The Play's the Thing: The Life of King Alfred in Three Acts

It had been a long time since I wrote a play. In fact, I can't remember writing one since my early teenage years when my siblings and I put on a production of Saint George and the Dragon to accompany our medieval feast and amuse the grandparents. 

The occasion of this most recent play was Reformation Day, the Protestant celebration that occurs on October 31 in place of (or concurrently with) Halloween. Our church tends to pick a different Reformer each year to commemorate on that day--John Knox, John Calvin, or the main man himself, Martin Luther--but this year things went rather far afield. Departing from the usual sixteenth century subjects, the organizers of the event elected to celebrate the life of Alfred the Great, the king of Wessex who fought the Vikings and started a great Christian reformation in England. Not THE Reformation, but a reformation nonetheless.

And being much more interested in the ninth century than I am in the sixteenth, I offered to write a play for the event. I finished it up in August and gave it to Lauren Shearer, a quite brilliant young woman, who adapted it and directed it with a motley crew of amateur actors, many of them under the age of twelve. 

Photo by George Shubin

Scene following the Battle of Edington:

Alfred: There is one more thing—you must give up your old gods and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Will you do this, Guthrum.

Guthrum: (pausing, then making up his mind) Yes, lord, we will. I give my solemn oath and pledge.

Nobleman 1: (shocked) But Your Majesty, how can you trust him? When have the Vikings ever kept their oaths before? Would it not be better to kill them all while we have the chance?

Alfred: And if we do kill them, then we are no better men than they. No, friend, we have been given God’s grace and we must show that grace to others—even to our enemies. And if we can teach them His Word, then, and only then will these Vikings learn to keep their own word. (going forward and raising Guthrum to his feet) Come, Guthrum, let us go to the church. The bishop will baptize you this very day and I will stand your godfather for the ceremony. 

All in all, it was a great success. The battle scenes were so harrowing that my almost-two-year-old had to be taken out screaming. My favorite part was the ending song performed by the whole cast, lyrics written by King Alfred himself and music written by my sister Angela.

When the enemy comes in a’roarin’ like a flood,
Coveting the kingdom and hungering for blood,
The Lord will raise a standard up and lead His people on,
The Lord of Hosts will go before defeating every foe;
Defeating every foe.  

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend us,
For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend. 

Too Busy to Write about the "Massacre" at Limoges...

I was supposed to have a post up on the English Historical Fiction Authors blog on the 9th, but...well, things happened (see picture below), and I didn't make my deadline.

Hugh Franklin Spears, born October 2, 2013

Debbie Brown, the fearless leader of the EHFA blog and editor of Castles, Customs, and Kings, graciously traded posting dates with me, which gave me two more weeks to write up my piece on the massacre at Limoges, an event that, at face value, makes it difficult +to portray the Black Prince as a romantic hero. How did I reconcile that atrocity with my portrayal of the prince in I Serve? Find out on today's post over at EHFA....

Think *You're* Busy? Check Out the Duties of a Dead Medieval Saint....

Today I get to blog over at English Historical Fiction Authors about Thomas Becket and the not-so-peaceful afterlife for medieval saints who were expected to be constant intercessors between the faithful and Christ. Head on over and have a read if you're so inclined....

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And in other news, the final cover for Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors made its way into my inbox yesterday. Isn't it gorgeous? And I love the quote by Elizabeth Chadwick in the top corner. Release date is September 23!

Castles, Customs, and Kings: Goodreads Giveaway

Where have I been for the last three weeks? (Or is it the last eight months?) Reading history essays for an anthology that Madison Street Publishing is putting out next month.

One more week till the final proofreading deadline for Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors. Then it will go back to the book designer for finishing touches and be released on September 23. This is the longest book we've published so far at Madison Street Publishing, well over 500 pages. It's also been a challenging project, coordinating text edits from 50+ authors.

But despite the challenges--or perhaps because of them--this book is shaping up to be one of the most exciting items in our catalog. The cover is beautiful, the essays are a history-lover's dream, and if you don't treat yourself to an early Christmas present on September 23...well, let's just say you will be missing out. :-)

We're running a giveaway of two copies of the book on Goodreads for the month leading up to the release. Feel free to enter and spread the word!

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Castles, Customs, and Kings
     
     

          by Debra  Brown
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends September 23, 2013.
         
         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         
     
   
   

      Enter to win

How a Legend Became History: Brutus of Troy and the Birth of Britain

Today I get to talk about some history that almost assuredly didn't happen over at English Historical Fiction Authors. Did one of the survivors of the Trojan War go on to found Britain? That's what medieval historians claimed....

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If you’re an ancient Greek, you have wrathful Achilles, the “swift-footed son of Peleus” who defeats Priam’s mighty son Hector and paves the way for the eventual destruction of Troy. Or if guile is more your style, you have Odysseus, the resourceful hero who wanders the world for ten years on his homeward voyage, braving Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, before slaying the scores of suitors ensconced in his own halls.

If you’re an imperial Roman, you have Aeneas, striding proudly out of the flames of Troy, escaping the wiles of Dido of Carthage and carving out a new home in Italy.

But if you’re British and living in the ninth century A.D., you have…nothing. And frankly, it’s kind of embarrassing. Or, at least, it was to the historian Nennius.... (read more)