Book
The Bastard King
William, illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy, grows from a vulnerable boy into a ruler determined to hold his duchy against rebellious nobles and foreign rivals. Plaidy follows the alliances, marriage and warfare that secure William’s position before the disputed English succession gives him a larger ambition. The novel carries him toward the invasion of 1066 and the victory at Hastings, presenting conquest as the culmination of a lifetime spent turning doubtful birth into political power.
William’s conquest is presented as the final stage of a career already shaped by disputed legitimacy. Before 1066 he has survived noble rebellion in Normandy, secured a powerful marriage and built alliances that make an English expedition possible. Hastings therefore appears not as an isolated stroke of fortune but as the moment when decades of political survival are converted into a new royal claim.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Norman Conquest of England
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Medieval England after the Norman Conquest
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
Other books by Jean Plaidy
Discover more
Authors similar to Jean Plaidy
Recommended from shared genres and periods.
Philippa Gregory
32 books
Georgette Heyer
41 books
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
55 books
Paul Bannister
16 books
Henry Treece
35 books