#1 – Crusader
In 1165, Frederick Banastre enters the royal household as steward to the young Prince Richard, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Friendship with the prince gives Frederick access to court but also draws him into the conflict between the ageing king, Young Henry and…
#2 – Treason
In 1190, Frederick Banastre takes the cross and sails with Richard I towards the Holy Land. Before departing, he witnesses signs that Richard’s brother John intends to exploit the king’s absence despite the regency arrangements meant to prevent any single magnate from controlling England. Frederick’s service…
#3 – Templar
In 1216, King John’s death leaves the nine-year-old Henry III with a divided kingdom and a regency dependent on the authority of William Marshal. Frederick Banastre and his son Alaric fear that rival magnates will use the child king’s weakness to renew civil war. Their search…
#4 – Siege
After King John accepts Magna Carta and the pope declares the settlement invalid, England descends into the First Barons’ War. John’s death leaves the child Henry III dependent on William Marshal and on men such as Frederick Banastre, whose previous rebellion does not prevent him from…
#5 – Kingmaker
Thurstan de Banastre, Baron of Waleton, joins other magnates resisting Henry III’s taxation and refusal to honour the principles associated with Magna Carta. His family possesses a more dangerous weapon than a private army: royal jewels stolen from King John’s lost baggage train and preserved as…