larabyrneDec 7, 20215 min readThe making of an unlikely leader. Matilde of Tuscany's childhoodNot much is known about Matilde/a of Tuscany's birth. The year was 1046, but the day and place are uncertain. Mantova, Lucca, Canossa,...
larabyrneSep 24, 20213 min readHamletic Lotharingia - The parallel lives of Hamlet and King Henry IV of Germany Whilst I was not consciously aware of it as I was working on his character, I realise a posteriori that my version of Heinrich IV owes...
larabyrneSep 3, 20213 min readThe books that inspired Lotharingia - Thoughts on Pope JoanThis is my first post in a while. I have spent the summer dreaming of holidays I could not take, and sharing visuals of the settings of...
larabyrneMay 28, 20212 min readWhat's in a cover - The golden crosses of medieval power I have had a few questions about the cover of Lotharingia, and what it is meant to represent. Lotharingia is a tale of love, relics, and...
larabyrneDec 4, 20202 min readWhy I decided to write a novel on Matilde of TuscanyIn many ways, Countess Matilde of Tuscany was the most remarkable woman of the XI century. She must have made quite an impression on...
larabyrneDec 2, 20203 min readMedieval Women in Power - Matilda of Tuscany and her precursorsMedieval Europe did not really have historians in the modern (or ancient Greek) sense of the word. It had chroniclers and propagandists....
larabyrneApr 10, 20201 min readRead between the lines - Imperial seals for the margravinesHow else can one try and recover the traces of the historical actions of medieval women? Apart from a few exceptions, writing was the...