The mystique of Henry V remains as powerful as ever
The belligerent young hero of Agincourt really was the model of a medieval monarch, doing the job exactly as it was supposed to be done, according to Dan Jones
‘God blew and they were scattered’
According to a new history of the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth I was chiefly to blame for the crisis of 1588
So much lost for so little
In 1536 there were 850 monastic houses in England and Wales; just four years later they were all gone. The…
All things to all men
Britain’s two most famous legendary figures, King Arthur and Robin Hood, remain enduringly and endearingly elusive, and thus ever-fascinating: Arthur…
The queen of England who never was: the life of the Empress Matilda
The Empress Matilda, mother of the Plantagenet dynasty, is the earliest queen of England who never was; by rights she…
Two new books explore the triumphs and tribulations of an underrated king – Henry II
Poor old Henry II: once fêted as one of England’s greatest kings, he has long been neglected. Accessible books on…
The Siege of Acre: a monstrous blot on the Third Crusade
Lionheart! Saladin! Massacre! There is no shortage of larger-than-life characters and drama in the epic, two-year siege of Acre, the…
The hardest man of all
From the unpromising and desperately unforgiving background that forged his iron will and boundless ambition, Temujin (as Genghis Khan was…
