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The Late Roman Army & The Barbarian Conspiracy

March 3, 2017 by Cynthia Ripley Miller 2 Comments

Reorganization of the Army

The following is a guest post by Brian Kitchen. Learn more about Brian at the end of this post.

The late Roman Army in Britain bore very little resemblance to the army of the Emperor Claudius, which had conquered the island in 43ad. By the late 4th century, the time I write about in my ‘Divided Empire’ series of novels, there had been a complete reorganization of the army.

Caer Gybi Roman Fort

The army in Britain no longer relied solely on the Legions based at York, Chester, and Exeter and auxiliary regiments based in forts throughout the island, which had previously composed the army which had for centuries occupied Britain.

The enemy that the Roman army was now facing was no longer the people of the island it had occupied, but barbarian enemies that were raiding its shores and the forces to meet this new challenge had to change.

From the third century, Britain had periodically suffered raids and incursions from the Empire’s barbarian foes. The Roman historian Eutropius wrote that during the 280s the coasts of Belgica and Armorica (modern day France, Belgium and the Netherlands) were ‘infested with Franks and Saxons’.

To meet the new threats to Britain, a chain of forts was built along the eastern and southern shores of Britain, with some also being built along the west coast too. The forts at Cardiff and Caer Gybi (Anglesey, Wales) may be part of this chain. The Notitia Dignitatum a late Roman Document which lists the army commands in Britain, has the commander of the garrisons of this chain of forts, now known as the ‘Saxon Shore’ command, listed as the Comes Litoris Saxonici per Britanniarum.

In the north of Britain, the army command there had also been reorganised with the forts of Hadrian’s Wall and northern Britain, now coming under the command of the Dux Britanniarum. A chain of signal stations was built along the north-east coast of Britain, the foundations of one of them can still be viewed at Scarborough Castle, Yorkshire.

The Barbarian Conspiracy

The threat to the security of the island was so serious, that the Emperor dispatched a task force from his field army to Britain to assist in restoring order. It is because of this raid that some historians believe that a further new military command was set up in Britain, under the command of the Comes Britanniae.

A listing appears in the Notitia Dignitatum listing the forces under his command, six cavalry regiments and three of infantry, a mobile task force equipped and ready to move throughout Britain to wherever it was required.

Towns which previously hadn’t been walled before, were also now walled and towers for artillery were added to existing walls. The Multangular Tower which can be viewed in the Museum Gardens in York is an example of the kind of towers which were built to strengthen defences.

Above is a Multangular Tower in YorkDuring the fourth century, the Picts from the north of Britain, the Scots and the enigmatic Attecotti from Ireland and the Franks and Saxons from the continent had plagued Britain with a series of raids. The raids culminated in 367ad in what is known as the ‘Barbarian Conspiracy’, when the Picts, Scots, Attecotti and Saxons made a combined attack on Britain. During the fighting, the Dux Britanniarum was killed, along with what it is thought to have been the Comes Litoris Saxonici.

A lot of the troops now deployed to defend Britain were Limitanei, troops who were stationed in frontier districts, like in the forts along Hadrian’s Wall.

Some historians have suggested that these Limitanei troops may have been part-time soldiers, who were given land to farm during peacetime, being called up for duty when danger threatened.

The Later Roman Army

So, what of the other forces of the Roman Army in Britain, where were they based and what was their composition now? The Roman soldier of the 4th Century looked very different from the Roman Legionary of the early empire. By the late 4th Century the army comprised of more cavalry units than infantry, arising from the need to move quickly to wherever the raiders struck.

Verulamium Roman Walls

Heavier cavalry, such as the armoured Cataphracts and Horse Archers were being increasingly deployed. The weapons and armour of the troops was very different to that of the legionaries and auxiliaries of the earlier empire.

Some infantry now wore no armour, relying on their shields for protection and missile-type weapons like the Plumbata and dart-type weapons were commonly used. A lot of the forts in the interior of Britain were abandoned and more troops were now based in the towns and cities.

In the Roman town of Viroconium (modern day Wroxeter) evidence that troops were based there has been found during excavations, with Plumbata being found in the ruins of the basilica there. For all these changes however, the Western Roman Empire eventually fell to the barbarians and although Britain held out into the 6th century it too also eventually fell.

Brian J Kitchen – Author Bio

I live in Burton upon Trent, England and am married to Lynne and have a son, Mark and two tortoise shell cats, Tansy & Zoe. I enjoy walking in the countryside, photography, reading, writing, visiting museums and historic sites & buildings and supporting Burton Albion.

I first became interested in the history of Roman Britain as a child and loved the ‘Eagle of the Ninth’ trilogy of novels by Rosemary Sutcliff. When I was older I read & studied all that I could about the history of the period, visiting many museums and archaeological sites to further improve my knowledge.

I’ve always had a passion for writing and when I retired from Local Government service, I wrote a column in our local newspaper for two years and also decided to write novels set in late 4th Century CE Roman Britain. The first of the Flavius Vitulasius Novels, ‘Divided Empire’ is my first published novel, but there are many more to come. I hope that you enjoying reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

Should you wish to know more about Flavius & his friends, please visit my website, Facebook, and Twitter pages:

Facebook

Website

Twitter (@Oldbrookender)

 

Links to Brian’s books…

View on Amazon

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View on Amazon

View on Amazon UK

 

Filed Under: Historical Authors Across Time Tagged With: army, history, Roman

In Search of the Real King Arthur with Mary Anne Yarde

February 8, 2017 by Cynthia Ripley Miller 4 Comments

The following is a guest post by Mary Anne Yarde. Learn more about Mary Anne at the end of this post.

I have been fascinated with the life and times of King Arthur and his Knights of The Round Table since I was a child — I guess growing up a stone’s throw from Glastonbury (The Ancient Isle of Avalon) may have had something to do with that.

My book series, The Du Lac Chronicles, tells the story of what happened after the death of Arthur, and continues the story of his Knights and their sons. But to write about the end of Arthur’s reign, I needed to know about the beginning. A not so easy task, it turned out.

The history of a historical Arthur is not written in stone but is, instead, engraved in folklore and that brings its own set of challenges.

Firstly, where did he come from? Well, that is an easy question to answer…

King Arthur was English. No, he was Welsh. Arthur was Scottish. He was from Brittany.

Digging up folklore

Which is right? Arthur is so famous that everyone wants to claim him and, over the years, there have been many names thrown out there as to who he really was. But we mustn’t forget that when we are dealing with Arthur, we are digging up folklore, and that is not the same as excavating relics. We can make Arthur fit wherever we want him to, and that is where the problem lies. It is very easy to make mistakes, and I have read many books that claim to have found the real Arthur, only they haven’t, it is just a theory, sometimes a very shaky one.

The same can be said for Arthur’s famous castle, Camelot. There have been many “possible locations” of one of the most famous castles in history.  Tintagel, Cadbury Hill, Caerlaverock Castle, have all been put forward, and recently it has been suggested that a small Roman fort at Slack is where the real Camelot once stood. However, during all this excitement and discoveries we have overlooked a fundamental issue — there was no Camelot. It was an invention of a French poet in 1180! How can you look for something that was never there to begin with?

King Arthur statue at Tintagel Castle, by Rubin Eynon

The Dark Ages, in which my books are set, are equally challenging to research because there is a lack of reliable primary resources. What was written down was written down for a purpose and that purpose was usually politically motivated, which in itself is fascinating, although not so helpful. Now, in these early texts when Arthur is mentioned, there is nothing about him being a king. Nennuis describes him a warrior on par with Ironman, but no mention of a crown.

Monmouth: King Arthur’s greatest ally

It isn’t until the 12th Century when Geoffrey of Monmouth writes his great work that the Arthur we know is born. Monmouth’s work, which was supposed to be an accurate account of British history, is in fact, one of the greatest works of fiction ever written. Monmouth is borrowing from folklore — although he did keep mentioning something about a lost manuscript that he found and then conveniently lost again when asked to share it! It is folklore that drives the legend of Arthur and his Knights’ forward, and I think that is important as it tells a great deal about the time in which these stories are told.

My books are not just set in Britain but Brittany and France as well, so I needed to have a good understanding of what was happening in these countries in the 5th Century in order to keep the history real in the telling. Before we look at any of these countries we need to look at the powerhouse of the world at this time, and that was the Roman Empire. However, the golden age of the Roman Empire was almost over; she was politically unstable and was withdrawing her forces from far-flung provinces such as Briton, to defend her borders.

Blood, war, and marriage

But this dawning new era brings some of the most fascinating historical figures that ever lived. These were the days of men such as Clovis. Clovis won a decisive victory against Rome, at the Battle of Soissons in AD 486. But, Clovis’s ambition didn’t stop there. Roman Gaul and parts of Western Germany fell to him as well. He forged a new empire through blood, war, and marriage. He made Paris the capital of his new kingdom, and he was the first King of a united Frank (France).

Statue of clovis

The Saxons and the Angles crossed the South Sea (The English Channel) to take advantage of vulnerable Britain who, since the Romans had left, had split back into various smaller kingdoms. There was much infighting and unrest, it was the perfect opportunity for the Saxon’s to come over and stake their claim.

Brittany, like Britain, wasn’t one united country, but many, and they were a race of warriors. While they were busy fighting each other, they missed the real threat to the kingdom, which eventually would be their undoing and they would find themselves at the mercy of Frank.

While all this is going on, the Church is creeping into the crevices, and spreading the word of God and, what could be consider of equal value, one language — Latin. It could be argued that it was the Church that united Britain in the end.

The good king that never left their side

This was a time of great unrest and change, but one thing remained constant for the general populous and that was storytelling. Arthur may well have been a general but folklore made him a Christian King and gave him a castle full of noble knights. Arthur and his Knights (most of them anyway) cared about the people they represented. Arthur was a good king, the like of which has never been seen before or after. He was the perfect tool for spreading a type of patriotic propaganda. Arthur was someone you would want to fight by your side. But he also gave ordinary people a sense of belonging and hope. He is, after all, The Once and Future King.

Larger than real life

I have tried to show what life was like in the 5th Century in my books, but I have been heavily influenced by folklore, because when you are dealing with this period in history you cannot dismiss it. Brittany, for example, is terribly difficult to research historically, but when it comes to folklore she is rich and if that is all she is going to give us, then so be it. Folklore is its own special brand of history, and it is often over looked by historians which I think is a shame. You can tell a lot about a people by the stories they tell, and people are still fascinated by this larger than life King, which I think says it all. Arthur may well have been a general, or a knight, he may have been English, he may not, but it doesn’t matter because his story is timeless, it will never grow old.

Book Blurb for The Du Lac Devil (Book 2 of The Du Lac Chronicles)

War is coming to Saxon Briton.

As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him — The Du Lacs.

Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.

Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves.

Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?

Links for Purchase

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

About Mary Anne Yarde

Mary Anne Yarde is an Award Winning author of the International Best Selling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey
through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, the Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.

Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury–the fabled Isle of Avalon–was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.

Useful Links

Official Blog: Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Facebook

Twitter  @maryanneyarde

Goodreads

Filed Under: Historical Authors Across Time

Historical Romance: What Is It and Where Did It Come From?

December 6, 2016 by Cynthia Ripley Miller 5 Comments

fiction

Historical Romance: The Quest for Its Creator

On a rainy afternoon last week, I browsed the romance section of my neighborhood bookstore and wondered—who wrote the first historical romance?  A little investigation revealed that some of the first historical romance writers include 19th century Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott known for his novels Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, and the French author Alexander Dumas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and later, 20th century Englishwoman Georgette Heyer for her novel, The Black Moth.

In the United States in 1972, Kathleen Woodiwiss’s The Flame and the Flower was the first paperback historical romance novel to follow the ‘principals into the bedroom.’  Since then historical romance has become a mass-market fiction genre related to romance.

Empowered Heroines in Historical Romance

Over time, a new style of historical romance has emerged.  Historical romance heroines have evolved from the ‘Damsel in Distress’ into strong-willed independent women drawn to alpha heroes who grow into compassionate admirers of the women they love.

Romance Drives the Plot… Through a Historical Landscape

In my first novel, On the Edge of Sunrise, I chose Diana Gabaldon’s popular novel, Outlander, as a compass.  Although Outlander is marketed as historical fiction, a romance drives the plot of Gabaldon’s novel, but the love story includes strong historical events and persons, political intrigue tied to a variety of supporting characters, and true to the romance genre and life—sex.

With historical romance writers developing and expanding their content in these areas, the standard historical romance has experienced another transformation.  From the common perception of the historical romance as a ‘bodice ripper’ or a romance set in a historical time period as merely a backdrop, the reader now has the opportunity to enter into a broader realm of history, characters, and sexuality, creating a hybrid I refer to as—romantic historical.

Historical Events Come to life

On the Edge of Sunrise is set in the 5TH century.  The Western Roman Empire is waning and losing its way under the rule of Valentinian III.  The barbarian groups are on the rise.  Valentinian’s famous and respected general, Flavius Aetius, holds the empire together by blocking Attila the Hun’s invasion into Gaul (France).

After the Huns are defeated on the Catalaunian Plains, Valentinian murders Aetius in a jealous rage, and in an act of revenge, two of Aetius’ soldiers assassinate Valentinian.  A puppet emperor, Petronius Maximus steps in and is killed by the Roman mob when he attempts to flee the Vandal invasion of Rome.

History is Rigorously Researched

These true historical events and characters are detailed and highly researched.  It’s not a simple historical backdrop with a hero and heroine and several minor players that one might find in a standard historical romance.

An Example: Political Intrigue and Character Development

Besides the over-arching historical events and persons found in my novel, is the thread of political intrigue that runs through it via a mysterious riddle and supporting character, a concubine named Marcella, who provides a dark contrast to my heroine Arria.

In addition to weaving a political scheme—based on real historical facts that have left historians puzzled for centuries—into the plot, I want my reader to have a favorite supporting character, whether good or evil.

From time to time, I give these characters their own ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ or passionate moments because it fits the story and adds another layer of humanness.  The Game of Thrones is popular because Martin has built a world of characters who play to the human condition on all levels and who allow us to love, hate, pity, and enjoy more than just the hero.  Ironically, the hero of today, John Snow, was not the hero in the beginning.

Martin has given himself room to grow, move and evolve his fictional world and characters.   These are the kind of characters who should be allowed to live within the framework of historical romance, or the better term—romantic historical.  It’s a hybrid.  The reader gets to experience more. 

Sexuality is a Part of History, and No Less Important

When I write, a movie often plays out in my head.  As the story progresses and the main and supporting characters—young feisty women and virile men, often warriors—are thrown together, it’s only natural that at times they feel longings and passions.  If as moviegoers we can watch the expression of lovemaking, then is there not a place for it in a romantic historical?

Sexuality, passion, and romance, aside from money, do run the world or at least keep it populated!  Thousands of readers and viewers were drawn to the passionate relationship between Jamie and Claire in Outlander.  In The Game of Thrones, sexuality and passion also motivate the characters whether in the form of love, lust, power, or revenge.

Thanks to the fusion of historical and historical romance novels into ‘romantic historical’, modern readers view history, an array of characters, and human sexuality as essential to the art of historical fiction.  The romantic historical is a hybrid genre come to life and worthy of recognition.

If you enjoy traveling back in time, why not find a romantic historical—or more commonly known as a historical romance—novel that will carry you through the pages and may even include a mystery, fantasy or just an epic tale.

*Romantic historical/Historical romance is one of the highest selling genres in the publishing marketplace.

 

Filed Under: Writing Romantic Historical Tagged With: empowering women, sexuality, the romantic historical genre

The Cat In Ancient Rome

April 17, 2016 by Cynthia Ripley Miller 1 Comment

Floor mosaic from House of the Faun, Pompeii.Cat with bird. Ducks and sea life. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli Inv. 9993
Floor mosaic from House of the Faun, Pompeii.Cat with bird. Ducks and sea life. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli Inv. 9993

 

 

 

 

 

A large part of writing a historical novel is the research into the politics, customs and common habits of the time period in which the story is set. One day while watching my twin cats, Romulus and Remus, basking in the sun, I questioned whether the ancient Romans kept cats as pets and how they were viewed.   If the Romans owned cats, did they hold these animals in the same affectionate regard as many people do today?

 

Cat-mosaic-Pompeii

Here are some facts I discovered:

  • Some experts believe that cats were domesticated from wildcats in Mesopotamia. More evidence points to stronger origins in Egypt.
  • Domestic cats may have reached Rome via trade as far back as the 5th century BC but were difficult to get.
  • Egyptians revered the cat and often made attempts to reclaim cats smuggled out of the country. As Christianity grew, Egyptians began to release their hold on the cat.
  • Early evidence exists for cats as simple house animals in Italy: A 1st century AD grave marker shows a cat referred to as Calpurnia Felicla, thought to translate as ‘pussy’; also in this time period, a relief in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, depicts a woman training a cat to dance to music from a lyre; Plutarch writes about the cat and the weasel as house animals; Pliny advises using a cat to drive away mice, and the agricultural writer, Palladius, recommends the cat for catching moles.
  • Additional evidence in later periods is found in the records of the physician, Evagrius (593AD) about St. Simeon who led a tame panther ‘around on a rope like a tame housecat,’ and in the 6th century epigrams of the poet, Agathias (527 565AD).
  • The overall view of the house cat in ancient Rome leans toward a ‘beast of prey’ more than a cuddly friend.

I’ve owned a variety of pets over the years, which include: dogs, birds, aquarium fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, and cats. Through these amazing creatures, my family has experienced joy, laughter, wonder, and learning. When I think about which of these lovable pets ranks high with me, I must choose the cat.  Do you have a favorite pet? Share.

IMG_0930
Romulus and Remus

Wikipedia

http://penelope.uchicago.edu

www.playfulkitty.net

#Cats, #pets, #history

Filed Under: Ancient Rome and France Tagged With: Cats, history, pets

Roman Jewelry: Brooches and Fibulas

August 22, 2015 by Cynthia Ripley Miller Leave a Comment

Ancient Cameo of Medusa
Ancient Cameo of Medusa

Men and women all over the world partake in the custom of wearing some kind of adornment or jewelry.  In the modern era, men and women may wear watches, rings, necklaces, wristbands and bracelets.  In the past, men and women also wore a variety of jewelry as marks of distinction or as adornments.  I wear a gold necklace that holds charms of significance.  In the same tradition as the Romans, I own a cameo (a favorite among Romans for its beauty), a marriage ring, and a watch whose face is a gold coin (jewelry made from gold coins was another Roman preference).  In a similar barbarian custom, I have pierced earlobes for earrings.

Modern Cameo brooch
Modern Cameo brooch –
You can buy this at Amazon today

For those who enjoy the exquisite beauty of a classic cameo brooch, notice how this contemporary cameo echoes the ancient raised portrait of Medusa. They both have similar serpentine flourishes in white against a darker background. It’s still very much in style, 1,500 years later. In fact you can buy many fine variations at Amazon today, including this one.

 

Roman Fibulas

Fibula - an early decorative and functional pin for clothing
Fibula – an early decorative and functional pin for clothing

Since the beginning of time, man has had to hold cloth together, especially after he started wearing cloth to cover his body.  It is thought that thorns and flint found in Paleolithic age caves acted as the first ‘pins.’  The word ‘pin’ is the more common term that includes brooches and fibulas.  Brooches or Fibulas (the older historical term) is the oldest type of jewelry that has both a utilitarian and decorative purpose.  The fibula is the most ‘sharply defined in its historical usage while the meanings of pins and brooches have a much wider scope over time.’

Jeweled fibulas, decorative brooches to fasten clothing
Jeweled fibulas, decorative brooches to fasten clothing

The fibula had a necessary function: to fasten clothing together such as cloaks and draped garments.  A clasp with a ‘simple pin, spring, and catch-plate mechanism’, the fibula somewhat resembles a modern day safety pin in its structural design.  Some believe that the safety pin developed from the fibula.  In the ancient and classical periods, there was no gender association to the fibula, but in modern times the brooch is worn by women as a decorative jewelry.

Merovingian Fibulas, decorative brooches
Merovingian Fibulas, decorative brooches

In the fifth century AD (the setting for my story) the fibula was worn by both men and women.  They had a practical usage but could be decorative as well.  The Roman and barbarian soldier might use a plainer pin that could withstand all kinds of wear, but the nobles also wore ‘elaborately decorated bow-shaped clasps with long thin sheaths covering the pin.’  Fibulas were made of gold, silver and bronze, worked with filigree, enamel and embellished with gemstones.

My hero, Garic, wears a Frankish style fibula/brooch to pin his cloak together and armlets that are engraved with an emblem of the Royal Bee, which later became a Merovingian symbol.

Roman coin bracelet
Roman coin bracelet – still available at Amazon!

My heroine, Arria, also wears a decorative brooch, rings, hairpins and a gold cross, a gift from her father. Also popular in her time were Roman coins of the realm fashioned into jewelry, rather like this modern gold coin bracelet. This replica was inspired by the ancient coins the Romans crafted into jewelry. Made of rose gold, pure white gold, and rich yellow gold it’s sure to shine on anyone’s wrist today just as it did then.

Why do humans love to adorn themselves?  Some experts believe it’s a way of representing age, gender, family and status.  Others say it’s a way of communicating some of our basic needs, such as our desire for self-expression, religious/spiritual beliefs, and romantic attraction.  What about you?  Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry that reflects ancient times or just some connection to the past?  Share it.  I’m curious to hear.

Filed Under: Ancient Rome and France

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