There was one mighty ruler in the medieval western Europe of 1166, and he was married to the greatest heiress of the age. King Henry II of England was at the height of his powers and together with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, he presided over an empire that stretched from the Pyrenees in the south to the English border with Scotland.He was fortune's darling: witty, powerful, rich and capable. Life's rewards were his for the taking. In 1166, his wife gave birth to his fourth surv...

The Angevin Empire has been claimed by a new king. Richard, the elder surviving legitimate son of King Henry II of England, is universally accepted as his father's successor. However, Richard is not as interested in remaining in Europe to rule his inherited lands as in acquiring the money and means to travel to the middle east, where he intends to prosecute a war against those who threaten the Christians there.His younger brother John, still distressed at the death of the old king,...

Life at the royal court in England becomes darker when the spectre of war advances from the north. King Edward and his chief minister Earl Harold of Wessex are obliged to make concessions that ultimately weaken the crown and the house of Wessex. Then when a crisis over the succession to the throne of England raises its head, Harold takes action which means he must sacrifice what is most precious to him.In Normandy, the ever-watchful Duke William suffers yet another setback to his a...

Following the death of Earl Godwine of Wessex, things have changed in the kingdom of England. King Edward is determined to stabilise his realm even if it means co-operating with the children of his former adversary. While the king tries to salvage something from his damaged marriage, his brother-in-law Harold wonders if he can ever marry his handfasted wife properly with the blessing of the Church.In Normandy, Duke William's own marriage remains unrecognised by the pope and William...

King Arthur is dead, and leaves an army and a country in turmoil. What will happen to his family, to his friends and, most of all, to the dream of a country united against the pagan invaders? This novel follows the separate and distinct narratives of ten people who struggle in the aftermath of the Battle of Camlann. As those who knew Arthur come to terms with their loss, the power struggle begins.With the army now under the control of King Arthur's most senior surviving high comman...

With the sudden and unexpected death of King Richard, his younger brother and heir John is thrust onto the throne of England. John is also to inherit the vast lands that the Angevins hold in France. However, the succession is not likely to be easy when John's nephew Arthur stakes his claim. With King Philip of France prowling on the edges of the Angevin empire ready to strike at its weakest point and snatch land that he feels belongs to France, John finds himself pushed to the limit. He ne...

With his duchy of Normandy still sporadically in revolt, William the Bastard's work at achieving supremacy there is hard and his efforts must be relentless. In addition to this he also knows that he must look towards the future, and he realises that without a wife and family the future will be bleak. He needs an heir. But William is also painfully aware that his bastardy is not a recommendation to any potential wife, so for him there are even more mountains to climb.In England, Har...

Nearly forty years after inheriting the duchy of Normandy, and eight years after gaining the kingdom of England, William can find only brief pockets of peace in a life otherwise dominated by threats and insurrection. The Danes need to be watched constantly, and other neighbours such as the Welsh and the Bretons are pecking away at the borders of England and Normandy. Even William's overlord, the king of the Franks, cannot be trusted to leave him alone.When trouble starts up again i...

Standing as the victor on the field of the battle of Hastings, Duke William of the Normans prepares to undertake the task of subduing the whole of England to his rule. He does not expect anything to be easy and he quickly discovers that the remnants of the family of the defeated King Harold are not going to be helpful. Many other pockets of resistance spring up all over the land. As William moves to quell such disturbances with his usual decisiveness, his part-conciliatory approach does no...

Despite the success of the Normans in taking over the administration of England, the problems of Duke William of Normandy, now the king of the English, are not diminished. Constantly worried about possible incursions into his Norman territory, and the loss of influence in Maine, William's focus is divided. His initial magnanimity towards the defeated English appears to be misplaced and as the rebellions multiply, so his attitude hardens.Meanwhile, the various groups of insurgents c...

The wealthy Earl Godwine of Wessex, surrounded by his large family, has been a favourite of the dying king of England for many years and he will strive to achieve the same position with any successor to the English crown. However, ultimately this is not enough; he wants to touch the heights of power and to elevate his family to unprecedented levels. His dutiful son Harold grows up expecting to marry where his parents direct but then he meets a young woman with whom he falls in love.

In England, much of King Edward's time is divided between his enthusiasm for his Westminster project and in trying to keep the peace with Wales. For the latter, he relies heavily on the military and political support of Harold, the earl of Wessex, and Harold's brothers Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine. Harold himself is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the situation concerning the detention of his other brother, Wulfnoth, and his nephew, Hakon, in Normandy. It is coming to the point where...