The Bookshelf
Musings on History and Writing Fiction
Recently, I was reading an enjoyable Regency romance when I came across this description:
“He was strikingly handsome in his red coat. She could see the officer was a captain by the bars on his shoulders.”
Well, that popped me right out of the scene. Captains in the Napoleonic British Army, the various militias or any other continental army of the time did not have their rank designated by two metal bars on their shoulder tabs.
Read MoreThe Creation of the Gentleman
Way back when the Normans conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066, William the Conqueror installed a brand-new hierarchy of titles for the ruling class. These men and their families were given nearly all available land across England. Those who lived on those lands were ‘subjects’ of the ruling class and of the King.
Read MoreIt’s one thing to send your character back into the 17th and 18th centuries, figuring out the ins and outs of time travel. But what about the people living in those times? Did they even think about the idea?
Read More
