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Historical person

Josce de Dinan

1116–1167

Josce de Dinan was an Anglo-Norman lord who held Ludlow Castle during the civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda. He became involved in a violent private conflict with Hugh de Mortimer and other Marcher nobles, and his family’s fortunes were later woven into the ancestral romance of the FitzWarin line.

Josce gained control of Ludlow Castle through his marriage to Sybil, widow of Pain fitzJohn, and became deeply involved in the private wars of the Welsh Marches. He fought Hugh de Mortimer, at one point capturing and ransoming him, and later lost Ludlow to Gilbert de Lacy. Matilda and then Henry II compensated Josce with other lands, while later romance incorporated his family into the FitzWarin tradition.

Ellis Peters’ The Virgin in the Ice uses the historical Josce de Dinan as lord of Ludlow during the Anarchy. King Stephen is anxious to retain his allegiance, while Josce’s control of Ludlow and overlordship of local estates anchor Cadfael’s murder investigation in the shifting loyalties and territorial politics of the civil war.

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Josce de Dinan (1 series)

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael in Order

by Ellis Peters 19 books 4.5(42,288)

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael follow a former soldier and crusader who has become the herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey. Between 1137 and 1145, Cadfael investigates deaths, disappearances and disputed identities while working within the rhythms of Benedictine life and the law of medieval England. The twenty novels unfold…

All books in this series