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Historical person

John II of France

1319–1364

John II of France, known as John the Good, ruled from 1350 to 1364 during the Hundred Years’ War. His capture by the English at Poitiers in 1356 caused a major crisis for the French monarchy and kingdom.

John II of France also held the offices or ranks of count of Auvergne, King of France, Duke of Normandy, and count of Anjou. John II of France belonged to the House of Valois and operated within Kingdom of France. John II of France was born in Le Mans and died in London.

Bernard Cornwell’s 1356 places John II at the head of the larger French army that traps the Black Prince near Poitiers and forces the campaign towards a decisive battle. Michael Jecks’ Blood of the Innocents follows the same 1356 chevauchée from the soldiers’ level as John gathers forces to intercept the English. Gordon Corrigan’s Poitiers reconstructs the battle itself, including the king’s personal commitment to the fighting and his eventual capture. Ashes of Rebellion moves to 1358, when John remains an English prisoner and his absence helps create the political vacuum in which the Dauphin, Étienne Marcel, Charles of Navarre and rural rebels compete for power. Jonathan Lunn’s Kemp: The Road to Poitiers returns to the approach to battle, making John’s pursuing army the force that finally prevents the Black Prince’s raiders from escaping to safety.

Periods

Periods linked to John II of France

Battle of Poitiers1356 CE French Political Crisis of 1356–13581356–1358 CE Hundred Years’ War1337–1453 CE

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring John II of France (6 series)

Master of War in Order

by David Gilman 9 books 4.6(35,248)

The Master of War series follows Thomas Blackstone, an English archer and later knight, through the Hundred Years’ War. Beginning with the Crécy campaign in 1346, the sequence expands across France, Aquitaine, Brittany, Castile and northern Italy, using Blackstone’s career to show how medieval war was fought through…

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Sir John Hawkwood in Order

by Griff Hosker 7 books 4.5(20,893)

Sir John Hawkwood follows the rise of an English soldier from the Hundred Years’ War into the world of mercenary companies in Italy. Beginning around Crécy and the Black Prince’s campaigns, the series moves toward the White Company and the condottieri, where professional soldiers sell skill, discipline and…

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Arrows of Albion in Order

by Jonathan Lunn 8 books 4.3(19,146)

Arrows of Albion follows Martin Kemp, an English archer and sometime mercenary, through the campaigns and border wars of the mid-fourteenth century. Beginning with Edward III’s invasion of France and the Battle of Crécy, the series moves through the siege of Calais, warfare in Brittany and Scotland, Gascon…

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The Vintaine in Order

by Michael Jecks 5 books 4.3(8,205)

The Vintaine series follows Berenger Fripper and a small company of English archers through the changing phases of the Hundred Years’ War. The first three novels cover Edward III’s 1346 campaign, the siege of Calais and the Black Prince’s march to Poitiers; later volumes return to the survivors…

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The Grail Quest in Order

by Bernard Cornwell 4 books 4.3(82,836)

The Grail Quest follows Thomas of Hookton, an English archer whose search for the truth about his family becomes entangled with the opening decades of the Hundred Years’ War. The novels move through the capture of La Roche-Derrien, the assault on Caen, the Battle of Crécy, Neville’s Cross,…

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The Accursed Kings in Order

by Maurice Druon 7 books 4.2(8,269)

The Accursed Kings follows the French and English monarchies from the final year of Philip IV's reign in 1314 to the capture of John II at Poitiers and the political crisis of the late 1350s. Across seven novels, the direct Capetian line fails, the Valois dynasty takes the…

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Non Fiction

Non Fiction featuring John II of France (1 book)

Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.