What constitutes home for you? After the upheaval of the last few years with many people being displaced, it made us wonder how we define home. Of course, those who are regular readers of my new letter will know that we have recently moved.
I have finally settled in enough into our new apartment to call this home, even though we have yet to hang out pictures or to hang our chosen curtains. The complex has a rule that the lining of the curtains must be white. This means that I have to hang a completely clashing set of curtains until we have sewn new lining into the curtains. Non compliance leads to a $53 fine. It seems trivial, but the estate has a harmonious design and so I will submit because there is a sewing service onsite that I am happy to support.
But it led me to ask the questions about whether medieval kings and queens ever reallocated. That is for reasons other than them being banished. It turns out that several medieval governments had itinerant courts. It was most popular in European kingdoms during the Early Middle Ages.
These governments had no formal capital city as we have today. It was quite popular with German rulers and Holy Roman Emperors also followed this practice. They travelled with their families and their courts from location to location. However, they often had several residences, but it seems like a better idea than packing up everything and moving on. Scholars discovered that Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556made 40 journeys during his lifetime. He travelled from country to country without a fixed capital city. That amounted to about a quarter of his reign, which is a lot of upheaval. I am pretty sure that no one bothered him about his curtains.
The Merovingian kings of the Frankish Empire, who ruled from about the 5th century to around 751, also followed this practice. Early historical sources show that Scotland also had itinerant courts. Although a capital became popular in the 13th century, Spain did not adopt the practice of a fixed royal residence until the 1500s.
Someone who moved a few times in my medieval fantasy series is Lady Christine. She moved from her homeland to the Northern Kingdom at first. Her father took roughly half of the army with him. Christine lost her two elder brothers and was the last remaining heir to the kingdom. However, tragedy struck in the Northern Kingdom, ending the betrothal, and she was formed to flee. She dropped the title Princess and adopted the title Lady instead for reasons you will discover in Book 2, The Fire Within the Storm.
The dragon Whisperers also tend to move, however, they have a secret lair known only to a trusted few. But then travel for a dragon whisperer was swifter than any forms of travel available to any of us.
It seems to these rules and my dragon whisperer, home really is just where you lay your head.
What I am currently writing
Nathan stepped into the dark forest. He tapped his foot, feeling the stickiness below his boot. There was a cloying oppressiveness about the forest and Nathan’s tunic clung to him.
“What is this place?” he asked, as he wiped his brow.
“It is the weeping forest. People around here think that the spirits of sorrow live here and that the forest’s tears can drown a man,” explained Marcus.
“Why are we even here?” Nathan’s sleeve muffled his words as he pressed against his nose to ward off the stench of the rotting leaves on the forest floor.
“It is the quickest route to the banker we seek. And very few travellers would ever venture through these parts, so we should be able to avoid the patrols.”
“I hope there is a bathhouse on the other side.” He grimaced as he yanked his boot from a festering mud pool. Soon even his mare was drenched. Nathan tugged at the reins, urging her on.
“Hurry now,” called Marcus as he stepped over another stream. “I want to get there before sunset. The horses need to rest.” Nathan slapped at a swarm of black insects that had escaped the mud pool and scurried up his leggings. He shuddered as the last of them fell, darting in all directions and sinking back into the pockets of mud that littered the forest floor.
“I think I would rather face King Radolf’s men than come back this way.”
Marcus chuckled. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to. If all goes well with this banker, we will have a different route to take.”
Other Medieval Articles
Medieval Orthopedics
Hippocrates is the first person credited with having the belief that diseases occurred naturally,
Empathy, Hills and Vinegar
One old use for vinegar Hippocrates and his contemporaries favoured included oxymel, which was a remedy for persistent coughs. They made this ancient medicine of honey and vinegar.
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
If you know of someone who is suffering with mental health issues, reach out to them and also to organisations who can help. Too often, people live in silent shame and don’t get the help they need.
Dragon Mugs
If you love dragons, then these Dragon coffee mugs are for you. Muquin is a Silver Wing Dragon from the Chronicles of Nadine epic Fantasy Series.
Books
Have a look at Kim’s books in the series.
Kim Vermaak is a South African born author, speaker, trainer and bookstore owner who has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and in that time; she has helped hundreds of authors, brand managers and entrepreneurs build their brands. Kim’s super power is using the power of what many see as crushing events and using them to transform not only herself but the hearts and minds of others.
She was a winner of a Regional business award, a recipient of the Panache Woman of Wonder Award and has been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan and Destiny Magazine and served as the vice chair for the Johannesburg Business Women’s Association.
Kim’s passion for bringing wisdom back into the art of storytelling touched the hearts of her medieval fantasy series but she also has a love for teaching authors to create strong foundations for building book-preneur businesses that help them turn their dreams of being an author into a reality. You can connect with Kim via her website, www.writelearnandearn.co.za or www.kimvermaak.com or via LinkedIn.
