Marguerite, la hija mayor del conde de Provenza, se había casado con un rey de Francia, y ahora su hermana Eleanor está decidida a hacer una boda igual de grandiosa. La buena fortuna y la astucia le traen a Enrique de Inglaterra. Un esposo bueno y generoso pero un rey débil, gobierna una nación que aún recuerda a su padre cruel y tonto, el rey Juan. Mientras Enrique colma de regalos a su nueva esposa, su extravagancia lo obliga a imponer impuestos cada vez mayores sobre la tierra, y el espectro de la revuelta pronto se cierne sobre él. Para Simón de Montfort, el aventurero que dará a Inglaterra su primer verdadero parlamento, la casa del destino está al alcance de su mano.

Esta gloriosa novela narra la vida de Guillermo el Conquistador, el hijo bastardo del duque de Normandía, desde su infancia hasta su muerte en el año 1087.

This novel based on King William I of England, aka William the Bastard, aka William Duke of Normandy, aka William the Conqueror, had me hooked from start to finish.

Ms Plaidy opens the tale before William’s birth, showing how his parents met and why he was destined to be baseborn. I’m glad the author did this, as I knew nothing of these earlier events.

I love the way we get to see William grow up, evolve into one of the all-time great generals, and see him right through to his death. Despite some of the harsh – or even horrific – actions he undertook or ordered, I found him likeable.

Along with William himself, I especially liked the author’s portrayal of the “bastard’s” parents and of his wife, Matilda of Flanders.

It’s hard to review this book for anything else specific because I found it to be a continual flow of engaging narrative. Thus, the best thing I can recommend to anyone considering reading it, is to read it.

A regal read. ( )

A great piece of historical fiction, Plaidy takes readers through the childhood and rise to power of William the Conqueror. This book is a masterful mix of history and characterization of one of England's great rulers. ( )

I enjoyed this novel; I wasn't terribly impressed with the writing, perhaps the age of the novel (c1974) has something to do that, but I found the story of William and Matilda to be interesting. The novel expanded my knowledge of this era of English history and I definitely plan to read more. ( )