Ten Cool Facts: Hagia Sophia
Posted on January 11, 2015 1 Comment
The first of a series of blogs spotlighting some of the marvels I’ve come across as I’ve travelled the world researching my books. There’ll be a contest with each blog so watch out for a chance to win book prizes!
The Hagia Sophia
The glorious Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) is regarded by many as the eighth wonder of the world. No-one visiting this icon of antiquity will fail to be overwhelmed with its atmosphere of ageless beauty and astonishing dimensions.
1.
- Hagia Sophia dominated the Constantinople skyline for near a thousand and a half years and could be seen from many miles out to sea, a breath-taking vision in marble. It remains a major landmark to this day.
2. Originally dedicated to the Wisdom of God (the Logos, the second person of the Holy Trinity), Hagia Sophia translates from the Greek as ‘sacred wisdom’. In Latin it was known as the Church of Sancta Sapientia.
3. The current basilica is the third holy structure to stand on the site. The first and second ones burned to the ground.
4. Hagia Sophia was completed in 537 AD; at that time Constantinople was the world’s largest city.
Interior of Hagia Sophia
5.
- Its creators were two of the most respected minds of their day: Anthemius of Tralles, an engineer and a mathematician and Isidorus of Miletus, an architect.
6. The dome, curving 110 feet from east to west, soars 180 feet above the marble floor. The sixth century historian Procopius marvelled that ‘it does not appear to rest upon a solid foundation, but to cover the place beneath as though it were suspended from heaven by the fabled golden chain.’
7. Commissioned by the great Emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sophia was built in just six years. One hundred master builders supervised 10,000 workers in its construction.
8. Justinian wished to build an edifice to rival the legendary Solomon’s Temple. When he finally entered the finished building he uttered the words, ‘Solomon, I’ve surpassed you!’
9. For hundreds of years Hagia Sophia was the largest shrine in the world; today its dome is the fourth largest in the world after St Paul’s in London, St Peter’s in Rome and Florence’s Duomo.
10. In the twenty-first century Hagia Sophia entwines the beliefs of medieval Christianity, the Ottoman Empire, Islam and modern secular Turkey.
Hagia Sophia is now the Ayasofya Museum, open every day except Mondays.
My historical epic The Silk Tree is set in the time of Justinian. For a chance to win a signed copy, email julian@julianstockwin.com with the name of Justinian’s wife.
First two correct entries drawn on Feb 1 win!
Copyright notices
Hagia Sophia external image: By Arild Vågen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons; Hagia Sophia internal image: By Ronan Reinart (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Every effort is made to honour copyright but if we have inadvertently published an image with missing or incorrect attribution, on being informed of this, we undertake to delete the image or add a correct credit notice
BookPick: The British Navy in the Baltic
Posted on December 28, 2014 2 Comments
The Baltic is not usually popularly associated with activities by the Royal Navy – yet it was arguably the most vital sea highway to Britain in the last few centuries. This book covers the activities of the British navy in the Baltic Sea from the earliest times until the twentieth century. It traces developments from Anglo-Saxon times, through the medieval period, when there were frequent disputes between English kings and the powerful Hanseatic League, through the seventeenth-century wars with the Dutch, and Britain’s involvement in the Northern Wars in the early years of the eighteenth century.
Of particular interest to me was the major period of British involvement in the Baltic during the Napoleonic Wars, when the British navy fought the Danes, Napoleon’s allies, and was highly effective in ensuring Sweden’s neutrality and Russia’s change of allegiance. I have long held Sir James Saumarez in high regard (I believe he was unfairly overshadowed by others during the period) and both his 1808 expedition and later involvement up to 1815 are appropriately covered.
As well as discussing specific British naval actions in the Baltic the author looks at the impact of patterns of trade, wider international politics, and geographical factors such as winter sea ice and the shallow nature of the Baltic Sea, revealing a continuing fascinating and complex strategic interplay between political and commercial imperatives.
John D. Grainger is the author of numerous books, including Dictionary of British Naval Battles and The First Pacific War: Britain and Russia, 1854-56.
The Boydell Press is to be congratulated on another fine publication, as is the Swedish Society for Maritime History and the Sune Ortendahl Foundation for their support in bringing this book to fruition.
John D. Grainger The British Navy in the Baltic
Published by Boydell Press. ISBN 978 1 84383 947 7
2014: the year in review
Posted on December 23, 2014 12 Comments
Another year draws to its close – and what a year it’s been for Kathy and me!
As well as Pasha, the latest in the Kydd series, I brought out a historical standalone, The Silk Tree, which was launched at a splendid party in London in October.
Signing events took me far and wide across the Southwest and to London and I was particularly chuffed to take part in the Books Are My Bag Day a few months back.
Location research trips necessitated travel to Denmark and the Iberian peninsula, the former in the depth of winter, the latter at the height of summer! In Denmark it was an added bonus to be able to catch up with some of my colleagues from my days in the Navy.
Among them was Orlogskaptajn Tonny Larsen, who sadly passed away this month. He shall be sorely missed by family and friends, and trained in square sail and on the other side in the Iceland Cod War, was the man who taught me why Danes and their nation are deservedly great.
One of the pleasures for me of being a writer is meeting readers of my books at various events and through online activities. I’ve also enjoyed learning more about Kydd fans around the world via my website Readers of the Month, a feature we hope to continue in the future. Glancing through this year’s lineup makes me realise how privileged I am to have such a wonderful spectrum of readers:
Lin-Marie Milner Brown
Kate Ross
Graham Cooke
Tom Rogers
Joe Ongie
John Askew
Sybil Galbraith
Rod Redden
Marcus Brandenborg Bjorn
Martha Berry
It was fun taking part in the Christmas Party Blog Hop with 25 fellow authors. Their varied contributions make fine festive reading and a number are offering prizes so do take a read of their offerings.
On January 1, I send off the manuscript of my next book to my publisher. The title is under wraps at the moment but I think I can promise you a few surprises… As usual, I will be offering a Collectors Set, strictly limited to 500 sets – and further details will be on the website early in the New Year.
It just remains to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
BookPick: A Christmas Double Helping
Posted on December 9, 2014 1 Comment
Kathy always tells me men are hard to busy presents for – so here are two suggestions for Christmas gifts for males with an interest in the maritime world: Early Ships and Seafaring and The Royal Navy and the War at Sea 1914-1919. The former covers the earliest days of water transport up to the fifteenth century; the latter, the First World War.
The study of water transport is a relatively new branch of archaeology and Sean McGrail, formerly chief archaeologist at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, is well qualified to expound on what is now known of early European boat-building and use in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Europe. Having visited the Viking museum at Roskilde earlier this year, I was particularly interested in the sections in this book on the Nordic boats with their advanced keel and clencher build, which is not so very far from the actual techniques I used in my graduation test job on a whaler in the course of becoming a naval shipwright. This interesting 2014 volume is bang up to date with recent exciting discoveries of post-glacial European craft, by implication pushing back early voyaging thousands of years, and which must necessarily now inform current studies of cultural diffusion across the continent. The book opens with a substantial section on concepts and techniques that describe the advantages and drawbacks of differing builds which provides accessibility to those with little or no knowledge of the subject. There is a useful glossary and suggestions for further reading. Highly recommended for those with a curiosity and passion for maritime origins.
Skip quite a few centuries on for the next book, which highlights just how much naval activity there was across the globe during the First World War. This book reproduces the despatches of the admirals and captains who led the Royal Navy’s operations during the War as they grappled with the unforeseen consequences of the dizzying revolution in technologies. They present a unique and atmospheric record of how commanding officers saw things at a time when there were no rules or traditions in deploying their new and awesome weapons. It’s worth highlighting that the fighting did not end for the Navy in 1918. Britain supported the White Russians in the Russian Civil War and the Navy was heavily involved in the Baltic and the White Sea until almost the end of 1919. The book contains a fascinating collection of black and white action photographs from the time that for this reviewer are seen for the first time.
Sean McGrail Early Ships and Seafaring
Published by Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 1 78159 392 9
John Grehan & Martin Mace The Royal Navy and the War at Sea 1914-1919
Published by Pen & Sword. ISBN 978 78159 317 2
Bonjour, Brittany!
Posted on December 6, 2014 5 Comments
Kathy and I have just returned from a location research trip to France. Whenever possible I like to travel by sea and we sailed from Plymouth to St Malo in the good ship Bretagne, the Brittany Ferries flagship. Sadly, the sea was pretty calm throughout the crossing and I didn’t get a repeat of the Force 9 Gale on our last trip but Kathy has her views…
Gratifyingly I came upon one of my French translated editions in a bookstore there in St Malo and had a great chat in broken French with the owner which led to an invitation to address an international maritime convention later in the year.
The Cape Horners museum
As usual, much of our work was done in local museums, academic institutions and actual location reconnaissance.
Of particular interest was The Cape Horner’s International Museum in St Malo, dedicated to the intrepid Cape Horners of the 17th and 19th centuries. The tower in which the museum is housed was built in the 14th century. The ground floor of the museum tells the story of their long-haul sea voyages, starting with the Dutch discovery of Cape Horn in 1616. The second floor is dedicated to the actual ships, their sailing conditions, the kinds of cargo they carried. The museum also houses some fascinating model ships, engravings, navigational instruments, logbooks, and the trinkets created by sailors to wile away the time during long weeks at sea.
Lovingly crafted by some sailor long ago
One such trinket was an opaque glass rolling pin decorated with salty images including the Star of Tasmania. She was an Aberdeen clipper, of 632 tons, belonging to the White Star Company. The vessel was shipwrecked in1868, in New Zealand. Most of those on board survived but one wonders whether the sailor who crafted this artefact was among them – or did he perish in the sea?
Kathy on the ramparts, St Malo
After taking in the exhibits, climbing up on to the roof of the tower is well worth the effort as you are rewarded by a magnificent panorama of the town, one of the most picturesque in the region.
One aspect that I spent some time investigating was the iron-bound coast of Brittany and the incredible dangers to shipping that this posed in Kydd’s today. The Admiralty Pilot tells of subsea granite reefs without number, tides of more than thirty feet that produce fast and treacherous cross-currents at different states of the tide: from our apartment window in the ramparts at high water there are three offshore islands visible. At low water springs there are eighteen!
On board Bretagne, look what I found in the bookstore!
The Malouin matelot must have been a right oragious seaman. And of course he was: the explorer of Canada, Jacques Cartier, the ocean corsair Surcouf and the privateer turned royalist Admiral of the Fleet Duguay-Trouin are all St Malo natives.
All too soon it was time to return to the UK and collect our two much-loved Siamese from the cattery then download the many, many digital photographs I took and write up my research notes.
Copyright notices
Every effort is made to honour copyright but if we have inadvertently published an image with missing or incorrect attribution, on being informed of this, we undertake to delete the image or add a correct credit notice
BookPick: The Animal Victoria Cross
Posted on November 23, 2014 6 Comments
Nearly seventy animals to date have won the Dickin Medal, the highest award for animal bravery. Many of their inspiring stories are told in a delightful book, The Animal Victoria Cross.
The Animal Victoria Cross, as it came to be called, was the brain-child of animal lover Maria Dickin. Its official name is the Dickin Medal and it is awarded to animals who display outstanding loyalty, bravery and courage.
Dogs, horses, pigeons and one cat, Simon, have been honoured.
The story of Simon has special resonance to me as I am both a cat adorer and ex-Navy. Simon was the ship’s cat aboard HMS Amethyst which was bombarded by shore batteries as she sailed up the Yangtze river in 1949. Simon, although wounded, heroically protected the ship’s meagre supplies by catching rats and boosted the morale of the crew during the months the ship and crew remained trapped by the communists. Finally, they made a successful daring escape bid but sadly when they returned to England Simon died in quarantine. He was only four years old and is buried in the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) cemetery in Ilford. A Union Jack was draped over his little coffin as the gallant little animal was laid to rest.
The majority of Dickin Medal awards have been related to war service and the conflicts include the Second World War, Korea, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. The Al-Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers as well as the Blitz saw great courage exhibited by animals such as Rip, the dog who saved many lives. In addition to British animals, there are American, Canadian, Australian and Egyptian winners of this unique award.
This book will be treasured by animal lovers everywhere. It’s ideal to dip into, perhaps with a familiar furry friend at your feet…
The Animal Victoria Crossby Peter Hawthorne, Published by Pen & Sword. ISBN 178159042 7
BookPick: From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow
Posted on November 16, 2014 2 Comments
The final volume in the series
Despite recent major contributions from more modern historians Marder’s books are justly regarded by many as the definitive history of naval events leading up to and including the Great War and are to my mind still some of the most readable detailed accounts.
Five volumes constitute his monumental “From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow” :
- Vol. 1 The Road to War 1904-1914
Vol. 2 To the Eve of Jutland
Vol. 3 Jutland and After: May to December 1916
Vol. 4 1917: Year of Crisis
Vol. 5 Victory and Aftermath: 1918-1919
All five books have been reprinted in paperback and the publisher is to be commended for bringing Marder to a new generation of historians and general readers.
From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow by Arthur J Marder, Published by Seaforth. ISBN 978 1 84832 203 5
‘I see Kydd’s eyes open and honest, blue as a Sorrento sea… ’
Posted on November 5, 2014 2 Comments
Im delighted to feature Lin-Marie Milner-Brown as the November Reader of the Month. Lin-Marie is a book illustrator who lives in Nottinghamshire. Lin-Marie’s a great fan of sea tales and films like Master and Commander and The Onedin Line – and says the 18/19th century maritime environment now seems so familiar to her that it regularly features in lucid dreams. She says she has such an affinity with the sea that she thinks this must be in the family DNA.
Over to Lin-Marie…
Can you tell me a bit about your background and professional life as a book illustrator?
Lin-Marie
I believe you sailed in some of the great liners – what memories have you from these glorious ships?
Most of our travels (as a family) have been to and from Australia in the years 1956-64, twice with P & O, once on the Achille Lauro and also Sitmar SS Fairsky. The elegance and exciting ambience of the first three cannot be overstated…memories are vivid still, after 50 years. My brother and I had free run of the ship, even on to the bridge. We didn’t want the journeys to end, and each port promised new and exciting sights, sounds and smells. It’s so sad that the colossal cruise ships of today are like gross ‘eateries-cum-holiday resorts’, most of them clones of each other.
What drew you to the Kydd books and do you have a favourite title? Favourite character?
Lin-Marie and her husband at the famous Cape St Vincent, Portugal, site of one of Nelson’s most famous battles
My favourite character? Apart from Kydd and Renzi, of course – is Tysoe. He’s like a Caribbean Jeeves: loyal, quietly capable, wise, and seems to know intuitively what Kydd’s needs are. I like to think he does have some past /future lives of his own…perhaps there’s a theme for a book there?
For my 50th Birthday, I travelled to Cape Town and explored South Africa…I found Conquest very interesting – it bought the place to life for me.
If you had to draw Kydd what do you feel would be the essence of the portrait in terms of his personal qualities?
Kydd’s face would reveal both his serious and humorous traits. His eyes open and honest, blue as a Sorrento Sea.
Would you have liked to have lived in Kydd’s Day?
Difficult one that! The advances in medicine and hygiene have made our modern lives so much longer and more comfortable. Some of the descriptions of how wounds were treated after a battle are truly gruesome! If I could go back in time, I would have to be a man, because their lives were so much more adventurous and physical. Only wealthy women learned how to read (this ability has been such a sanity preserver for me!) and even if rich, ladies’ options were limited. I would definitely have been an officer in the Royal Navy!
Would you like to be a candidate for Reader of the Month? Just get in touch with a few sentences about your background and why you enjoy the Kydd series!
She Speaks: The Silk Tree – Launched in Style!
Posted on November 1, 2014 6 Comments
Just returned to Devon after a whirlwind two days in London for the launch of The Silk Tree. The launch party was held at Goldsboro books and with wine flowing and spirited conversations all around the room, the guests spilled out into Cecil Court. Fortunately it was one of those lovely balmy evenings, unusual for this time of year in London. As I find I have a bit of RSI after signing so many books I’ve invited Kathy to share her thoughts on the night.
Over to Kathy…
Goldsboro Books hosted the launch
Tom & Ishbel Stronach
Julian went on to speak about having in some ways come full circle that night. When he first started writing he’d immediately gone out and bought a number of writing manuals published by Allison & Busby – I guess they must have worked! We thought we still had a few on his reference shelves but then we remembered they’d been donated to a library writers’ group a few years back.
And here’s that scarf!
The Silk Tree will be available in both hardback and ebook
UK : Waterstones / Foyles / Amazon and other independent bookstores around the country
Australia
South Africa
Book Depository
The Silk Tree Facebook page
The Silk Tree Pinterest Board
Two double acts!
Posted on October 27, 2014 6 Comments
As long as there have been stories there have been pairings of characters – Holmes and Watson, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, Wooster and Jeeves – the list goes on and on. In both my two new books – Pasha, the latest in the Kydd series and The Silk Tree, a standalone historical set in the time of Emperor Justinian, I have double acts.
A painting of a real Thomas Kydd, master’s mate in 1801, actually not far off how I see Kydd at that stage of his life
Pasha is somewhat of a milestone in the Kydd series. Brought together as common seamen before the mast, Kydd and Renzi both eventually achieve the quarterdeck – and more. Over the course of the 15 books to date they have experienced much together and you haven’t heard the end of this double act!
The two main characters in The Silk Tree are Quintus Carus Marius, a Roman legionary and Nicander of Leptis Magna,, a Greek incense trader. After escaping the sack of Rome in 549 AD they are thrown together and, down on their luck, need to make money fast. They plot and plan a number of outrageous money-making schemes, until they chance upon their greatest idea yet: stealing the secret of silk from China. This leads to an epic quest from imperial Constantinople to legendary Sinae to the steppes and deserts of Central Asia and back.
But where do a writer’s characters come from? Obviously reading, period research and life experiences all play a part. Kathy believes that Thomas Kydd and Nicholas Renzi strongly reflect both sides of my personality – the physical me (or me when I was a little younger and a wee bit more spry…) and the logical me. That’s flattering but I don’t think a writer can just transpose aspects of his own personality on to a character. They must also reflect the values and mores of the age in which they live. And they must be characters with which the reader can have some sort of emotional bond; if you don’t care about characters – either positively or negatively – a book won’t be satisfying.
One of my readers asked if there are similarities between Kydd and Marius. Marius is a legionary, fierce and brave, and loyal to the values of Old Rome. Physically, he is more thick-set than Kydd, but they are both warriors and would fight to the death for the right cause. One of the advantages of writing a series is that you can have real character development and I have seen Kydd as a young wig-maker from Guildford transform into a captain in the Royal Navy. Marius does not change a great deal in The Silk Tree but elements of his character do develop and come to the fore in terms of leadership and true friendship. Marius also has a fairly basic attitude to the female of the species whereas Kydd is really a romantic at heart!
It might be interesting to ask the same question regarding Nicander and Renzi. What do you think?
I’d also love to hear from you what picture you have in your mind’s eye of the central characters after you’ve read these books. Is there one you feel particular empathy with? One you don’t?
Kydd and Renzi will go on for many books to come but at the moment there are no plans for a sequel for Nicander and Marius – however if there’s one thing I’ve learned over a lifetime of many adventures it’s that nothing’s set in stone!
Pasha is published in the UK/Commonwealth by Hodder & Stoughton and in the US by McBooks Press.
The Silk Tree is published in the UK/Commonwealth ex Canada by Allison & Busby
Kydd Series Facebook page
Kydd Series Pinterest Board
The Silk Tree Facebook page
The Silk Tree Pinterest Board
Julian Stockwin 