Description

‘A dazzling tour de force of epic royal history: a compulsive, unputdownable real-life thriller, a gripping portrait of ruthless power politics, and a study of British tyranny … written with the delicacy and elegance of one of Britain’s most brilliant historians at the top of her game’ Simon Sebag-Montefiore

Phenomenal historian Helen Castor’s masterful plume plunges us into the depths of machination and the abyss of tragedy. This is a masterpiece that leaves the reader both satiated and breathless – Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans

If ever a book of history was blessed with contemporary relevance, this one is. The dumbfounding, delusional, narcissistic King Richard; the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV, dogged all the way by notions of illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today’s headlines. The book’s great achievement is in the storytelling – the unfolding drama, the secrets of power and ambition so beautifully controlled in the telling. The Eagle and the Hart will be a non-fiction book of the year and will deserve the ovations it is certain to receive. When history is this gripping there’s nothing like it – Andrew O’Hagan

The author of She-Wolves chronicles the lives and reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, two cousins whose rivalry brought their nation to the brink of disintegration – and back again

Richard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke were first cousins, born just three months apart. Their lives were from the beginning entwined. When they were still children, Richard was crowned King Richard II with Henry at his side, carrying the sword of state: a ten-year-old lord in the service of his ten-year-old king.

Yet, as the animals on their heraldic badges showed, they grew up to be opposites: Richard was the white hart, a thin-skinned narcissist, and Henry the eagle, a chivalric hero, a leader who inspired loyalty where Richard inspired only fear. Henry had all the qualities Richard lacked, all the qualities a sovereign needed, bar one: birth right. Increasingly threatened by his charismatic cousin, Richard became consumed by the need for total power, in a time of constant conflict, rebellions and reprisals. When he banished Henry into exile, the stage was set for a final confrontation, as the hart became the tyrant and the eagle his usurper.

Helen Castor tells this story of one of the strangest and most fateful relationships in English history. It is a story about power, and masculinity in crisis, and a nation brought to the brink of catastrophe. At its heart, it is the story of two men whose lives were played out in extraordinary parallel, to devastating effect.

Publisher Review

A dazzling tour de force of epic royal history: a compulsive, unputdownable real-life thriller, a gripping portrait of ruthless power politics, and a study of British tyranny based on deep archival research and masterful scholarship, a tragedy of personality, paranoia and megalomania written with the delicacy and elegance of one of Britain's most brilliant historians at the top of her game -- Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History Phenomenal historian Helen Castor's masterful plume plunges us into the depths of machination and the abyss of tragedy. This is a masterpiece that leaves the reader both satiated and breathless -- Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans If ever a book of history was blessed with contemporary relevance, this one is. The dumbfounding, delusional, narcissistic King Richard; the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV, dogged all the way by notions of illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today's headlines. The book's great achievement is in the storytelling - the unfolding drama, the secrets of power and ambition so beautifully controlled in the telling. The Eagle and the Hart will be a non-fiction book of the year and will deserve the ovations it is certain to receive. When history is this gripping there's nothing like it -- Andrew O'Hagan, author of Caledonian Road An utterly gripping and compelling tale of a deadly rivalry, told with Helen Castor's characteristic verve and exceptional scholarship. The intrigue, turbulence and sheer drama of the Plantagenet age is brought vividly to life throughout. One of the best history books I've read in years -- Tracy Borman Real page-turning history, this remarkable book has all the scholarship of an academic thesis, yet also all the narrative force of a well-written thriller. This tale of high politics, assassinations, family quarrels, the Peasants' Revolt, tournaments, foreign wars - and at the heart of it all, the gripping drama of two rivals for one crown - is all told in Helen Castor's witty and alluring prose style -- Andrew Roberts The Eagle and the Hart makes clear why this consequential moment in English history so captured Shakespeare's imagination. In recounting the gripping story of how Henry of Bolingbroke came to seize the crown of his cousin Richard II, Helen Castor brings their lives as well as this politically fraught (and still resonant) period to life. It is a massive and deeply researched undertaking, beautifully told, and a richly rewarding read -- James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare Helen Castor is the historian's historian and the writer's writer. She combines exceptional scholarship with acute psychological insight and gorgeous, pulsating prose. The Eagle and the Hart is a tour de force: a thrilling tale of royal rivalry and a brilliant dissection of the dark heart of political power - both in the 14th century and for all time -- Jessie Childs A sublime combination of scholarship and narrative flair. Ravishing! -- Suzannah Lipscomb Forget William and Harry. The rivalry between cousins Richard II and Henry IV brought 14th-century England to the brink of destruction - as chronicled in Castor's gripping dual biography * The Telegraph * A dazzling tour de force of epic royal history: a compulsive, unputdownable real-life thriller, a gripping portrait of ruthless power politics, and a study of British tyranny based on deep archival research and masterful scholarship, a tragedy of personality, paranoia and megalomania written with the delicacy and elegance of one of Britain's most brilliant historians at the top of her game -- Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History Phenomenal historian Helen Castor's masterful plume plunges us into the depths of machination and the abyss of tragedy. This is a masterpiece that leaves the reader both satiated and breathless -- Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans If ever a book of history was blessed with contemporary relevance, this one is. The dumbfounding, delusional, narcissistic King Richard; the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV, dogged all the way by notions of illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today's headlines. The book's great achievement is in the storytelling - the unfolding drama, the secrets of power and ambition so beautifully controlled in the telling. The Eagle and the Hart will be a non-fiction book of the year and will deserve the ovations it is certain to receive. When history is this gripping there's nothing like it -- Andrew O'Hagan, author of Caledonian Road An utterly gripping and compelling tale of a deadly rivalry, told with Helen Castor's characteristic verve and exceptional scholarship. The intrigue, turbulence and sheer drama of the Plantagenet age is brought vividly to life throughout. One of the best history books I've read in years -- Tracy Borman Real page-turning history, this remarkable book has all the scholarship of an academic thesis, yet also all the narrative force of a well-written thriller. This tale of high politics, assassinations, family quarrels, the Peasants' Revolt, tournaments, foreign wars - and at the heart of it all, the gripping drama of two rivals for one crown - is all told in Helen Castor's witty and alluring prose style -- Andrew Roberts The Eagle and the Hart makes clear why this consequential moment in English history so captured Shakespeare's imagination. In recounting the gripping story of how Henry of Bolingbroke came to seize the crown of his cousin Richard II, Helen Castor brings their lives as well as this politically fraught (and still resonant) period to life. It is a massive and deeply researched undertaking, beautifully told, and a richly rewarding read -- James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare Helen Castor is the historian's historian and the writer's writer. She combines exceptional scholarship with acute psychological insight and gorgeous, pulsating prose. The Eagle and the Hart is a tour de force: a thrilling tale of royal rivalry and a brilliant dissection of the dark heart of political power - both in the 14th century and for all time -- Jessie Childs A sublime combination of scholarship and narrative flair. Ravishing! -- Suzannah Lipscomb Forget William and Harry. The rivalry between cousins Richard II and Henry IV brought 14th-century England to the brink of destruction - as chronicled in Castor's gripping dual biography * The Telegraph *