King Henry’s Champion

by Griff Hosker Book 6 in the The Anarchy Series series.

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4.5(2,153)

The birth of a male heir to the Empress Matilda strengthens the future of Henry I’s dynasty but also alarms men who hope to profit from uncertainty in England and Normandy. Rebellion and conspiracy spread on both sides of the Channel, and Alfraed, Earl of Cleveland, is drawn into the king’s service as champion and military enforcer.

The position places danger inside Alfraed’s own household as well as on the battlefield. Murder, disputed loyalty and campaigns along the Scottish border and in France show how fragile Henry’s settlement remains. The novel follows a kingdom moving toward the succession crisis that will erupt after the king’s death, when the alliances formed in his lifetime will be tested by civil war.

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