Annie Garthwaite
What can I say? I love 15th century history. No apologies, no excuses. The 100 Years War. The Wars of the Roses. All of that.
It’s not that I’m a big fan of blood and battles. Personally I can do without that sort of thing. No. It’s the women who interest me. How they negotiated their way in the world. How they managed – some of them at least, probably more than you’d think – to wield power and influence at a time when men seemed to hold most of the cards. And how others, simply, didn't.
It started in school if I’m honest, with a history teacher that kept asking me questions that, frankly, weren’t ever on the syllabus. Important questions like, ‘So why do you think she did that?’ or ‘What might have been in her mind when…?’ Or the big one: ‘But, do you think that’s true?’ My final exam mark wasn’t that impressive. I was a bit woolly on dates and politics, but very strong on character motivation.
A thirty-year international business career made me even more interested in women’s relationship with power. You can imagine. Let’s just say, I frequently found myself the only woman at the big table.
For me, the stand out character of the 15th century has always been Cecily Neville. She experienced power in both directions; wielding it and having it wielded against her. She survived eighty years of tumultuous history, mothered kings, created a dynasty and brought her family through civil war. She met victory and defeat in equal measure and, in face of all, lived on. Last woman standing, you might say.
My first novel 'Cecily' – coming your way in July 2021 – brings her story to the page.
It’s not that I’m a big fan of blood and battles. Personally I can do without that sort of thing. No. It’s the women who interest me. How they negotiated their way in the world. How they managed – some of them at least, probably more than you’d think – to wield power and influence at a time when men seemed to hold most of the cards. And how others, simply, didn't.
It started in school if I’m honest, with a history teacher that kept asking me questions that, frankly, weren’t ever on the syllabus. Important questions like, ‘So why do you think she did that?’ or ‘What might have been in her mind when…?’ Or the big one: ‘But, do you think that’s true?’ My final exam mark wasn’t that impressive. I was a bit woolly on dates and politics, but very strong on character motivation.
A thirty-year international business career made me even more interested in women’s relationship with power. You can imagine. Let’s just say, I frequently found myself the only woman at the big table.
For me, the stand out character of the 15th century has always been Cecily Neville. She experienced power in both directions; wielding it and having it wielded against her. She survived eighty years of tumultuous history, mothered kings, created a dynasty and brought her family through civil war. She met victory and defeat in equal measure and, in face of all, lived on. Last woman standing, you might say.
My first novel 'Cecily' – coming your way in July 2021 – brings her story to the page.
