Aethelred II of England, known to history as Aethelred the Unready, is considered to be one of our most hopeless monarchs. For a thousand years he has had a reputation for failure that is perhaps only outdone by Bad King John. Yet Aethelred was the longest reigning Anglo-Saxon king, reigning for a total of thirty-eight years. Is it possible that a man who was so incompetent could survive for so long in a world where failure was usually dealt with at the end of a sword? Why did the English tolerate him for so long? And is his reputation deserved?

Assassins and Templars by Dr Steve Tibble is a panoramic history of two legendary organisations who appeared, grew and then faded away in a remarkably parallel way. So often these two groups are presented as foils to one another, in some ways defined by their mutual enmity, and yet Tibble’s book is all the more interesting because it focusses on their similarities rather than their opposition to one another.

Byrhtnoth turned back to the Danes. ‘We will give you tribute,’ he shouted, his voice booming across the shimmering water. ‘You can have the tribute of our spears and the poisonous points of our ancient swords!’

A few men amongst the English ranks laughed at that. Maccus recognised the words of a scop who had performed in Byrhtnoth’s hall when they had feasted midsummer. He smiled at the memory.  But most of the English stayed silent. Byrhtnoth’s answer meant that all hope of avoiding a battle was gone. They gripped tight to the shafts of their spears as they waited for the Danish reply.

In the year 991, England stands on the brink.

When Ealdorman Byrhtnoth faces a Danish army at Maldon, courage and treachery collide in a battle that will echo across the kingdom. Amid the chaos, the warrior Maccus is ordered from the field to save a wounded boy - an act of mercy that will cost him everything. Branded a coward by the scheming thegn Godric, Maccus is declared an outlaw and hunted by his own people.

The Reckoning is the final installment of Paul Bernardi’s Rebellion trilogy. The three books are set in the years following the Norman Conquest and offer a fascinating insight into this turbulent period. These years are often overlooked, with the Norman Conquest usually presented as the result of a single battle – the Battle of Hastings – after which William of Normandy assumes control of England. The Rebellion trilogy allows Bernardi to explore the reality of post-conquest England, a country that was rocked by violent rebellion for years after 1066.

Nearly a millennium after his death, Harold’s reputation still bears the stains that were first put on it by Norman propagandists following the conquest. But, if Harold’s army had lasted an hour more at Hastings, he might have been one of our most celebrated national heroes – the king who saved England twice in under three weeks.

By 1095 the Byzantine Empire was in a desperate state. Decades of political intrigue and civil war had drastically weakened its institutions and drained its coffers. For many years it had also been assailed from all sides by Pecheneg tribes, Norman adventurers and, most particularly, Turkish armies. By this point, the Islamic Turks had taken much of the land that had been part of the empire including the region known as the Holy Land that included the holy cities of Antioch and Jerusalem.

It was at this moment, in June of 1098, that a little-known preacher named Peter Bartholomew approached Raymond of Toulouse, one of the most senior leaders of the crusade. Peter declared that Saint Andrew had come to him in a series of visions and had revealed to him the location of the Holy Lance – the lance that had pierced Jesus Christ’s side on the cross. Peter announced that the lance was buried somewhere within Antioch.

1096.

Byzantium is on its knees. Devastated by years of political intrigue and civil war, it is only a matter of time before the capital falls to the Turks.

In desperation, Emperor Alexios calls to the Pope in the West for help. Expecting a force of mercenaries, instead he receives a vast host of warrior pilgrims who are fired by the religious zeal of the First Crusade. The horde is led by ambitious, European nobleman who are driven by the desire to make kingdoms of their own in the East.

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