British historian dan jones has produced a rollicking, compelling book about a. The peasants revolt of 81, london, harperpress, 2009, isbn 97800072917. I would definitely recommend this book, i didnt value english history much before i read this, and now i hope to read more about this time period and the ones. History of a dynasty ebook written by jeffrey hamilton. And its a really interesting read for anyone interested in history or the foundations of the british empire. Matildas son henry plantagenet, the first and greatest of three angevin kings of england, succeeded stephen in 1154. Following one of the most shocking periods in british history, a new historical docudrama brings to life the dynasty that dragged britain out of the dark ages and into the modern world. The fifteenth century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in british history. This summer i spent several months touring these places while filming britains bloodiest dynasty, the fourpart adaptation of my book the plantagenets, which begins on channel 5. The author of the new york times bestseller the plantagenets chronicles the next chapter in british historythe actual historical backdrop for game of thrones. Historical fiction that is somehow also star trek would be the best, but that would involve time travel and might fuck with the spacetime continuum and then youd get the department of temporal investigation involved, and those guys are cranky. Henrys wife eleanor ruled the even larger territory to the south called aquitaine. Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies. Englands greatest royal dynasty, the plantagenets, ruled over england through eight generations of kings.
The plantagenet line ruled from 1154 henry ii to 99 richard ii the high middle ages, more or less. Majestic in its sweep, compelling in its storytelling, this is narrative history at its best. Mar 05, 2020 in all historical fiction authenticity is key, and that requires both a deft touch and a considerable gift for research. If youre just diving into a philippa gregory series, or youre already a fan and not sure which one to pick up next, the best place might be the plantagenets and tudor series. The plantagenets is told with the latest historical evidence and rich in detail and scenesetting. The plantagenets is a wonderful gallop through english history. In this epic narrative history of courage, treachery, ambition, and deception, dan.
British historian dan jones has produced a rollicking, compelling book about a rollicking. Ten minute english and british history is a series of short, ten minute animated narrative documentaries that are designed as revision refreshers or simple introductions to a topic. He writes and presents the popular netflix series secrets of great british castles. However, in conventional historical usage, henry ii son of count geoffrey of anjou and his sons richard i and john are normally termed the angevin kings, and their successors, up to richard ii, the plantagenets. The plantagenets will help you out though honestly, i still have trouble keeping all the various edwards straight.
The name plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses. Historical movies featuring plantagenets and tudors, oh my. The king arthur that we know today is a collection of different legends, written by different authors, at different times. But as always, there is so much more to any historical time period and to any society of the past than a few infamous personalities and events.
Jul 04, 20 the plantagenets their story is the story of britain. May 31, 2018 books about tudor england conjures images of henry viii and anne boleyn, queen elizabeth i as gloriana, the spanish armada, and, last but absolutely not least, william shakespeare. Historical romances are allowed, but they must meet the criteria listed above. The biography the plantagenets played a defining part in shaping the nation of england, and dan jones tells their fascinating story with wit, verve, and vivid.
Rjay all of sharon kay penmans books historical fiction are fabulous. A charismatic television presenter, he has narrated britains bloodiest dynasty, a fourpart series based onthe plantagenets. The plantagenets is proof that contemporary history can engage with the medieval world with style, wit and chutzpah. Domesday book is instituted to survey the english lands of william the conqueror. Very well written and an easy and pleasurable book to read. I still have some more to go on the netflix account but i think ive seen the ones that i really wanted to thus far. The author of the new york times bestseller the plantagenets and magna cartachronicles the next chapter in british history the historical backdrop for game of thrones the inspiration for the channel 5 series britains bloody crown the crown of england changed hands five times over the course of the fifteenth century, as two branches of the plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right. The first plantagenet was king henry 2nd whose father owned vast lands in anjou an area as big as normandy around the modern town of tours. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most soughtafter bride of her. This is a group to discuss british medieval history, from the postroman to the 15th century.
Jul 12, 20 the plantagenets as a dynasty do not fare well in this tally. A plantagenet prince, the rich and powerful john of gaunt 40 99. Sep 07, 2017 so, my favorite thing to read is probably medieval historical fiction. You can almost smell the sea salt as the white ship sinks, and hear the screams of the tortured at the execution grounds at tyburn. The wars of the roses the author of the new york times bestseller the plantagenets and the templars chronicles the next chapter in british historythe historical backdrop for game of thronesthe inspiration for the channel 5 series britains bloody crownthe crown of england changed hands five times over the course of the fifteenth century, as two branches of the plantagenet dynasty fought. About the plantagenets the new york times bestseller, from the author of crusaders, that tells the story of britains greatest and worst dynastya reallife game of thrones the wall street journal.
The term plantagenet was not used until about 1450, when richard, duke of york, called himself by it in order to emphasize his royal. They are all united by the common theme that king arthur was a fifth century british general who fought against anglosaxon tribes and ensured that britain remained a paradise of the west. Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this. Oct 14, 2014 the author of the new york times bestseller the plantagenets chronicles the next chapter in british historythe actual historical backdrop for game of thrones the fifteenth century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in british history. House of plantagenet, royal house of england, which reigned from 1154 to 1485 and provided 14 kings, 6 of whom belonged to the cadet houses of lancaster and york. Hardicanute, king of denmark, had also been king of england in 1042. See more ideas about history, plantagenet and british history. Aug 20, 2019 philippa gregory is a british historical author, writer of the award winning the other boleyn girl and the white queen, basis for the bbc one drama.
Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly engaging narrative. The crown of england changed hands five times as two branches of the plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. His liaison with a commoner called katherine swynford produced four illegitimate children who were given the name beaufort he married katherine in 96 and their children, by this time adults, were legitimised. Every person and event of importance is covered and the various powerplays are explained in an easy to understand fashion and placed in their geopolitical context be it english or international. The plantagenets succeeds in bringing an extraordinary family arrestingly to life. The dynasty provides some of the most evocative names in our history. This list is for historical fiction books with the main focus on the plantagenet rulers of england they must be major characters, andor prominent secondary characters. The history of britain is usually divided by historians into a series of periods. Simon sebag montefiore, new york times bestselling author. Jones has produced a rollicking, compelling book produced a rollicking, compelling book about a rollicking, compelling dynasty, one that makes the tudors who followed them a century later look like ginger pussycats. The kings that made britain reprint by derek wilson isbn. The rivalry between the house of plantagenet s two cadet branches of york and lancaster brought about the wars of the roses, a decadeslong fight for the english succession, culminating in the battle of bosworth field in 1485, when the reign of the plantagenets and the english middle ages both met their end with the death of king richard iii.
The plantagenets as a dynasty do not fare well in this tally. Dan jones is the greatnephew of british politician and journalist alun gwynne jones, baron chalfont. The royal line descended from the union between geoffrey, count of anjou d. The plantagenets by dan jones, 97800072948, available at book. This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever. The plantagenets timeline of the kings and queens of england. The late philip kerr had both, and his debut march violets, which was first published in 1989, recreated the political and emotional universe of nazi germany and specifically berlin with an attention to detail that few other authors have matched. The starks and lannisters of game of thrones have nothing on the warring houses of york and lancaster. It is a long book at more than 600 pages, but remains engaging throughout. Historian dan jones follows up his bestseller the plantagenets with a look at the bloody 15thcentury conflict that ultimately led to the tudors rising to the english throne. Philippa gregorys historical tudor novels in reading. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the plantagenets. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of british history. The plantagenets documents a delicious period in english.
A beautifully written historical book that provides the reader with an in depth understanding of the monarchy of the period. Their son john was the greatgreat grandfather of king henry viii of england. Aged 21, he already possessed a reputation for restless energy and decisive action. United kingdom united kingdom the early plantagenets. The plantagenets were a huge powerful family not just in england but throughout europe. Mar, 2011 what british themed historical movies have you seen that you would recommend to me. This list gives you some of the highlights of each period. For someone like me who loves historical fiction, her books are a gold mineand lucky for everyone, shes written upwards of 30 other novels to dig into.
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