tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post3444047201787729969..comments2024-02-28T04:16:37.844-05:00Comments on History Undressed: Guest Author Richard Warren Field: Was Richard the Lionheart Gay?Eliza Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-91541198006181749422012-06-25T14:37:03.539-04:002012-06-25T14:37:03.539-04:00I disagree. I think Richard WAS gay. Many commen...I disagree. I think Richard WAS gay. Many commenters dwell on how it was not unusual for men to share a bed. I think that's probably true. However, here's how this whole discussion got started:<br />"Richard, [then] duke of Aquitaine, the son of the king of England, remained with Philip, the King of France, who so honored him for so long that they ate every day at the same table and from the same dish, and at night their beds did not separate them. And the king of France loved him as his own soul; and they loved each other so much that the king of England [Richard's father] was absolutely astonished at the passionate love between them and marveled at it." -- Roger of Hoveden (royal clerk who went on the crusade with Richard)<br />Why would the King be "absolutely astonished" and have "marveled at it"? Roger was not writing about something commonplace or typical. He was writing about "passionate love". So I think the argument about normal bed-sharing fails.<br />Jay Spears<br />jay@gayheroes.comJay Spearshttp://www.gayheroes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-40201600875347315452011-07-17T17:47:50.901-04:002011-07-17T17:47:50.901-04:00I have enjoyed all the comments. There is no doubt...I have enjoyed all the comments. There is no doubt that our view of history changes with changoing perspectives. But when we try to apply current views of the world to the past, we end up reading something "between the lines" that is not there. I think that's what started the "Richard the Lionheart is gay" idea, and everyone who commented helps make the argument even stronger that he was not. For me, this helped me make a decision on how to depict a character. As I said, I think I got it right, and the Britannica and revisionists got it wrong. Thanks to everyone who stopped in!Richard Warren Fieldhttp://www.RichardWarrenField.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-44535584361675623762011-07-16T05:09:35.624-04:002011-07-16T05:09:35.624-04:00One of my uncles (he'd be in his 90's now)...One of my uncles (he'd be in his 90's now) mentioned sharing a bed when he lived and worked in Alaska. They did it for warm. Nothing sexual about it. <br /><br />Times sure have changed.<br /><br />Janice~Janice Seagraveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02576031935823587485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-85743853601235215232011-07-14T16:03:15.383-04:002011-07-14T16:03:15.383-04:00My pleasure. Thanks again for having me!My pleasure. Thanks again for having me!Richard Warren Fieldhttp://www.RichardWarrenField.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-65175130040775778512011-07-14T14:53:29.423-04:002011-07-14T14:53:29.423-04:00Thank you so much for visiting with us Richard! Fa...Thank you so much for visiting with us Richard! Fascinating post!Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-44537711361002040252011-07-13T16:09:25.959-04:002011-07-13T16:09:25.959-04:00Oh, I so detest the bed-sharing as a "proof&q...Oh, I so detest the bed-sharing as a "proof" for same-sex. Houses and castles were cold and drafty, sharing bed is a very good way to keep warm.<br /><br />I've heard of, but never really interested me for the theory that Richard III preferred med, but if the proofs are what you have just given us, I don't give much for them.Isishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09380497568603304818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-37926216297815274132011-07-13T13:37:56.580-04:002011-07-13T13:37:56.580-04:00Excellent post. Edward IV, whose tastes clearly ra...Excellent post. Edward IV, whose tastes clearly ran to women, was another medieval bed-sharer (with Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset).Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-56054687570362456022011-07-13T10:44:37.148-04:002011-07-13T10:44:37.148-04:00I agree as well. I think this is yet another exam...I agree as well. I think this is yet another example of modern-day writers trying to shoehorn modern-day attitudes and mores on people from the past.<br /><br />I suppose another complication in trying to assess the sexuality of historical figures is that classifying people as "heterosexual" or "homosexual" appears in itself to be a fairly recent concept.Undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16214242522330278662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-50417067400481576422011-07-13T10:29:25.962-04:002011-07-13T10:29:25.962-04:00I agree with your conclusions. Historians have deb...I agree with your conclusions. Historians have debated this since the eighteenth century, fuelled by the accounts of his stay in Paris when he used to share a bed with Philip Augustus himself.<br /><br />But this in itself is evidence of nothing very much-people regularly shared beds in the twelfth century. If you were to stay in a medieval hall at this time it was not unusual to find several beds accommodating two or three or even more men. Women were also expected to share the same quarters.Clement Glenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116966238223089211noreply@blogger.com