The William Marshal

The William Marshal trilogy fictionalises the life of the celebrated knight and regent from his childhood during the Anarchy to his final defence of the young Henry III. It follows Marshal through tournaments, service to Henry II and Richard I, the Third Crusade, King John’s loss of Normandy and the crisis surrounding Magna Carta.

The novels combine biographical fiction with dynastic and military history. Marshal’s reputation rests on loyalty and martial skill, yet the sequence repeatedly tests what loyalty means when kings fail, heirs rebel and the survival of the realm depends upon an ageing soldier balancing oath, family and political necessity.