Sovereign by C.J. Sansom (My Goodreads Review)

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another splendid adventure for Matthew Shardlake. This time it is 1541 and he is on a mission for Thomas Cramer, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. Sharlake the lawyer from London's Lincoln's Inn must travel to York with his trusted accomplice and minder Jack Barak. Their recent employer Thomas Cromwell is dead. Beheaded by King Henry VIII because of his mistake concerning the marriage match to Anne of Cleeves.

The North of England is more Catholic in its leaning and does not take easily to Protestant Reformation. There has been an uprising and this was viciously put down by King Henry VIII.

It is into this festering atmosphere of hate and resentment, that Shardlake must go. He is to oversee the safety of a conspirator. An enemy of the King and Reformation. This Catholic prisoner must be transported back to London and the Tower were the more skilled interrogators (Torturers) can work upon extracting information.

The King is also making a stately visit to York with his new wife, Katherine Howard. Before long Matthew Shardlake is in over his head where high society murder, intrigue and corruption is concerned. Plus a person intent on murder is stalking him.

I'm fast becoming hooked on these Shardlake novels by C.J. Sansom. Each one has the ability to take the reader to old-world England during the reign of the tyrant King Henry VIII. Splendid stuff, all the way.

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Clip from Mission to the Unknown.

An old Doctor Who Clip from William Hartnell times. Mission to the Unknown.

The Mary Rose Meets a Ghastly Demise.

The Mary Rose Meets a Ghastly Demise.

There could have been as many as 700 men aboard the Mary Rose as the renovated ship sailed forth to battle against the French in 1545 during the reign of King Henry VIII. This was the Battle of the Solent and the French were attempting to invade England. 

The much-loved ship was over 30 years of age. She had been built at the beginning of Henry VIII's reign. She was the pride of the English navy and had seen much service during her 30 plus years.

A renovation programme to modernize her was embarked upon. Many believe the work contributed to the disaster that would make Mary Rose famous. Also for every ten fighting men aboard the ship, one could add an extra tonne in weight. With the upper decks crammed with soldiers, many below the boarding repellent netting, one can imagine the possible ways the disaster would unfold.

By 1545 England was nearing the end of the king's almost 38-year reign. (1509 - 1547) The famous and infamous old king was present during the terrible event. He and his entourage were watching from land as the ships sailed out of the Solent to engage the French navy in battle. The Mary Rose was at the head of the fleet, bristling with new guns and a formidable force of soldiers ready to board the French ships.

As the freshly renovated Mary Rose came about, she keeled over as a strong gust of wind caught her sails. Her new and lower gun ports were open and ready for action. No doubt cannons ready to fire upon the French enemy. As the ship listed further than expected, experts in history and marine engineering believe the ships lower gunports allowed the sea to come through into the vessel that was already overweight with soldiers.

The centre of gravity shifted and the Mary Rose listed more. In moments the grand ship slid lower as more seawater cascaded into the vessel. All aboard would have struggled against the extreme listing but in vain. It all happened so quickly as the many hundreds of men went down with the ship. Around 25 sailors in the upper rigging were all that survived the sinking. One moment the ship was sailing into action and the next she was sliding under the sea with a mass of panicking men contained in the hold and unable to get off the doomed vessel.  

The French invasion was not successful, but the loss of the Mary Rose was a bitter manifestation for the English and their king. The last moments of this ship's life would immortalise her in history. Had she survived the battle, the ship would have faded and been virtually unknown.

The wreck of the Mary Rose was raised and is now in a museum at Portsmouth.

The Battle of Solferino and the Geneva Convention

One cannot underestimate the consequence of the Battle of Solferino. It brought about the creation of the Geneva Convention. 

The battle was fought in 1859 between the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the allied French and Piedmontese forces. This was a confrontation of the second Italian War of Independence. 

Much of Northern Italy was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ruled over by the twenty-nine-year-old Austrian Emperor. This young emperor would rule for almost sixty-eight years and would die in 1916. He would preside over many decades of change in central Europe. 

This was a time where the power of the Austro Hungarian Empire would diminish. The Battle of Solferino would see the young emperor clash with France's Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of the Italian-Piedmontese. 

The ferocious battle would see diabolical suffering and would result in Emperor Franz Joseph I losing the colossal confrontation. The consequences for the young monarch would be devastating even though he would see a further fifty-seven years of rule.  

His 130, 000 troops would clash with 140,000 French and Italian-Piedmontese troops. It was to be the last battle where either side was led by a monarch. Many argue that Franz Joseph was too young and out of his depth to lead such a force. Perhaps the same could be said for the French and Sardinians? Though these respected men were older and perhaps better experienced than the young Austro-Hungarian emperor.  

Over 2,300 soldiers of the allied French-Italian forces were killed with a further 12,000+ wounded. Just under 2,800 missing in action.  Over 17,000 casualties in all. Even though they were the victors.

For the Austrians, there was a loss of just under 2,400 killed with almost 9,300 missing in action and over 10,600 wounded. This totalled just over 22,300 casualties and losses. 

The aftermath and reports of wounded and dying on the battlefield brought about a calamitous outrage. This resulted in the Geneva Convention coming into existence.  

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom (My Goodreads Review))

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent historical read. Set in King Henry VIII's England of 1540. Matthew Shardlake must help Thomas Cromwell. The king's main man is in serious trouble concerning the Anne of Cleeves marriage. In an attempt to win back favour with the king, Cromwell enlists the help of the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake to find the secret of Greek Fire. In this day and age, Greek fire is akin to an atomic weapon and would allow Henry VIII's navy to have tremendous power. The problems start for Matthew as he comes across a collection of dead bodies along his investigative way. Soon his own life is in peril too.

This is a gritty fast-paced historical thriller set against the backdrop of protestant reformist England etc. It has a splendid feel and is the second Shardlake story I have read. It was very compelling and I'll certainly be reading the third instalment after this exciting historical thriller brought 1540's London to life.

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Sunrise Over the Fenland.

It was a glorious sunrise over the Fen. We had got up before driving to King's Lynn on a shopping expedition. This is before coming back and finding a Soviet Tank in front of the drive - as you do. 

The kind morning moment allowed for reflection of a kind autumn day. We had a coffee and watched from the gate as the sun came up. A fine start to my four days off of work.

An Old WWII Soviet Tank Blocked My Drive.

We were coming home from Kings Lynn shopping center today and my drive was obstructed by a lorry and trailer carrying a huge old Soviet T-34 type tank. Like one of those used at the Battle of Kursk in 1943.

The Lorry had just pulled out of a driveway that runs along the railway line. It goes out into the fields by the River Nene. There is a yard there with several tanks. The work that occurs here involves renovating old pre-War vehicles. When finished they are taken away to various collectors here there and everywhere. Perhaps even drama studios. 

The lorry finally moved passed and I was able to go into my drive as my wife, Carole, quickly photographed the tank. It looked splendid and very retro.