I’ve been having so much fun researching 11^th century Brittany, Normandy and England for my current trilogy for Harlequin Historicals – the stories center on three Breton knights who fight for William the Bastard in his quest to take over England. One thing I’ve discovered is that William never heard of anger management!   

 

            How bad was he? Let me explain –

 

            After becoming Duke of Normandy at about age eight, William eventually had to fight for control of his lands and title and watch as his first three guardians were killed and other nobles tried to take over everything he’d inherited. So, when he won his first pivotal battle and became Duke in fact, he ruthlessly retaliated against those who’d plotted against him. We’re talking dead…lots of dead.

 

            Then, in the marital realm, he decided to marry a lovely noblewoman from Flanders whose bloodlines went all the way back to King Alfred the Great. We’re talking seriously blue-blooded. And William, as we all know, was a bastard…..er….illegitimate and not quite as highborn even though his father was a duke. So, the story says that when Mathilda first heard about the proposed marriage, she balked. William had some issues accepting this rebuke quietly and it’s said he went to her father’s house and dragged her out of her room and tossed her to the floor. The good news is that, in spite of this very-iffy beginning, their marriage was a long and fruitful one.

 

By now, you’re probably thinking – well, that’s not THAT  bad, is it? We are talking Middle Ages. We are talking a time of kill or be killed. We are talking about a man also called The Conqueror. Some other notable examples of his lack of anger-management skills?

 

In Alencon, he cut off the hands of those townspeople who dared to mock his base origins (his mother was supposedly the daughter of a tanner). In Brittany, those who threatened to take over his lands while he was busy invading England seemed to die, with poison being the most favored of his tools. Then, in 1068, when those in the north of his kingdom still rebelled, William destroyed everything in his path, in a campaign known as the Harrowing of the North. Nothing was left standing as he burned crops and buildings, killed cattle and people, and completely overwhelmed his opponents.

 

Did he ever get his anger under control? I’d like to say yes, but word is that he actually got worse after Mathilda died! Yikes! But, I guess when you’re the ruler of a large part of what became modern-day France and England and command fighting forces in the thousands, there aren’t many people who can stop you. 

 

Was that too much info? As I said, I found it fascinating when I began to look into the life and times of one of the most influential men of the Middle Ages as I was planning and plotting my stories.  Now I can’t wait to get back and begin to look further at another interesting person or place in history for my NEXT writing project. . .

Is there some time or place or person in history that interests or intrigues you? If you could go back and see one event or meet one person what or who would that be? Leave a comment and answer that question and Terri will pick one person to win a special gift and an autographed book!

 

 

Terri’s current release is A NIGHT FOR HER PLEASURE, a Harlequin Historical Undone short story, available now at eharlequin.com or amazon.com. This introduces the four sexy warriors who fight for William the Bast. . . Conqueror in 1066. Her next book, THE CONQUEROR’S LADY, the first of the Knights of Brittany trilogy is a July release from Harlequin Historicals. Stop by her website at www.terribrisbin.com for more info about upcoming books, contests and events!