Marching to war
BBC History UK|October 2022
DAN JONES talks to Rhiannon Davies about his debut historical novel Essex Dogs, which follows a group of hard-bitten mercenaries fighting for their lives in the 1346 Crécy campaign
DAN JONES
Marching to war

Rhiannon Davies: This is your first foray into historical fiction. What made you decide to write a novel?

Dan Jones: The story of Essex Dogs was catalysed, I suppose, in the summer of 2019, when I had dinner with George RR Martin, author of the Game of Thrones series and an avid reader of history. Talking to him, and realising that it was possible to take serious historical ideas and communicate them via fiction, gave me the kickstart I needed.

Did you deviate from the historical record when writing Essex Dogs?

Yes, because there's no point in writing fiction if you're not going to take full advantage of creative licence. But of course, even in this genre the readers want to feel like history is informing the narrative. So I wanted Essex Dogs, which is about the Crécy campaign in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War, to be based on the original sources.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BBC HISTORY UKAlle anzeigen
A modern icon
BBC History UK

A modern icon

IVWWAN MORGAN lauds an insightful and clear-eyed examination of a leader blessed with charisma and quality but also marred by personal flaws

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January 2025
Shipwrecks on Scilly
BBC History UK

Shipwrecks on Scilly

Beneath the clear waters of the Isles of Scilly lurk treacherous rocks on which more than 1,000 ships have foundered. CLARE HARGREAVES discovers their stories

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January 2025
Medieval sambocade
BBC History UK

Medieval sambocade

ELEANOR BARNETT recreates an early cheesecake - a dish with surprisingly long roots stretching back well over two millennia

time-read
3 Minuten  |
January 2025
Greek drama
BBC History UK

Greek drama

LLOYD LLEWELLYN-JONES is swept along by an engaging exploration of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt in the final centuries before Rome conquered this ancient land

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January 2025
Unravelling the enigma
BBC History UK

Unravelling the enigma

JOSEPH ELLIS is impressed by a detailed, colourful and insightful biography of George Villiers, a Stuart royal favourite who made powerful enemies

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January 2025
The Elusive Pimpernel
BBC History UK

The Elusive Pimpernel

Some suffragettes marched with banners, or printed and distributed propaganda pamphlets. Others took more direct action. DIANE ATKINSON tells the story of one activist who employed arson to spark awareness of the burning issue of women’s suffrage

time-read
6 Minuten  |
January 2025
A HILL TO DIE ON
BBC History UK

A HILL TO DIE ON

In early 1944, the Allied advance in Italy was brought to a halt at a rocky outcrop called Monte Cassino. And at the heart of the bloodbath that followed, writes James Holland, was flawed leadership

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
January 2025
How to build a radical
BBC History UK

How to build a radical

How to build a radical 6 8 The experiences that shaped Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot co-conspirators into violent extremists seem all too familiar today. Lucy Worsley tells a story of religious clashes, state-sanctioned torture and comrades-in-arms willing to die for the cause

time-read
8 Minuten  |
January 2025
WHO WAS GREATEST THE US PRESIDENT?
BBC History UK

WHO WAS GREATEST THE US PRESIDENT?

With Donald Trump set to be inaugurated as the 47th president, we asked seven historians to nominate their choice for the most accomplished American leader

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
January 2025
Land of make believe?
BBC History UK

Land of make believe?

Marco Polo's adventures in Asia earned him everlasting fame. But are his accounts of his travels essentially works of fiction? Peter Jackson asks if we can trust this medieval travel-writing superstar

time-read
9 Minuten  |
January 2025