Setting in History
The story takes place during The Anarchy, a term referring to the 19 year long civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud, from 1135 to 1153. King Stephen, William Fitz-Alan, his uncle Arnulf of Hesdin, Abbot Heribert, and Prior Robert Pennant are all real people. Son of Alan fitz Flaad, baron of Oswestry, William FitzAlan was appointed Sheriff in 1137 by King Stephen. Fitz-Alan did go over to the Empress Matilda and held Shrewsbury Castle in her name. There was a battle lasting four weeks in July and August, during which Arnulf hurled much verbal abuse of the attacking King Stephen, and which Stephen won. Stephen indeed hanged all the defenders of the castle after taking it, save William who had escaped before Stephen's final success.
Wales is a preferred escape route from Shropshire and environs to France in the time of Anarchy, as the prince of Gwynedd, the principality of northern Wales, takes no side in the conflict and is pleased to have the English fighting each other, and not him. Fitz-Alan, with roots in that border area, had a relationship with Owain Gwynedd so he or his messengers could ask for the prince's protection to ride across to a port and seek ship for Normandy.
Trial by combat, used at the end to settle the guilt of Courcelle on one count of murder and another of theft not fit for an officer and gentleman, was used in England in the Middle Ages, especially from the time of the Norman conquest to the reign of King Henry II, who introduced a more efficient system of jury trials, but extending to the 16th century. When King Stephen uttered à l'outrance, he meant the combat had to be to the death of one of the two. The phrase means to the uttermost in some usages, but to the death in this usage.
In the novel, the body of a murdered man is slipped in among the bodies of the executed defenders; hence, there is one corpse too many.
The story takes place in Shropshire (also called Salop) in England. The Shrewsbury Abbey and its outlying grange, the real town of Shrewsbury and its suburb Frankwell on the road to Wales are the locations for most of the story's action.
Read more about this topic: One Corpse Too Many
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