PLANTAGENET SOCIALITE

300 years of Plantagenet rule in England saw countless murders and bloody struggles against the backdrop of warring families, deeds of chivalry and complex romances. The power struggle of Henry II with one man, wanting to be more than king, ended in Thomas Becket's murder in Canterbury Cathedral. His son Richard I gained the respect of Saladin but the hatred of the French King, whose propaganda led to his trial and imprisonment by the Holy Roman Emperor, which ended only after England paid a huge ransom for his return. His brother John was labelled 'evil, cruel and tyrannical'. His disagreements with the Pope ended with England under interdict, and his disagreements with his barons led to the signing of Magna Carta. Then came the Edwards. In this book you can follow the Peasants' Revolt, glorious Agincourt, the War of the Roses and the deaths of the 'Princes in the Tower', and judge for yourself if the legends live up to the truths revealed in contemporary letters, accounts and chronicles. We are transported back in time to give a socialite's view of the courts, scandals, tragedies and passions of those 14 distant kings we call the Plantagenets. 320pp short diary-style entries, eight pages of colour and archive photos.