A note on some details: Sheriff Simon Wynchecombe was in reality one of two sheriffs of London at that time (who could make up a name like that?). I also embroiled poor Crispin in all the fractured politics of Richard II’s reign. Though there were historical instances—very few—of degraded and disseised (forcibly dispossessed) knights, they were either executed or banished and generally not thrown into the degree of poverty that Crispin was. The fact that he is so depleted from what defined him—his wealth and status—makes for an interesting and sympathetic character: King Richard murders him without actually killing him. The irony—for those students of English history—is that the same fate eventually befalls King Richard himself when, seventeen years later, he is forced to abdicate and is subsequently murdered.
Was Richard really all that bad at the beginning of his reign? History tells us “no,” that he was, in fact, looked on as a shrewd young man and handled the Wat Tyler peasant revolt with aplomb. It was only later in his career that he allowed vanity and his many favorites to woo him to poor choices. Crispin, of course, sees the world through the eyes of Lancaster, the father figure in his life. And not unlike other recent political events where those in power are followed blindly—never mind the law or morality—we see how extreme loyalty can make even a discerning man like Crispin a little stupid. I have no doubt that as the series progresses, Crispin will see the error of his ways, but by then, Richard will begin to prove Crispin right.
Now about this story. Of course there was no “mob” as such in the fourteenth century, but the city states of Italy and the dukes and princes who ran them certainly could be considered “mob bosses.” Bernabò Visconti was a ruthless man, as ruthless as any Godfather, constantly at war with the pope and the city states of Florence, Venice, and Savoy. But ruthless men usually get their comeuppance, and Visconti got his…by his own family. He was captured and imprisoned by his nephew, whereupon he died in prison. Of natural causes? Who can say?
But I digress. Wasn’t this story about the cloth?
The Mandyllon or Mandillon or the Sudarium (facecloth) is an obscure relic, one that can never quite be distinguished from the present relics said to have the image of Christ. First mention of any kind of “veronica” came from apocryphal gospels and manuscripts, most notably Curia Sanitatis Tiberii and Acta Pilati. A veronica was mentioned as early as the second century, but the Veronica’s Veil legend associated with the Passion that we know today emerged out of the medieval need to connect legend and artifact.
Most of the Mandyllon’s saga was recounted in this novel and comes from an ecclesiastical history written in the fourth century by Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea and a later sixth century tale told by Evagrius Scholasticus, an ecclesiastical historian. Many relic scholars believe it is the same cloth known as the “Veronica” that used to be housed in the Vatican in a shrine to St. Veronica. However, historians report that the “Veronica” might have been stolen from the St. Veronica chapel in 1600 when St. Peter’s was rebuilt, or that it somehow got “mislaid.” In 1608, the chapel in which the veil was housed was destroyed. Was it stolen at that time? In 1616, Pope Paul V forbade copies of the “Veronica” to be made. Was it because the original was gone? The eyes on the veil prior to this were opened, but after the events of 1608, all other copies show the figure with eyes closed. However, there is a “Veronica” that is displayed at St. Peter’s Basilica on Passion Sunday, the fifth Sunday of Lent. Is this the original or another copy? Some veil scholars believe the original veil from the Vatican ended up in a Capuchin friary in Manoppello, Italy, where, indeed, a veil arrived there at about the same time the veil was said to be mislaid. Pope Benedict XVI recently made a visit to the friary and viewed what many Catholics hold to be the Veronica’s Veil. Yet some even think the one in Manoppello is itself a copy. And still others believe the Mandyllon was the folded Shroud of Turin. Was this the Mandyllon? Was there ever a Mandyllon? Who knows?
Could the Mandyllon force you to tell the truth? Playing on the theme of vera icona—“true image”—it was my fiction that the veil would force you to reveal your true self.
In the meantime, Crispin and friends will return in another mystery of court intrigue and assassination plots in Serpent in the Thorns.
Glossary
CHEMISE shirt for both male and female, usually white. All-purpose, used also as a nightshirt.
COTE-HARDIE (COAT) any variety of upper-body outerwear popular from the early middle ages to the Renaissance. For men, it was a coat reaching to the thighs or below the knee, with buttons all the way down the front and sometimes at the sleeves. Worn over a chemise. Sometimes the belt was worn at the hips and sometimes the belt moved up to the waist. This is what Crispin wears.
DEGRADED when knighthood is taken from a man, usually because of treason or other crimes against the crown.
DISSEISIN forcible dispossession of land and title/status.
HOUPPELANDE fourteenth-century upper-body outerwear with fashionably long sleeves that touched the ground. As fashion changed, so did the collar, growing in height, the sleeves in length with pleats—often stuffed—front and back.
LESE-MAJESTÉ literally, “injuring the king” the act of committing treason or other offense to the king.
SHERIFF the word is derived from the shire reeve, a man appointed to settle disputes and keep the peace in a region made up of several villages and towns known as a shire. The duties of the sheriffs changed with the times. The sheriffs of London were appointed for one year and served their term with little compensation except that which they could obtain by benefit of their office, that is, what bribes they could collect from those brought to justice. They appointed the juries, after all, and decided what situations would go to trial. They also served as judges.
The Crispin Guest Novels by Jeri Westerson
Veil of Lies
Serpent in the Thorns
Acknowledgments
Books don’t just happen. And as much as I’d like to think it only takes one brilliant author to sit alone in a room with a keyboard and a monitor, it involves just a little bit more than that. It’s been a long, interesting road to get to this point. So many people to thank, especially after fourteen years.
First and foremost, my grateful thanks go out to my husband, Craig, to whom I have dedicated this book. Throughout fourteen years of rejections when I started out writing historical fiction until I buckled down to write historical mystery, he has been standing by my side encouraging me. “It will happen someday,” he’d say. “I’m sure of it.” He was right. And thanks also to my wonderful son, Graham, who happily liked to play by himself all those years ago because Mom was always locked in her office writing.
With historical mystery comes its own set of problems. There is a lot of traipsing back and forth to various libraries, so I am always grateful to the helpful staff of the Tomas Rivera Library at the University of California at Riverside, and also to Nancy Smith and her fine staff at the Sun City Library (“Who is that woman and why is she always here?”). And what I couldn’t glean from my local libraries, I garnered from some very helpful scholars, historians, and writers I met online at mediev-l.
Many thanks also go out to my best friend, Marie Meadows, who has been my own personal cheering section. We spent many hours discussing plot and working on Crispin’s coat of arms. Thanks also to Luci Zahray, who probably doesn’t know how much she encouraged me; to Kat Cormie for giving me a great turn of plot; Henk ’t Jong for translation help; Francesco Dall’Aglio at the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici in Naples for the embarrassing Italian (sure glad we exchanged e-mails and didn’t have to say naughty words to each other over the phone!).
Where would I be without the judicious eyes of my critique groups? First, there was Rebecca Farnbach and Carol Thomas with their sharp red pencils. Later, my Vicious Circle, which consists of Ana Brazil, Bobbie Gosnell, and Laura James, had a crack at it. These indefatigable ladies know how to put me in my place (and that ain’t e
asy!). Their virtual pencils may not be red, but they are sharp enough to pin me down, slap me a little, and make it all work. And thanks also to the online group Guppies of Sisters in Crime, who don’t mind answering the same question over and over and are always there to lend a virtual pat on the back.
A big, big thanks to my agent, Steve Mancino, who, like a mastiff, would not give up and thrashed my manuscript within an inch of its life. And lastly, a very special thank-you to my superb editor at St. Martin’s Press, Keith Kahla, who liked my characters so much he gave them a second chance. Thank you all.
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