Sceptred Isle
A new history of the fourteenth century
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cornerstone
Publishing:29th May '25
£25.00
This title is due to be published on 29th May, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
'A sparkling popular history'
Dan Jones
'Helen Carr is one of the most talented and compelling historians of her generation'
Sathnam Sanghera
THE TIMES BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2025
The death of Edward I in 1307 marked the beginning of a period of intense turmoil and change in England. The fourteenth century ushered in the beginning of the bloody Hundred Years’ War with France, an epic conflict with Scotland that would last into the sixteenth century, famine in Northern Europe and the largest human catastrophe in known history, the Black Death.
Through the epic drama of regicide, war, the prolonged spectre of bubonic plague, religious antagonism, revolt and the end of a royal dynasty, this book tells the story of the fourteenth century via the lives of Edward II, Edward III and Richard II – three very different monarchs, each with their own egos and ambitions, each with their own ideas about England and what it meant to wield power.
Alongside the lives of the last Plantagenets, it also uncovers lesser-known voices and untold stories to give a new portrait of a fractured monarchy, the birth of the struggle between Europeanism and nationalism, social rebellion and a global pandemic.
Sceptred Isle is a thrilling narrative account of a century of revolution, shifting power and great change – social, political and cultural – shedding new light on a pivotal period of English history and the people who lived it.
In this vivid, finely researched book, Helen Carr takes us deep into England’s deadly fourteenth century and finds life and human colour. This is a sparkling popular history which brings the Middle Ages most terrible century to life for a new generation. * Dan Jones *
I didn't want to do anything but read this book for a fortnight. Helen Carr is one of the most talented and compelling historians of her generation * Sathnam Sanghera *
Helen Carr is one of our foremost historians and we are so lucky to have her explaining how we got here * Elizabeth Day *
In this stunningly evocative, immensely enjoyable history of the fourteenth century, Carr proves equally adept at centring women’s experiences as writing battles. * Suzannah Lipscomb, author of A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England *
Carr offers an engrossing, compelling guide to the fourteenth century - the great Plantagenet supernova - and I devoured it like a hungry heraldic leopard * Amy Jeffs, author of Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain *
An epic new history of some of the most dramatic decades in England’s past. This book is a triumph - a thrilling narrative history, guided by the expertise of one of our leading historians. Essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the remarkable world of our medieval ancestors * Alice Loxton *
A fast-paced tour of the reigns of three very different Plantagenet kings, full of chivalrous knights, canny queens, plotting earls and gossipy chroniclers. Conjures all the drama and intrigue of this seismic century of English political history * Seb Falk, author of The Light Ages *
Enlivened by vivid descriptions and enriched by appreciating the human factor in events, Sceptred Isle gives a clear and compelling account of a tumultuous period. * David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History, King's College London *
One of the most exciting new voices in narrative history * Dan Jones on The Red Prince *
Superb, gripping and fascinating, here is John of Gaunt and a cast of kings, killers and queens brought blazingly, sensitively and swashbucklingly to life. An outstanding debut * Simon Sebag Montefiore on The Red Prince *
ISBN: 9781529151657
Dimensions: 240mm x 156mm x 40mm
Weight: 750g
464 pages