Helen Castor

I found this a nice, relatively easy, but informative read about the Paston family, taking as source material that treasure trove from the Middle ages, the Paston letters. Being of Norfolk stock with a mother who's keen on history, I've known of the Paston letters for some time, but I've never realised how extensive they are. The Paston family were prodigious correspondents in the middle ages, and seem to have been inveterate filers of this correspondence. Their descendents, though, seem to show more have not tidied up for a couple of hundred years, because the letters then turn up in the mid 1700s, and are catalogued for the first time. I had in my head there'd be a couple of letters. Turns out that there are surviving over 1000 from about a 100 years. And they wrote about everything. The important events of the day, land squabbles, money worries, clothes, cloth, life, death, betrayal - everything. All of life is in these. And the great thing about them is that if you took away the archaic phrasing and language, they and their emotions, hopes, fears are so recognisable.
In this book, you're taken through the events of the family and the wider country as they rise from peasant farmers to the nobility. It's not a smooth ride, and they get involved in disputes about land and wills, they make bad decisions about patrons and who to appeal to for help, they are pig headed, they go to war, they survive battles and all the while their letters contain their thoughts, wishes, petty squabbles and disappointments. They are fascinating for the window they provide on the past, and that they are such characters in their own right. show less

**Joan of Arc: A History** (9/1/26-13/1/26)

I have been reading this well written and very well researched book alongside a series of episodes on this theme from my favourite history podcast. The book covers the life and influence of one of the most famous women in history in a slightly different way to a conventional biography. Instead of viewing Joan’s history from the time of her death and looking backwards, Castor recounts the narrative as it unfolded in real time in France, without the show more benefit of hindsight, from a decade and a half before Joan’s appearance on the scene in early 1429 with Henry V of England’s victory at Agincourt in 1415. This was a hammer blow for French fortunes and led to a long decline in French morale, exacerbated by the civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, who were allied with England in their battle to win the French crown, a goal that seemed to have finally been achieved by the dual monarchy agreed at the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, under which Henry V of England would acquire the French throne on the death of Charles VI of France.

Against this turbulent backdrop, Joan’s appearance and her amazing claims to be able to raise the siege of Orléans, crown the dauphin as King Charles VII, and drive the English from France, were revolutionary. But she succeeded in all these aims, albeit that the final one was not completed until nearly twenty years after her death when the English were finally driven out of all French territory, with the exception of Calais. After many military successes, Joan was eventually captured by the Burgundians and handed over to the English. Despite her military and political opposition, the thrust of the articles laid against at her trial in 1431 were religious in nature, though the damage her actions and words were held to have caused the Catholic church often seemed to take second place to the scandal caused by her dressing in men’s clothes. The book also covers the second trial of 1456, the nullification trial which quashed the verdict of the first trial in the greatly changed political situation of a quarter of a century later when the English had been driven out, the Hundred Years War over, and England now riven by the dynastic conflict later known as the Wars of the Roses. A fascinating approach to a truly revolutionary and fascinating personality. show less

I had eagerly awaited the release of this book and waited until I could take my time and read it slowly- taking notes if I wished. I wasn't disappointed! The book begins with a genealogy of the Tudor Succession and as Edward VI is dying. The book is an utterly fascinating, eminently readable, treatise about the tradition of female rulers prior to the time of Elizabeth I.

Included are:

Matilda: Lady of England 1102-1167
Eleanor: An Incomparable Woman 1124-1204 (long lived indeed!)
Isabella: Iron show more Lady 1295-1358
Margaret: A Great and Strong Laboured Woman 1430-1482

and, as the books returns to the time of the Tudors and the death of Edward VI, in "New Beginnings"
Mary and her disastrous marriage with Philip of Spain. The book ends as Elizabeth I is handed the reins of of government and becomes both the King and Queen of her kingdom.

Each section is preceded by a both a genealogy as well as a map of the Kingdom as it existed at that point in history. Very helpful while you are reading about the constantly changing boundaries of the various countries. The genealogies really made me realize how small the pool of available spouses for royal marriages really was at the time. Papal dispensations for consanguinity matters must have been a steady source of revenue for the Church! Ms. Castor has an uncanny ability to write non-fiction that reads as enjoyably as fiction. I was sorry when the book ended - wanting more of this truly riveting history. The struggle of female rulers really was the the beginning of the fight for women's rights and the fact that these amazing, talented, strong women managed to rule as they did is a wonder. I wonder how many modern women would have the tenacity and determination to breach the boundaries of proper 'etiquette' as these female rulers did. It boggles my mind at how strong and focused they must have been. No doubt they would be the sort of successful women who would, to this day, be called She Wolves, baracuddas, or another word that begins with the letter b----.

I wished that the book had more illustrations - but then I always wish that. I always want more images to pair with the words in a book. The included 8 pages of color images are well done - but more would have been better (of course!) This book will, I think, hold wide appeal to history buffs - especially those who are Anglophiles as I am, as well as for people who study women's rights and societal issues.

I will be on the pre-order list as soon as I hear about Helen Castor's next book ! show less

I liked this book enough that I'm having trouble trying to review it. There is just too much I want to talk about and I can't, you know, sum up. This is fascinating history where one cousin, after a lifetime of loyal service to his cousin the king of the same age, usurps the throne. It's famous in Shakespeare, covered in four plays (Richard II, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V). Richard II, the infamous crazy king who kept getting crazier in the midst of the 100 years war with show more France. This is also the post-plague era. The English language was first becoming prominent, instead of simply the language of the commoners. Chaucer, Gower, William Langland and the Pearl Poet were all writing major Middle English works. And it the era of the massive Peasants Revolt

Castor's interest, as she tells up front, is in the nature of power. Richard was not exactly born into it, but upon the death of his father, The Black Prince, he became the natural heir. And he inherited the throne at age ten. There was no good choice for a regent, so he didn't have one. He just had advisers who tried very hard to control him. He spent his rule not thinking about England or its people, but how to get past all the obstacles full power, so that his will was always done. This led to a lot of weird situations. His first selected set of royal advisers were all convicted of treason. He was only not dethroned because there was no natural heir to replace it. So having a bad king was better than the alternative.

Henry, meanwhile, was raised to be a leading loyal servant to the king. His father, John of Guant, younger brother of the Black Prince, was the most powerful person in England when Richard became king. He never overstepped. He was always loyal to England. He was also the next in line to Richard. Upon his death, with Richard still childless, Henry became the next in line.

When Henry rebelled, there were no battles. Key lords immediately joined Henry without a fight. And those loyal to Richard pretty much all surrendered, leaving Richard without an army. Henry took the kingship in the name of good government. This is also fascinating. First, it's really hard to run a good government, especially where there are rebellions against you everywhere, and that's a big problem if that is your main claim to the throne. And second it meant Henry felt it was important for him to work with the parliament in ways previous kings hadn't. He accepted huge criticism and actually compromised. For example, he allowed Parliament to monitor his spending, and to nominate some of his advisers.

See what I mean. Sorry guys. That's too much. Ok, some of the most interesting stuff to me in this book was, first, that Richard was never crazy. It's just mythology. He was pretty much the same narrowly focused person his whole life. He just wasn't interested in the state of England, or that war. The second thing is how sophisticated the political world of England was. Parliament was very complex. The peasant revolt, notorious for its murderous mob, actually had some intelligent ideas, if not realistic. They wanted to end serfdom, confiscate church land, end their loyalty to their local lords, and instead give it directly to the king. So, they merely wanted to overturn the unjust social structure of England. But the constant interplay of the different leading figures with each other and the realities their world was always so complicated and fascinating.

I've seen reviewers say this book was boring and they got lost. But I never got lost on audio. I was pretty rivetted the entire time I listened, for 20 hours. Fun stuff. Recommended to Shakespeare people...and Chaucer people...and anyone else curious.

2025
https://www.librarything.com/topic/369129#8819309 show less