Isabella was probably born around ; she was the daughter of Colban, Earl of Fife, and his wife, Anna. Captured after the Scottish defeat at Dunbar in , the Earl of Buchan had been sent north by Edward I, ordered to take action against Andrew Murray; however, he only took cursory action against the loyal Scot and soon changed sides, possibly fighting for the Scots at Falkirk in It cannot have been an easy decision for her.
As the party were sent south, Isabella must have faced the future with trepidation. Even knowing that she would receive harsh treatment, it is doubtful that she, or indeed anyone, could have foreseen the punishment that Edward I would mete out.
But because of that illicit coronation which she made, in a little enclosure made of iron and stone in the form of a crown, solidly constructed, let her be suspended at Berwick under the open heavens, so as to provide, in life and after death, a spectacle for passers-by and eternal shame. The original royal writ still survives, written in French and reads a little differently;. They were also a taunt; placing Isabella and Mary in these cages, in castles on the border with Scotland, it is possible they were intended as a challenge to Robert the Bruce, showing him that he was not powerful enough to protect his women, but also teasing him, hoping he would be drawn into a rescue attempt that would, almost certainly, lead to the destruction of his limited forces.
It was only in that Mary and Isabella were released from their cages; Isabella was moved to the more comfortable surroundings of the Carmelite friary at Berwick. She would be married twice after her release. Mary died in , she had survived four years imprisoned in a cage at Roxburgh Castle before being transferred to a more comfortable imprisonment in To survive 4 years imprisoned in a cage within a castle is remarkable.
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Even though they were not exposed to the elements, their movements, ability to exercise and exposure to fresh air were severely limited. Their courage and tenacity deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Their story deserves to be told. The years following the death of Earl Godwin of Wessex, husband of Gytha , saw the rise of their sons. It was thought too dangerous to leave a county which bordered Scotland in the hands of a child, and so the earldom was awarded to Tostig. Another son, Leofwine, appears to have succeeded to part of the earldom of Ralph, Earl of Hereford, on his death in , gaining lands in the south Midlands, including in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire.
Unrest in Northumbria had been growing steadily over recent years. Tostig was rarely in the earldom, preferring to spend his time at court, with the king and his sister, and leaving the day-to-day governance of Northumbria to his representatives in the region. The rebellion gathered pace when Mercian Earl Edwin joined his own forces with those of Morcar, and the brothers were, in turn, joined by their Welsh allies and marched south.
The rebels, however, demanded that Tostig should not only be removed from Northumbria, but banished from England altogether. No lord — including Harold — was prepared to restore Tostig by force; no one wanted to see the country divided by civil war. It was probably the last time she saw her son. However, if Harold expected a honeymoon period as king, he was to be sorely disappointed. How devastated she must have been, to see one son attacking another, but Harold proved implacable and set out for Sandwich to confront Tostig. The fear and anticipation that gripped the country cannot have failed to affect Gytha, knowing that her sons were at the heart of events.
Leofwine and Gyrth were stalwart in their support of Harold, whilst Tostig was brooding and planning in the court of the Scots king. They therefore had leave to go home; and the king rode up, and the ships were driven to London; but many perished ere they came thither. As the summer drew to a close, Harold received news that his brother, Tostig, had landed in the north with Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, and ships. He was accompanied by two of his younger brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine. Harald Hardrada and Tostig were both killed in the battle, which saw about 11, of the estimated 20, combatants dead at the end of the day.
Harold had no time to savour his victory, nor mourn the loss of his brother, for three days after the battle Duke William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on the south coast. As soon as he received the news, Harold turned his army south and marched to face this new enemy. It is also possible her grandson Hakon died on the field of battle; he had returned to England with Harold in , after being held hostage in Normandy since William refused, with an angry retort, saying it would be unfair to bury him, given that so many remained unburied on the field on his account.
Her one surviving son, Wulfnoth, was still a hostage in Normandy and so nothing more is heard of her until Gytha appears to have settled in the west of Wessex, for she and her family were implicated in a conspiracy in Exeter, from where messages were being sent to other cities, urging rebellion.
History… the interesting bits!
In their late teens or early twenties, the boys fled to Ireland after the death of their father and were now plotting to return with an invasion fleet. King William had just returned from Normandy, when the conspiracy arose. Exeter was to be the base from which the rebellion could gather and spread throughout the country; when the king demanded Exeter give the king its fealty, the city refused.
As William arrived at the city with his army, they played for time, saying they would open their gates, while at the same time preparing to resist. After eighteen days of siege, the city surrendered. And with Gytha and her supporters gone, the city was able to surrender and agree terms with the king. She remained on Flat Holm for some time; her grandsons, Godwine, Edmund and Magnus, arrived from Ireland later in the year, possibly making a brief stop on Flat Holm to visit her before landing in Somerset and making for Bristol.
- niklas e kimkim (Italian Edition);
- Das Gewicht: Erzählung (German Edition);
- Boa Tarde às Coisas Aqui em Baixo (Portuguese Edition)?
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- Prayers for all Occasions;
Although the campaign failed to take the city, they returned to Ireland with considerable plunder after raiding along the Somerset coast. Another attempt at gathering support in Devon the following year also ended in failure and the boys retured to Ireland. After a short stay in Flanders, Gytha may have made her way to Denmark, where her nephew Swein Estrithson was king. Unfortunately for us, once she reaches the Continent, Gytha, the wife of Godwin, disappears from history.
Where she lived, and for how much longer, has gone unrecorded, shrouding her last days or years in mystery. She was a wife whose husband decided the fate of kings, and a mother who lost four sons in battle within three weeks in , three in the same battle. It is impossible to imagine the agony of waiting at Hastings, and hearing of the death of her son the king. It speaks for her determination and tenacity that she did not just curl up and give in after such losses. She continued her resistance to William the Conqueror for as long as she could, before going into exile on the Continent, disappearing from the pages of history.
Pictures of Gytha and Edoth Swanneck courtesy of Wikipedia.
Going on 18: Here are the interesting bits
The momentous events of , the story of invasion, battle and conquest, are well known. But what of the women? Harold II of England had been with Edith Swanneck for twenty years but in , in order to strengthen his hold on the throne, he married Ealdgyth, sister of two earls. Harald Hardrada had two wives — apparently at the same time. So, who were these women? What was their real story? And what happened to them after ? These are not peripheral figures. These are lives full of drama, pathos and sometimes mystery: Edith and Gytha searching the battlefield of Hastings for the body of Harold, his lover and mother united in their grief for the fallen king.
Silk and the Sword traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play during the Norman Conquest — wives, lovers, sisters, mothers, leaders. The draw will be made on Sunday 2nd December, so you should get the book in time for Christmas Day. Congratulations, Chloe, if you can drop me a pm with address, I will get your book out to you this week.
To everyone else who entered, thank you so much for taking the time and for leaving such wonderful comments. What a fabulous review of Silk and the Sword: Almost a year ago, I read and reviewed one of the most innovative and refreshing historical texts I have ever come across, that being Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly my review can be found here.
Silk and the Sword: You can pre-order it here. The day is finally here! So I thought I would write a post about the most fascinating woman I came across while writing the book. I have to admit, I expected Emma of Normandy to be the woman who stole the show with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was Gytha of Wessex! However, unlike Emma and Godiva, Gytha was at the centre of events before, during and after the fateful year of Her story is far too long to be told in one blog post, so I will concentrate on the lesser known part of the story; the early years of the marriage of Godwin and Gytha.
Raised in Denmark, Gytha was the daughter of Thorgils Sprakaleg, a Danish magnate who himself was said to have been the grandson of a bear and a Swedish maiden. Although obviously not true, such a legend serves to weave a sense of mystery and legacy into a family. Little is known of her mother; a later story suggested she was Tyra, daughter of Harold Bluetooth, king of Norway and Denmark, but this has been discounted by historians.
Gytha was probably either born in the last decade of the tenth century or the first decade of the eleventh, and she had at least two brothers. It was in about that Gytha was married to Godwin.
We can assume that she probably had little say in the matter; once Cnut had decided on the marriage, who could refuse such a powerful king? What treason he had committed is unclear, and it is likely that the charges were unfounded. Wulfnoth fled to sea, taking twenty of the new ships with him. It is possible that Godwin was married to a lady called Thyra, before he married Gytha. For it is reported, that she was in the habit of purchasing companies of slaves in England, and sending them into Denmark; more especially girls, whose beauty and age rendered them more valuable, that she might accumulate money by this horrid traffic.
Godwin appears to have accumulated considerable lands during the reign of Cnut. It is likely that she spent the majority of her time in the s and s giving birth to, and raising, her large brood of children. Their daughter Edith was probably born within a year of the marriage and would become Queen of England as the wife of King Edward the Confessor.
Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine all became earls under Edward the Confessor and were deeply involved in the events of , although not all on the same side. Wulfnoth died sometime after , but whether in England or Normandy is unclear. Little is known of Alfgar; if he existed, he may have been a monk at Reims in France. As well as Edith, Gytha and Godwin are thought to have had two or three more daughters. Little is known of Eadgiva or Eadgifu , but for her name and that she held the comital estate of Crewkerne in Somerset; she is also on a list of women in confraternity with the New Minster at Winchester but may have been dead by When Edward the Confessor came to the throne in the support of the powerful Earl Godwin was essential to the success of his accession.
Among the lands acquired by Godwin during the s was Woodchester in Gloucestershire, which he bought for Gytha. The family must have appeared unassailable to their fellow and rival nobles. For Gytha, it was mostly a time for pride in her children, although one of her sons would disappoint and humiliate her. Swein Godwinson was, by most accounts, a rather unpleasant character. Although a notable fighter, he was ruthless and determined.
Both sides raised their retainers, intending to defend their positions with force, if necessary. The two sides came back from the brink, with Godwin called before the king to answer for his actions. Godwin would have known, at that moment, that there was no chance of reconciliation. The earl rode away from London, returning to Bosham. John of Worcester takes up the story:. When, therefore, the morning came, the king, in his witan, with the unanimous consent of the whole army, made a decree that Godwin and his five sons should be banished. Thereupon he and his wife Gytha, and Tostig and his wife Judith, the daughter of Baldwin, count of Flanders, and two of his other sons, namely, Sweyn and Gyrth, went, without loss of time, to Thorney, where a ship had been got ready for them.
They quickly laded her with as much gold, silver, and other valuable articles as she could hold, and, embarking in great haste, directed her course towards Flanders and Baldwin the count. Queen Edith, therefore, was the only Godwin who remained at liberty in England, although not for long. According to John of Worcester, Swein walked the whole way, barefoot, but caught a cold on the way home and died.
In the spring of , the family set about orchestrating their return to England. They proceeded, along the Sussex and Kent coasts, to London, unopposed, and anchored on the south bank of the Thames, opposite the forces of the king and his earls who were waiting on the north bank with fifty ships. Godwin sent to the king, requesting the restoration of his lands and the lands of his sons, but Edward flatly refused. The following morning Godwin met the king in a council outside London.
The Earl begged forgiveness of the king, declaring that he and his sons were innocent of the charges laid against them. Despite his underlying fury, Edward had no choice but to grant Godwin a pardon and restore the lands and titles of the whole family. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also mentions that Godwin fell sick shortly after the conclusion of negotiations with Edward.
Given that the earl died at Easter , we can imagine that Gytha spent the winter nursing her ailing husband. And he lies there in the Old Minster; and his son Harold succeeded to his earldom. Following his death the House of Godwin continued it inexorable rise. Another son, Leofwine, appears to have succeeded to part of the earldom of Ralph, Earl of Hereford, on his death in , gaining lands in the south Midlands.
Becoming what you write Another thing the market did was: An injured farmer is captivated by the magic of his irresistible healer … In a world of crackling fires and rough landscapes, long winters and bloody raids, the immediacy of life and death ignites undeniable passions. Author homepage Facebook Twitter: Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly: Turney The relics of Christendom have been plundered during the long Moorish conquest of the Iberian peninsula.
Her story has long been intertwined with that of her brother. Statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn Even knowing that she would receive harsh treatment, it is doubtful that she, or indeed anyone, could have foreseen the punishment that Edward I would mete out. An ideal Christmas present for yourself or a friend! About Silk and the Sword: Silk and the Sword is…. Countess Gytha The day is finally here! Death of Leofwine at the Battle of Hastings, depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine all became earls under Edward the Confessor and were deeply involved in the events of , although not all on the same side.
John of Worcester takes up the story: Queen Edith of Wessex Godwin sent to the king, requesting the restoration of his lands and the lands of his sons, but Edward flatly refused. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Product details Hardcover Publisher: I'd like to read this book on Kindle Don't have a Kindle?
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Editorial Reviews
Please try again later. Although I stumbled upon this book in the British History section of my local bookstore, the interesting bits that it contains come from around the world. Each of its 20 chapters is subdivided into about 10 sections, each of which is headed by a question, e. This, in part, makes the book very difficult to put down; one always wants to read the next story since it's so short.
The first thing you know, you've completed the book. The stories presented cover a variety of subjects from world history, as hinted upon by a given chapter's title; for example, "Heads" contains stories in which head-related events, such as decapitation, are prominent. The writing style is one of the book's best features. It is witty, tongue-in-cheek, immensely accessible and very engaging.
The author's choice of words is priceless and caused me to laugh out loud on several occasions. This is a book that can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone. Although serious history buffs may frown upon the fact that this work does not have a list of references, they would surely agree that the author has written a charming book that is great fun to read. This is a fun and humorous look at the history that you don't get taught in school.
The Interesting Bits: The History You Might Have Missed
The chapters are short which makes this an extremely easy book to read and you fly through it in no time, or alternatively, and probably the more appropriate way of reading this book, i'd suggest you dip into it as the mood takes you. The writing style is mostly witty and amusing and there are some genuinely interesting facts hidden within.
There's nothing too heavy, but this is a good look at the other less serious side of history.