William Sterling

An introduction to the history section

The Royal Cup of France and England. This was one of the few surviving masterpieces associated with the greatest of all Mediaeval art patrons, Jean duc de Berry. He commissioned it in 1380 as a gift for his brother, King Charles V of France. The lid and main body of the cup show scenes from the Life of St Agnes on whose feast day Charles was born. The cup is solid gold decorated with enamel, probably the best surviving example of Mediaeval Champlevé enameling. St Agnes was an early Christian martyr who refused to marry a pagan and was burned at the stake for her refusal to worship the Roman Emperor. The flames did not hurt her and she was killed by a spear being driven through her throat. The base shows the four evangelist symbols – St John’s eagle in the picture. Image © Trustees of the British Museum
My main area of academic study has been History. My first degree at Keele University (1976-1980) was a Joint Honours in History and Geography. The areas I specialised in for History were The Greeks, The Enlightenment, Tenth Century England, Thirteenth Century France, Renaissance England and The Hundred Years War. Read more »

SPOTLIGHT: History

Music and Art Inspired by Shakespeare 5

MUSIC AND ART INSPIRED BY SHAKESPEARE No. 5: All At Sea – [this talk was cancelled but I have included it so that anyone interested can see what art I was going to talk about. I have adjusted the music as I included some works in other talks]. Much of Shakespeare takes place when characters… Read more »

Edward VII

The Life and Times of King Edward VII This course ran at the City Lit on Saturday 20th February 2016. Edward VII was heir for nearly 60 years and often in conflict with his parents. He had a popular wife and charmed all those he met. When he succeeded he surprised many with his successful reign.… Read more »

Victoria and Albert

The Life and Times of Victoria and Albert She gave her name to an Age. He gave us a cultural heritage to be proud of. Their marriage was a true love match and her widowhood from the age of 42, a national tragedy. Queen Victoria was our longest reigning monarch (so far). Her family life… Read more »

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