Boos Mummy

Following on from Richard the Lionheart is King John.  We have all seen John portrayed as the "bad guy" in numerous films/books about Robin Hood or King Richard's crusades. John was born to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, he was the youngest of 5 sons and Henry's favourite. There are differing opinions as to when John was born; Christmas 1166 or 1167 in Oxford. When John's brother Richard the Lionheart (now King of England) was imprisoned in Germany John tried to seize control of the crown. Richard reclaimed his throne in 1194 and John was banished. The two brothers did reconcile when Richard's successor, his nephew Arthur, was captured by Phillip II in 1196.  When Richard died in 1199 John became King. Another war with France was triggered by John's second marriage to Isabella who was the Angoulame heiress.  Isabella had been betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan. A rebellion broke out, John was ordered to appear before Phillip II of France and whe...

Our next monarch is Richard I, better known as Richard the Lionheart. Kings and Queens by Bothy Threads Richard was born on 8th September 1157 in Oxford, England. He was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Like his brothers Richard fought against his father in 1173. In 1183 Richards brother Henry died leaving him heir to the throne.  Henry had wanted to give Aquitaine to his son John but Richard disagreed and joined Phillip II of France in 1189. It was this rebellion against his father that lead to Henry II dying in France in July 1189. Richard then ascended to the English throne but although he was king for 10 years he only spent 6 months in England.  Richards ambition was to join the Third Crusade to the Holy Land. He sold Sheriffdoms and other high offices in order to finance this crusade, in 1190 he set off and landed in the Holy Land in June 1191. Richard came close to the crusade's main objective, Jerusalem but it continued to elude him. Quarrels a...

Our new monarch is Henry II, at the bottom of the post there are some photos from Canterbury Cathedral that Tony took last time we were down in Kent. Bothy Threads Kings and Queens Henry II was born in NW France on 4 th March 1133. His father was Count of Anjou and his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. Henry I had named his daughter as his successor to the throne but her cousin Stephen took over.  Henry was the first of the great Plantagenet dynasty and he had 5 sons including Richard I and John, 3 daughters and several illegitimate children. Henry first became the ruler of Normandy and Anjou when his father died and in 1152 he married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Then in 1153 he crossed to England to begin his pursuit of the English throne, finally reaching an agreement with Stephen that on his death he would succeed to the throne. In 1154 Henry became King of England and he began to restore order. Henry’s chancellor was Thomas Becket and using him he began t...

Why is June so joyful?  Because not only has the rain stopped but the sun has finally arrived in the UK..yippee LOL! Here in Sheffield we've has a pretty packed month with the kids going from strength to strength not only in their activities but at school as well, obviously we have lots of photos ;-) Peter (aka Boo) went on his school residential trip to Robin Hoods Bay from Monday to Friday, came home for 2 hours on Friday then went straight out again for his Scouts District Camp at Walesby.  Also in June Boo competed in a BTA (British Taekwondo Association) competition at Twin Tigers in Scunthorpe as part of the Dragons Academy Team. He entered into the patterns and sparring categories. Got Bronze in patterns and 1st in Sparring...I didn't watch as I don't like seeing my baby fighting LOL! More photos HERE ! He's also moved onto his last level in swimming..yay! He seems to be doing well academically as well, came home last night with a certificate for his maths. ...

Here's our second monarch all finished... Kings and Queens by Bothy Threads William II  commonly known as William the Red  because of his ruddy appearance, he was the third son of William the Conqueror. William II was  King of England   from 1087 until 1100 , with powers over   Normandy , and influence in   Scotland . He was less successful in extending control into Wales. He spent most of his reign attempting to capture Normandy from his brother Robert (II) Curthose , Duke of Normandy. His extortion of money led his barons to revolt. Malcolm II of Scotland twice invades England in 1091 and 1093 before Malcolm is defeated and killed at the Battle of Alnwick . William also had to deal with rebellions in Northumbria and along the Welsh border. He was killed in 1100 while hunting in the New Forest, Hampshire, and was succeeded by his brother Henry I .

For my birthday this year my wonderful in-laws bought me a Bothy Threads kit that I've been wanting for ages. It's all the kings and queens of England. I'm doing each one as a rest from DH's HAED and last night finished the first. Kings and Queens by Bothy Threads William I otherwise known as William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. T he descendant of  Viking  raiders, he had been  Duke of Normandy   since 1035 under the style  William II . After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on  Normandy  was secure, and he launched the  Norman conquest of England  in 1066. The Battle of Hastings was on 14th October in 1066 and was between Duke William II of Normandy  and an English army under the Anglo Saxon King Harold II  during the Norman conquest of England. In 1085/1086 William ordered the compilation of the   Domesday Book , whic...