1. When Christ and His Saints Slept
England, 1120–1154. The loss of Henry I’s only legitimate son in the White Ship disaster leaves the succession dependent on his daughter, Empress Matilda. After Henry’s death, her cousin Stephen takes the crown, dividing the nobility and beginning the civil war later called the Anarchy. The…
2. Time and Chance
England and the Angevin lands, 1156–1171. Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine rule a realm stretching from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees while raising a large royal family. Henry’s efforts to strengthen royal justice bring him into conflict with Thomas Becket, his former chancellor and…
3. Devil’s Brood
England and France, 1172–1189. Henry II’s sons demand independent power, and Eleanor of Aquitaine supports their revolt against their father. Henry the Young King, Richard and Geoffrey seek aid from Louis VII of France and other enemies of the Angevin realm, turning a family dispute into…
4. Lionheart
Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, 1189–1192. Newly crowned Richard I leaves his kingdom to join the Third Crusade. His route takes him through Sicily and Cyprus before the siege of Acre, where competing rulers and crusader factions struggle over command, succession and the purpose of the…
5. A King’s Ransom
Europe, 1192–1199. Returning from the Third Crusade, Richard I is forced onto an overland route and captured by Leopold V of Austria. He is transferred to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, who demands an enormous ransom while Philip II of France and Richard’s brother John offer…