The first kings of the Plantagenet dynasty inherited a vast empire from their Norman predecessors and turned it into a realm stretching from Scotland to Palestine. Dan Jones tells this epic story of courage, betrayal, ambition, and deception, bringing an unruly royal dynasty to life. He depicts the lives of Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart who fought Saladin, and the treacherous brother of King John—the one who was forced to sign the Magna Carta. Jones combines academic research with vivid storytelling about great battles and events such as the Black Death, the founding of Parliament, and the Hundred Years’ War, showing how this era shaped England’s national self-awareness.