Demon's Brood

The Plantagenets reigned over England longer than any other family - from Henry II, to Richard III. Four kings were murdered, two came close to deposition and another was killed in a battle by rebels. Shakespeare wrote plays about six of them, further entrenching them in the National Myth.

Based on major contemporary sources and recent research, acclaimed historian Desmond Seward provides the first readable overview of the whole extraordinary dynasty, in one volume.

“Praise for The Last White Rose: History as compelling as any novel. - IndependentThis is a big ballsy history of the sort that is seldom written in these nuanced days, and Seward reminds us of a style that has been all-but lost in this thundering account of the Plantagenet family from 999 when Count Fulk burnt his young wife in her wedding dress, through 500 years to the man he calls the suicide king , Richard III Best of all, and typical of this vivid opinionated history, is the postscript at the end of every reign when the author who has not minced his words in the previous chapter gives a magisterial summing up of the progress so far . The general reader will find this book invaluable for filling in gaps of knowledge and putting a vivid story to a previously unknown monarch It is a dramatic and page-turning history taking in the loss of the Norman inheritance, and then the shifting ownership of the English lands in France during the Hundred Years War. Seward s description of the battle of Agincourt is particularly vivid this is the medieval world populated with heroes and seductresses, gods and murderers and few know it better than Desmond Seward - The Times”

Praise for The Last White Rose:

History as compelling as any novel. - Independent

This is a big ballsy history of the sort that is seldom written in these nuanced days, and Seward reminds us of a style that has been all-but lost in this thundering account of the Plantagenet family from 999 when Count Fulk burnt his young wife in her wedding dress, through 500 years to the man he calls the suicide king , Richard III Best of all, and typical of this vivid opinionated history, is the postscript at the end of every reign when the author who has not minced his words in the previous chapter gives a magisterial summing up of the progress so far . The general reader will find this book invaluable for filling in gaps of knowledge and putting a vivid story to a previously unknown monarch It is a dramatic and page-turning history taking in the loss of the Norman inheritance, and then the shifting ownership of the English lands in France during the Hundred Years War. Seward s description of the battle of Agincourt is particularly vivid this is the medieval world populated with heroes and seductresses, gods and murderers and few know it better than Desmond Seward - The Times

Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at St Catherine's College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous studies and biographies.

'We come from the Devil and we'll end by going to the Devil.' Richard the Lionheart The extraordinary Plantagenet dynasty, who reigned over England from the accession of Henry II in 1154 until Richard III's death at Bosworth in 1485, included some of the most magnificent kings ever to rule England - and also some of the most unworthy. During their time on the throne, they hammered out what became our nation, presided over the fusion of French-speaking colonists and conquered Anglo-Saxons into one race, and oversaw the emergence of the Common Law and parliamentary government. But the bloody rebellions and bitter family rivalries often had terrifying consequences. . . In this single volume, acclaimed historian Desmond Seward brings each one of the Plantagenets to vivid life, recreating the dramatic history of medieval England. Drawing on the major chronicles of the period and on the latest research, he offers fresh perspectives and delivers an easily accessible account of the longest reigning dynasty in English history.

The Plantagenets reigned over England longer than any other family - from Henry II, to Richard III. Four kings were murdered, two came close to deposition and another was killed in a battle by rebels. Shakespeare wrote plays about six of them, further entrenching them in the National Myth.Based on major contemporary sources and recent research, acclaimed historian Desmond Seward provides the first readable overview of the whole extraordinary dynasty, in one volume.

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