King Richard the Lionheart: birth, life, personality

King Richard I of England was born on the 8th of September 1157 in the King’s House (later Beaumont Palace).  He was the 3rd legitimate son of King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; Eleanor’s 6th child as she had previously been married to King Louis VII of France and...

Coronation of Richard the Lionheart

On the 3rd of September 1189, King Richard I of England known as the Lionheart was crowned as King of England at Westminster Abbey.  At the age of 32, he was still relatively young, vigorous, and ready to lead the Angevin empire to her new heights.  Tall with reddish-blonde hair,...

The Drama of Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany

On the 10th of August 1241, Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany (House of Plantagenet) died as a nun at the age of 57 or 59.  Originally buried at St James’ Priory, Bristol, her remains were then exhumed and reburied at Amesbury Abbey by King Henry III of England (her cousin),...

A Forgotten Confrontation: the Battle of Bouvines of 1214

Nowadays, few people heard about the Battle of Bouvines fought on the 27th of July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders.  Nonetheless, many remember the Battles of Crécy, of Poitiers, and of Agincourt.  This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Anglo-French War that lasted...

Philippe II of France: a monarch rightfully deserving the epithet ‘Augustus’

Born on the 21st of August 1165, King Philippe II of France died on the 14th of July 1223 in Mantes-la-Jolie en route to Paris at the age of 58.  When his father, Louis VII of France, fell ill, he had his only son crowned at Reims in 1179, making...

Isabella of Angoulême, second wife of King John of England

Isabella of Angoulême, second wife of King John of England, died on the 4th of June 1246 at Fontevraud Abbey, where she was buried in the abbey’s churchyard, as if seeking atonement for her misdeeds.  Years after her death, her eldest son with John, King Henry III of England, arrived at Fontevraud...

Release of ‘Robin Hood’s Widow’ (part 2 of our Robin Hood Trilogy)

Attention! Our New Novel was released on the 8th of May 2020! Robin Hood’s Widow (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 2) by Olivia Longueville and J. C. Plummer is now available in both e-book and paperback formats from Amazon. You can learn more information about our Robin Hood project on...

A fateful royal marriage only a few weeks after Eleanor’s annulment

Today marks another anniversary of a royal marriage that helped create the vast and once very powerful Angevin Empire.  On the 18th of May, 1152, Henry Plantagenet, also known as Henry Curtmantle and Henry FitzEmpress who would soon become King Henry II of England, married Eleanor (Aliénor) of Aquitaine in a private ceremony...

Robin Hood’s Dawn (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 1)

Attention! Our New Novel was released on the 16th of January 2018! Robin Hood’s Dawn (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 1) by Olivia Longueville and J. C. Plummer is now available in both e-book and paperback formats from all good online stores. You can learn more information about our Robin Hood...