aBurntShip

                                            NEW AND IMPROVED SECOND EDITION 2025   Pity for the Guy ( Peter Owen publishers Ltd.)    first appeared in 2010. The revised edition is now available on kindle, but a paperback edition will be available soon, The author , John Paul Davis, is a historian and a successful writer of historical thrillers.  Although there was some interest in the Gunpowder Treason with the 1605-2005 anniversary, biographies of Guy Fawkes were in short supply for such a renowned figure. Pity for the Guy was a welcome addition to Gunpowder Treason studies, being well researched from the perspective of a historian but lively enough for the reader who knows little about the subject. This era is full of conspiracies, spies, intrigue,codes, with a large cast of historical figures. Another Guy Fawkes biography has appeared Nick Holland's The Re...

                                                       A Jacobean test of Loyalty ?      Sir William Parker (1578-1622),13th Baron Morley, inherited the title the 4th  Lord Monteagle: For the purposes of this post, the modern spelling of the title Lord Monteagle will be used..Other variants included Lord 'Mounteagle' or 'Mownteagle'.                                   The Monteagle Letter, is the most famous anonymous communication in British History. And perhaps the first British bomb scare. A deadly warning to Lord Monteagle -a Roman Catholic- who was due to take his seat in the House of Lords at the state opening of Parliament- on 5th November 1605. Who wrote or perhaps dictated, and delivered  the letter, is still disputed today. In ...

    A biography by Mark Turnbull -published by 'Pen & Sword'  Mark Turnbull is aptly qualified to write a biography of Charles I: He has written four well researched novels set during the British and Irish Civil Wars, and runs the 'Cavalier Podcast' series. Mr Turnbull has also appeared as a speaker on the Civil War history circuit.  This is the author's  the first non fiction work, and as Mr Turnbull already has the skill to make history interesting, the biography is ultimately a success. Also as a Civil War specialist, the author is more pro-Royalist whilst objective enough to look at the broader picture so to speak. The book is well footnoted, including references to  source material from the National Archives. .  I t is fair to say that the author seems quite distanced from the stance taken by historians such as Christopher Hill, who focused on alleged underlying  socio- economic causes of the conflict. Overall the emphasis is firmly place...

                                        The Lavish Life of James VI and 1                                           Steven Veerapen is an esteemed Scottish academic and fiction writer drawing on the late 16th century. His biography of Anna of Denmark, wife to James VI/1 was published in 2022, and Mr Veerapen has also written a non fiction book on Mary Queen of Scots-'Blood Feud-Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Moray' amongst other works . Over half the book deals with James's upbringing in Scotland and his kingship there. The focus on Scottish history is well done. The author works hard to try and explain the complex rivalries between the factions of Scottish nobility that could easily break out into armed fighting. The author makes an important distinction is made between the English Refo...

              German  Black Metal referencing Thirty Years War 1618- 1648          Painting of Magdeburg  by Jan van de Velde the Elder - Public Domain courtesy of Wikipedia   Hâl, the project run by German language Black Metal vocalist/ multi instrumentalist Vandergrift, from Magdeburgh, has just released an impressive CD titled 'Drei Dezennin' ( Three Decades). Most tracks are related to  the Thirty Years 1618 - 1648. I have decided to focus on the fourth track 'Knecht und Magd' ('Servant and Maid')  about the 1631 Sack of Magdeburg, with some lyrics translated below. Black Metal seems the most appropriate channel to convey the sheer horror of the event.  The Thirty Years Wars has not really grabbed the attention of British 17th century enthusiasts or the wider public. Have to admit that this blog, going since 2017, has only managed one post about the Thirty Years War ,which looked at the film 'T...

            Biography by Scottish academic and historical fiction writer Steven Veerapen                A biography of Anna, princess of Denmark, queen of Scotland, and also queen of England and Ireland from 1603, is most welcome. Published in 2022 by  Peter Lang  .Steven Veerapen is a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde who has written a series of historical novels set during the Tudor period. Amongst Mr Veerapen's  non-fiction work are  'Blood Feud -Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Moray' and 'Elizabeth and Essex, Power, Passion and Politics'. Cultural historians have emphasised Anna's patronage and participation in Court masques, particularly in relation to  the works of Ben Jonson's such Masque of Beauty and Masque of Queens . This is all acknowledged, along with a section on Anna and Ben Jonson's collaboration in organising an 'antimasque'- 'an unnatural and inelegant dance', in ...