Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower
She paid a king five hundred marks for the right to be left alone. She outlived three husbands, presided over one of the most strategically significant castles in England, and left such an indelible mark on Lincoln Castle that a tower still bears her name nine centuries later. Yet Lucy of Bolingbroke remains one of the least-known powerful women of the Norman era – overshadowed, perhaps, by the very castle she helped to shape.
Today, I’m bringing this important but forgotten woman back into the light (as much as I can).
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Faith Magic and Belief
- 22 Jun 2026 Bloodbath at the Lionheart’s Coronation 22 Jun 2026
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Medieval England and Angevin Empire
- 3 Jul 2026 Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower 3 Jul 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Muriel of Lincoln 3 Jul 2026
- 23 Jun 2026 Why the Plantenet Angevins Ruled Half of Europe 23 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 Bloodbath at the Lionheart’s Coronation 22 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 The Battle of Fornham: When a Countess Rode to War and Changed Medieval England Forever 22 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 What Languages Did Jews Speak in Medieval England? 22 Jun 2026
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Medieval Jews
- 22 Jun 2026 Bloodbath at the Lionheart’s Coronation 22 Jun 2026
- 22 Jun 2026 What Languages Did Jews Speak in Medieval England? 22 Jun 2026
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Saxon England
- 3 Jul 2026 Muriel of Lincoln 3 Jul 2026
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Women in History
- 3 Jul 2026 Lucy of Bolingbroke: The Woman Behind Lincoln Castle's Lucy Tower 3 Jul 2026
- 3 Jul 2026 Muriel of Lincoln 3 Jul 2026
- 1173-4 Great Rebellion
- 12th Century
- Angevin Empire
- Anglo-Norman French
- Antisemitism
- Battle of Fornham
- Battle of Fornham St Genevieve
- Benedict of York
- Bolingbroke Lincolnshire
- Clifford's Tower
- Clifford's Tower massacre
- Colswein
- Coronation
- Coronation Massacre
- Countess of Chester
- Countess of Leicester
- Earl of Leicester
- Eleanor of Aquitaine
- English civil war
- female knights
- female warriors
- Hebrew
- Hebrew in medieval Europe
- Henry II
- Historical Fiction
- Jews
- Judaeo-French
- Lady of Lincoln
- Lady of the Castle
- Lincoln Castle
- Lincoln Castle history
- Lincoln Lincolnshire
- Lucy of Bolingbroke
- Lucy Tower Lincoln Castle
- Massacre
- Medieval
- Medieval Antisemitism
- Medieval battles
- Medieval England and France
- Medieval English Jews
- Medieval historical fiction
- medieval Jewish history
- Medieval Jews
- Medieval Languages
- medieval noblewomen
- medieval warfare
- medieval women
- Middle English
- Muriel of Lincoln
- Nicola de la Haye
- Norman Conquest
- Norman Invasion
- Petronilla de Grandmesnil
- Plantagenet kings
- Prior William of York
- Ralph de la Haye
- Ranulf de Meschines
- Revolt of the Eaglets
- Richard I
- Richard the Lionheart
- Robert de Beaumont
- Saxon Norman intermarriage
- Saxons
- Suffolk history
- The Anarchy
- Women in armour
- Women in History
- women in medieval England
- women warriors
- Women who fought in battles
- Yiddish
- Yiddish history
- York massacre 1190
- Yosce of York
- Zarephatic