Who would you nominate for an HF author to write about?

Leyland · Post by **Leyland** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 4:51 pm

Id love for an author to take a look at Sir William Stanley, a Yorkist, and give us his story in much the same way that EC has given us William Marshal. Except, of course that Stanley appears to have been both hero and villain, but I think his story would make fascinating fictionalized reading all the same.

After falling from Richard IIIs favor, this younger brother of Thomas Stanley the Earl of Derby, went to the aid of Henry Tudors cause. At Bosworth, his direct intervention in the battle to defeat Richard III gained Henry Tudor a crown, thus becoming Henry VII. He thrived in the new court and was rewarded well by becoming Lord Chamberlain and the richest commoner in the realm. But after all the heroics and rewards, he was beheaded through his support of Perkin Warbecks cause.

Switching sides in the wargames of kings and princes, whilst amassing riches and properties, creates such interesting and intricate conflicts in a good story. Anyway I think the man led a considerably interesting life during the Roses conflicts and he could be a worthy lead character in HF!

Perdita · Post by **Perdita** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 9:36 pm

Good thread! There are so many interesting characters it's amazing we just get the same old Elizabeth, Mary, Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, Elizabeth and Anne.

I'd like someone to write about Arbella Stewart who was a possible contender to the throne after Elizabeth and who suffered all her life because of it. She was practically kept prisoner with her Grandmother Bess of Hardiwck, denied the chance to marry the man she loved, tried to run away, got caught and then died in the Tower. I love a good cheery tale...

donroc · Post by **donroc** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 9:52 pm

Talleyrand. He was a noble of the monarchy, survived the Terror, orchestrated the coup that brought Napoleon to power, switched to the monarchists and represented France at the Congress of Vienna, saved her territorial integrity with clever diplomacy, switched again to support Louis Philippe, and employed the greatest chef of his era.

donroc · Post by **donroc** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 10:21 pm

Homer Lea, 1876-1912. I almost wrote a novel about him, but got sidetracked onto other subjects. Born a hunchback, he was gifted at fencing and at Stanford became fascinated with the Chinese struggle to become a republic.

He went to China, became great friends with Sun Yat-Sen, and led a contingent of Chinese troops to relieve Beijing with the Europeans and Japanese during the Boxer Rebellion.

He was the only Caucasion present at the inauguration of Sun Yat-Sen.

His VALOR OF IGNORANCE, 1908 predicted war between the USA and Japan, and in 1941, the Japaense landed in the Philippines exactly where his maps suggested.

His DAY OF THE SAXON predicted war and where between England and Germany, and he was invited by both general staffs to consult on strategy.

He was preparing a third book, when he died, THE SWARMING OF THE SLAV, predicting if the Saxons survived against the Teuton, the great final war would come between the USA and England against Russia -- before international communism.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 10:26 pm

I wish someone would write a good novel about Ali ibn Ridwan, a physician and astrologer in medieval Cairo. I wrote a nonfiction article about him for the Saudi Aramco World magazine a few years ago, and he was a fascinating guy. (See http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/2 ... ernova.htm.) But to really do him justice, one would have to read Arabic. A lot of his writings are still around, but have not been translated into English.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 10:37 pm

Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Douglas

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Tue September 2nd, 2008, 11:51 pm

Madame Elisabeth, sister of Louis XVI
Madame Marie-Therese, daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Barbara Passaris · Post by **Barbara Passaris** » Wed September 3rd, 2008, 12:35 am

Juana la Loca, sister of Katherine of Aragon and wife of Philip of Habsberg.

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Wed September 3rd, 2008, 1:22 am

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Douglas[/quote]

Yep. I second this one. Margaret seemed to be involved in so much of the goings on at times. She stirred up Elizabeth, both during Mary's reign, and was up to her elbows in intrigue with marrying her son Darnely off to MQoS. She was packed off to the Tower a number of times too.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Wed September 3rd, 2008, 1:24 am

[quote=""Amanda""]Yep. I second this one. Margaret seemed to be involved in so much of the goings on at times. She stirred up Elizabeth, both during Mary's reign, and was up to her elbows in intrigue with marrying her son Darnely off to MQoS. She was packed off to the Tower a number of times too.[/quote]

I'm really surprised there's not more about her--fiction or nonfiction. I saw a nonfiction book about her (if I recall correctly) on Amazon, but it was over $100.