On January 2, 1492,the great brass bell at the watchtower atop Granada’s Alhambra Palace pealed. Up until that day, the city’sMuslim inhabitants had associated the sound with warnings or danger or death. Now it signaled a momentous change for them and the inhabitants of the royal residence, the last members… Read More »Medieval Moorish Queens of Spain: Aisha and Moraima – Mothers and Patriots by Lisa Yarde
Despite living in male-dominated Moorish society during Spain’s medieval period, women often had occasions to shape the course of political events. In the summer of 1359, a coup occurred at Granada’s Alhambra, unseating the young Sultan Muhammad V and forcing him with his mother, loyal courtiers and a cadre of… Read More »Medieval Moorish Queens of Spain: Butayna and Maryam – Wives and Rivals by Lisa Yarde
In the winter of 1349, the highest court official of the Nasrid Dynasty, based within Granada’s Alhambra Palace delivered the eulogy for a dynasty member who had recently died. Not one of the notable rulers, the Sultans, or even a prince. Rather, a woman, a queen, a Sultana. She would… Read More »Medieval Moorish Queens of Spain: Fatima – Daughter, sister, mother, and powerbroker by Lisa Yarde
How my hero ruined his family and the dynasty, and lost his kingdom in Muslim Spain January 2, 1492, marked the official surrender of Muslim Spain’s last bastion, the city of Granada in southern Andalusia. Those who are familiar with the history of those turbulent final years or the readers… Read More »The unluckiest of heroes by Lisa Yarde
There are many reasons why I love writing about historical figures in historical fiction. Chief among them is the chance to create scenes based on guesswork, an explanation of why people who shaped the past might have taken a particular action. Usually, the justification I offer is a lie. History… Read More »The necessity of lies in historical fiction by Lisa Yarde