Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Sun October 9th, 2011, 4:28 pm

[quote=""Telynor""]The more that I have read of this book, the more that I like it. When I did the eastern Med cruise a few years back, one of the stops we made was at Haifa/Mt. Carmel, and I was instantly taken back there when I read about Richard's march south from Acre. However, I do think that Mt. Carmel is much closer to the sea than how it is placed in the story.

Does anyone know what the modern name/location for Acre is?

And does anyone have any thoughts as to what Arnaldia could be? I'm thinking that it could be along the lines of a hantavirus being the location and all that.[/quote]

Here is what SKP posted on her blog "During the Third Crusade, both Richard I and the French king Philippe became gravely ill at the siege of Acre, with what one chronicler called Arnaldia. What was it? Who knows? Some historians think it was a malarial fever of some sort; others suggest scurvy. All we know is that it caused its victims to lose their hair and nails. The French king went bald and remained so for the rest of his life. Richard was luckier; either he did not lose all of his hair or it grew back, but he was ill enough to have to command the siege from a litter. Richards health was surprisingly fragile for such a celebrated soldier; he apparently suffered from recurrent bouts of malaria for most of his adult life."

In my world, Richard is now recovering. Wow, he really is a lousy husband. Between the church banning intimate relations so often, the lack of bathing, and wars, it is amazing women ever got pregnant!

Telynor · Post by **Telynor** » Sun October 9th, 2011, 9:53 pm

Thank you Brenna! I asked a friend of my online who is a noted physician, giving him the varied symptoms, and he came back with this, which was interesting:

That's still a medical unknown. Arnaldia is sometimes linked to Phalacrosis senilis Oalvities, a form of Alopecia that only affects the front of the head, and as it's an immune system disease, it may be linked to the Herpesvirus 8, the same one that causes Kaposi's Sarcoma.

If it was an autoimmune disease, it would explain a lot about Richard's health later. If it had been malaria, it was then known as tertian fever. But, as they say, the jury is still out -- we just don't know exactly what the disease was.

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Mon October 10th, 2011, 2:04 pm

[quote=""Telynor""]Thank you Brenna! I asked a friend of my online who is a noted physician, giving him the varied symptoms, and he came back with this, which was interesting:

That's still a medical unknown. Arnaldia is sometimes linked to Phalacrosis senilis Oalvities, a form of Alopecia that only affects the front of the head, and as it's an immune system disease, it may be linked to the Herpesvirus 8, the same one that causes Kaposi's Sarcoma.
[/quote]

SKP mentions that it is still a unknown melady in her AN but so many people died from it. If only Phillipe had bit the dust...

Now that I've finished Lionheart, I am curious to know if following his capture and release, Richard may have suffered from what is now known as PTSD or even become impotent. It would explain why he cold shouldered Berengaria following his release. I guess we will have to wait until King's Ransom to find out.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Mon October 10th, 2011, 2:14 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]SKP mentions that it is still a unknown melady in her AN but so many people died from it. If only Phillipe had bit the dust...

Now that I've finished Lionheart, I am curious to know if following his capture and release, Richard may have suffered from what is now known as PTSD or even become impotent. It would explain why he cold shouldered Berengaria following his release. I guess we will have to wait until King's Ransom to find out.[/quote]

Now we must wait. And wait. And wait.

I do want to see more of Philippe. He's one of those love to hate them characters.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Mon October 10th, 2011, 2:56 pm

I had a wonderful visit with Sharon at her reading here yesterday! I am on 'Fall Break' this week, so look forward to finishing the book and seeing how it all comes together. But then - it is going to be a long long wait till the next one!

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Mon October 10th, 2011, 5:34 pm

I hope it isn't too much of a long wait. I know she originally wanted to release them back to back, I don't know if that is still the case or not. I'm still crossing my fingers for a one year wait!

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon October 10th, 2011, 8:27 pm

Posted by Telynor

Does anyone know what the modern name/location for Acre is?

Acre is still Acre, though its setting is now northern Israel. It's incredibly ancient, one of the oldest known continuously inhabited sites in Israel.
http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/acre.html

rebecca · Post by **rebecca** » Tue October 11th, 2011, 2:17 am

Sintra--"I'm actually kind of a John fangirl - i love it how he is so complex and flawed and awesome..."

I agree wholeheartedly! I think one of the reasons I love a good baddy is because of the complex nature of their personalities and SKP writes in a three dimensional kind of way so you really get inside their heads and can see things from their perspective-it doesn't excuse their actions but you can see why they act as they do. I can't wait to read this book!

Misfit--"I do want to see more of Philippe. He's one of those love to hate them characters..."

Oh I do love a good baddy!

It is soooo not fair you have all finished Lionheart and mine is still on the way!! Throws cow pats at... @@@@@@@ Misfit...Brenna....Telynor and Ash....@@@@SPLAT!

Bec

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Tue October 11th, 2011, 11:09 pm

I'm enjoying this on the whole, but I'm finding parts a little irritating. I just finished the scene where the characters discuss the massacre of the Jews at York, and the dialogue diverges into a history lesson about medieval anti-Semitism which, while informative, had a distinct "I researched this, and by God, I'm going to make use of it" quality. And while I'm fully prepared to accept the fact that Eleanor of Aquitaine was an extraordinary woman, I don't need the narrator constantly telling me that.

Telynor · Post by **Telynor** » Wed October 12th, 2011, 12:41 am

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]I'm enjoying this on the whole, but I'm finding parts a little irritating. I just finished the scene where the characters discuss the massacre of the Jews at York, and the dialogue diverges into a history lesson about medieval anti-Semitism which, while informative, had a distinct "I researched this, and by God, I'm going to make use of it" quality. And while I'm fully prepared to accept the fact that Eleanor of Aquitaine was an extraordinary woman, I don't need the narrator constantly telling me that.[/quote]

You hit on the two blips that made me stumble a bit through this one. I definitely felt swicky over the anti-Semitism, which is natural, I suppose. And yes, it got very tiresome about Eleanor being mentioned as extraordinary, once is enough, thank you. Despite my advancing decrepitude, my mind does remember things...