Talks & Media

Media

Stephen Spinks is readily available for media presentation. Below is a short list highlighting some of his appearances. Please use the contact button at the top bar of the page or email stephenspinks@me.com for more information and availability.

Articles

  • History Hit – ‘How did Robert the Bruce defeat the English at Loudoun Hill, 1307?’
  • Female First – ‘Ten Things You Never Knew About Edward II’

Podcasts

  • Medieval Archives – ‘Edward II the Man’
  • The Revisionist ~ Lilian Pizzichini – ‘The Queer Theory of Edward II, A Doomed Inheritance’

Television

  • BBC Escape to the Country (Kinwarton Dovecote)
  • BBC Antiques Roadshow
  • Midlands Today

Radio

  • BBC Radio Gloucestershire – The Deposition and ‘Murder’ of Edward II
  • BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire – various
  • Talk Radio (Europe) – The Life and Character of Robert the Bruce

Publications & Social Media

  • Midland Zone Magazine (May 2018)
  • The Medieval Magazine (December 2017)
  • Scottish Field (October 2019)
  • Various social media blog posts (British Medieval History; History Geeks; Medieval History Lovers; Tony Riches Blogspot; History Hit; The Mortimers Blog)

Lecture Appearances

  • Waterstones Birmingham
  • Gloucester Cathedral
  • Richard III Society – Beds & Bucks
  • Dollar History Society, Scotland
  • Kenilworth History & Archaeology Society
  • Friends of Coughton Court
  • Alcester & District History Society
  • Leek Wootton Club

Talks

Stephen Spinks regularly gives talks on Edward II and Robert the Bruce and is happy to travel across the UK to do so. Talks usually last between 1-1.5 hours depending upon individual group requirements, with time allotted for group questions and answers.

Talk Title: ‘Edward II the Man: A Doomed Inheritance’

‘The life of Edward II is a dramatic tale of love, politics, vengeance and survival against the odds. In the tumultuous times of early fourteenth century England, against a backdrop of war and baronial unrest, Edward II’s reign is highly polarised. Torn between the politics of reform and over-might vassals, the king fights for his lover Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, only to see Gaveston brutally murdered in June 1312. What happens next causes ten years of political upheaval, and only with the rise of the last and final favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger, does the king finally lose the support of his wife Isabella of France and the nobility at large. Facing rebellion and invasion, Edward’s ultimate fate – deposition – and an unprecedented bloodletting is not long in the coming. How did all this come about and was Edward really the man history has declared him to be? Even his ultimate fate is now under question. Was Edward really murdered in 1327? Stephen Spinks examines the Fieschi Letter and other surviving evidence surrounding the arguments that Edward II in fact defied his murderers, living on as a hermit in Italy until the early 1340’s.’ 

Standard Fee £85*

*May incur additional mileage costs at HMRC rate if travelling over 80 miles from Central Birmingham, West Midlands.

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Talk Title: ‘Robert the Bruce: Champion of a Nation’

‘Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, is a man of both history and legend. His dramatic life story is one of the underdog made victorious through his sheer tenacity, skill and a significant dose of good fortune. To this day he remains in the public conscience. Yet in the 700 years since his death, much of his life has been spun into myth and legend, leaving us the difficult task of peeling back the rhetoric to determine who the real Robert Bruce truly was. In this lecture, Stephen Spinks answers that question, taking you on a journey through three key periods in Robert’s illustrious story. Firstly, the backdrop to his life from his family’s arrival in Scotland, including a brief look at the First Wars of Scottish Independence. He charts how and why Robert seized the crown of Scotland and was immediately forced to fight to prevent annihilation and overcome great personal loss in 1306-7, forgoing the rules of chivalry to outmanoeuvre his enemies. Lastly, Stephen examines the contentious causes of the king’s death and his ultimate legacy. A mix of slides, conversation and book readings, this is a pacy talk full of the drama, wars and court politics of early fourteenth century Britain.’

Standard Fee £85*

*May incur additional mileage costs at HMRC rate if travelling over 80 miles from Central Birmingham, West Midlands.

Please use the contact button at the top of the page or email stephenspinks@me.com for more information and availability.

Speaker’s Fee

Speaker's fee of £85 can be paid by cash, cheque or debit/credit card.

£85.00