THE LAST PLANTAGENTS—A GREAT STORYTELLER’S MOST DAZZLING BESTSELLER Here is Thomas B. Costain’s most magnificent performance, rivaling even THE BLACK ROSE for color and drama. Here are history’s most spectacular Kings and Queens—and a brilliant new probing of the greatest mystery of all time, the death of the Princes in the Tower. “EXCITEMENT...ROMANCE...STRANGER THAN FICTION”—Saturday Review “COLORFUL AND LUSTY”—Christian Science Monitor “WILD, EXTRAVAGANT, BRILLIANT, COURAGEOUS, STIRRING”—San Francisco Examiner “Novelist as well as historian, Mr. Costain is especially interested in personalities and motives and character. He deals throughout with world figures who have kingdoms at stake...Here is an actual record of the heroism of the kings and queens of England and France, their villainies, their weaknesses, their loves and hates...”—Book-of-the-Month-Club News “No man alive writes popular history with greater understanding...what he cares about is the color, drama and pageantry...the personalities, triumphs and disasters...”—New York Times “The familiar Costain ‘touch’ with all its powers...is present here in abundance”—New Haven Register “Happily wedded in author Costain are a scholar’s integrity and the ability to endow history with brilliant colors”—San Francisco Examiner

Was Richard III of Shakespeare fame an evil hunchback? Did Richard III forcibly usurp the throne of England? What part did Richard III's Queen, Anne of Warwick, play in the assumption of the throne by Richard Plantagenet? Why did Richard III have his brother, the Duke of Clarence, drowned in a vat of wine? Did Richard III kill the princes in the tower? Why did Richard III make his fatal charge at Bosworth? These are some of the questions still being asked about the last Plantagenet King, Richard III, and answered in a unique historical novel, 'Desire the Kingdom' by Paula Simonds Zabka. Richard III, whose name is synonymous with villainy as depicted by Shakespeare, is presented in a different light. Holding to high principles of loyalty, he strives to support his king as he pursues his love for Anne. While confronting betrayals, insurrections and family strife, he continually fights his conscience after taking the throne, following the death of his brother and King, Edward IV. For Richard's Queen, Anne Neville, daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, life becomes one of survival. As she struggles in her love for Richard, she becomes caught up in the desire of others to claim the throne of England by treachery, deceit and murder in the war between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

Thomas B. Costain's four-volume history of the Plantagenets begins with THE CONQUERING FAMILY and the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, closing with the reign of John in 1216. The troubled period after the Norman Conquest, when the foundations of government were hammered out between monarch and people, comes to life through Costain's storytelling skill and historical imagination.

The New York Times bestseller, from the author of Powers and Thrones, that tells the story of Britain’s greatest and worst dynasty—“a real-life Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal) The first Plantagenet kings inherited a blood-soaked realm from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic narrative history of courage, treachery, ambition, and deception, Dan Jones resurrects the unruly royal dynasty that preceded the Tudors. They produced England’s best and worst kings: Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice a queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; their son Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and his conniving brother King John, who was forced to grant his people new rights under the Magna Carta, the basis for our own bill of rights. Combining the latest academic research with a gift for storytelling, Jones vividly recreates the great battles of Bannockburn, Crécy, and Sluys and reveals how the maligned kings Edward II and Richard II met their downfalls. This is the era of chivalry and the Black Death, the Knights Templar, the founding of parliament, and the Hundred Years’ War, when England’s national identity was forged by the sword.

Experience a riveting journey through the tumultuous reigns of three Edwards who shaped the destiny of England in 'The Three Edwards' by Thomas B. Costain in this history book. Delve into a narrative spanning the years from 1272 to 1377, a period of transformation and turmoil. Witness the rise of Edward I, a visionary king who propelled England into a new era. Uncover the tragic reign of Edward II, overshadowed by personal struggles and political unrest. Finally, bask in the glory and violence of Edward III's rule, as he leads England through triumph and war. Immerse yourself in the politics, wars, and captivating dramas of this pivotal era in British history.

A complete account of the rulers and politics of the Plantagenet reign.

The Magnificent Century, the second volume of Costain's A History of the Plantagenets, covers Henry III's long and turbulent reign, from 1216 to 1272. During his lifetime Henry was frequently unpopular, unreliable and inconsistent. Yet his reign saw spectacular advancement in the arts, sciences and theology, as well as in government. Despite all, it was truly a magnificent century. "Combines a love of the subject with factual history. . .a great story." —San Francisco Chronicle A History of the Plantagenets includes The Conquering Family, The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards and The Last Plantagenets.

The author of the New York Times bestseller The Plantagenets and The Templars chronicles the next chapter in British history—the historical backdrop for Game of Thrones The inspiration for the Channel 5 series Britain's Bloody Crown The crown of England changed hands five times over the course of the fifteenth century, as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. In this riveting follow-up to The Plantagenets, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest-reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. Some of the greatest heroes and villains of history were thrown together in these turbulent times, from Joan of Arc to Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt marked the high point of the medieval monarchy, and Richard III, who murdered his own nephews in a desperate bid to secure his stolen crown. This was a period when headstrong queens and consorts seized power and bent men to their will. With vivid descriptions of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was slain, this dramatic narrative history revels in bedlam and intrigue. It also offers a long-overdue corrective to Tudor propaganda, dismantling their self-serving account of what they called the Wars of the Roses.

Plantagenet is the name given to the English royal house descended from the union of Queen Matilda of England and her second husband Geoffrey of Anjou. The name derived from Geoffrey's nickname, which came from the sprig of broom (planta genet) which he wore in his hat. The Plantagenets ruled England for more than three hundred years, from the accession of reign of the dynasty's founder, Matilda and Geoffrey's son, Henry II, in 1154, to the death of the last Plantagenet, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain is a compelling, year-by-year chronology of a tumultuous and critical period in the development of the English nation. Each year is covered by a concise, informative and accessible narrative, amplified by extensive quotation from contemporary sources and accompanied by generously captioned and stunning images of the period-including illuminations, portraits, maps, royal seals, tapestries and other artifacts. Authoritative, informative and sumptuous, and compiled by a scholar who is steeped in knowledge of the period, The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain brings a critical era of English history dramatically and vividly to life. It is the perfect gift book for anyone with a love of, or fascination for, medieval English history.

This is the story of England's greatest royal dynasty. The Plantagenets ruled England through eight generations between 1154 and 1399, and produced some of the most famous - and infamous - kings this country has ever seen.