Back in November 2019 I wrote a piece on now racism in Historical Dramas appears to be in the process of being erased from both cinema and television screens <link>. I recently got into an argument about this very subject again. I made a comment about Armando Iannucci’s latest version of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. … Continue reading Why Race in a Historical Context is Important
history
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
At school my history teacher glossed over the Battle of Hastings. His lesson suggested that the Normans were a superior people who conquered the barbaric Saxons and brought civilisation back to England. I have always inferred that what he meant was that the Romans had civilised Britain originally but that the Saxons had created a … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings
On 14th October 1066 a Saxon army under the command of King Harold of England stood at Sentlache Ridge, some 7 miles north of Hastings. Duke Guillaume of Normandy led his army from the port to fight the decisive battle of the year. The Normans had invaded England on 28 September, but King Harold was … Continue reading The Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place only five days after the Battle of Fulford Gate. The Viking army, under King Harald Hardrada of Norway had won what appeared to be a decisive victory, destroying the Saxon’s Army of the North. Its leaders, the brothers Eorl Edwin of Mercia and Eorl Morcar of Northumbria had … Continue reading The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Fulford Gate
Writing about an actual historical event in a piece of fiction is challenging, especially if, as the writer, you are keen on being authentic and accurate. I most certainly was. I undertook a lot of research into both the actual battle, how it was fought, the weapons and armour, why it happened, and what the … Continue reading The Battle of Fulford Gate
Back to the Beginning
I was inspired to write my first novel, The War Wolf, after a visit to York. I live locally to the city and this was one of many such journeys. It occurred to me on this occasion that there was something amiss with the city’s obsession with all things Viking. The Vikings ruled York for … Continue reading Back to the Beginning
Is Racism in Historical Dramas being quietly Erased?
Last night I went to see the film ‘The Aeronauts’, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. It is a story inspired by true events. In 1862 James Glaisher undertook a balloon ascent to test his hypotheses concerning weather and his ability to predict it. The story, written by director Tom Harper and Jack Thorne who … Continue reading Is Racism in Historical Dramas being quietly Erased?
A Brief History of the Earth and its Climate: Complete Geological Timeline
A Brief History of the Earth and its Climate – Part Four
After the reign of the dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic Era the age of mammals arrives with the Paleogen Period of the Cenozoic Era. The first grasses appear, along with placental mammals. Orogrny, mountain building, starts in Laramidia, the western half of North America, resulting in the formation of the Rocky Mountains. Volcanic eruptions lessen. India … Continue reading A Brief History of the Earth and its Climate – Part Four
A Brief History of the Earth and its Climate – Part Three
The Permian Period ended with an increase in the Earth’s temperature following the end of the Karoo Ice Age and the forming of the single supercontinent of Pangea. The Triassic Period, the first of the three geological periods that make up the Mesozoic Era, begins with a period of recovery. There is no polar ice, … Continue reading A Brief History of the Earth and its Climate – Part Three
Peter C Whitaker 