The Plantagenets : the warrior kings who invented England

Eight generations of the greatest and worst kings and queens that this country has ever seen - from the White Ship to the Lionheart, bad King John to the Black Prince and John of Gaunt - this is the dynasty that invented England as we still know it today - great history to appeal to readers of Ken Follet, Bernard Cornwell, Tom Holland England's greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of Europe. Plantagenet rule saw the establishment of laws and creation of artworks, monuments and tombs which survive to this day, and continue to speak of their sophistication, brutality and secrets. Dan Jones brings you a new vision of this battle-scarred history. From the Crusades, to King John's humbling over Magna Carta and the tragic reign of the last Plantagenet, Richard II - this is a blow-by-blow account of England's most thrilling age. Plantagenet Is The Name Given To The English Royal House Descended From The Union Of Queen Matilda Of England And Her Second Husband Geoffrey Of Anjou. The Name Derived From Geoffrey's Nickname, Which Came From The Sprig Of Broom (planta Genet) Which He Wore In His Hat. The Plantagenets Ruled England For More Than Three Hundred Years, From The Accession Of Reign Of The Dynasty's Founder, Matilda And Geoffrey's Son, Henry Ii, In 1154, To The Death Of The Last Plantagenet, Richard Iii, At The Battle Of Bosworth In 1485. Preface -- Part One: Age Of Shipwreck (1120-1154) (the White Ship ; Hunt For An Heir ; The Shipwreck ; Ambition ; A Scandalous Wife ; Henry The Conqueror ; Peace Process) -- Part Two: Age Of Empire (births And Rebirth ; L'espace Plantagenet ; Unholy War ; Succession Planning ; The Eagle's Nest ; Henry Triumphant ; A World On Fire ; New Horizons ; Hero Of The East ; Treachery ; At The Emperor's Pleasure ; Return Of The Lionheart ; Lackland Supreme ; John Softsword ; Triumph And Catastrophe ; Lackland Undone) -- Part Three: Age Of Oppression (1204-1263) (salvaging The Wreck ; A Stay-at-home King ; A Cruel Master ; Beginning Of Thye End ; To Bouvines ; Magna Carta ; Securing The Inheritance ; From Marshal To Magna Carta ; Kingship At Last ; Marriage And Family ; Holy Kingship ; The Road To War ; The Provisions Of Oxford) -- Part Four: The Age Of Arthur (lewes ; From Imprisonment To Evesham ; The Leopard ; King At Last ; A New Arthur ; The Final Stand ; The King's Castles ; The Price Of Conquest ; The Expulsion Of The Jews ; The Great Cause ; War On All Fronts ; The Conquest Of Scotland ; Crisis Point ; Relapse) Part Five: Age Of Violence (the King And His Brother ; Coronation ; Emergency ; The Ordinances ; Manhunt ; Summer Of Promise ; Bannockburn ; New Favourites ; Civil War ; The King's Tyranny ; [roger De] Mortimer [3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl Of March], Isabella And Prince Edward ; Endgame ; Abdication ; False Dawn) -- Part Six: Age Of Glory (royal Coup ; Glorious King Of A Beggared Kingdom ; New Earls, New Enemies ; The Hundred Years War Begins ; Edward At Sea ; The Crisis Of 1341 ; Dominance ; The Death Of A Princess ; Chivalry Reborn ; Decade Of Triumph) -- Part Seven: Age Of Revolution (the Family Business ; Unravelling Fortunes ; The Good Parliament ; New King, Old Problems ; England In Uproar ; Return To Crisis ; Treason And Trauma ; The Reinvention Of Kingship ; Richard Revenged ; Richard Undone ; Richard Alone) -- Conclusion. Dan Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 603-610) And Index This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets - their story is the story of Britain.