Books like Bloodfeud by Richard Fletcher

A historical novel set in the 12th century, focusing on the building of a cathedral and the surrounding community's fortunes amidst historical events of the time.

A sweeping saga set in ninth‑century England, following Uhtred of Bebbanburg as he shifts between Viking and Saxon loyalties while King Alfred the Great battles the Scythe‑touched invaders.

Arthur, guardian of an infant heir, must unite a fractured Britain and repel Saxon invasions while navigating political intrigue and a doomed romance.

A historical fiction recounting the 480 BC Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans faced the Persian army led by King Xerxes, exploring the themes of courage, honor, and the enduring human spirit.

In the Elizabethan‑age setting of England’s Wars of the Roses, Philippa Gregory chronicles the rise of Elizabeth Woodville from lady-in-waiting to queen, exposing the political intrigue and personal turmoil that shaped the era.

In this comprehensive, meticulously researched new book, renowned litigator Bertram Fields goes back more than 500 years to offer a compelling look at the case of Richard III. Applying the same modern techniques he successfully uses in the courtroom, Fields outlines and evaluates the arguments on both sides, weighs the evidence, and offers the definitive truth about this extraordinary man. Fields examines the earliest biographers of Richard, exposing the political, cultural, and geographical biases inherent in their portrayals and reveals how much "fact" was actually gossip and disinformation, including that given the world by More and Shakespeare. He sets the stage for the coming drama with a lucid and colorful picture of the War of the Roses, the long struggle between the houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose), that put Richard's family on the throne. He vividly brings to life the key players, including the weak but saintly Henry VI, used and deceived by everyone, including his rapacious queen; the womanizing soldier-king Edward IV, bribed into inaction by the French king's gold; his conniving wife, Elizabeth Woodville; the charming but treacherous brother Clarence; Richard's loyal wife, Anne Neville, kidnapped and hidden away as a kitchen maid; and Henry Tudor, the exile with virtually no legitimate claim to rule, who schemed at Richard's betrayal and replaced him on the throne. Setting them against the rich tapestry of the period, the author conveys a fresh and insightful view of the many players in this royal drama and analyzes their motives and machinations as they vie for the power of the crown. Clearing away the dust of time, Royal Blood attempts to answer the intriguing questions inherent in the drama: Was Edward IV's marriage truly legal? Were his sons, Edward, Prince of Wales, and Richard, Duke of York illegitimate? What role did Richard play -- or not -- in his brother Clarence's death? Were the bones found in the Tower of London those of the young princes? Was there even a murder -- were the boys instead removed from the Tower and raised in secrecy? And if they were cold-bloodedly killed who else would have wanted them dead? The neurotic, mercurial Buckingham? Henry VII himself? Royal Blood ends with a stunning reenvisioning of British and world history: what if Richard had never accepted the crown? What if he had instead insisted his young nephew reign as Edward V? How would our lives be changed? - Jacket flap.

"Focusing on the Frankish realm between the eighth and twelfth centuries, Constance Brittain Bouchard outlines the operative definitions of "family" in this period when there existed various and flexible ways by which individuals were or were not incorporated into the family group. Even in medieval patriarchal society, women of the aristocracy, considered outsiders by their husbands and their husbands' siblings and elders, were never completely marginalized; paradoxically they represented the very essence of "family" to their male children. Bouchard also engages in the ongoing scholarly debate about the nobility around the year 1000, arguing that there was no clear point of transition from amorphous family units to agnatically structured kindred. Instead, she points out that great noble families always privileged the male line of descent, even if most did not establish father-son inheritance until the eleventh or twelfth century. Those of My Blood clarifies the complex meanings of medieval family structure and family consciousness and shows the many ways negotiations of power within the noble family can help explain early medieval politics."--BOOK JACKET.

This riveting combination of true crime and social history examines a dozen cases from the 1800s involving thirteen French and English women charged with murder. Each incident was a cause célèbre, and this mixture of scandal and scholarship offers illuminating details of backgrounds, deeds, and trials.

A concise, engaging retelling of Norse myths for young readers, preceded by a detailed introduction.

When a young English boy is sold into slavery by the Northmen, he is thrust into a bloody feud that carries him from the Viking homeland to the heart of Constantinople, where he discovers an entirely new culture.