larabyrneDec 7, 20215 minThe 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,...
larabyrneNov 23, 20213 minEat like an 11th century prince - A Canossa Christmas hamperMatilde and her family did not only influence Italian politics, architecture, art and culture for centuries to come. They even played an...
larabyrneOct 19, 20212 minThe Road to Canossa shortlisted for Page Turner Screenplay Awards 2021I entered this competition with very low hopes as my manuscript required screen adaptation, Yet the jury was stellar, comprising...
larabyrneJun 10, 20212 minWhat's in a name - The Lotharingian connectionA few people have asked how I have come up with the title and what Lotharingia means. Matilde, my heroine, is known as Matilda of...
larabyrneMay 28, 20212 minWhat'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 minWhy 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 minMedieval 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....
