1. English Knight
In a land teetering on the edge of chaos, the crown of England hangs by a thread. With the tragic loss of his only son, King Henry faces not only the devastating grief of a father but the relentless ambition of the predators who seek to…
2. Knight of the Empress
Alfraed of Norton is ordered to escort the Empress Matilda safely back to her husband, Emperor Henry V, across a Europe divided by dynastic rivalry and local ambition. The journey places a small escort against bandits, hostile nobles and men who would gain influence by controlling…
3. Northern Knight
As Emperor Henry V approaches death, his wife Matilda becomes vulnerable to nobles who see control of the empress as a route to imperial influence. Her father, Henry I of England, sends Alfraed of Norton and a small company to bring her safely home before rival…
4. Baron of the North
With the Empress Matilda about to marry the Count of Anjou, Alfraed is thrown into a world of intrigue and treachery as he tries to hold on to the north with depleted numbers of warriors. When he succeeds he finds that he is punished and sent…
5. Earl
Alfraed has become Earl of Cleveland, but rank brings obligations that are more dangerous than the fighting that earned it. Plots against Henry I threaten the kingdom from Scotland, Wales and across the Channel, while rival nobles test whether the new earl can defend his lands…
6. 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,…
7. The King Is Dead
As Henry I’s reign approaches its end, Alfraed, Earl of Cleveland, faces a succession of plots aimed at England and Normandy. Threatened invasions and assassination attempts force him to move between Scotland, England and the duchy, trying to protect a political settlement that depends heavily on…
8. Warlord of the North
After Henry I dies, Stephen of Blois seizes the English throne and the succession crisis spreads rapidly into northern England and Normandy. Alfraed, Earl of Cleveland, returns to support the claims of Henry’s heirs, only to find the north threatened by King David of Scotland while…
9. Enemy at the Gate
While England is weakened by civil war, King David of Scotland invades the north and threatens territory that has already suffered from years of divided allegiance. Local lords who disagree over Stephen and the Empress must decide whether their quarrel matters more than resisting an army…
10. The Fallen Crown
The Empress Matilda’s cause gains strength as her supporters press King Stephen from several directions. The Warlord of the North rides south to aid the Earl of Gloucester in what appears to be an opportunity to break Stephen’s position, but unreliable barons and changing allegiances make…
11. Warlord’s War
Stephen’s capture appears to have delivered victory to the Empress Matilda, but the advantage collapses while the Earl of Cleveland is in Normandy. Her forces are defeated, Robert of Gloucester is taken prisoner and the succession war returns to uncertainty. The Earl must cross back into…
12. Kingmaker
The death of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, removes the Empress Matilda’s most important military supporter and makes Stephen’s victory in the Anarchy appear increasingly likely. Matilda returns to Normandy, while the Warlord of the North takes responsibility for the young Prince Henry and begins preparing him…
13. Henry II
Years of civil war have failed to settle England’s succession, and the Warlord of the North joins the young Henry, Duke of Normandy, in a strategy intended to break Stephen’s remaining hold on the kingdom. Henry’s cause is threatened not only by the king but by…
14. Crusader
William of Stockton travels to the Holy Land to perform penance, leaving the familiar politics of England for a region where Christian lords, Muslim powers and competing military orders pursue their own interests. The journey forces him to discover that a knight’s cross or title does…
15. The Welsh Marches
The civil war has ended and Henry II rules a wide Angevin realm, but peace proves temporary. Scottish raiders strike northern England for cattle and captives, forcing William of Stockton, newly returned from crusading, to confront violence close to home rather than the distant enemies he…
16. Irish War
Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, crosses to Ireland with a small but experienced force after being invited into the dynastic struggle for Leinster. Assisted by the Warlord and several hundred knights, he turns an initially limited intervention into the seizure of territory and the creation…
17. Poisonous Plots
Henry II’s decision to make Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury creates a political problem when the former royal servant begins defending ecclesiastical independence against the king. Their quarrel deepens at the same time as Louis VII of France encourages opposition to Henry’s wider Angevin power. The…
18. The Princes’ Revolt
England, 1173–1174. Henry II’s decision to crown his eldest surviving son during his own lifetime has failed to secure the succession. The Young King joins his brothers and powerful continental allies in rebellion, forcing Henry to defend an empire stretching from England deep into France. The…
19. Earl Marshal
The Warlord has survived decades of war and service, but age does not release him from Henry II’s demands. He is sent to help secure a marriage between the king’s half-sister and a Welsh prince, a diplomatic mission intended to strengthen relations on a border where…
20. The Perfect Knight
Sir Samuel of Stockton has inherited a family reputation for service to the English crown, but honour becomes difficult to define when Henry II and his sons turn against one another. A knight who has sworn loyalty to the king must also consider the future ruler,…