Seven Days. Three Talks. Lots of Miles

And more to come!

Seven days. Three talks. 910 miles. What a week!

I’ve been busy across the last week delivering three brand new talks in different corners of the country. And I still have another one to come before the month is out, more of which below.

On Saturday 1st June, I travelled to the gorgeous Athelhampton House in Dorset to speak about the Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy as part of the Tudor Rebellions Study Day. The event was hugely enjoyable and I loved sharing in detail my thoughts on who Perkin Warbeck (or is that Pierrechon Werbecque or Piers Osbek?) truly was. Also speaking were Juliet Braidwood, Nicola Tallis and Melita Thomas, who all delivered insightful talks of their own. Plus I got to spend the night in a pub, which is always a good thing.

On Wednesday 5th June, I went up to Collyweston to take part in an event called The Trial of Richard III. The premise was simple – I would deliver a talk looking at what I believed happened to the Princes in the Tower (that Richard III killed them) and the audience, one of the most informed I have spoken before, were then able at length to grill me on my theory. It was a hugely educating evening, and I was challenged by every question. In the end, the jury returned a verdict, by 29-28, that Richard III was NOT GUILTY. Oh, so close! Plus I got to spend a few hours afterwards in a pub, which is always a good thing.

Finally, on Saturday 8th June I made the always exciting journey home to Wales, although just about, speaking at the fascinating Monty Lit Fest in Montgomery. What a well-run literature festival that was! Montgomery is a border town that was fought over between Welsh and English throughout the medieval period, and in fact the castle ruins still look down imposingly across the modern settlement. Here, I delivered my first talk related to my new book Son of Prophecy, looking at two hundred years of one family’s rebellious behaviour until they themselves seized the crown. I also, for the first time ever, got to hold my new book, more of which soon. Plus I got to spend the night in a pub, which is always a good thing.

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Talk in Oxford

My next talk will be held in Oxford on Wednesday 28th June, and this will also be a brand new talk I am delivering - the Lambert Simnel Plot. I will be looking at the conspiracy to steal the Tudor crown in 1487, the battle of Stoke Field, the Irish coronation of a boy that it was later claimed was Lambert Simnel, a youth from Oxford. It’s FREE and open to all!

More details by clicking HERE

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Son of Prophecy

Out on 15 July is my forthcoming book, 'Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor'. This is a 300-year history of one Welsh family, and how they emerged from the wilds of Gwynedd, navigated the murky and violent waters of Welsh-Anglo politics, and eventually found their way, almost improbably, onto the English throne.

The rebellious Hywel and Gwilym of Ednyfed Fychan, the cunning of Rhys and Gwilym ap Tudur, the boldness of Owen Tudor, the resilience of Jasper Tudor, and of course the turbulent and unexpected rise of Henry Tudor. This involves war, treason, escapes and love.

Fourteen years in the making, from defiant Welsh rebels to unlikely English kings, this is the story of the Tudors, but not how you know it.