The Herb Knot
By Jane Loftus
The Hundred Years' War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and conspiracy …
A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny…
Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester.
Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him.
But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both…
The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice.
The book is set in 1361 which is only five years after the Battle of Poitiers and one year after the French King, John, had been released from captivity in London (where he had lived pretty much the high life) and returned to France. The Black Death had been and gone, leaving Europe devastated, (there was a second, smaller outbreak in 1360-61) and the 100 years war was in its 24th year.
Winchester itself, once a major commercial city and home to St Bartholomew’s Fair, one of the most famous annual fairs in the country, was in decline, a fact Rafi mentions when he first sees the city.
When taking into consideration the catastrophic events of plague and war of this period, it seemed reasonable to have a character who suffered from an excess of superstition. Hence, Adam, who believes in ghosts, protects himself with scratched symbols on his windowframe and bed, who won’t go into graveyards at night. The VV symbol carved next to his bed was a common ward against devils, demons and other supernatural beings. And yet Rafi, despite living for so long in a monastery, and in spite of being an obedient and unassuming character, is almost dismissive of religion entirely. I didn’t explore this thread too closely, but it seems reasonable to suppose that someone who had witnessed death from such a young age, then lived through the plague, would wonder if God had completely deserted mankind, or question their religion at the very least. The works of Wycliffe were not yet widespread, but would become so within ten years of the end of the book.
In terms of the 100 years war, the fact that Roger keeps his longbow in tip top condition is also unsurprising, despite the fact that the Treaty of Bretigny, which was signed one year before the book begins, brought some respite from the fighting. The Archery Law , which declared that all able bodied men should practice with the bow every Sunday, did not come into law until 1363, but it followed along similar lines to the 1252 Assize of Arms which required that able bodied men should know how to use a bow.
English was already spoken by many nobles during this period, although Edward III could certainly speak French. However, a merchant as wealthy as Hugh Le Cran, particularly since he traded with merchants on the continent, would have had a distinct advantage if he spoke French as well as English. There was even a medieval French equivalent of “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” called Manieres de Langage (Manners of Speaking). So despite being almost permanently at war with the French throughout the century, it was a given that a large number of the merchant and noble population would be able to converse, even on a basic level, in French.
Never mind plague and war, which are the topics which hover menacingly in the background to this novel, at least the English were more likely to be competent in more than one language – not something they are usually credited with today.
Bring back the Manieres de Langage, I say!
Jane Loftus gained a degree in 16th Century European and British history from Surrey before taking a postgraduate degree in modern political history. As a lone parent, she worked in Winchester Waterstones before returning to IT once her son was older.
Hugely passionate about the Middle Ages, she drew inspiration for this novel from the medieval layout of Winchester which has been painstakingly documented.
Jane is originally from London but has lived in Winchester for over twenty years. When not writing, she is usually out walking or watching costume dramas on Netflix - the more medieval the better. She also plays far too many rpgs.
Thanks so much for hosting Jane Loftus, with such a fascinating post linked to her new novel, The Herb Knot.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
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