LIVING THE HISTORY: Today's research snippet. Not a Rihanna in sight: 12thC ladies' names.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Today's research snippet. Not a Rihanna in sight: 12thC ladies' names.

In the pile of books around my feet at the moment is Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the 12th Century Anglo Norman Realm by Susan M. Johns. It's the book that told me yesterday about Isabel de Warenne's lovely pink seal. There's a section listing a catalogue of seals for women from the 12th and early 13th centuries. It's an interesting and informative list for any historical novelist in search of a name, reanactors seeking a persona, and just for general interest. What were the names of the day?

These are the women
Royalty:
Matilda, wife of Henry 1
Adeliza of Louvain - 2nd wife of Henry I
Matilda of Boulougne - wife of King Stephen
Empress Matilda
Joan - Daughter of Henry II (Often called by the Latin version, Joanna by modern writers, written as IOHE on her seal)

Noblewomen: Ada
Aelina
Aeliza
Agnes
Alda
Albreda
Aldith
Alexandria
Alice (very popular)
Alicie
Alienor
Amicia
Aubrey
Avicia
Avina
Basilia
Bertrada
Beatrice
Beaveria
Blanch
Botilde
Burgesia
Cassandra
Cecilia
Cecily
Claricia
Constance
Cristina
Desirea
Egelina
Ela
Emma
Eugenia
Eustachia
Eva
Geva
Gundred
Hawise
Ingrid
Isabella (popular)
Ida
Idonie
Gilliane
Lecia
Legarda
Letia
Letitia
Lucy
Mabel
Margaret
Marie
Marjorie
Matilda (very popular)
Milysant
Muriel
Pavia
Petronilla
Pupelina
Richenilda
Rohais
Sybilla
Tisande
Wimarc
Ysoude

This is the seal of Joanna, daughter of Henry II and Alienor of Aquitaine.

1 comment:

V. N. said...: I have a fascination for old names. Thanks for listing these!; 1:38 am

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

" Wow! I feel like someone used to watching movies in black and white but has just seen the first one in technicolor! " A personal letter from a reader.

"The Winter Crown ...will, I have no doubt, become the definitive fictional account of this remarkable woman.' ..." I’ve read a fair few fictional depictions of Henry II over the years and I must say that his portrait in The Winter Crown has the most authentic feel of them all."
Kate Atherton, author of For Winters Night blog.

"Eeanor’s life story has been told many times over in historical novels but rarely with such insight, emotional intensity and page-turning readability." Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post.

"In the world of the arts, the Black Legend and the Golden Myth still hold sway, as seen in novels, such as Alison Weir's, which seek to portray both the scandalous, adulterous queen of legend and the powerful female ruler. Historians may shake their heads at the perpetuation of such myths, but many historical novelists such as Sharon Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick are seeking to apply modern scholarship to their fiction, and consequently avoid the most egregious of the legends that surround Eleanor."

Professor Michael R. Evans in Inventing Eleanor - Bloomsbury Academic.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SUMMER QUEEN

"What I loved about this novel, and I have felt this way about all of Elizabeth’s novels that I have read, is that she does not pander to stereotypes or write scandal for the sake of it. The historical Eleanor is defamed beyond belief- a whore chasing anything in trousers, a woman who committed incest with her uncle, a woman who was ‘ahead of her time’, and so on. Elizabeth’s Alienor is none of these things. She is treated fairly, as a woman of her own time, written in a believable way. Elizabeth does not go for scandal because she does not need to- the writing in this novel makes that very clear. Her scene setting is lovely, her character development top notch, and the book is a compulsive page turner. I couldn’t put it down." Sarah Bell

."The Summer Queen is a fabulous novel based on the most up-to-date and meticulous research. This is historical fiction at its best and I loved every page of it." Kate Atherton, blogger.

"I have read just about everything I can about Eleanor and enjoyed both biographical and fictional accounts of her life but I must say that your creation of Eleanor is the most compelling." Reader from Australia

"I loved the story; I loved the way the author wrote Alienor as a woman of her times instead of a thoroughly modern independent woman, or a slut in chase of anything in pants. As with all Chadwick novels, there's also the added plus of being sucked into another century with the sights, smells and sounds that wrap up a darn-near perfect reading experience. I couldn't put it down, and very sorry I'm going to have to wait for the next installment. Reader from the USA

"Meticulous research and strong storytelling." Woman & Home
"A rich and compelling read. " Candis Magazine

"I often see the expressions, `fleshing out the history' and `making it real', and they more than apply here...the main aspect that made me keep turning the pages and burning the midnight oil? The things that I didn't know about Alienor.." Reader from Australia

"Chadwick has succeeded where many other novelists have failed by giving us not just the legend but the very human young woman – intelligent, determined, witty and sexy." Pam Norfolk. Lancashire Evening Post.