Book
Birth of the Kingdom
by Jan Guillou
Book 3 in the Crusades Trilogy series.
Buy the book from:
In 1192, Arn Magnusson returns to Götaland after twenty years of Templar service. He brings Arabian horses, gold given by Saladin and a mixed company of soldiers, physicians, builders and craftsmen whose skills are unfamiliar in the north. Reunited with Cecilia and the son they were forbidden to raise together, Arn begins to transform the Folkung estates through fortified construction, organised trade, improved medicine and the disciplined training of mounted warriors.
Arn’s household becomes a political and military centre as the Erik and Sverker factions continue their struggle for the crown and Danish intervention threatens the fragile balance. His aim is not simply to win another clan war but to create institutions capable of defending a more united realm. The reforms he introduces at Forsvik and the alliances formed by the next generation prepare the ground for the later consolidation of Sweden. The novel was originally published in Swedish as Riket vid vägens slut and has also appeared as The Kingdom at the End of the Road and Birth of a Kingdom.
