The Stain of Treason

The Angevin Empire has been claimed by a new king. Richard, the elder surviving legitimate son of King Henry II of England, is universally accepted as his father’s successor. However, Richard is not as interested in remaining in Europe to rule his inherited lands as in acquiring the money and means to travel to the middle east, where he intends to prosecute a war against those who threaten the Christians there. His younger brother John, still distressed at the death of the old king, wants desperately to find the opportunity to pay the new king back for the bitter conflict Richard had waged against their father. Helpless without a sound base of power, John is forced to accept some sort of reconciliation with his elder brother, but the temptation and scope for rebellion rises as Richard’s absence continues. Just how much trouble can John cause, and what will be its ultimate cost to him? This historical novel is set in the medieval period, and it tells the story of Prince John during the reign of King Richard I. It is the second in the trilogy ‘John Plantagenet’.