Added by 1 member
"A thrilling story, of knights and archers, courage and teachery - culminating in the great set-piece of Poitiers." Richard Foreman.
1355.
Sir Thomas Holland, a Lancastrian archer and knight who fought in the Black Prince’s vanguard at Crecy, has earned his king’s displeasure. Holland married Edward III’s young ward, Joan Plantagenet, the Fair Maid of Kent, without seeking her guardian’s permission.
As punishment, Edward withholds the fortune Holland looted during the campaign in France. The knight recklessly counters by plundering the royal treasury at Westminster. To avoid probable execution, he flees to Flanders.
But the soldier cannot escape his troubles. A French bishop, vengeful over insults and the theft of his horses, seeks Thomas’ death in a snakepit. The archer escapes, to learn that his bride has been forcibly married to the powerful Earl of Salisbury, who also wants him dead.
Desperate, Holland travels across enemy France to petition the Pope at Avignon. If he can offer sufficient gold as a bribe, the Pope may declare his bride’s second marriage invalid.
To gather funds, Thomas joins Edward’s son, the Black Prince, on raids that create havoc across France. But disaster looms when the outnumbered English are unable to combine their forces and the longbowmen are trapped alone by a vast French army.
At a place called Poitiers.
Paul Bannister is a journalist and author. He has written for national newspapers in Britain and America, covering assignments in about 40 countries. He is also the author of the Forgotten Emperor and Crusader series, as well as the bestseller Storm of Arrows.
Praise for Paul Bannister:
'A fantastic insight into Roman life.' Tom Kasey
‘I enjoyed A Fragile Peace for several reasons: its ability to bring this historical period alive in all its splendour and brutality, its pace and its successful handling of the first person narrative.’ Helen McCabe
Genre: Historical
1355.
Sir Thomas Holland, a Lancastrian archer and knight who fought in the Black Prince’s vanguard at Crecy, has earned his king’s displeasure. Holland married Edward III’s young ward, Joan Plantagenet, the Fair Maid of Kent, without seeking her guardian’s permission.
As punishment, Edward withholds the fortune Holland looted during the campaign in France. The knight recklessly counters by plundering the royal treasury at Westminster. To avoid probable execution, he flees to Flanders.
But the soldier cannot escape his troubles. A French bishop, vengeful over insults and the theft of his horses, seeks Thomas’ death in a snakepit. The archer escapes, to learn that his bride has been forcibly married to the powerful Earl of Salisbury, who also wants him dead.
Desperate, Holland travels across enemy France to petition the Pope at Avignon. If he can offer sufficient gold as a bribe, the Pope may declare his bride’s second marriage invalid.
To gather funds, Thomas joins Edward’s son, the Black Prince, on raids that create havoc across France. But disaster looms when the outnumbered English are unable to combine their forces and the longbowmen are trapped alone by a vast French army.
At a place called Poitiers.
Paul Bannister is a journalist and author. He has written for national newspapers in Britain and America, covering assignments in about 40 countries. He is also the author of the Forgotten Emperor and Crusader series, as well as the bestseller Storm of Arrows.
Praise for Paul Bannister:
'A fantastic insight into Roman life.' Tom Kasey
‘I enjoyed A Fragile Peace for several reasons: its ability to bring this historical period alive in all its splendour and brutality, its pace and its successful handling of the first person narrative.’ Helen McCabe
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"A thrilling story, of knights and archers, courage and treachery-culminating in the great set-piece of Poiters." - Richard Foreman
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Paul Bannister's Havoc