Stones & Bones

Warrior Queen Apr 20, 2022

Almost two-thousand years ago, a Celtic queen proved the truth of the famous saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

Londinium Apr 14, 2022

Samuel Johnson, considered England’s greatest man of letters, famously said: “When a man is tired of London, he’s tired of life.” London’s fascinating history is one reason why.

The Game Apr 06, 2022

Chess is battle on a board. There can only be one winner.

The Mentor Mar 31, 2022

Any mentor can only go so far. Eventually the hero – or heroine – MUST face the unknown ALONE.

The Northampton Mar 24, 2022

Of Emma of Normandy, Sir Winston Churchill wrote: “Few women in history have stood at the centre of such remarkable converging forces.” But another powerful woman stood in her way.

Birth of a Conqueror Mar 16, 2022

How did one of history’s most famous kings come to be? Yet without Emma of Normandy, he would be a fleeting figure through time.

Ironside Feb 23, 2022

This figure is indispensable to British history and to Emma's story. But he didn't last long on her chessboard.

Winter Queen Feb 16, 2022

Even in the winter of life, love knows no yesterdays.

Emma’s Place Feb 09, 2022

It’s been said that home is where the heart is. But for Emma, only one place will do.

The Oath Feb 02, 2022

A woman desperate for her bloodline to continue fights at every turn for her sons to rise as kings. But first, she needs the oath.

Nightfall Jan 26, 2022

As the Vikings carve a path of fire and blood through Saxon England, its weak king flees at the first shout of battle. Is this the work of history’s first recorded wicked stepmother?

The Fox and the Hedgehog Jan 19, 2022

From her first days in England, young Emma of Normandy had a formidable adversary. She could not imagine then how formidable. Soon she would know. The proverbial Fox and Hedgehog are about to square off.

Christmastide Dec 22, 2021

Queen Emma wishes everyone NOEL! The holiday greeting she likely would've given. As a French import herself, NOEL originated in France but became a favored traditional greeting in the medieval era. Let's join Emma for Christmastide. A joyous time, a joyous greeting, a joyous wish to all!

An Interview with British Historian Dr. Daniel Gerrard Dec 17, 2021

Dr. Daniel Gerrard is a British historian of the High Middle Ages and the author of three books. Professor Gerrard teaches medieval history at Regents Park College, Oxford University and specializes in the biography of Emma of Normandy, the first biography of an English queen, the Encomium Emmae Reginae.

This interview focuses on the early days of Emma of Normandy in England and the trauma she experienced just months after her arrival as young bride and queen, the St. Brice’s Day Massacre. Flashpoint for the Viking conquest of England.

Massacre Dec 01, 2021

Oxford. Key hub at the crossroads of Roman roads. And the flashpoint of the Viking conquest of England. The Saxon king orders a massacre of all Danes, his queen’s kith and kin. As England sinks beneath the Viking yoke, she asks, is this why she came?

There Be Dragons! Nov 24, 2021

One creature is instantly recognized the world over. Remarkably similar in all cultures. To Queen Emma, these creatures were not mythical. They were real. But they don’t exist, do they? So why are they everywhere?

Otherworld Nov 17, 2021

Lord, what fools these mortals be! Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream transports us to the Otherworld. For Emma of Normandy fairies and elves were never far below the surface. There are countless stories of their origins. This is one.

Go Berserk! Nov 10, 2021

A 1000 years ago a treasure was buried. Not of gold. A chess set. A Viking chess set. How do we know? Berserkrs. Vikings who’d go berserk and kill and kill ‘til there was no one left to kill. Who said chess was just a game?

Blood Eagle Nov 03, 2021

From the fury of the Northmen, oh Lord, deliver us! A prayer not for deliverance from a bunch of long-haired tourists who roughed up the neighbors. But a merciless scourge who executed the Blood Eagle.

Put It in the Bank Oct 27, 2021

Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James, John Dillinger. They robbed banks. But it was the most accomplished robbers in history who showed them where the banks were.

Kingmaker Oct 20, 2021

A figure arose from the shadows. A crafty survivor who became more powerful than kings for he was a maker of kings. No one stood in his way. Not even the Queen of England.

Unready Oct 13, 2021

Emma of Normandy prepares to sail across a narrow sea to wed a famous king. But is she ready to wed a king unready to fight, unready to rule, unready to save his kingdom?

Crazy Bread Oct 06, 2021

What was crazy bread and why was it eaten by peasants to stave off hunger and give them a summer of love? Welcome to Y1K and the world of young Emma of Normandy.

Put Away the Playthings Sep 29, 2021

For a half century she bent history to her will. Everything that turned touched her. And she turned everything she touched. But first, she had to put away her playthings.

Gravediggers Sep 22, 2021

They sought her blood. They readied the rope. They dug her grave. What would remain as cold death beckoned her to churchyards filled with stones and bones?

The Lady Sep 16, 2021

A scholar, a fighter, a passionate lover and a cunning political manipulator. The very model of a medieval ruler. But this medieval ruler was not a man. This power player was a woman. And England was her chessboard.

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