I've simplified a little for dramatic effect, but the stories are apparently true. All the poems are based on the _Histoire_, written shortly after William's death, presumably based mostly on what the author was told by the surviving members of his household, in part their memories of what William had told them. It's biased in a pro-William direction and the early parts have some mistakes — none of the sources would have been adults, most not yet born, when William was a child — but seems to be reasonably accurate.
At the time of the incident with Stephen William actually had three older brothers, two from his father's first marriage, but the _Histoire_ mistakenly reports that those two were dead and I have followed it in implying only one brother.
There are various points where modern historians disagree about claims in the book, in particular whether King John actually appointed William to run things after his death or appointed a group of several lords, of whom William was one, but it's clear that he did end up as effectively the regent, a title that hadn't appeared yet, until after the civil war and French invasion had been dealt with. I have a fourth poem on that, but it isn't finished.
Reminds me of my dad's 1923 'Robin Hood' book I read and re-read halfway up a tree when small. By George Cockburn Harvey. Still re-read it now and then, though I skip the tree.
I've simplified a little for dramatic effect, but the stories are apparently true. All the poems are based on the _Histoire_, written shortly after William's death, presumably based mostly on what the author was told by the surviving members of his household, in part their memories of what William had told them. It's biased in a pro-William direction and the early parts have some mistakes — none of the sources would have been adults, most not yet born, when William was a child — but seems to be reasonably accurate.
At the time of the incident with Stephen William actually had three older brothers, two from his father's first marriage, but the _Histoire_ mistakenly reports that those two were dead and I have followed it in implying only one brother.
There are various points where modern historians disagree about claims in the book, in particular whether King John actually appointed William to run things after his death or appointed a group of several lords, of whom William was one, but it's clear that he did end up as effectively the regent, a title that hadn't appeared yet, until after the civil war and French invasion had been dealt with. I have a fourth poem on that, but it isn't finished.
Reminds me of my dad's 1923 'Robin Hood' book I read and re-read halfway up a tree when small. By George Cockburn Harvey. Still re-read it now and then, though I skip the tree.