Unbidden (The Evolution Series) (44 page)

It is challenging to write in a time period some 1,200 years ago, but it was also exciting to discover a new setting I’ve never seen in a historical romance. I’ve been as accurate as I can, with the acknowledgement of a few liberties taken in order to make the story exciting and readable.

The language spoken in 831 was a “vulgar” or common form of Latin that was probably in the infant stages of evolving into both French and German
. I have tried to give a sense of time and place by inserting some period terminology, but I also strived to avoid writing a book that sounded too Roman, or falling back on formal British English that would not have even existed.

Different sources have different translations or spellings for various words
. For consistency’s sake, I chose to defer to a fairly comprehensive source,
Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne
, by Pierre Riché, in questions of spelling and other areas. I also used
Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages
by Frances and Joseph Gies.

Rochelle had such a difficult time mounting a horse on her own because stirrups had not yet been invented.

Fireplaces and chimneys were only just being invented. Most homes had central hearths with open holes in the roof.

Louis the Pious was briefly deposed by his sons in 831
. He regained the throne in autumn and one can only imagine the furor surrounding him at that time. His court was always bustling, but full assemblies were usually held in the spring before he convened the army. I think it believable he would have surrounded himself with loyal noblemen as he re-established his authority in 831.

Strategic marriages and rewards of land were commonplace
. I do not know for a fact that Louis the Pious arranged marriages and gave land in order to protect the interests of his son, Charles. The empire remained in turmoil due to familial infighting through all of Louis the Pious’s reign.

I radically expanded the idea of a judicial duel for the tournament.

Aix-la-Chappelle, or Aix, is also known as Aachen.

The church described in Ribeauville is based on Saint Justinus’ church in Frankfurt-Höscht, Germany, built around 830.

I appreciate the indulgence of scholars of the Carolingian Empire on any other errors or omissions inadvertently made.