This study sheds light on the brave men who fought with Simon de Montfort in the 13th century English civil war—and continued the fight after his death.The Montfortian civil wars lasted from 1259 until 1267. The death of Simon de Montfort at the 1265 Battle of Evesham ought to have ended the conflict. But when Henry III disinherited all the surviving Montfortians, the war was prolonged for another two years. The redistribution of estates occurred on a massive scale,...

The late 13th century witnessed the conquest of Wales after two hundred years of conflict between Welsh princes and the English crown. In 1282 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the only native Prince of Wales to be formally acknowledged by a King of England, was slain by English forces. His brother Dafydd continued the fight, but was eventually captured and executed. Further revolts followed under Rhys ap Maredudd, a former crown ally, and Madog ap Llywelyn, a kinsman of the defeated lords of Gwynedd....

He was the bastard son of King Richard the Lionheart—abandoned, forgotten… and ready to take his revenge.AD 1200. As kingdoms crumble and the embers of war smoulder across Christendom, Philip of Cognac emerges from the shadows. Raised in exile and denied his birthright, he is thrust into a brutal world of blood and betrayal, where kings fall, empires clash, and loyalty can be fatal.From the war-torn fields of Normandy to the imperi...

The Anglo-French war of 1294-1303 has not been the subject of a major study since the early 1900s. Recent histories tend to treat it as a sideshow compared to Edward I’s wars in Wales and Scotland, which gives a false impression. In reality the Welsh and Scottish campaigns were distractions, and Edward regarded the war against France as his main focus. The main issue at stake was the defence and recovery of Aquitaine, the last substantial piece of the so-called ‘Angevin empire’. To that en...

“William came over the sea, with bloody hand came he...”1069 AD. Three years after the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy had yet to crush resistance in England. To the north, the people of the Danelaw refused to bow to the Norman yoke. In the east, the famous Hereward waged savage resistance in the fens of Lindsey. Meanwhile the sons of Harold Godwinnsson, backed by a Viking fleet, planned to return and avenge their father.The tale of this bloody and brutal time is wr...

The first book in the Folville's Law series follows the adventures of Sir John Swale, knight of Cumberland, as he investigates a murder that threatens to bring disaster to Edward's failing kingdom. Along the way he clashes with Eustace Folville and James Coterel, two of the most notorious and brutal outlaws in England. As the death toll mounts, it remains to be seen who will survive and who will perish in the savage game of war and politics. 'Folville's Law (I): Invasion' is a new edition ...

'If Jesus Christ was amongst them, they would deceive him....'AD 1569. The March lands between England and Scotland are a place of terror, where outlaw bands and broken men rob, pillage, and murder in open defiance of the law. Here, deadly blood-feud is a way of life. Families of robbers, known as Border Reivers, live via blackmail and terrorism. No man sleeps safe in his bed, and the sound of hoof beats on the tops is a herald of death.Richie Reade, known as Richie O'the B...

“[A]n excellent book...” —The EconomistFinancial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling's Bending Adversity captures the dyn...

A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growthWe live in a society in which a priesthood of economists, wielding impenetrable mathematical formulas, set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decidehow much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out prof...

With contributions by: William Boyd, Candice Carty-Williams, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Robert Macfarlane, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina Nayeri, Chigozie Obioma, Michael Ondaatje, David Pilling, Max Porter, Philip Pullman, Alice Pung, Jancis Robinson, S.F.Said, Madeleine Thien, Salley Vickers, John Wood and Markus Zusak***'This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift. The gift, like so many gifts, was a book...'*...

Longsword V: The King’s Rebels is the latest historical adventure audiobook by David Pilling, author of Reiver, Soldier of Fortune, Caesar’s Sword and many more novels and short stories.Prince Llywelyn of Wales refuses to swear loyalty to the king, Edward I. To defy the might of the English crown, Llywelyn will need allies. He looks to the west, to Ireland, where the ambitious Clan MacMurrough have set up their chieftain as High King. Together, the Welsh and Irish leaders plan to d...

1296 AD: the whole of Western Europe trembles on the brink of war. South of the Pyrenees, the Christian and Moorish kingdoms fight and scheme against each for control of Hispania. To the north, the rival kings of England and France feverishly enlist allies as they battle for supremacy on the Continent. Even as the armies clash, spies and double agents fight their own bloody war in the shadows.From the safety of old age, En Pascal of Valencia recalls his own exploits in this brutal ...