Andrew A. Latham's Blog
November 23, 2014
The Holy Lance - historical note
The story of Peter Bartholemew and the Holy Lance at the siege of Antioch is a true one, at least inasmuch as there was a monk by that name who brandished something he claimed was the Holy Lance and thereby rallied the defenders to sally forth and defeat the besieging Muslim army. Despite its rallying effect, however, there were many, including the papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy, who doubted the authenticity of relic and considered Peter a charlatan. Indeed, so pervasive were contemporary suspicions regarding Peter’s claims that he ultimately volunteered to subject himself to trial by fire in order to prove himself. Alas, the ordeal did not go well for Peter. He was badly burned during the trial and died a few weeks later of his injuries. Despite this, the belief that relics in general, and the Holy Lance in particular, had miraculous powers remained widespread throughout Christendom. It is far from fanciful, then, that King Richard – always looking for an advantage over both his Muslim enemies and Christian rivals – would seek to acquire the relic. In today’s language, the Lance – like the relic of the True Cross Richard also wanted so earnestly to recover – would have been considered a very powerful “force multiplier”.
There was an Order of Saint Lazarus. It was founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1098 to provide aid and succor to those who had contracted the disease of leprosy, especially Templars and Hospitallers. Dependent houses – called “Lazar houses” or lazarettes – were subsequently established throughout Latin Christendom. Alas, there was no Lazar house at Valsainte – that is an entirely fictional priory. But there was, and is, a Holy Valley (Wadi Qadisha in Arabic). Located in what is today northern Lebanon, not far from the Forest of the Cedars of God, this steep-sided gorge has been the site of monastic communities continuously since the early years of Christianity. It is thus a fitting site for the fictional Valsainte.
Although there was no Priory of Valsainte there was a monastery at Belmont. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1157, it was known variously as Balamand, Bellus-Mons and Bellimonte ultra Mare. The Cistercians abandoned the monastery in the late-thirteenth century and it subsequently came under the authority of the Greek Orthodox Church. Situated about eighty kilometres north of Beirut, the monastery is now part of one of the campuses of the University of Balamand.
If I have taken any liberties with the historical record, it is with respect to Saladin. At least since the time of Sir Walter Scott and his great work of historical fiction The Talisman, the Kurdish leader of the campaign to extinguish the crusader kingdoms has been viewed in the West as a wise, gracious and chivalrous warrior. During his own time, however, Saladin was often depicted in a more negative light. To be sure, there were those among his contemporaries who thought him a great commander and a wise ruler. Many other accounts, however, picture him as a devious, self-serving and/or incompetent leader who was extremely fortunate in his choice of family and enemies. The truth, I suppose, can never be fully known. I do believe, though, that my portrayal of Saladin, while at odds with the picture painted by his modern hagiographers, is an at least plausible interpretation of the historical record.
That a band of Assassins should rescue Fitz Alan from Christian attackers is not terribly far-fetched. The Christian-Muslim religious and civilizational divide, while always in the background, was not always the dominating feature of the geopolitics of the region. Inter-Christian and inter-Muslim conflicts, coupled with alliances of convenience that spanned that divide, were endemic to the “international system” of what we today call the Middle East. Overlay that with sectarian divisions within both civilizational camps (Latin, Greek, Armenian, Nestorian and other sects in the Christian camp; Sunni, Shia, Nizari and other sects within the Muslim), dynastic disputes, and all the other political byproducts of feudalism and coalition politics and some idea of the complexity of the geopolitics of the region quickly becomes apparent. Only when Christian and Muslim leaders were able to mobilize “coalitions of the willing” behind a crusade or jihad respectively did the religious divide emerge as the most conspicuous and consequential. At other times, Christians fought Christians (sometimes with Muslim allies) and Muslims fought Muslims (sometimes Christian allies). Given that the Nizari – whom the Sunni majority considered dangerous heretics – feared that Saladin would come after them once he had eliminated the crusader kingdoms it is entirely plausible that at least some of them would have thrown their lot in with the Christians.
A few minor terminological notes: throughout the novel, I have used the term “Father” as the honorific used when addressing a Catholic priest. This is anachronistic, of course: priests have only been referred to as Father since the restoration of the Church hierarchy in England in the mid-nineteenth century. In the late medieval era, priests were called “Dom” (from the Latin Dominus or Lord) or Sir or, in some cases, Doctor. But as all writers of historical fiction are aware, sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice a little authenticity in order to gain a lot of readability. This, I think, is one of those cases. Similarly, I have referred to Bishop Walter as King Richard’s “chancellor”. Again, a somewhat anachronistic term, but a useful descriptor of the Bishop’s political office and one that makes sense to contemporary audiences.
Deus vult!!
There was an Order of Saint Lazarus. It was founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1098 to provide aid and succor to those who had contracted the disease of leprosy, especially Templars and Hospitallers. Dependent houses – called “Lazar houses” or lazarettes – were subsequently established throughout Latin Christendom. Alas, there was no Lazar house at Valsainte – that is an entirely fictional priory. But there was, and is, a Holy Valley (Wadi Qadisha in Arabic). Located in what is today northern Lebanon, not far from the Forest of the Cedars of God, this steep-sided gorge has been the site of monastic communities continuously since the early years of Christianity. It is thus a fitting site for the fictional Valsainte.
Although there was no Priory of Valsainte there was a monastery at Belmont. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1157, it was known variously as Balamand, Bellus-Mons and Bellimonte ultra Mare. The Cistercians abandoned the monastery in the late-thirteenth century and it subsequently came under the authority of the Greek Orthodox Church. Situated about eighty kilometres north of Beirut, the monastery is now part of one of the campuses of the University of Balamand.
If I have taken any liberties with the historical record, it is with respect to Saladin. At least since the time of Sir Walter Scott and his great work of historical fiction The Talisman, the Kurdish leader of the campaign to extinguish the crusader kingdoms has been viewed in the West as a wise, gracious and chivalrous warrior. During his own time, however, Saladin was often depicted in a more negative light. To be sure, there were those among his contemporaries who thought him a great commander and a wise ruler. Many other accounts, however, picture him as a devious, self-serving and/or incompetent leader who was extremely fortunate in his choice of family and enemies. The truth, I suppose, can never be fully known. I do believe, though, that my portrayal of Saladin, while at odds with the picture painted by his modern hagiographers, is an at least plausible interpretation of the historical record.
That a band of Assassins should rescue Fitz Alan from Christian attackers is not terribly far-fetched. The Christian-Muslim religious and civilizational divide, while always in the background, was not always the dominating feature of the geopolitics of the region. Inter-Christian and inter-Muslim conflicts, coupled with alliances of convenience that spanned that divide, were endemic to the “international system” of what we today call the Middle East. Overlay that with sectarian divisions within both civilizational camps (Latin, Greek, Armenian, Nestorian and other sects in the Christian camp; Sunni, Shia, Nizari and other sects within the Muslim), dynastic disputes, and all the other political byproducts of feudalism and coalition politics and some idea of the complexity of the geopolitics of the region quickly becomes apparent. Only when Christian and Muslim leaders were able to mobilize “coalitions of the willing” behind a crusade or jihad respectively did the religious divide emerge as the most conspicuous and consequential. At other times, Christians fought Christians (sometimes with Muslim allies) and Muslims fought Muslims (sometimes Christian allies). Given that the Nizari – whom the Sunni majority considered dangerous heretics – feared that Saladin would come after them once he had eliminated the crusader kingdoms it is entirely plausible that at least some of them would have thrown their lot in with the Christians.
A few minor terminological notes: throughout the novel, I have used the term “Father” as the honorific used when addressing a Catholic priest. This is anachronistic, of course: priests have only been referred to as Father since the restoration of the Church hierarchy in England in the mid-nineteenth century. In the late medieval era, priests were called “Dom” (from the Latin Dominus or Lord) or Sir or, in some cases, Doctor. But as all writers of historical fiction are aware, sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice a little authenticity in order to gain a lot of readability. This, I think, is one of those cases. Similarly, I have referred to Bishop Walter as King Richard’s “chancellor”. Again, a somewhat anachronistic term, but a useful descriptor of the Bishop’s political office and one that makes sense to contemporary audiences.
Deus vult!!
June 11, 2014
My Interview at Review Group
Check out my author interview over at The Review Group. It's all about my new novel, The Holy Lance.
http://thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/...
http://thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/...
June 9, 2014
Meet My Main Character
OK – so this blog did not actually start shortly after the dawn of time, but it’s certainly been around for a good while now. The idea is to have authors answer a fixed set of questions about a prominent character in one or more of their books. Last week, Derek Birks blogged about his fifteenth century character Ned Elder. You can read about Derek’s wonderful characters and stories here:
http://dodgingarrows.wordpress.com/20...
This week I’m introducing the main character in my debut novel Andrew LathamThe Holy Lance.
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historical figure/person?
My main character is Michael Fitz Alan, an English Templar knight. He’s a fictional character, but everything about him as a late-twelfth century Templar is historically accurate. To be certain this was the case, I went so far as to submit the manuscript to the guy who literally wrote the book on the Templars, Professor Malcolm Barber. He suggested some relatively minor tweaks, but otherwise gave my portrayal of Fitz Alan, and Templar life more generally, an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
2) When and where is the story set?
The story is set in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade (1191). It begins with a ferocious battle in which Fitz Alan and his band of Templars barely manage to fend off Saladin’s last-ditch effort to relieve the besieged garrison of Acre and defeat the crusader host.
3) What should we know about him/her?
Fundamentally, Fitz Alan is an archetypal warrior hero: courageous, clever, resourceful, idealistic, tough and, of course, a peerless fighter. Like all such heroes, however, he is also “wounded”. Externally, this takes the form of a recurring pain in his shoulder (a rotator cuff injury, which I have to assume was common among people who spent so much time swinging a heavy sword). Internally, it takes the form of a longing for spiritual redemption that can only be fulfilled by living the Templar ideal as fully as possible. It is the effort to realize this ideal – to subordinate his exceptional martial abilities to the values of the monk – that both animates Fitz Alan and makes him interesting.
None of this is to imply that Fitz Alan’s a saint – like all great military adventure heroes, he most assuredly isn’t. He falls short of (or overshoots) this ideal time and again. It is, however, to place him in his proper historical context. Fitz Alan isn’t simply a twenty-first century (presumably secular-humanist hero) parachuted into a story set in the twelfth century. Rather, he’s my very best educated guess about what a twelfth century hero would actually look like. As such, like almost all people in medieval Christendom, Fitz Alan understands the world in terms of Christian religious categories and concepts. For the people of Medieval Latin Christendom, these beliefs were neither a symptom of mental illness nor a cynical ideological smokescreen concealing their true motives (as they are far too often portrayed). Instead, rather like the laws of physics are for us, Christian religious categories and concepts provided the fundamental imaginative matrix through which medieval people made sense of – and thus acted in – the world around them. As I see it, not taking the medieval religious worldview seriously would simply be to get Fitz Alan – and his world – entirely wrong.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Fitz Alan has been sent on a mission by King Richard to recover the Holy Lance, an important religious relic widely believed to have been responsible for the “miraculous” success of the First Crusade. The ensuing quest leads Fitz Alan and a hand-picked band of Templars on a journey deep into enemy territory, where they battle Saracens, Assassins, hostile Christians and even a traitor within their own ranks as they seek to return the relic to Christian hands and thereby ensure the liberation of Jerusalem.
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
At one level, Fitz Alan’s goal is to recover the Holy Lance. At a somewhat deeper level, however, his goal is to become the very embodiment of Templar ideal: a disciplined, skilled and brutal warrior motivated not by the desire for earthly reward (power, wealth, glory, pleasure) but by the higher ideals that would later crystallize into the ideal of chivalry. He’s a proper bastard so it’s difficult for him to realize this goal. But he’s trying.
6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
The series is entitled The English Templars. The first novel is entitled The Holy Lance. I’m currently writing the sequel, provisionally entitled The Assassin’s Revenge. There’s a third installment under development, but it’s as yet untitled.
You can find out more on my website at www.aalatham.com
7) When can we expect the book to be published?
The Holy Lance will be published by Knox Robinson in 2015. I’m hoping the Assassin’s Revenge will come out in 2016. As for the third installment, I don’t think 2017 is too unreasonable.
http://dodgingarrows.wordpress.com/20...
This week I’m introducing the main character in my debut novel Andrew LathamThe Holy Lance.
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historical figure/person?
My main character is Michael Fitz Alan, an English Templar knight. He’s a fictional character, but everything about him as a late-twelfth century Templar is historically accurate. To be certain this was the case, I went so far as to submit the manuscript to the guy who literally wrote the book on the Templars, Professor Malcolm Barber. He suggested some relatively minor tweaks, but otherwise gave my portrayal of Fitz Alan, and Templar life more generally, an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
2) When and where is the story set?
The story is set in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade (1191). It begins with a ferocious battle in which Fitz Alan and his band of Templars barely manage to fend off Saladin’s last-ditch effort to relieve the besieged garrison of Acre and defeat the crusader host.
3) What should we know about him/her?
Fundamentally, Fitz Alan is an archetypal warrior hero: courageous, clever, resourceful, idealistic, tough and, of course, a peerless fighter. Like all such heroes, however, he is also “wounded”. Externally, this takes the form of a recurring pain in his shoulder (a rotator cuff injury, which I have to assume was common among people who spent so much time swinging a heavy sword). Internally, it takes the form of a longing for spiritual redemption that can only be fulfilled by living the Templar ideal as fully as possible. It is the effort to realize this ideal – to subordinate his exceptional martial abilities to the values of the monk – that both animates Fitz Alan and makes him interesting.
None of this is to imply that Fitz Alan’s a saint – like all great military adventure heroes, he most assuredly isn’t. He falls short of (or overshoots) this ideal time and again. It is, however, to place him in his proper historical context. Fitz Alan isn’t simply a twenty-first century (presumably secular-humanist hero) parachuted into a story set in the twelfth century. Rather, he’s my very best educated guess about what a twelfth century hero would actually look like. As such, like almost all people in medieval Christendom, Fitz Alan understands the world in terms of Christian religious categories and concepts. For the people of Medieval Latin Christendom, these beliefs were neither a symptom of mental illness nor a cynical ideological smokescreen concealing their true motives (as they are far too often portrayed). Instead, rather like the laws of physics are for us, Christian religious categories and concepts provided the fundamental imaginative matrix through which medieval people made sense of – and thus acted in – the world around them. As I see it, not taking the medieval religious worldview seriously would simply be to get Fitz Alan – and his world – entirely wrong.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Fitz Alan has been sent on a mission by King Richard to recover the Holy Lance, an important religious relic widely believed to have been responsible for the “miraculous” success of the First Crusade. The ensuing quest leads Fitz Alan and a hand-picked band of Templars on a journey deep into enemy territory, where they battle Saracens, Assassins, hostile Christians and even a traitor within their own ranks as they seek to return the relic to Christian hands and thereby ensure the liberation of Jerusalem.
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
At one level, Fitz Alan’s goal is to recover the Holy Lance. At a somewhat deeper level, however, his goal is to become the very embodiment of Templar ideal: a disciplined, skilled and brutal warrior motivated not by the desire for earthly reward (power, wealth, glory, pleasure) but by the higher ideals that would later crystallize into the ideal of chivalry. He’s a proper bastard so it’s difficult for him to realize this goal. But he’s trying.
6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
The series is entitled The English Templars. The first novel is entitled The Holy Lance. I’m currently writing the sequel, provisionally entitled The Assassin’s Revenge. There’s a third installment under development, but it’s as yet untitled.
You can find out more on my website at www.aalatham.com
7) When can we expect the book to be published?
The Holy Lance will be published by Knox Robinson in 2015. I’m hoping the Assassin’s Revenge will come out in 2016. As for the third installment, I don’t think 2017 is too unreasonable.
February 18, 2014
Praise for my New Novel
Here's a taste of the advance reviews of my debut novel, The Holy Lance:
“A fascinating and thrilling story played out under the boiling heat of Palestine at a time when two cultures clashed violently over the ultimate prize of Jerusalem. Andrew Latham has created a believable and sympathetic lead character in the Templar Fitz Alan as well as providing us with a thrilling insight into the mysteries of the Templar order. A most enjoyable tale, like that of an experienced jongleur, set against the personal conflict between Richard of England and Saladin. It vividly resurrects the life and death struggle between Saracen and Crusader.”
-- Dr. Paul Doherty, OBE, historian and critically acclaimed author of dozens of works of historical fiction, including The Templar, The Templar Magician and most recently The Last of Days.
“A timely and compelling novel. The Crusades inform and often infect our understanding of the contemporary Middle East, and while this book is fiction it reveals much of the truth about that misunderstood era. Outstanding reading.”
-- Michael Coren, award-winning television host, radio personality, syndicated columnist, and best-selling author of fourteen books, including most recently The Future of Catholicism.
“Grizzled warriors, an epic conflict, a fabled quest: Latham’s engrossing tale of violence and faith careens savagely through the Third Crusade and its legendary clash of wills - ‘Coeur de Lion’ versus ‘Saladin’, ‘Frank’ versus ‘Saracen’. The splendid English Templar, Michael Fitz Alan – flawed, fearless, lethal - here joins the front rank of historical fiction’s greatest warriors.”
-- Dr. Dean F. Oliver, award-winning author, director of research at the Canadian Museum of History, and Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
“If you’re looking for an historical adventure soaked in blood… Quest for the Holy Lance delivers…. Latham shows a welcome attention to complexities of the Crusader world and to the details of Templar life. A satisfying amount of blood is shed as Michael Fitz Alan and his Templar troops battle their way towards their goal. And the book offers a rousing conclusion, with the promise of more to come. Bring it on!”
-- Jack Hight, author of The Saladin Trilogy.
Quest for the Holy Lance by Andrew Latham
“A fascinating and thrilling story played out under the boiling heat of Palestine at a time when two cultures clashed violently over the ultimate prize of Jerusalem. Andrew Latham has created a believable and sympathetic lead character in the Templar Fitz Alan as well as providing us with a thrilling insight into the mysteries of the Templar order. A most enjoyable tale, like that of an experienced jongleur, set against the personal conflict between Richard of England and Saladin. It vividly resurrects the life and death struggle between Saracen and Crusader.”
-- Dr. Paul Doherty, OBE, historian and critically acclaimed author of dozens of works of historical fiction, including The Templar, The Templar Magician and most recently The Last of Days.
“A timely and compelling novel. The Crusades inform and often infect our understanding of the contemporary Middle East, and while this book is fiction it reveals much of the truth about that misunderstood era. Outstanding reading.”
-- Michael Coren, award-winning television host, radio personality, syndicated columnist, and best-selling author of fourteen books, including most recently The Future of Catholicism.
“Grizzled warriors, an epic conflict, a fabled quest: Latham’s engrossing tale of violence and faith careens savagely through the Third Crusade and its legendary clash of wills - ‘Coeur de Lion’ versus ‘Saladin’, ‘Frank’ versus ‘Saracen’. The splendid English Templar, Michael Fitz Alan – flawed, fearless, lethal - here joins the front rank of historical fiction’s greatest warriors.”
-- Dr. Dean F. Oliver, award-winning author, director of research at the Canadian Museum of History, and Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
“If you’re looking for an historical adventure soaked in blood… Quest for the Holy Lance delivers…. Latham shows a welcome attention to complexities of the Crusader world and to the details of Templar life. A satisfying amount of blood is shed as Michael Fitz Alan and his Templar troops battle their way towards their goal. And the book offers a rousing conclusion, with the promise of more to come. Bring it on!”
-- Jack Hight, author of The Saladin Trilogy.
Quest for the Holy Lance by Andrew Latham
