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Alfred Duggan

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Margaret
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Alfred Duggan

Post by Margaret » Wed September 17th, 2008, 4:54 am

Alfred Duggan wrote quite a few historical novels during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as a number of nonfiction history books. His novels were highly respected for the quality of their historical backgrounds. The settings varied widely, from ancient Rome (Winter Quarters, Three's Company, Family Favourites) to fifth century Anglo-Saxon Wessex (Conscience of the King) to the medieval Crusades (Knight With Armour, Count Bohemond). His novels usually featured warfare and politics, of a grittily realistic rather than a heroic nature.

Has anyone here read Lord Geoffrey's Fancy? This is another of his Crusader novels. According to Wikipedia, it's set in "one of the short-lived Crusader Kingdoms in Greece." I'm trying to pin down the date of the setting (closer than sometime in the 13th century) so I can put it in the right category as I reorganize the "Medieval" section of my Historical Novels website. Can anyone help?
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

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Post by annis » Wed September 17th, 2008, 9:07 am

Margaret, I have to confess that I haven't read 'Lord Geoffrey's Fancy" myself, but it's set in Greece during the short period after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 when the Byzantine Empire was overthrown and its lands taken over by what was known as the Latin Empire. Constantinople was taken back from its final Latin ruler, Baldwin II, by Byzantine forces under Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1261, so that would be round about the period we're looking at.

Here's part of a review I came across:

<In the Thirteenth Century Crusaders headed for the Holy Land turned aside and instead conquered and occupied the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire which was their nominal ally, installing a Western emperor in Constantinople and introducing a medieval feudal system to its lands. This was the infamous Fourth Crusade. The occupation lasted only a few generations, the Westerners were too few, and the native populations too firmly wedded to their historic loyalty to the Eastern Empire and the Greek Orthodox Church to be content under the "Franks" and Roman Catholicism.

At the time of this book the "Grifons" (Greeks)are coming close to completing their re-conquest and re-establishing the Byzantine Empire. One of the few seemingly-secure Frankish realms is that of Greece, where lords and knights still hold sway. They seem unaware not only of what the future holds but also of the past - blissfully unaware of the heritage of their place, just noting occasionally the quality of the roads and buildings contracted by "the mighty men of old". They gradually become aware of the growing threat to their way of life but lack the means to protect it in the long term.

Against this background of a society seemingly secure but facing growing outside threats and inevitable decline Alfred Duggan has woven his familiar magic, entering into the minds of the people and conveying in a telling manner how they saw and experienced things. The narrator is a household knight following Sir Geoffrey de Bruyere, a brave lord, a paladin of chivalry - someone who seemingly shows the best side of Frankish nobility and yet manages in the process to make things worse for his people.>

See: Frankish States in the Aegean
and
The Crusaders in Greece
Last edited by annis on Wed September 17th, 2008, 9:25 am, edited 8 times in total.

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Wed September 17th, 2008, 5:25 pm

So, sometime not too long before 1261. Thanks, Annis, that's a big help! I did find that review, which has a lot of good information in it, but no dates.

What I'm confused about is the Greek angle. The Wikipedia article says the story takes place in Greece. The other descriptions I've read (like the one you quote) refer to the Greeks' effort to retake Constantinople. Constantinople is in Turkey (today's Istanbul), not Greece. Unless that part of Turkey was considered to be part of Greece at the time? Or the "Greeks" referred to are being identified by their religion rather than their nationality?
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Post by annis » Wed September 17th, 2008, 7:47 pm

While the story is set in Frankish-held Greece, the generic term "Grifons" (Greeks) is used in this case to refer to the Greek Byzantinian forces, who constantly battled to regain their empire after being ejected in 1204 by the Franks (the Latins) and eventualy succeeded.
You're probably right in seeing the distinction as being based on religion- the Byzantinians were of the Greek Orthodox church, while the Franks were Roman Catholic.

The story of the Fourth Crusade is a shocker- the Byzantinians were meant to be allies!
Has anyone read Nicole Galland's novel "Crossed'? Its setting is the Fourth Crusade.
Last edited by annis on Wed September 17th, 2008, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Margaret
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Preferred HF: Literary novels. Late medieval and Renaissance.
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Post by Margaret » Thu September 18th, 2008, 1:39 am

Aha, this makes things a bit clearer. It reminds me of the scene late in The Sunne in Splendour when part of Richard III's army suddenly goes over to Henry's side. Betrayals like this seem to have been a regular feature in warfare of the olden days.

I haven't read Crossed, but it sure looks like your kind of novel, Annis. Humor, irony and tragedy all wrapped up in a nicely adventurous package.
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Post by annis » Thu September 18th, 2008, 3:14 am

I enjoyed Nicole Galland's first novel, "Fool's Tale", a dark story set in medieval Wales, but haven't got to the other two, which have had mixed reviews.

A bit more info about how the Byzantinian lands were split up after the sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the Fourth Crusaders.

<By arrangement among the crusaders, Byzantine territory was divided: in the Partitio terrarum imperii Romanie, signed on 1 October 1204, three eighths - including Crete and other islands - went to the Republic of Venice. The Latin Empire claimed the remainder, and did exert control over areas of Greece, divided into vassal fiefs: the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaea, the Duchy of Athens, the Duchy of the Archipelago and the short-lived duchies of Nicaea, Philippopolis, and Philadelphia. The Doge of Venice did not rank as a vassal to the Empire, but his position in control of 3/8 of its territory and of parts of Constantinople itself, ensured Venice's influence in the Empire's affairs. However, much of the former Byzantine territory remained in the hands of rival successor states led by Byzantine Greek aristocrats, such as the Despotate of Epirus, the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond, which were bent on reconquest from the Latins. >

There's a map here

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Post by Cuchulainn » Sat September 20th, 2008, 1:27 am

It has been a long while since I read Lord Geoffrey's Fancy, and I don't remember alot of details, but I remember really enjoying it.

I just picked it up off my shelf and I see that the narrator says he was born in 1233, and he seems to begin the tale with his journey towards Outremer in 1254.

I believe most of the book is set around Athens which they knew as "Satines" and Sparta which they knew as "La Cremonie."

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Kveto from Prague
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Lord Geoffery

Post by Kveto from Prague » Fri September 26th, 2008, 9:12 pm

Margaret,

Ive read several Duggan Novels. lets see Knight in Armour, Lord Bohemond, lord geoffrey, lady for ransome, little emperors. they are all excellent, true historical fiction where you earn while being entertained.

Lord Geoffreys Fancy is set in one of those forgotten time periods that duggan loved. after the 4th crusade,greece was carved up by European lords, (very similar to the norman conquest of england), so the lords of the land were chivalrus knights who were trying to impose their lifestyle on medievil greeks who really had no interest. its definately a medievil novel which happens to be set in greece. one of the things i loved about it was that it was a chapter of greeces history that no one has touched on before or since, a time when greece was as chivalrus as western europe (although the author shows just how that chivalry was an illusion).

Lord Geofferys Fancy is a great one. Its not as bleak as some of Duggans other works. As i was reading it i was starting to think the narrator had a bit too much luck. but duggan brings it home as always. the title character (whom the narrator serves) proves a tough figure to pin down. everyone tells you how great he is but his actions dont really back it up.

ive heard its pace is not for everyone. duggans writing style is not face paced modern page turner. but if you prefer substance over flash, you will learn a lot. his novels to me feel much more "this is how it was" than any other novelist.

i read it in a re-issued copy that my sister posted me from the states. they seem to be reissuing all of duggans novels (and i vow to read em all)

hope this helps,
keny from prague

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Kveto from Prague
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constantinople not istambul

Post by Kveto from Prague » Fri September 26th, 2008, 9:16 pm

ps.

one other note. Constantinople for almost all of its history was greek. only realatively recently did the turks conquer it. most of the lovely old buildings there (hagia sophia, hippodrome) were definately built by byzantine greeks. a fact that still rankles many greeks

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Post by rex icelingas » Fri March 27th, 2009, 6:15 am

Greeks? Only by the West,the Byzantines would always refer to themselves as Romans :)

Ive not read Lord Geoffreys fancy,it is on my wish list though
I have Alfred Duggan to thank to stop me being a HF snob,my first book of the genre was `Conscience of the King` a well told tale of the rise of Cerdic of Wessex after that ive not looked back

Last one I read of his was `Threes Company` a different look at Crassus defeat at Carrhae,very good indeed
Im praying they continue re-printing his works,im sure i remember seeing one he did on Alfred the Great

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