Book
King Henry’s Champion
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.
Bernard Cornwell
57 books
M J Porter
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K. M. Ashman
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Cecelia Holland
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Sharon Kay Penman
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