aka The John Dee Chronicles
J.A. Downes 
The Greatest Love Affair That Nearly Toppled a Kingdom Picture this: the most powerful woman in 16th-century Europe tells a foreign ambassador she would marry her beloved ‘if she had been a private person.’ Yet the man she adored was forever marked by scandal, his wife’s mysterious death casting a shadow over what might have … Read more
From Speculation: Undercurrents of Treachery: “The afternoon sun fought a losing battle against the heavy clouds gathering over the Suffolk coast, leaching the colour and vibrancy from everything in their shadow. Inside the gloomy chamber at the rear of the Half Moon Inn, Dee and Goodwife Harewell worked with desperate concentration, their hands moving between … Read more
We visit the talented herbalist in her workshop behind the Sorbonne, where she’s grinding willow bark with practiced efficiency Renaissance Weekly: Madeleine, you’ve become quite the talk of Paris – the youngest licensed apothecary in the city, we’re told. How does it feel to break into such a male-dominated profession? She pauses in her grinding, … Read more
Introduction On a summer’s day in 1487, the clatter of arms and the war cries of German mercenaries echoed across the fields of Nottinghamshire as Henry VII faced what would prove to be his greatest military test. The Battle of Stoke Field on June 16, 1487, was far more than a domestic rebellion – it … Read more
Introduction On a misty September morning in 1547, the thunder of cannons and the crash of naval bombardment forever changed the nature of warfare on British soil. The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, fought on 10th September 1547, represents a pivotal moment when medieval warfare gave way to early modern military tactics, marking the first major … Read more
From Predestination: The Bloodstone of Boiorix: “Jack threw down the hand of cards he held and exclaimed, “How could you know that I held the Pope of Diamonds?” Gerolamo sighed, and started to explain his theory again, “I didn’t know Jack, it was just extremely likely given the total number of cards and the cards … Read more
Introduction Picture this: it’s 1544, and England’s most infamous monarch, Henry VIII, is personally leading over 40,000 troops across the Channel into France. At 53 years old, overweight, and struggling with painful leg ulcers, the aging king still insisted on commanding what would become one of the largest English armies ever assembled during the Tudor … Read more
From Proclamation: Poetry will be the death of me: “Thirty riders cantered along the bank beside the ditch, their horses’ breath hanging heavy in the chill air before it gradually dissipated into the never-ending mist. Their short capes fluttered behind them, but all else was still. As still as death. Even the trees hung limply, … Read more
Introduction In the annals of British history, few events carry the dramatic weight and lasting consequences of the Battle of Flodden, fought on 9th September 1513. This wasn’t merely another medieval skirmish, but a catastrophic turning point that would see Scotland’s King James IV become the last reigning monarch to die in battle on British … Read more
Introduction On a fateful August morning in 1485, the course of English history turned on a single moment of betrayal that would echo through the centuries. At the Battle of Bosworth Field, as King Richard III charged desperately towards his rival Henry Tudor, Lord Stanley made a decision that would topple a dynasty that had … Read more