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David Pilling
Episode 200
The Poor Knight
Sir John Deyville’s fall from rebel to debtor may echo in the 'poor knight' of England’s greatest legend.
On this day in 1276, Sir John Deyville paid 578 marks to 'Peter Beset or to the abbot of St Mary's York'. In exchange he gained the right to recover his Yorkshire manor of Thornton-on-the Hill in Yorkshire. This sum was roughly equivalent to £400. John was a former...
John de Vere: Kingbreaker
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, overcame exile, piracy, and imprisonment to become a pillar of the new Tudor regime.
The Wars of the Roses was packed with remarkable characters - Richard III, Warwick the Kingmaker, Margaret of Anjou, the ‘mad king’ Henry VI, and so on. One of the less familiar, perhaps, is John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (1444-1513). John was one of the great...
The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner
The renowned artist has produced a book of his paintings that are a perfect fit for those interested in the period.
The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, well-known for his illustration of the medieval era and his work for Osprey Publishing. As the title suggests, this latest Osprey volume is a compendium of his...
The Foremost Man of the Kingdom, by James Ross
An excellent sourcebook, packed full of everything one could possibly want to know about John de Vere.
This is an excellent sourcebook, packed full of everything one could possibly want to know about John de Vere, 13th earl of Oxford and his family. And, perhaps, everything one might not want to know. The book is split into two parts. The first is a study of Oxford's...
The Princes in the Tower: David Pilling on ‘The New Evidence’
The medieval historian is unconvinced by Philippa Langley and Rob Rinder's recent documentary.
David Pilling, why does the story of the Princes in the Tower still fascinate and did you enjoy The Princes in the Tower: The New Evidence? I think it is the theme of the slaughter of innocents. Plenty of political figures in this era met with a nasty end, of course,...
Fiction Book of the Month: David Pilling on The First Arrow
Robin Hood is brought back to historical reality.
We think we know about Robin Hood, but your story doesn’t follow the narrative in Robin Hood The First Arrow, does it? You know, the one about Robin Hood speaking with an American accent, or wearing tights. My version is based on the early medieval ballads of Robin...
Hereward the Wake
The Normans had to deal with a warm welcome from two Anglo-Saxon leaders in particular
In 1066 Harold Godwinsson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, was killed at the battle of Hastings. Yet England was not conquered in a single day. The victor, Duke William of Normandy, had to fight tooth and nail for several years to hold onto his conquest. To...
At the Gates of Rome, by Don Hollway
Rome's sacking in 410AD is never dull.
In less assured hands, this could have been a turgid and thoroughly bewildering read. Thankfully, Don Hollway knows his subject inside out and neatly picks his way through the convoluted history of the late Roman Empire. As the title suggests, the focus is on events...