Author: Karen Ralls
Publisher: Nicolas-Hays, Inc.
ISBN: 0892541725
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
Journey into twelve of the world's favorite medieval mysteries and cross the threshold into the world of the High Middle Ages. From Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" to Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose" to Dan Brown's bestselling "The Da Vinci Code," the medieval period continues to intrigue, inspire, entertain and fascinate many today. For the general reader and specialist alike, medieval expert, former Rosslyn Chapel museum exhibition curator and bestselling author Dr. Karen Ralls guides the reader through the key historical facts, legends and lore, affiliated places and major symbolism of each of these 12 popular medieval enigmas, providing a lively introductory portal which includes some of the lesser-known, sidelined or unacknowledged aspects of each of these enduring topics. The story of each subject comes alive as never before, providing a solid introduction for all readers as well as further suggested resources for teachers and researchers. Also included are photographs, a recommended reading section, maps, a list of the key major sites associated with each topic, and a full Bibliography. Topics covered include: King Arthur, Merlin and GlastonburyThe Grail Quest Mary MagdaleneThe real meaning of Black MadonnasThe Knights Templar, the Cathers, and Rosslyn ChapelMedieval Guides and TroubadoursHeresy and Heretics Let this book serve as your personal pilgrimage back to the High Middle Ages - a time of potent symbolism, occult knowledge, and spiritual quests.
Author: J. G. Lewis
Publisher: Stoneheart Press
ISBN: 1939941520
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270
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Book Description
Salisbury, 1226 A young pregnant woman is found tangled in reeds in the river Avon, her identity a mystery. Grieving widow Ela Longespée is determined to succeed her husband as sheriff of Salisbury, and quickly takes charge of the investigation. She soon finds herself in the thick of a neighborhood scandal and a struggle to maintain her authority. With multiple suspects, can she identify the true killer? The Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery Series This series features a real historical figure—the formidable Ela Longespée. The young Countess of Salisbury was chosen to marry King Henry II’s illegitimate son William. After her husband’s untimely death, Ela served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire, castellan of Salisbury Castle, and ultimately founder and abbess of Lacock Abbey. The Ela of Salisbury Medieval Mystery series: Book 1: Cathedral of Bones Book 2: Breach of Faith Book 3: The Lost Child Book 4: Forest of Souls Book 5: The Bone Chess Set Book 6: Cloister of Whispers Coming 2022: Book 7: Palace of Thorns
Author: Ann Swinfen
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 1800327552
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 297
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Book Description
A treacherous journey, a band of desperate rogues, a shocking, hidden truth. When Nicholas Elyot and his friends set out to spend the Christmas season in the country, they are prepared for a hard journey in winter weather. They are also wary of violence on the road, for these are troubled times after the Great Pestilence, when bands of dispossessed and desolate men roam the countryside of England. It is not surprising, therefore, when troubadours hired to provide entertainment at Leighton Manor are attacked in Wychwood. Yet why should this insignificant group draw the attention of outlaws... what could they be searching for? Is one of the troubadours not quite what he seems? A thrilling addition to the pulse-pounding medieval mystery series, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Edward Marston and Paul Doherty.
Author: Michael Jecks
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1471126307
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 354
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Book Description
1321. Simon and Baldwin are rewarded for their services in a previous investigation by a summons to Exeter over the Christmas period to receive prestigious gloves of honour from the Boy-Bishop. However, they learn that Ralph, the glovemaker, has been robbed and murdered. Soon after, a Secondary named Peter is poisoned at the cathedral. Suspicion falls on him, with many assuming that he killed Ralph and then committed suicide, but Simon and Baldwin are unconvinced. Their investigation unearths deception by the highest ranks of Exeter's leading citizens, and a ruthless murderer, poised to strike again...
Author: Margaret Frazer
Publisher: Dream Machine Productions
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 298
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Book Description
THE PLAY'S THE THING, TO CATCH THE CONSCIENCE OF A KILLER... The Christmas season brings strange guests to the medieval nunnery of St. Frideswide's when a troupe of penniless players comes knocking at the gate. They bear with them the badly mangled body of a villager, swearing they found the drunken fool lying in a ditch. But Meg, the victim's wife and a scullery maid of the cloister, thinks there are far fouler deeds afoot. As the players rehearse for the nativity, ancient scandals lick at their heels and dark desperation haunts Meg's steps as she finds cruel feudal laws threatening to strip away the lands that would support both her and her sons in the wake of her husband's death. Dame Frevisse must thrust herself between these violent feuds, awakening dreams of her youth that she had believed long buried. Her very faith may be threatened, but Frevisse knows she must unravel a path to true salvation... before false raptures of lust bring ruination upon them all. NOMINATED FOR THE 1994 EDGAR AWARD PRAISE FOR THE SERVANT'S TALE "Period detail, adroit characterizations, and lively dialogue add to the pleasure of this labyrinthine tale." - Publishers Weekly "This mystery is so rich with place and time that they become characters in the story. Dame Frevisse is a stalwart, appealing sleuth and the cold, dark priory and the squalor of Medieval England are fascinating backdrops." - New Orleans Times-Picayune "The writing is seamless... The atmosphere of the book is cold and blustery, danger afield. A well-steeped sense of history prevails... They make this novel more than a mystery, but a wonderful historical dark tapestry. We are transported back to the 14th century. One of the 10 best mystery novels of 1993." - Minneapolis Star Tribune "I look forward to more murders at St. Frideswide." - The Mystery Review "Frazer never falters in this magnificent historical... This is a perfect mystery: It's flawless." - Drood Review of Mystery PRAISE FOR THE SISTER FREVISSEE MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES "Exciting writing, colorful characters, and historical accuracy." - St. Paul Pioneer Press "Tale[s] of mystery, intrigue, jealousy and ambition, well drawn, well paced, and a pleasure to read." - Historical Novels Review "The series gets better and better as it goes along." - Grounds for Mystery "Margaret Frazer has quietly claimed her place as one of the preeminent writers of historical crime fiction, delivering the whole package - a good mystery, wonderful characters, and a fascinating period of history. [...] Her novels are a dream to read." - Aunt Agatha's Newsletter "Frazer's quiet yet intense medieval mysteries are so vividly and gracefully written you just float back in time..." - The Poisoned Pen "A smooth and absorbing saga of conspiracy and treachery in 15th-century England..." - Publishers Weekly A Romantic Times Top Pick. Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.
Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780747275251
Category : Corbet, Hugh (Fictitious character)
Languages : en
Pages : 255
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Book Description
The death of Lord Henry Fitzalan on the feast of St Matthew, 1303, is a matter widely reported but little mourned. Infamous for his lecherous tendencies, his midnight trysts with a coven of witches and his boundless self-interest, he was a man of few friends. So when Hugh Corbett is asked to bring his murderer to justice it is not a matter of finding a suspect but of choosing between them. Immediate suspicion falls on Lord Henry's chief verderer, Robert Verlian. His daughter had been the focus of the Lord's roving eye in the weeks before his death and Fitzalan was not a man to take no for an answer. But the culprit could just as easily be Sir William, the dead man's younger brother. It is no secret that Sir William covets the Fitzalan estate, but would he kill to inherit it? For Sir Hugh Corbett the possibilities are endless, but even he could never have imagined the real truth behind the murder...
Author: Kurt A. Schreyer
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 080145509X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 339
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Book Description
In Shakespeare's Medieval Craft, Kurt A. Schreyer explores the relationship between Shakespeare’s plays and a tradition of late medieval English biblical drama known as mystery plays. Scholars of English theater have long debated Shakespeare’s connection to the mystery play tradition, but Schreyer provides new perspective on the subject by focusing on the Chester Banns, a sixteenth-century proclamation announcing the annual performance of that city’s cycle of mystery plays. Through close study of the Banns, Schreyer demonstrates the central importance of medieval stage objects—as vital and direct agents and not merely as precursors—to the Shakespearean stage.As Schreyer shows, the Chester Banns serve as a paradigm for how Shakespeare’s theater might have reflected on and incorporated the mystery play tradition, yet distinguished itself from it. For instance, he demonstrates that certain material features of Shakespeare’s stage—including the ass’s head of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the theatrical space of Purgatory in Hamlet, and the knocking at the gate in the Porter scene of Macbeth—were in fact remnants of the earlier mysteries transformed to meet the exigencies of the commercial London playhouses. Schreyer argues that the ongoing agency of supposedly superseded theatrical objects and practices reveal how the mystery plays shaped dramatic production long after their demise. At the same time, these medieval traditions help to reposition Shakespeare as more than a writer of plays; he was a play-wright, a dramatic artisan who forged new theatrical works by fitting poetry to the material remnants of an older dramatic tradition.
Author: Ann Swinfen
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 180032751X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 294
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Book Description
The death of a scholar, the birth of a detective... Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of William Farringdon floating in the River Cherwell, all the signs point to suicide. Soon, however, Nicholas discovers evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his close friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William’s death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot. When their investigations begin to involve town, university, and abbey, Nicholas takes a risky gamble – and puts his family in terrible danger in order to uncover the truth. A thrilling historical mystery full of twists and intrigue, perfect for fans of Ellis Peters, Paul Doherty and E. M. Powell.
Author: Pat McIntosh
Publisher: Soho Press
ISBN: 156947950X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
Gil Cunningham had hoped that the first time he set foot in the brothel on the Drygate it would also be his last, but by the time all was settled he felt quite at home within its artfully painted chambers. The bawdy house, along with the neighboring property, is offered to Gil and his wife Alys by the forceful Dame Isabella. But matters are confused by an outbreak of counterfeit coins in Glasgow, which Gil has been ordered to investigate. Then Dame Isabella is found dead in strange circumstances, and the more Gil pursues the cause of her death, the more false coins he finds. Rumors circulate that the Devil is abroad in Strathblane. By the time Gil and Alys have untangled matters, some very surprising—and sinister—things have come to light.
Author: Sharon Kay Penman
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 080503885X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 310
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Book Description
In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine hires Justin de Quincey, bastard son of the bishop of Chester, to find the murderer of one of her goldsmiths.
