When Angus Donald learned about a Templar who had joined the Mongol invaders of Europe in the 13th century, he knew it was the perfect story for a historical novel. He tells Historia about Robert, the Englishman who fought for Genghis Khan, and how he researched this extraordinary piece of history. In the blazing summer […]
Christian versus pagan: was Charlemagne’s conquest of Saxony the first crusade?
Angus Donald, author of Blood of the Bear, examines Charlemagne’s conquest of Saxony in the late 8th century. It was a campaign not just about territory but about religion: Christian versus pagan. Could it be considered the first ‘crusade’? The First Crusade, historians claim, was launched by Pope Urban II in 1096, after the Pontiff […]
Brávellir: the greatest battle… that never was
Angus Donald, author of King of the North, writes about the Battle of Brávellir, a famous Viking conflict… which probably never happened. But, he says, we can still enjoy the epic story, a 12th-century piece of historical fiction which inspired his own novel. “Then the trumpets sounded, and both sides engaged in battle with all […]
Widukind of Westphalia – the Saxon Wolf
Who was the ‘wood-child’ – the wolf – who rallied the pagans of Saxony against Charlemagne’s Christian armies at the end of the 8th century? And why has he been paid so little attention? Angus Donald writes about Widukind, the war leader who plays a major part in the second book in his Viking Fire […]
How to become a berserker – a historical novelist’s guide
For a historical fiction writer with two successful adventure series and a passing acquaintance with magic under his (sword) belt, writing about berserkers was probably a logical next step for Angus Donald. But what, exactly, is a berserker? And how do you become one? He tells Historia… I was a little taken aback, when I […]
The never-ending Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne. It’s one of those events in Irish and British history that’s loaded with significance (think Orange marches and gable-ends) even though not many people know much about what actually happened. As Angus Donald confesses he discovered when writing the third of his Holcroft Blood novels. We’ve all see them on […]
Why the Glorious Revolution was . . . well, neither
On the 330th anniversary of William of Orange’s arrival in England, author Angus Donald argues that the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 was neither a revolution nor glorious, but a coup won by treachery. I went to a friend’s wedding recently. I wore a suit, prayed a little, received Holy Communion and happily belted out Jerusalem […]
Thomas Blood and the Theft of the Crown Jewels
On May 9, 1671, at a little before 7am on a chilly spring morning, a tall, handsome, middle-aged man calling himself Thomas Ayliffe, and dressed in the severe black gown and square white collar of a humble country parson, presented himself at the door of the Irish Tower in the northeast corner of the Tower of London. He […]