Thoughts so far . . .

Plus, a round-up of recent articles

So, a couple of months in, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for subscribing. I’m still working my way around the place, but early experiences of Substack have been a lot of fun. I’ve learned a lot of exciting things and encountered many interesting people - for the most part, that’s meant as a compliment!

Thus far, I’ve focused mainly on medieval history. Further to being my great passion, everything covered has been fresh in my mind and relevant to my recent books. Based on the feedback, most have gone down pretty well, especially the posts on Owain Glyndŵr and the Honours of Gwynedd. A huge thank you to all who have liked, commented, restacked or shared - it’s hugely appreciated. If you haven’t, it’s never too late. 

Other than spending far too much time here, my focus this month has been writing and researching White Hart 6. White Hart 5, The Lost Crowns, has made a solid start and already approaching 50 ratings. A huge thank you if you’ve read it and rated it. Due to White Hart confidentiality rules, I’m unable to go into detail about WIPs; however, suffice it to say, it’s going well and is a lot of fun to research. My one clue is it involves the reign of Edward III. I’ll reveal more when Mike Hansen, Kit Masterson and co let me - the jackasses!

Writing aside, I spent part of January in Malta. Being a massive lover of religious history, crusader history, medieval and early modern history, the sun and zero crowds, it was the perfect place to go. Looking back, I’m not sure why it took me so long. The Co-Cathedral of St John is possibly the most majestic church I’ve ever seen. The gilded vault and frescoed ceiling have echoes of the Sistine Chapel. The floor comprises tombstones honouring more than 400 Knights of St John (see below).

The forts of St Elmo and St Angelo (above) are also must-sees for anyone interested in the Knights. Being the massive Templar and Hospitaller fanatic I am, these places were my Disneyland. I plan to write about them in due course. The ancient capital of Mdina also threw up some excellent surprises, not least St Paul’s Grotto (below), where tradition states the famous apostle spent three months in A.D. 60. Due to the restrictions on email size, I can only include a handful of photos. Among them, here’s one of me with a long-lost ancestor!

Thanks again for signing up and joining me on this journey. Apologies if any of these emails land in the junk. I’ve been slow to learn that too many large photos and Amazon links are a magnet for the email dementors, so I’ll be leaving the links out from now on.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot. Likewise, if there are any subjects you think would make interesting articles, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading. January is over. It’ll be Christmas soon!

JPD x

P.S. If you’re new to JPD’s History Substack, below is a round-up of all the articles so far. You can find links to them in the archive section https://jpdavis9.substack.com/archive

Sir John Perrot: The Rise and Fall of Henry VIII's Alleged Bastard

Tales From The Tower: Samuel Pepys's Treasure Hunt

Strange Stories From The Chronicles: Mock Suns, Red Rainbows and Bloody Rain

Strange Stories From The Chronicles: Blood-Red Eclipses and The Five Moons Over York

The Dolgellau Chalice

The Mystery of the Welsh Crown Jewels

The Mystery of Owain Glyndŵr's Final Days

Tales from the Tower: The Rise and Fall of Ranulf Flambard

Tales from the Tower: The unkindness of Ravens and the 'Wailing Monk' of Caen

The Real Game of Thrones?

A Scandalous 12th-century Christmas at Carew