s rise and fall as Henry VIII's chief administrator at the beautiful 16th century Cadhay House, Devon.[1] Sir Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch’s superb biography of Cromwell, published in 2018, was described… Continue reading Celebrating Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy
Author : Conor Byrne, BA (Hons), MA. Publisher: The History Press. I received this latest biography by Conor Byrne from the publishers on Friday, 22nd July. It sits well in the hand and the size of the text makes it easy to read. Congratulations History Press on a beautifully produced book. Lady Katharine Grey & her son, Edward… Continue reading Lady Katharine Grey: A Dynastic Tragedy by Conor Byrne- A Review
Melanie V Taylor 