The Splintered Kingdom

England and the Welsh borderlands, 1070. Tancred has been rewarded with a manor and men of his own, but lordship on the Marches brings obligations rather than security. Raids across the frontier, disputes among Norman commanders and the continuing English rebellion threaten the estate he has only recently acquired. Edgar Ætheling remains a focus for resistance, while Eadric the Wild seeks allies against the expanding Norman regime.

Tancred is ordered to lead an expedition into Wales at the moment when Danish intervention and unrest elsewhere place William’s kingdom under pressure. The campaign tests his ability to command soldiers whose loyalties are divided between personal gain, feudal duty and survival. Rival Normans attempt to weaken his position, and the violence of frontier warfare makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish defence from conquest. The second novel broadens the series from northern rebellion to the unstable border society created by Norman expansion.