IN THE REIGN OF KING JOHN

The award-winning historian sub-titles his book 'A Year In the Life of Plantagenet England', and it is a new beautifully illustrated edition of Realm Divided. 1215 was not just a year of Magna Carta and King John's war with his barons, but a year of crusading and church reform, foreign wars and dramatic sieges, trade and treachery. It was a year in which England was invaded by a French army, and London was stormed by angry barons, and the supposedly impregnable castle at Rochester was brought down with burning pig fat. But for most people life just went on. The book throws open a window onto everyday life - home and church, love and marriage, education and agriculture, outlawry and hunting, food and clothing from royal court to peasant weddings. It is medieval life in the round and an exhilarating and revelatory exploration of politics, warfare, religion, feudalism and the law during this transformative year in English history. Chapters include Crowns, Gowns and Slippers, Justice, Law and Outlaws, Wisdom, Health and Beauty, Runnymede, Widows, Wives and Children, Birds, Beasts and Blood Sports. Lavishly illustrated with full page colour plates on almost every other page, 360 beautifully designed and decorated pages with medieval ornamentation and facsimile images from illuminated manuscripts and capitals. A real page turner to stop you in your tracks.