Crusader

by Griff Hosker Book 14 in the The Anarchy Series series.

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4.5(2,302)

William of Stockton travels to the Holy Land to perform penance, leaving the familiar politics of England for a region where Christian lords, Muslim powers and competing military orders pursue their own interests. The journey forces him to discover that a knight’s cross or title does not guarantee honour.

William encounters Seljuq Turks, Assassins, Egyptian forces and European nobles whose alliances shift with circumstance. Survival depends on recognising false friends as quickly as open enemies. The pilgrimage becomes a test of identity as he returns to the martial values learned from his father while questioning the motives of men who claim religious purpose for political ambition. The result is a crusading adventure shaped as much by intrigue as battle.

Historical Periods

Thomas Becket and Church–Crown Conflict1162–1170 CE Third Crusade1189–1192 CE First Battle of Lincoln1141 CE Norman Invasion of Ireland1169–1177

Historical people

Eleanor of Aquitaine1124–1204 Henry II of England1133–1189 Stephen, King of England1095–1154 Empress Matilda1102–1167 David I of Scotland1084–1153 Thomas Becket William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke1146–1219