I have been working my way through the lovely illustrations in my history books in the hope of sparking your interest to go and buy the book. We’re in
Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John and the next illustration is Llywelyn the Great. I have written about him before:
Llywelyn the Great is an extract from Highlights of Welsh History by Phil Carradine which summarises his life very well. Surprisingly he married the illegitimate daughter of King John, Joan, known as Siwan in Wales.
The following illustration is Magna Carta, about which I wrote a whole book:
The Magna Carta Story: The Layman’s Guide to the Great Charter. The story in
Broken Reed is about King John’s treatment of the Lord of Gower, which led to the Magna Carta. After making him a close confidante and giving him gifts, lands and honours, John was suspicious of his loyalty and treated him and his family abominably. This was the final straw that caused the barons to rebel and finally to present John with the Magna Carta.
Ann Marie Thomas is the author of four medieval history books, a surprisingly cheerful poetry collection about her 2010 stroke, and the science fiction series Flight of the Kestrel. Intruders, Alien Secrets, and Crisis of Conscience are out now. Follow her at http://eepurl.com/bbOsyz
