French Medieval

The most famous date in history is 1066, and with good reason, since no battle in medieval history had such a devastating effect on its losers as the Battle of Hastings, which altered the entire course of English history.

The Court of François I is full of lust, intrigue, and bawdy bon temps—a different world from the quiet country life Diane de Poitiers led with her elderly husband. Now a widow, the elegant Diane is called back to Court, where the King's obvious interest marks her as an enemy to the King's favorite, Anne d'Heilly. The Court is soon electrified by rumors of their confrontations. As Anne calls on her most venomous tricks to drive Diane away, Diane finds an ally in the one member of Court with no allegiance to the King's mistress: his teenage second son, Henri.

When the Hussite leaders entrust Reynevan with a dangerous secret mission, he is forced to come out of hiding in Bohmeia and depart for Silesia. At the same time, he strives to avenge the death of his brother and discover the whereabouts of his beloved. Once again pursued by multiple enemies, he must contend with danger on every front.

On a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer - and one of history's first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

Paris, 1393. Recent widow Christine de Pizan became a scribe to support her family, but when she is called to the palace to work, she dreads going. There, everyone fears the king's attacks of unreason and they believe the charlatans who claim they can cure him with vile potions. But when a mysterious book of magic leaves a trail of real murdered bodies in its wake, Christine has more than black magic to worry about. Then one of the king's favorites, Hugues de Precy, is found murdered and his wife Alix de Clairy is blamed.

Betrayed, defeated, defiant. Edgar Atheling has been betrayed by his allies and defeated in his attempt to win back the throne of England from William the Conqueror. The Normans hunted for him across the north of England, devastating the land in the process. He only just escaped to the sanctuary of the King of the Scots. Once there he is tempted to give up the fight. But there are still some in England who resist the Normans. Edgar decides to return home to lead the battle. He allies himself with the King of the Danes and Hereward the Wake and stakes all on a gamble to win back his ...

England 1066. The Battle of Hastings is over. The Battle for England is about to begin. King Harold and most of England’s warriors lie dead on the battle-field and William, Duke of Normandy is marching towards London. Refusing to surrender, the English leaders turn to the one person they believe can unite the kingdom against the invaders. Edgar Atheling, the last surviving descendent of Alfred the Great, is proclaimed King of England. He is only thirteen years of age. Edgar leads an English army to meet William in battle. But when they see the strength of the Normans his advisers desert ...

Embark on an enthralling journey through the heart of Medieval England in this captivating exploration of one of history's most dynamic periods. Delve into the lives of kings and queens, knights and peasants, as the story of England unfolds against the backdrop of feudalism, chivalry, and religious upheaval. Experience the turbulence of the Magna Carta, the devastation of the Black Death, and the intrigue of the Wars of the Roses, all of which shaped the destiny of England.

She turned down Henry Tudor. But would she be allowed to marry the man she loved? In 1509 Marguerite d’Angoulême of the royal House of Valois is the King of France’s most valuable unmarried asset. Gaston de Foix is France’s most promising young knight, eager to prove himself on the King’s Italian campaigns. Fanned by chivalric ideals of courtly love, Marguerite and Gaston burn for each other with a secret flame. When Gaston learns that the King intends to marry Marguerite to the Armagnac heir, he is heartbroken. Louis XII needs Armagnac lands for the crown of France. What better ...

Paris, 1393. A masquerade ball at the palace ends in tragedy, with four revelers burned to death. Was it an accident...or did someone deliberately hurl a flaming torch at the dancers? Convinced it was an act of murder and that the king himself was the real target, Queen Isabeau has asked Christine de Pizan to spend time at court in an attempt to uncover the identity of the would-be assassin.

‘Small, very talkative, ready enough to do evil, shrewd and jocular, extremely cruel and daring.’ Orderic Vitalis on Mabel de Belleme. Mabel is the daughter of William de Belleme, known as Talvas, the Hard Shield, for his fierceness in battle…and at home. When William murders Mabel’s mother, he is expelled from his castle into exile—but Mabel follows him loyally, despite what he has done. As the Belleme fortunes gradually return, Mabel is married to an upstanding young lord, Roger de Montgomery, a close friend of the new Duke of Normandy—William, who will one day become the ...

The millennium between the breakup of the western Roman Empire and the Reformation was a long and hugely transformative period - one not easily chronicled within a single book. Yet distinguished historian Chris Wickham has taken up the challenge in this landmark book, and he succeeds in producing the most riveting account of medieval Europe in a generation.

The Norman conquerors are tightening their grip upon England. Only one person stands in the way of their final triumph. Edgar Atheling continues to battle for his lost throne, doggedly refusing to bend the knee. Having survived an attempt upon his life he now prepares to journey south to continue the conflict against the Norman heartlands. Yet when his fleet is shipwrecked and his friends are captured by the Normans he faces a desperate decision. He finally submits to William and returns to England where he is given a derisory amount of land and wealth. Despite this he decides not to ...

Reynevan begins by hiding away in Bohemia but soon leaves for Silesia, where he carries out dangerous secret missions entrusted to him by the leaders of the Hussite religion. At the same time, he strives to avenge the death of his brother and discover the whereabouts of his beloved. Once again pursued by multiple enemies, Reynevan is constantly getting into and out of trouble.

Préface de G.R.R. Martin, lue par Lemmy Constantine. Les Rois maudits, célèbre fresque historique en sept volumes, font revivre le XIVe siècle, entre le procès des Templiers et les débuts de la guerre de Cent Ans. Traduits dans le monde entier, "Les Rois maudits" ont remporté un succès exceptionnel et sont considérés comme un des modèles contemporains du roman historique. "Le Roi de fer", premier volume du cycle, a pour figure centrale Philippe IV le Bel, roi d'une beauté légendaire qui règne sur la France en maître absolu.

One of the great epics of Europe's history, the story of the rise and rise of the Capetian dynasty, dominates the Middle Ages. Starting in the tenth century from an insecure foothold around Paris, the Capetians built a nation that stretched from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and from the Rhône to the Pyrenees. They founded practices and institutions that endured until the Revolution, transformed Paris from a muddy backwater to a splendid metropole, and popularized the fleur-de-lys, the lily, as the emblem of France.

Elen Burnard is determined to reclaim the land that was stolen from her family one hundred years ago by the Forrests of Rancoff Castle. When her sister is kidnapped by her adversary's brother, Lady Dunblane leads her men in heated pursuit—bringing home as her prize the Lord of Rancoff himself. Now all that remains is to barter Forrest Munro's life for her sister's safe return. But first she must overcome her unexpected emotions. Desire stirs Elen's virgin heart as she feels the heat of him.

In How Heretics Dismantled the Medieval Catholic Patriarchal Family Unit to Usher in Modern Secularism explores the profound transformations that reshaped marriage, family, and societal structures from the medieval period to modern secularism. This meticulously researched book delves into how pivotal events such as the Reformation and the French Revolution dismantled the Christian foundations of marriage and family life, paving the way for contemporary secular authority.

A light and entertaining cozy mystery. After five months of renovation, the Château d’Orvilly is finally ready for its grand opening as a boutique hotel. The inauguration promises to be busy: all the rooms are booked, and French movie stars are getting married in the castle, adding excitement to the event. All is going as planned until the bride is found murdered before she can say “I do”. With demanding guests, eccentric fans, nosy reporters, and a mysterious murder, Amanda and her staff have their hands full. In the middle of this chaos, can Amanda figure out who directed the ...

In prose as crystalline as his view to the Pyrenees on a clear day, Allman animates Lauzerte and its surrounding communities—Cahors, Moissac, Montauban—all ever in thrall to the magnetic impulse of Paris. Witness to so many dramas over the centuries, his house comes alive as a historical protagonist in its own right, from its wine-cellar cave to the roof where he wages futile battle with pigeons, to the life lessons it conveys. “The onward march of history, my House keeps demonstrating, never takes a rest,” he observes, pulling us vividly into his world.