English Medieval History

FIRST PRIZE: Firebird Awards - Best Time Travel Novel - 2024 FIRST PRIZE: Reader’s Choice: Best SciFi Time Travel Trilogy - 2023 Torn between factions in King Arthur's Court where he must choose between factions of the King, Sir Lanslod and/or the usurper Mordred, an accidental time traveler materializes as the only Jewish knight at the Oval Table, whose few friends are Mirgan the Witch and two stoner Venusians, and must decide whether to return the stolen Holy Grail to avoid being burned at the stake or risk being stranded where the food is even worse than modern day England. READER ...

Marsilius of Padua for Beginners: The Man Who Challenged Papal Power Imagine a world where the Church controls everything—laws, kings, even your freedom. Now, imagine one man bold enough to say, “No more.” Marsilius of Padua didn’t just question the authority of the Church, he took it head-on, laying the foundation for modern democracy and the separation of church and state. This book tells the story of that revolutionary thinker and his battle to shift power back to the people. Why should you care about a 14th-century philosopher? Because the ideas Marsilius championed—democratic...

Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. During the year 1066, England had three different kings and fought three huge battles in defence of the realm, including the bloody Battle of Hastings. The result was the Norman Conquest which defined England during the Middle Ages. 1066 in an Hour will guide you through the politics and personalities of the Norman invasion. It will help you understand why William the Conqueror was victorious and introduce you to the new king and subsequent ancestor to the Plantagenets and Tudors.

The bulk of the audiobook will deal with what Vlad’s political career looked like, what wars he waged, and how his life eventually ended. But we’ll go one step beyond and cover some areas that historians don’t typically focus on. In addition to raw facts, we’ll also focus on what Vlad III’s character was, what drove him forward, and what his chief traits might have been.

Discover the leaders of the Knights Templar, the fiercest warriors of the Church during the Crusades, from beginning to end. The Knights Templar is one of history’s greatest mysteries. They began as a completely transparent, public apparatus of European Christendom in the Middle Ages but eventually transformed into what many would regard as a secret society. Leading the Knights throughout these changes were their Grand Masters. These men were military as well as spiritual masters who led by their own example.

The Harz Mountains in the late Middle Ages. Young Dorith is found raped and badly beaten in the forest. To protect her from a church exorcism, her mother hides her in a distant cloister. There, she slowly regains her strength and her mental state improves. To secure her future, Dorith trains to be a cook and soon learns she has other abilities too. She is given secret scrolls to study, writings from Hildegard von Bingen and Paracelsus who hid much of their knowledge from the church. When she is accused of witchcraft and forced to flee the cloister, she begins a long adventure to become a ...

Though it's often forgotten today, Robert the Bruce was a bit shiftier, if only out of necessity. Robert the Bruce has become a figure of Scottish national legend, renowned as the man who threw off the shackles of English oppression. Prior to 1306, this Anglo-Scottish nobleman did little to cover himself in glory or to earn a reputation as a hero of the national cause. A member of one of Scotland's leading noble families, Bruce inherited his grandfather's claim to the right to be king of the Scots.

Theft, murder, deception and the threat of war! Another day in Ancient Rome During the Festival of Consualia, a precious staff of office and the King's beloved racehorse are stolen. TO add to the confusion a Sabine guard is killed and the Roman soldier who was his counterpart goes missing. The situation becomes even more complicated when the family of our hero, Secundus, comes under suspicion, and he and his sidekick Graccus are banned from the investigation. Determined to prove their innocence and solve the crime, Secundus and Graccus set out to retrieve the stolen family heirloom and ...

Cults, Secrets, Deception, Murder — In The Case of Luna, Darkness Hides More Than You Can Imagine.Beneath the moonlit gaze of the goddess Luna, a grim tableau unfolds in the heart of the Forum—a lifeless wife carried by desperate hands. Gripped by memory loss, the perpetrator seeks help from Secundus and Graccus, peeling back the layers of the enigmatic Cult of Luna in this chilling sixth installment of the series. With time slipping through their fingers and his priestly examinations looming, Secundus wrestles with a mounting burden of duties and the continued presence of his ...

The history of Ukraine is a fascinating story of how cultures, political systems, religions, and power have met, intersected, morphed, and expanded. The region was relatively sparsely populated for much of ancient history, a wilderness of rivers, forests, and steppes, but that does not detract from the rich historical development of the region.

What do you think of when you consider the Middle Ages? Knights in armor and damsels in distress? Vikings plundering monasteries? Religious dissenters burning at the stake? The dead bodies piling up as war, famine, and plague devastated Europe? Think again. While all these are part of the tapestry of the medieval era, the threads of politics, personality and war, culture, religion, education and the arts are vastly more intricate and fascinating.

From smelly ships to violent wars and icky battle wounds, life was rough for Vikings. Get ready to explore the nasty side of Viking life.

As the winter of 1323 descends upon a windswept chapel on the edge of Dartmoor, who could blame the young priest, Father Mark, for seeking affection from Mary, the miller's daughter? But when Mary, and her unborn child, are found dead, Mark is the obvious suspect. Called to investigate, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock soon begin to have their doubts. Could one of Mary's many admirers have murdered her in a fit of jealousy? Or might it be someone even closer to home?

In this intimate portrait of one of the Middle Ages' most consequential men, Brian Patrick McGuire delves into the life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux to offer a refreshing interpretation that finds within this grand historical figure a deeply spiritual human being who longed for the reflective quietude of the monastery even as he helped shape the destiny of a church and a continent. Heresy and crusade, politics and papacies, theology and disputation shaped this astonishing man's life, and McGuire presents it all in a deeply informed and clear-eyed biography.

Mary Stuart was born into a powerful royal dynasty that was at war with the rest of Europe and with itself. Mary’s ascent to the throne was disarmingly easy and she reached adulthood completely unprepared for the plots and betrayals she would be subject to. As the head of a resolutely unstable country, Mary struggled to maintain her grip on the precarious crown on her head and was removed from the throne by an armed rebellion.

The third novel in a meticulously researched series chronicling the life of the man behind the legend of Welsh hero, Owain Glyndŵr, who fought so valiantly for Welsh Independence. 'Can you see what sunset will bring?’ Owain murmured too low to be overheard by the men around them. ‘Death and victory.’ ‘I could predict as much. Which side has death and which victory?’ ‘Both have death and neither will have everlasting victory.’ ‘You have taken lessons from the Greek oracle,’ Owain snapped. ‘Whoever or whatever was behind it, was expert in giving ambiguous answers.’ ...

The second historical novel in a meticulously researched series chronicling the life of the man behind the legend of Welsh hero, Owain Glyndŵr, who fought so valiantly for Welsh Independence. 'In our eagerness to lead the English away from our headquarters and families, we appear to have walked into a trap, boys. We cab see the enemy looking up at us. They do not fight for the love of a land, a family, friends and freedom. Driven by greed they kill to sate the bloodlust of tyrants who enslave them with silver. 'We fight for our wives, our children, our people and Hiraeth. The sense of home...

Venture on a thrilling journey through the captivating annals of the European past with The Teutonic Knights: The Order, the Legends, and the Legacy of the Crusaders of the Baltic Shores. This enlightening narrative paints a comprehensive, vivid picture of the renowned Teutonic Knights–a unique order of warrior monks whose influences ripple through the Baltic region and beyond.

Unlock the secrets of a forgotten faith with Catharism: A Beginner's Guide. This compelling book takes you on a journey through the mysterious world of the Cathars, a medieval Christian sect that challenged the powerful Catholic Church with their unique beliefs and austere lifestyle. Imagine discovering a hidden history, rich with intrigue and drama. Picture yourself delving into a world where spirituality meets rebellion, where ordinary people stood up against immense power. This book is not just about history; it’s about understanding a profound spiritual movement that has influenced ...

Beginning with the death of Edward I in 1307 and ending with the deposition of Richard II in 1399, Sceptred Isle follows the experiences of the last Plantagenets, uncovering lesser-known voices and untold stories along the way. Through the epic drama of regicide, war, the prolonged spectre of the Black Death, religious antagonism, revolt and the end of a royal dynasty, we encounter a fractured monarchy, the birth of the struggle between Europeanism and nationalism, social rebellion and a global pandemic.