Nest ferch Rhys

Untangling Nest ferch Rhys

In the 12th century, the Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, was married to the Norman steward of Pembroke Castle, Gerald FitzWalter. One dark night, soon after Christmas, the Welsh prince of the neighbouring kingdom of Powys, Owain ap Cadwgan, broke into the castle where Nest, Gerald, their children and household were sleeping. Owain was accompanied…

Interview with Elizabeth Chadwick

Elizabeth Chadwick’s new historical novel, The King’s Jewel, launches today. The publication of any new book by Elizabeth Chadwick is eagerly awaited by her many avid readers. I was especially keen to interview her about this novel since it centres on medieval Wales and Nesta ferch Rhys and Gerald of Windsor. This interview is the first…

Guest post on medieval Wales

Thank you to Tony Riches for hosting my guest post on the Turbulent Life of Nest Ferch Rhys, her relationship with King Henry I, and how she lived through the Norman conquest of Wales. Nest is the heroine of my Conquest trilogy. The first book, Daughter of the Last King, has just been reissued and…

An invasion and a curse

I am delighted to announce the new edition of Daughter of the Last King, the first novel in my Conquest trilogy on the turbulent life of the 12th century Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, and the reign of King Henry I. The book will be published on 1 March 2023, Saint David’s Day. The ebook…

King and Lover

On this day, 887 years ago, King Henry I died after eating too many lampreys. Henry was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He took the throne of England and Wales in 1100 after his older brother King William II (Rufus) was killed in a hunting accident in the New Forest. Henry was a…

Talking on Nest ferch Rhys at Carew Castle this weekend

I am talking about the turbulent life of the Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys at Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, including a tour of the castle, on Sunday 18 September 2022 at 11am and again at 2pm. Nest is the heroine of my Conquest trilogy and Carew was one of her castle homes. It may have…

Voicing the Voiceless – medieval female protagonists

Almodis de La Marche, countess of Toulouse and Barcelona, was, according to the monk chronicler William of Malmesbury, ‘afflicted with a godless female itch’. Ah ha, I thought, she sounds like she should be the heroine of my first novel. After that first novel on Almodis, I wrote four more novels set in early medieval…

The Anarchy on Tour – Week 4

Today is the fourth week of the Blog Tour for my latest medieval novel, The Anarchy. Mary Ann Bernal’s Blogspot includes fun facts on me relating to being May Queen, swimming team captain, and indulging in dangerous dancing. And you can read excerpts from the book with Loup Dargent – a concealed message in a…

Nun on the run

It’s week 3 of the blog tour for my latest medieval novel, The Anarchy. You can read an interview with me here. and read an extract here – a scene in which the heroine, Nest, asks King Henry for help protecting a nun who is on the run from Fontevraud Abbey. The schedule for more…

Video interview with me by Ellie Daniels on researching my latest historical novel, The Anarchy, is here. We discuss the story of Nest ferch Rhys, the heroine of my story, and how I set about researching early medieval Welsh history. I drew on the scant primary sources on Nest – Brut y Tywysogion (Chronicle of…