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rex icelingas
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Post by rex icelingas » Wed May 6th, 2009, 11:09 am

The Period of Late Antiquity of the 5-7th Centuries usually known as `the Dark Ages` is one of the least known but most interesting periods in British History.
In this period came the shadowy figure but now more than Universally reknowned Arthur.

Arthur himself has been the subject of more novels than ten Bodleian libraries could manage
Yet this Age of History has brought us many more interesting characters many that have not been further explored,especially in Historical Fiction where they may gain a new appreciation.

Maelgwn Hir of Gwynedd for example is named in as many Historical Welsh documents as Arthur but in HF his apperances are lacking.Does anyone fancy a try at writing of this most interesting King?

Vortigern has been portrayed in Historical Fiction but always as a bad ruler why not as a Good one?

There have been some cracking reads dealing with Characters of this era,for example:Eadwine,Theodoric and Cerdic but there is the chance for so many more.
Clovis? Cadwallon? Syragius? Ambrosius? Aelle? Penda? Oswiu?

Is there anyone from the era who perhaps would make an interesting candidate for HF?

Helen_Davis

Post by Helen_Davis » Mon June 29th, 2009, 11:13 am

Theodora, the empress of Byzantium!

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Volgadon
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Post by Volgadon » Mon June 29th, 2009, 4:48 pm

Some of those Syrian monks were pretty intriguing characters.

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lauragill
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Post by lauragill » Mon July 11th, 2011, 7:03 am

[quote=""rex icelingas""]The Period of Late Antiquity of the 5-7th Centuries usually known as `the Dark Ages` is one of the least known but most interesting periods in British History.
In this period came the shadowy figure but now more than Universally reknowned Arthur.

Arthur himself has been the subject of more novels than ten Bodleian libraries could manage
Yet this Age of History has brought us many more interesting characters many that have not been further explored,especially in Historical Fiction where they may gain a new appreciation.

Maelgwn Hir of Gwynedd for example is named in as many Historical Welsh documents as Arthur but in HF his apperances are lacking.Does anyone fancy a try at writing of this most interesting King?

Vortigern has been portrayed in Historical Fiction but always as a bad ruler why not as a Good one?

There have been some cracking reads dealing with Characters of this era,for example:Eadwine,Theodoric and Cerdic but there is the chance for so many more.
Clovis? Cadwallon? Syragius? Ambrosius? Aelle? Penda? Oswiu?

Is there anyone from the era who perhaps would make an interesting candidate for HF?[/quote]

Penda of Mercia, definitely. Bede portrays him as such a brute, yet he was no different than any other Dark Age king. Penda thought his enemies were hypocrites because they professed to be Christians, and yet were just as violent as he was.

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Post by Carla » Tue July 12th, 2011, 9:50 am

[quote=""lauragill""]Penda of Mercia, definitely. Bede portrays him as such a brute, yet he was no different than any other Dark Age king. Penda thought his enemies were hypocrites because they professed to be Christians, and yet were just as violent as he was.[/quote]

Penda features as an important secondary character in Queen of the Lightning and Ghost in the Sunlight, by Kathleen Herbert. They're out of print at present, but Trifolium Books is hoping to bring out new editions.
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Thu July 14th, 2011, 12:38 am

Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon! A contemporary of Penda . . . His father was Penda's ally until his death, when Cadfael took the throne. Cadwaladr took it back at the age of 21.

[subject of my book, The Last Pendragon :) ]

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Post by Eigon » Sun July 24th, 2011, 5:26 pm

I think it would be quite hard to portray Vortigern as a good king, considering his unfortunate dealings with the Saxons.
I'd like to see a book dealing with Aethelflaid of Mercia, though - she was pretty cool.
"There were no full time Vikings back then. Everybody had another job."
Neil Gaiman, from Odd and the Frost Giants.

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Post by Carla » Tue July 26th, 2011, 6:47 pm

[quote=""Eigon""]I think it would be quite hard to portray Vortigern as a good king, considering his unfortunate dealings with the Saxons.
I'd like to see a book dealing with Aethelflaid of Mercia, though - she was pretty cool.[/quote]

That would be the challenge, wouldn't it? I have a suspicion that Historia Brittonum may give a rather one-sided view of Vortigern - the family who raised the Pillar of Eliseg were happy to claim descent from Vortigern on it, which suggests to me that they at least were proud of him and that there might be another side to the story. If I'm ever tempted back from the seventh century, it's figures like Vortigern and Cartimandua that would probably catch my attention, for just that reason. Part of the reason I was attracted to Eadwine's story is that for once we get a glimpse of both sides in the sources - Bede considered him a hero, Moliant Cadwallon and the Triads regard him as a villain - and it's interesting to imagine how he might have earned both.

There's a book called The King's Daughter by Penny Ingham about Aethelflaed. I haven't read it (yet).
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com

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Post by Justin Swanton » Sun March 4th, 2012, 6:32 pm

[quote=""rex icelingas""]The Period of Late Antiquity of the 5-7th Centuries usually known as `the Dark Ages` is one of the least known but most interesting periods in British History.
In this period came the shadowy figure but now more than Universally reknowned Arthur.

Arthur himself has been the subject of more novels than ten Bodleian libraries could manage
Yet this Age of History has brought us many more interesting characters many that have not been further explored,especially in Historical Fiction where they may gain a new appreciation.

Maelgwn Hir of Gwynedd for example is named in as many Historical Welsh documents as Arthur but in HF his apperances are lacking.Does anyone fancy a try at writing of this most interesting King?

Vortigern has been portrayed in Historical Fiction but always as a bad ruler why not as a Good one?

There have been some cracking reads dealing with Characters of this era,for example:Eadwine,Theodoric and Cerdic but there is the chance for so many more.
Clovis? Cadwallon? Syragius? Ambrosius? Aelle? Penda? Oswiu?

Is there anyone from the era who perhaps would make an interesting candidate for HF?[/quote]

Go to the mainland. Big things were happening there. Budic, high king of Brittany, would be interesting from the British aspect as (admittedly according to later records) he was brother-in-law to Arthur, and fled to Wales after his Breton uncle (?) deposed him, returning later when the latter died.

The same records mention that Budic sent a strong contingent of Bretons to Arthur's aid against the Saxon threat, which is reasonable if one places the campaign of Badon Hill at 496 or after, when Brittany finally made peace with the Franks (having fought them to a standstill for ten years).

But for me the main candidates are Clovis and Clothilda, especially Clothilda, whose life was something of a tragedy, though her Christian faith kept her afloat. She is well worth a novel, which I might even have a go at some day.
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