Welcome to April's edition of The Castle Times



In this months issue:

1. Castle of the month - A Short History - Windsor Castle Pt 2 by MaryAnne Heinz

2. Recipe Corner - Oystres en Grauey

3. Life in Medieval times - Wedding Traditions and Marriage Laws Pt7

4. Travel Tips - How can I protect my safety while travelling abroad?

5. Readers Story - Catherine of Aragon, Ludlow Castle, and Andrei Claude by Pam Seres

The origins of Windsor were in the 7th century Saxon settlement of Windlesora, where the present day village of Old Windsor is located.

During the World War II, Windsor Castle was home to the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose while their parents supported the war effort in London and around the country.

During the twentieth century, kings and queens of the United Kingdom have fulfilled the varied duties of constitutional monarchy. One of their most important roles has been acting as national figureheads lifting public morale during the devastating wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45.

The House of Windsor came into being in 1917, when the name was adopted as the British Royal Family's official name by a proclamation of King George V, replacing the historic name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. It remains the family name of the current Royal Family.

Today Windsor Castle is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II stays there on many weekends of the year, as well as during the prestigious Royal Meeting at the nearby Ascot Racecourse. On November 20, 1992, Windsor Castle suffered severe damage in a fire, which destroyed some of the most historic parts of the building. The fire began in the Private Chapel when a curtain caught fire after coming into contact with a spotlight. The fire took 15 hours to put out. Approximate one-fifth of the Castle area was damaged or destroyed.

Over the next few years the castle was fully repaired at a cost of £37 million or $59.2 million is US money.

Windsor Castle is often used by The Queen to host State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. Foreign Heads of State enter the Castle in horse-drawn carriages through the George IV Gateway into the quadrangle in the Upper Ward, where a military guard of honour is drawn up.

St. George's Chapel remains an active centre for worship. The Chapel is not subject to a bishop or archbishop but which owes its allegiance directly to the Sovereign.

The Dean and Canons of Windsor administer the Chapel.

Many Royal weddings have been celebrated in St. George's Chapel. Funerals such as those of Princess Margaret and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, have taken place there. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lies buried in the Chapel with her husband, King George VI, and Princess Margaret, her younger daughter.

Windsor Castle is a busy visitor attraction. Many parts of the Castle are open to the public, including the precincts, the State Apartments, Queen Mary's famous dolls' house, St George's Chapel, and the Albert Memorial Chapel.

When The Queen is in official residence, Changing of the Guard provides a colourful spectacle in the quadrangle.

The current order of succession Prince Charles Prince William Prince Harry Prince Andrew Princess Beatrice Princess Eugenie Prince Edward Lady Louise Windsor Princess Anne Peter Phillips Zara Phillips

Some of the important events which have occurred at Windsor Castle:

• the marriage of Henry I of England and his second wife, Adeliza (1121)

• the birth of King Edward III of England (1312)

• the marriage of Edward, the Black Prince and Joan of Kent (1361)

• the burial of King Edward IV of England (1483)

• the marriage of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark (1863)

• the burial of King George VI of the United Kingdom (1952)

• the marriage of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones (1999)

• the burial of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (2002)

• the death and burial of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (2002)

• the twenty-first birthday of Prince William of Wales (2003)

• the blessing of the marriage of Prince Charles of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles (2005)

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Windosr Castle as much as I have.

I would like to thank Maryanne for her article and we look forward to her next contribution.

• 2 Cups oysters, fresh or canned

• 3 Cups almond milk, made with dry wine [separate recipe]

• 1 Cup fish stock

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 2 T sugar • 1/4 tsp powdered ginger

• 1/8 tsp each cloves and mace

Almond Milk

• 1/2 Cup raw almonds

• 1/4 Cup water for grinding

• 1 Cup wine

• 2 Table spoons sugar, or to taste

• Pinch of salt

1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil enough water to cover the almonds. Pour in un-blanched almonds. Return to a boil for three minutes. Drain them and rinse in cold water. Allow to cool, and squeeze off the skins.

2. In a blender or a food processor, grind the almonds to a very fine paste, adding a quarter cup of water a tablespoon at a time. 3. In a saucepan, over low heat, completely dissolve sugar and salt in the remaining one cup of wine.

4. In a bowl, combine almond paste and warm sugar water, stirring thoroughly with a fork or whisk, smoothing out all the lumps. Cover, and let stand about an hour. Stir well before using.

**** Makes one and one half cups ****

Method

1. In a saucepan, over high heat, bring water to a boil, and parboil the oysters for about five minutes, or until they are nearly done. Drain. 2. In a large pot, over medium heat, combine almond milk, minced onions, fish stock, spices and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for about twenty minutes, or until onions are done.

3. Stir in parboiled oysters. Simmer, stirring frequently, for another ten minutes. If the almond milk starts to get too thick, add more stock or wine. Serve in individual bowls.

Serves four to six.

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Wedding Traditions and Marriage Laws Pt 7

""Courtly love" defined then as any prose written in one of the Romance languages started to make an appearance during the 12th century in the south of France. It later evolved to include tales of chivalry and heroic knights. They were originally sung or told by troubadours who went from village to village, captivating the local populace with their stories. As time went by, court scribes, musicians and clerics began to make a written record of these deeds and tales.

The romanticism associated with these tales elevated the woman to almost a goddess in stature. These were the first sings of a cultural change of attitudes towards those women of noble birth. Alas, this did not extend down towards the common woman who was still seen as property of the nobility.

Knights and Chivalry

During the Middle Ages, European rulers and the nobility sought to expand their empires. This expansions indirectly lead to the crusades. The Crusades were fought for a variety of reasons, but were, for the most part, fought about religion. The Church sought to use both the knight's energy and martial skills. Rules were formulated under which a "just war" could be fought and enlisted the knights to fight for them in the Crusades. Chivalry's virtues were piety, honour, valour, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty. The first orders of chivalry were very similar to the religious orders of the era. Three of the most well known orders were the Templars, Hospitallars and Teutonics.

Medieval chivalry dictated that men should honour, serve, and do nothing to displease ladies and maidens. Knights were members of the noble class and a knighthood could have been obtained on the battlefield for their heroic deeds. But in reality, most knights spent long years as a squire, practicing the art of war while serving his master.

Chivalric conduct was never free from corruption, and its outward trappings declined in the 15th century.

• Know the local laws and abide by them.

• Register your whereabouts with your countries Embassy if you are staying longer than two weeks or are in a particularly dangerous area.

• Take care when choosing your hotel and transportation providers.

• If you haven’t left your valuables at home, leave them in your hotels safe.

• Don’t draw attention to yourself, avoid wearing flashy jewellery and don’t display large amounts of cash. Carry only enough cash to make it through the day and leave the rest in the hotel’s safe.

• Avoid travelling alone.

• Be careful about sharing your travelling plans with strangers.

• Stick to the main roads and avoid taking shortcuts down narrow alleys and/or poorly lit streets.

• Always be aware of what is going on around you.

• Only use taxis, tours and other transportation services with official markings. Only select transportation from official pickup points at transportation hubs.

• Be very careful if you are asked to sell or part with your personal items. Many countries have restrictions on items foreigners can sell or give away and you can get into serious trouble for violating those laws.

• Never accept gifts or packages from unknown parties.

• Don’t accept items from locals to carry out of the country and deliver or mail to someone they know.

• Approach any "special deals" with caution, especially if you have to go off the beaten path to get them.

• Know the laws about exchanging money. Only use official exchange facilities since this is another area that can get you into trouble fast.

• Take precautions to protect your money and avoid pickpockets.

Catherine was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, the rulers of Spain. She came to England in 1501 to marry Prince Arthur. Her marriage to Arthur lasted less than six months and was supposedly never consummated.

Catherine and Arthur lived in Ludlow Castle, isolated on the Welsh borders, during the winter of 1501/1502.

Castle Ludlow is perched on a cliff above the picturesque River Teme. The site of Ludlow was in a corner of the important manor of Stanton, held since 1066 by the de Lacy family.

The Castle Fortress that the de Lacy's built occupies a finely judged defensive position. Ludlow Castle stands prominently on high ground, able to resist attack from would be invaders from over the Welsh border.

Ludlow Castle is now the property of the Earl of Powis and the Trustees of the Powis Castle Estate.

After Prince Arthur’s death Catherine remained in England for seven uncertain years until her marriage to Henry VIII in 1509. But their marriage produced just one living child, a daughter, Mary. Henry wanted a male heir and fell in love with Anne Boleyn. He asked Catherine for an annulment which Catherine fought against. Henry would not be denied and when the Catholic Church would not grant the annulment, he declared himself head of a new English church.

Catharine was banished from court and died on 7 January 1536, broken-hearted but still defiant.

Many romance cover models grace the wildly popular historical castle covers, I think it’s an interesting new way to add spice to the castle’s allure.

For this article I have interviewed Andrei Claude, Mr. Romance 2005.

Q : Why do you think that castles are an interest to many? And what if anything intrigues you about them?

A : I believe the reason many are interested in castles is because they are very mysterious in a way. No one really knows what goes on in there, and when something is mysterious people tend to use a lot of imagination and crave for knowledge. That sense of isolation really fascinates me.

Q : What do you know about King Henry VIII & His Six Wives?

A : Not much actually... Just that he was King of England between 1509 and 1547. The names of his wives were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

Q : Would you ever contemplate Six Wives?

A : Absolutely not ! I think that's crazy... Marriage should be significant, and six times to me sounds like five times to many.

Q : What, so far if anything, have you learned about being the Dark Castle Lord, by being on a romance cover and working with the industry?

A : I've only just started out in this industry, and I can't really say I've learnt that much yet. It's awesome to be on the cover of a romance novel though... that I know.

Look for my next article which will feature Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, Hampton Court, and cover model, Sylvester Bowden.

Take Care,

Pamela

www.pamelaseres.com

I hope you have enjoyed reading issue 14.

If you have any suggestions or comments about any part of the newsletter then please feel free to contact me.

As always, if you have a story,photos or questions you wish to ask or share with our readers then please email me and I will be happy to include them in our next edition.

All submissions should reach me by no later than the 20th of April