#the best and most interesting shows i saw in LA had equal king and queen rep!!!!

[calimera62]

Césaaaaaar

Le meilleur pour la fin ;P

✰ What made you fall in love with them?

Story time! It’s actually thanks to the Astérix comics I came to genuinely love Caesar. I always enjoyed Astérix and Caesar’s interactions, and when I re-read all the comics last year, I was very interested in Caesar and wondered how was the historical figure. That’s how I ended reading books and watching documentaries and then movies about him and found how interesting he was; He was a military genius, a charismatic leader, he contributed to the greatness of Rome and, like most Romans of that time, he was so extra and drama, I love him so much xD

✰ Favorite anecdote involving them?

I have so many favourite anecdotes about him, it’s hard to choose! But I’ll pick the very first anecdote I’ve heard about him when I studied History at the university: in 75 BC, Caesar got kidnapped by pirates who saw he was a noble, so they decided to ask for a ramson. However, when Caesar heard the amount of the ransom the pirates asked, he was so offended by how low it was, to him, he insisted the pirates to ask for more, as he was worth much more! Also, don’t think Julius Freaking Caesar, was afraid of his captors! During his captivity, he read them speechs and poetry he wrote and if they failed to admire his work, he would call them to their faces illiterate savages, and would often laughingly threaten to have them all hanged. Which he did. How extra is that?

✰ Your favorite thing about them?

Oh boy. Where do I begin?

He’s a very charismatic figure, both a military genius and a clever leader who was loved by the people of Rome (he was actually fairly pro-equality when it came to dividing resources between poor and rich), he tried to throw out of the senate everyone who was actually corrupt, and so on. Yes, he was ruthless but he also did good things for Rome and its people.

I also love how extra/drama he was! Being captured by pirates and, instead of getting scared, being offended by how low his ransom was? Falling on the ground while landing in Africa and saying “Africa, I embrace and hold you fast.” to save his face? One of his opponent insulted him by calling him a woman, which caused him to respond by naming great female warriors? Doing paper work during the fights and games in the Roman circus? What a man, I love him so much xD

Sometimes I wonder how did that man have the time to seduce and bed half of Rome, get Crassus and Pompey to cooperate and create a triumvirat with them, fight many, settle the Egyptian succession crisis, reformated Rome’s political system, wrote several books, conquers Gaul, having an affair with Cleopatra… It makes me feel bad when I’m feeling lazy with my work ^^;

✰ Your least favorite thing about them?

Aside from the fact he was assassinated? Well…

One of my pet peeves is the following “Conspirators : good - Caesar : evil”

I saw Caesar depicted as the bad guy a lot in the past, and it bothers me. Caesar wasn’t perfect, he did many problematic things, like most historical figures. However, the conspirators were upper-class and bourgeois who disliked Caesar’s politics because he was a populist who gave many rights to the people of Rome, and he was going against the economic and political interests of Rome’s wealthy and powerful.

I also can’t deny the Gallic Wars were a butchery. Some historians call it a genocide. I don’t know if I would go that far, but I can’t deny many Gauls perished because of Caesar’s ambitions. He could be quite ruthless.

✰ Best books about them?

Adrian Goldsworthy’s Caesar and Philip Freeman’s Julius Caesar.

✰ Favorite place associated with them?

Rome, of course!

✰ Who do you ship them with?

with Nicomedes

I do love his romance with Cleopatra. They made quite the pair, and while I don’t think they fell in love with each other, they were together until Caesar’s death. They had many things in common (both natural leaders, charismatic and cultivated people, and military geniuses) and had a son together (even though historians aren’t dure if Caesarion was Caesar’s son, let me dream!).

✰ Favorite friendship?

His friendship with Mark-Antony. They were good friends and ally, as well as relatives, and I like to believe Mark Antony was loyal to Caesar until the end.

✰ Favorite outfit?

I don’t have one as I don’t know what he wore ^^;

✰ Favorite event they were involved with?

His birth :P

I have many, but I would say his confrontation with Sulla.  In an attempt to break the bond between their families, Sulla ordered Caesar to divorce his wife as he already did with several of his own followers. All of them had promptly complied. However, Caesar refused to divorce his wife. Whether out of stubbornness, audacity, or love, Caesar refused and thus was defying a man who had ordered the murder of thousands. It’s one of the earliest episodes of Caesar’s life and it tell us a lot about his character!

✰ Favorite portrayal in film, television, etc? If there isn’t one, who could play them?

I loved his portrayal in the 1999 mini-serie Cleopatra and in Netflix’s Roman Empire.

Also, I can’t not speak of this one:

I also think Simon Merrells, who played Crassus in the tv show Spartacus, would be a wonderful Caesar!

✰ Favorite quote about them?

“Beware the young boy wearing the loose clothes, for he will be the doom of the republic.” Sulla.

In a way, he wasn’t wrong. The Republic didn’t survive long after Caesar’s death!

✰ Favorite quote by them?

“Veni, Vidi, Vici.”

Classic is classic!

✰ Three random facts about them?

* He once burst into tears after reading about Alexander the Great because they were the same age but Alexander already accomplished so much and Caesar felt he didn’t do anything great and was afraid he could never live up to Alexander.

* When he was consul with one of his political rivals, Bibulus, he apparently did so much of the work compared to Bibulus that people called it the consulship of Julius and Caesar, instead of Caesar and Bibulus.

* It was believed he was seduced by King Nicomedes of Bithynia and that he was the passive one during the relationship. The Romans never forgot this story and, among Caesar’s titles, were “queen of Bithynia” and “mattress of the royal bed”. He was mocked during political discussions in the senate. It got so bad that Caesar took a public oath that he had never slept with said man. It only made things worse since people thought he was being awfully defensive for an innocent guy.

✰ Favorite picture/painting of them?

This one!

#istadris #Julius Caesar #history #ancient times #ancient rome

[brokebecauseconcerts-blog]

Father

John

Misty

Where oh where do I begin? I try not to pick favorites, in anything I do. I think picking favorites sets people up for failure. I figure there will be one day another candidate outshines the favorite, resulting in disappointment. But fuck it, Father John Misty is my favorite. And I trust it because there is virtually nothing he can do wrong that would take that title away- and he does a lot of textbook things “wrong”.

Josh Tillman stole my heart when I heard “I’m Writing a Novel” on WFUV Radio when I was in college (around 2012) Not knowing much about him personally, I started listening to “Fear Fun” and fell in love with his music. “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” and “Everyman Needs a Companion” landed every mixed CD (yep, still made CDS in 2012) and I decided to dig a little deeper and actually check the dude out. WOAH he’s hot! WAIT he was in Fleet Foxes? OMG he has the exact the type of humor that I adore, equal parts witty, snarky and dark. Fuck, he has a girlfriend. I’m absolutely done, they’re getting married. I can’t remember a time I fell so hard for an artist post-emo/punk/highschool days (Think Gerard Way and Travis Barker). 

However, I’m really fucking glad he was and is in such a beautiful relationship because thats how his sophomore album came to be. i wasn't sure If I’d ever love an album as much as “Fear Fun” but lo & behold: “I Love You, Honeybear” took & continues to take the damn cake. Has there ever been an album (albeit, Rumours) that has described love so honestly? It talks about the honeymoon phase in depth, the ga-ga feelings and pedestals that we put our partners on in the beginning. The way new love helps us start to feel creative again, or creative in a new, fresh way. And then after time, how love can start to get a little paranoid and jealous. It’s messy, it’s raw and it sort of made me hate his beloved Emma (who eats bread & butter like like a queen would have ostrich and cobra wine. Listen if you don't get the reference but also stop talking to me: https://open.spotify.com/track/2eg2gvPXuwZ9FyrPaLgrXi) Could you I-M-A-G-I-N-E having someone write you a love song such as that? Fun fact, I heard this song for the first time freshly after ending a 4 year relationship. Bad timing? Nah, it actually was so beautiful and uplifting that the song gave me hope and made me feel secure that I haven't found the right person yet and that I didn't just lose that person (burn). It gave me hope that I’d eventually meet someone that I could picture having a satanic christmas eve with or dance around to a mariachi band with. Spoiler Alert: FJM did help me find love. I will get to that at the end. Any who, this album ruled and continue to rules my world. The title track “I Love You, Honeybear” is about taking on the shitastic world we live in with someone you love. “Bored in the USA” is about the absurdities within our pop culture and the bullshit promise of the American Dream gone wrong. The album as a whole is romantic and existentialist and I am 100%AboutThat.com

And then we were gifted “Pure Comedy”. I write that with a sigh. Not because I am disappointed but because It’s heavy. It highlights our current political and social climate and it does so in a very dark, darker than usual way. When he realeased the video for title track, “Pure Comedy” a few short months after the election I wept at my desk. The song itself is so eerie and fantastical with the baritone sax wailing the fuck off as Donald Trump’s face slyly pops up. I Think FJM is making the point that everything happening right now is so fucking ugly and wrong that it’s absurdly funny. Not haha-funny, just...funny. As in “something smells funny”, as in our country. He attacks religion, pop-stars (gotcha, Taylor Swift), environmental issues, the delusional lifestyle of LA inhabitants, you name it. But, in true Josh Tillman fashion, and we know theres a big beating heart in there, he ends the album in a hopeful way with “In Twenty Years or So”. In the song, Tillman addresses the cosmic indifference of the universe and the existential fear that comes with it. In the first two verses he sets up the great comedy: That despite all our grand gesturing and philosophizing (with the character of Father John Misty as the embodiment of this behavior), we ultimately don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Then in the second verse he starts to assign a little more meaning to the chaos.

That in twenty years More or less This human experiment will reach its violent end But I look at you As our second drinks arrive The piano player's playing "This Must Be the Place" And it's a miracle to be alive

I *think* he’s saying, “Look, the world is fucked, we’re only getting worse, it’s too much to handle, but thank god I have you to navigate it with. And we have music, and it really all is amazing, isn't it”. I’m sorry it sounds like a basic Audrey Hepburn wannabe annotation of his beautifully written song, but It comforts me. It’s like a really elongated and philosophic way of saying “All you Need is Love”, but The Beatles beat him to it.

All in all, “Pure Comedy” takes us through a (trippy) walk of life thats starts out as that scene in Willy Wonka where they’re all taking a boat ride through the tunnel of hellish images, to a calm setting where all you want to do is hug the people you love and be left with the simple yet complex thought, “it’s all going to be okay”. Bravo FJM for creating such a mature and powerful album. I think melodically it is not for everyone, as it is much slower that what he’s done. But give it a good listen through and really listen to what he’s saying. If 2017 had to sound like anything (besides screams and tears) it would sound like “Pure Comedy”.

Kk thanks for reading.

OH WAIT, yeah I forgot this is a concert blog. Well! I saw him last night at the Kings Theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn. A tremendously stunning place to see live music, in my opinion. He played most of “Pure Comedy” straight through, without any speeches or commentary. Nerd moment- I fuuucking love when artists do this with newly released albums. it shows they care about it, it shows they're not just trying to appease the crowd with favorites. It’s saying here is the art i just created and worked on for mad amount of time. Sit the fuck down and experience it. He did every song except the 13 minute “Leaving LA” (good call IMO) and the last two songs, yanno, the uplifiting ones. Then halfway through he broke out the oldies, a couple from “Fear Fun” and a bunch from “I Love You, Honeybear”. The whole theater was standing and dancing and watching HIM dance and holy shit I love when tall lanky men swivel their hips. Probably one of the best parts about seeing Father John Misty live is watching him break it down. He was even slow dancing with himself at one point during “Strange Encounter” and i was both turned on and hysterically laughing. One interesting point to make was that he was oddly quiet. He’s known for long on-stage rants, whether they're actually anger driven or just a comedy bit- they usually always show up on Pitchfork the next day. This was my third time seeing him and i’ve had the pleasure of hearing some of those rants and raves. This time he was quiet, appreciative and...mature? IDK I really liked it. I think it mimicked the seriousness of his newest album and demanded that you pay attention to the music and what it’s trying to say. I noticed a bunch of Brooklyn bros at the end of the show making comments like “he wasn't that funny!” “I thought he was going to talk more” and thats fine, but maybe consider why that is. After he came back on for his encore he played the last two songs on “Pure Comedy” and ended on a very special and postive note with a v sweet sun and moon setting in the background. Father John Misty is giving us hope.

Also I felt this deserved it’s own paragraph but his band absolutely blew me away. I would 100% go see them live without vocals. He had an entire orchestra + five piece band. Another additive to the experience compared to past Father John Misty concerts, as he’s always played with just a 5 piece band. It made the album come alive in the most spectacular way.

All in all, he is still my favorite. I hope to see much more from him in the future because I think he has a really really good thing going on on all levels. So back on the topic on Father John Misty and hoping to find love. JOSH, BABE. if you ever see this, I owe you some thanks. If it weren't for you and if it weren't for Tinder syncing my Facebook page likes, I never would have matched with my current partner whom we both share a massive and almost grotesque love for you & we wouldn't have anything to talk about on our first date, or a an album to makeout to for the first time. so really, thanks. At the risk of sounding like a cheese dick, It’s amazing to me that your song, the one that gave me hope and an idea of an ideal partner, led me to so much happiness. Awwwww.

Steam “Pure Comedy” & go through an existential crisis, today! https://open.spotify.com/album/3CoFoDt6zt5EKxmTpOX32b

#father john misty #pure comedy

[homeiscalifornia]

I am a nationalist jerk and need to do better but I just love Mexico too much my heart might explode

Buenos días

When I woke up yesterday morning, my tía Martha was already making me breakfast and I was like “Aww no one has made me breakfast in years!” She’s very sweet.

After eating, my aunt walked me to the front gates of her house where I met Oscar, my chauffeur for the day. Right away, Oscar started talking to me about his adventures in the US and about the time he lived in Canada. As he drove, we talked about Trump, racism, Obama, Peña Nieto, drug trafficking, how expensive gas is in Mexico, and Mexican Jews. I really liked him, he was chill and respectful and I enjoyed hearing a Mexican not being antisemitic. When I asked him what he thought about the Mexican Jewish community, he told me that he doesn’t know any Jews personally but that he’s always admired Mexican Jews because they are such a hardworking and generous group of people who are constantly trying to improve their lives and the lives of the people around them. I had tears in my eyes. Someone, please give this man a cookie.

Thesis Research + meeting a Mexican Jew (!!!)

Once we got to the Centro de Documentación e Investigación Judío de México (Center of Jewish Documentation and Investigation of Mexico) in Tecamachalco, Oscar told me he would be waiting for me outside until I was finished with my research (how nice, how kind, que divino!). When I walked into the Center’s (temporary) headquarters (cause their original headquarters was destroyed by the September earthquake), I was greeted by David Palencia- the dude I had been emailing for about two months trying to plan this whole trip. Immediately, he introduced me to their secretary, three of their archive managers, their web designer, and director- don’t ask me for names because I forgot them as soon as I heard them.

After that whole show, I asked them if they were all Jewish and they were like “Oh no, Enrique, our director, is the only Jew here. The rest of us are just weirdos who got interested in Jewish stuff” and I was like “OMG I’M ALSO A WEIRDO.” I think I found my squad.

After bombarding them with questions about Jewish life in Mexico, they decided it would be best if I just talked to Enrique so Enrique led me to his office and gave me a short summary about Jews in Mexico:

During colonialism, Jews were not supposed to immigrate to the New World because King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela didn’t want Jews to contaminate their colonies. Nonetheless, some Jews and converted Jews managed to immigrate to the Spanish colonies and upon hearing about this, the Spanish Crown decided to send the Inquisition over to Spanish- America to prosecute crypto-Jews. The Inquisition, powered by stupidity, started executing people for “juadizing.” The first case involves a dude named Hernando Alonso who was living in New Spain (present-day Mexico) who was burned at the stake for rebaptizing his child in wine and for telling his wife to stay away from Church while menstruating. THESE ARE CLEARLY NOT JEWISH PRACTICES but anyway, others, unfortunately, suffered the same fate as our homie Hernando.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there was a large Ashkenazi Jewish immigration wave during the Profiriato (what we call Porfirio Diaz’s dictatorship) in Mexico. Back in the day, Latin American elites believed that whiteness= modernization and progress and since all these Jews were coming from Europe, Porfirio welcomed them to Mexico because he believed they would be a “civilizing” influence on the country. Then there comes the Mexican Revolution (whoooo!) and Jose Vasconcelos (booooo!) and they argue against all these social Darwinist theories and begin to extoll the mestizo (mixed race person) as the quintessential Mexican.

What’s the problem with this? Jews in Mexico usually don’t mix with other races as they prefer to marry other Jews. Plus, they have their own holidays and traditions, which are different from Mexico’s Catholic festivities.

Enter Hitler and WWII. Mexico decided to close its doors to Jewish immigration because they were (and still are) considered impossible to assimilate. Here, Enrique told me, “You see, Mexico pretends to be a very open country but it’s actually really closed and nationalist. People here treat me and other Jews like passing foreigners. They don’t consider us real Mexicans because we are Jews. With that, I don’t want you to think that Jews have it bad here. The Jewish community in Mexico is one of the most united, wealthy, and organized in the world and compared to countries like France, Mexico does not have a lot of antisemitism. It’s just closed off, and not only to Jews but also to Mexican Arabs, Mexicans of Asian descent, and indigenous peoples. There are bigger problems than antisemitism here, like machismo but yeah, other Mexicans look at us Jews like we’re tourists when really for Mexican Jews, Mexico is our only home.”

He then added, “A lot of non- Jewish Mexicans ask me if I consider myself Jewish first or Mexican first and it bothers me. I am both a son to my parents and a father to my daughters but no one asks me if I am more of a son or more of a father. It’s a pointless question. My parents raised me to be a Mexican Jew. I consider myself equally Mexican and Jewish and I don’t see why one has to be more important than the other. Identities are complex.”  

Wow, Enrique, wow. He really left me speechless and everything he said supports my thesis plus that last thing he said about identities really resonated with me because people often ask me if I consider myself more Mexican or more American.

After this very intriguing conversation with Kike (nickname for Enrique), I headed over to my desk where the archive peeps already had a bunch of material for me to look over. I was given some oral testimonies of Mexican Jews talking about the Camisas Doradas (a Mexican fascist and antisemitic group) and about their relationships with Catholic Mexicans. I was also given newspaper articles talking about the “Jewish threat” and calling for a “Mexico for Mexicans.” I spent like four hours in there and I left a happy girl with eight oral testimonies, two books, and a couple of poster scans.

Mexican Pueblito (my heart, my soul)

Wow. Mexico. Wow. To quote Maribel Verdú in the movie Y tu mama tambien (one of my favorite movies) “Mexico breathes life.” But especially in little pueblitos. Earlier, I had told my tía Martha that I really wanted some Mexican caballitos (shot glasses) so I can drink my tequila. She got hella excited out of nowhere and asked me if I wanted to go to some pueblito where they sell Mexican arts and crafts and I was like “Hell to the sí!” So off we go to my tía Bertha’s house (she lives like next door) to ask if she wants to come and says yes.

Once we got to this little pueblito (idk the name, sorry) my eyes wanted to jump out of my eye sockets, and I was like “SANTA MARIA MADRE DE DIOS.” I died. Everywhere I looked, there were Mexican mugs, little cajeta (kinda like dulce de leche but better) shops, ice cream shops, bakeries, arts and crafts stores – everything my little Mexican heart was craving. As we were walking down the narrow streets, I kept turning my head left and right like a squirrel having a seizure saying, “Ay que lindo! Look at the _____!” My aunts just laughed and asked me if I wanted to go inside each store I drooled over and of course, I said yes. I wanted to see everything.

At some point, we entered a store called “La Catrina” where they sell a bunch of handcrafted catrinas and I swear to you, my heart stopped. Guys, I love this store more than I love that dumb Colombian (who doesn’t deserve me). I ended up buying a $110 Frida Kahlo- inspired catrina and I have no regrets. I will provide pictures later when I unpack it in Washington. After visiting this store, I bought two jars of cajeta (cause why not), 16 caballitos (you can never have enough), and a little thingy (not sure what it is but it’s cute) for one of my professors.

When we started to head back, I felt all warm and fuzzy as I watched little churches and chucheria shops. I saw a mother walking her kids to an ice cream shop while the kids skipped off in front of her like excited little ponies, some dudes drinking beer outside of a taqueria, and a colorful little cemetery decorated with enormous crosses and flowers.

I love Mexico.

[christinaepilzauthor-blog]

Why Margaret Beaufort?

My guest today is a kindred spirit. Judith and I share a love of the Tudor era and the amazing woman who helped to form it. Her latest series features a woman who is more often made the villain in novels, so I asked her about her inspiration for writing from the point of view of the woman famous for being a force behind her son's throne, Margaret Beaufort. Welcome, Judith! I am happy you are here! ~ Samantha

Guest Post by Judith Arnopp

I am often asked why I chose to write about Margaret Beaufort and, although I hate to answer a question with a question, my usual reply is 'Why wouldn't I?' Poor Margaret has gained quite a negative reputation, especially in fiction and I think it has a lot to do with her portraits. The portraiture of most of the women I've written about, Anne Boleyn, Katheryn Parr, Elizabeth of York, depict young, attractive women who've the added bonus of a touch of romance in their lives. Unfortunately for Margaret, her surviving portraits were painted late in life; she appears dour faced, pious and elderly. I believe this severe image has tainted the way authors have chosen to depict her.

It is clear Margaret was never a great beauty, and she never enjoyed a great royal romance but her impact upon history is undeniable. Margaret's political involvement in the wars of the roses helped establish the Tudor dynasty, and her role in Henry's government stabilised it. When I write I imagine I am the protagonist. In Margaret's case I wanted to access the girl and the young woman, so I put away the portrait of the old lady and imagined a painfully young child thrust into the adult world.

Putting aside the assumptions that have been made and using only the known facts of her life, I came up with a rather different view of Margaret. Throughout my life I have favoured York over Lancaster but when it comes to writing I have to be objective. I do not demonise for the sake of drama, history is exciting enough without making too much up. Obviously I use my imagination to fill in gaps, add dialogue etc. but I examine the factual evidence and do my best to consider, without bias, the deeper character of the person I am writing about. When writing in the first person I also have to remember that we are all blind to our own negative side, and Margaret would never have seen her own actions as flawed. This helps me to illustrate her possible motivations without evoking the almost pantomime villain she has become.

Margaret is often blamed for the disappearance of the princes from the Tower but I have found nothing in the record to prove it; there are plenty of other candidates who could be held equally as culpable. Unauthorised entry to the Tower was just not possible; whatever the fate of the boys, it was carried out with either the knowledge of the king or the Constable of the Tower.

Margaret's life, even before her rise to power, was interesting. From infancy she was the sole heiress of the Duke of Somerset, her hand in marriage pursued almost from the cradle. She married four times, her first marriage to John de la Pole took place when she was just six years old but was quickly annulled. Her second marriage, this time to Edmund Tudor at the age of twelve, was also short lived, his death leaving her widowed and pregnant at the age of thirteen. In extremity she turned for support to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor and gave birth of her only son at his stronghold in Pembroke. It is believed the birth left Margaret so damaged she could conceive no further children.

Her third marriage to Henry Stafford, second son of the Duke of Buckingham, was of her own choosing, providing her with access to Edward IV's court. In the years that followed Margaret trod a dangerous path through the complexities of the war between York and Lancaster – her heart lay with her Lancaster kin, but when York finally won the throne she seems to have bowed to the inevitable and accepted Edward IV's rule.

With the royal nursery quickly filling with York heirs, the idea of Henry Tudor ever attainting the throne at this time would not have occurred to her but she petitioned instead for his pardon and the return of his estates.  

Margaret managed to survive the upheaval of the next few years while power passed to and fro between York and Lancaster. Henry Stafford died of wounds received at Barnet, fighting for York, leaving Margaret widowed again. She remarried swiftly, choosing for her final husband the powerful northern magnate, Thomas Stanley. This union brought Margaret even closer to the royal family where she formed a link with the Queen, Elizabeth Woodville; a relationship which, after King Edward's sudden death in 1483, was to develop into intrigue.

Initially she seems to have accepted Richard of Gloucester's claim to the throne, bearing the new Queen, Anne Neville's train at the coronation. It was not until later that she began to plot actively to place her own son on the throne but there is nothing to suggest she was complicit in any plan to murder the princes. In fact, there is no actual evidence that they were killed at all – they disappeared, there were later murmurings against Gloucester but nothing has ever been satisfactorily proven. It is the mystery surrounding this period in history that makes it so interesting and irresistible to authors. There are as many theories as there are candidates for the crime (if any existed).

After Bosworth, when Henry became king, Margaret was finally in a position of power. She is often portrayed as the 'mother-in-law from hell' but, while there may have been initial resentments between Margaret and Henry's queen, Elizabeth of York, as there often are between in-laws, ultimately relations between the two women were amicable. While the queen confined her interests to the royal nursery and charitable works, playing no part in administration, Margaret took a leading role in Henry's government. She was one of his chief advisors, taking charge of finances and the running of the royal household, overseeing the upbringing and education of the royal children.

In my novels that form The Beaufort Chronicles, writing from Margaret's perspective, I try to illustrate her motives, show the events and the people of the fifteenth century through her eyes. I have to 'know' only what she may have known. I give voice to her inner self, her passions, even the negative thoughts we all have but never speak aloud. Novels are, of course, only fiction but after the treatment she has received in both fiction and non-fiction, I think she is deserving of a voice.

People love to have someone to blame, and Margaret being plain, pious and forthright provides the perfect scapegoat. She was clearly no beauty but her portraits were taken in later life; the purpose was not to display her good looks but rather her piety, her charity and her intelligence which were, in those days, virtues to be proud of. It seems strange that today these characteristics have come to be regarded in the negative.

Piety in the middle ages was the norm; it would have been far more remarkable if she'd been atheist or lax at prayer. In the twenty-first century we have become uneasy around intense devotion to God, and because of this, in trying to make sense of emotions that are foreign to us, authors have resorted to portraying her as a religious fanatic. But perhaps, if we had to endure the unsanitary conditions of the fifteen century; the child mortality, the frequent bouts of pestilence and famine, and the ever-present threat of death we too might turn to the protection of a greater supernatural power.

I won't deny that Margaret was a forthright woman but determination gets things done and Margaret is one of the few medieval women to have set out, virtually unaided, to achieve her goals. Initially, she seems to have accepted York's rule, she was compliant under Edward IV and in the early part of Richard III's reign but at some point, her agenda altered and she began to work toward what she saw as the rights of her son.

Margaret played a huge part in providing Henry with the means to invade England and take possession of the throne. After Bosworth and the reward of seeing her only child crowned King of England she could have sat back and enjoyed her dotage. Instead, she continued to work diligently for the Tudor cause. She assisted in the establishment of the dynasty and was a key figure at Henry's court, building the public Tudor image, attending to the administration of the court, and overseeing the raising of the Tudor heirs.

Tudors are not everyone's favourite royal dynasty and there are those who will never see virtue in Margaret Beaufort's role in the wars of the roses but, dynastic preferences aside, she was a strong determined person, a religious person who did not rely on beauty to buy her way into power. She relied solely upon her remarkably agile mind. If she were a man she'd be hailed as a political genius.

Connect with Judith

Judith's historical novels offer a view of the Tudor court from the perspective of the women close to the throne.

You can connect with her on her website.

Find her books on Amazon.

Her work includes:

The Beaufort Bride: Book One of The Beaufort Chronicles

The Beaufort Woman: Book Two of The Beaufort Chronicles

The King's Mother: Book Three of The Beaufort Chronicles – coming soon

A Song of Sixpence: the story of Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck

Intractable Heart: the story of Katheryn Parr

The Winchester Goose: at the court of Henry VIII

The Kiss of the Concubine: a story of Anne Boleyn

Medieval Novels

The Song of Heledd

The Forest Dwellers

Peaceweaver

Source: Samantha Wilcoxson