Anarchy Books
The Normans thought the war was over. Alfraed would prove them wrong! In a land teetering on the edge of chaos, the crown of England hangs by a thread. With the tragic loss of his only son, King Henry faces not only the devastating grief of a father but the relentless ambition of the predators who seek to claim his throne. As shadows gather in Normandy and England, and conspirators sharpen their knives, hope flickers dimly in the heart of a kingdom. When the last of King Harold's Housecarls returns to England to die he brings with him a reluctant hero who will save the realm. Enter Alfraed, son of Ridley: he is not just a warrior; he is the embodiment of a new order - an English Knight destined to restore honour and courage to a disillusioned land. However, the weight of duty bears heavily upon his shoulders as he navigates court intrigues, the whispers of betrayal, and the test of his own identity. "Do not grieve for me, my son. I have seen you grow into a knight and a man. I could not be prouder of you. You will be a greater warrior than I could ever have dreamed of becoming." English Knight takes readers on a journey filled with adventure and emotion as Alfraed grapples with the legacy of his father while forging a new path for a fractured kingdom. Witness the conflict between duty and desire, tradition and innovation, as he allies with unexpected companions and confronts the darkness that threatens to consume everything he holds dear. Full of action, English Knight is the first book in Griff Hosker's epic 20-part Anarchy series, - a collection which explores a bloody time in English history when the only people you could rely on were your household warriors and you slep with a dagger beneath your bed.
Alfraed of Norton is given the task of protecting the Empress Matilda back to the Emperor, her husband. He and his men have to fight enemies, bandits and treachery from within as they battle thorough an Empire which is a nest of treachery and political ambition. While princes play for thrones Alfraed must keep the Empress safe. A fast moving novel which is set against the turbulent 11th century.
There are knights who just fight and there are knights who make a difference. Baron Alfraed is just such a knight. With Empress Matilda about to marry the Count of Anjou, Alfraed is thrown into a world of intrigue and treachery as he tries to hold on to the north with depleted numbers of warriors. When he succeeds he finds that he is punished and sent to the east by King Henry and his family held hostage in the Tower of London. He finds himself embroiled in plots and campaigns there where he finally serves with his father's old comrades; the Varangian Guards. After a journey home which is fraught with danger, he finally rescues his family and returns to his beloved castle.
Alfraed is now the Earl of Cleveland but his new position throws him into a world of intrigue. There are plots and coups as the enemies of England try to wrest the land from King Henry. The Earl has to fight the Scots, the Welsh and Vikings before he travels to Normandy to fight alongside the king. Filled with battles and knightly combat the fast moving novel reflects the chaotic times before the first English Civil War.
The Empress has given England a male heir but that single action creates rebels in Scotland and in Normandy who try to wrest Normandy and England from King Henry. When the Earl of Cleveland becomes his champion, it unleashes a storm of murder and treachery at the very heart of the Earl's world. In a fast moving novel with battles and combats from the borders of Scotland to France itself we see a world heading towards anarchy and civil war.
King Henry is dead and Stephen of Blois claims the throne of England and the Dukedom of Normandy. The Earl of Cleveland returns to England to fight for the heirs of Henry. When King David and his Scottish army capture most of northern England it is only Alfraed who holds out against him. Set in the early years of the Anarchy this is a fast moving book filled with battles and intrigue.
The Scots have decided to take advantage of the Civil War in England and King David invades. The only opposition to his mighty army of 26,000 men is the Warlord of the North and an ancient Archbishop of York. With cruel invaders rampaging through northern England and ravaging the land, enemies must join together to fight off the enemy who threaten to take half of the country.
King Stephen is captured and the Civil War seems over until disaster strikes while the Earl of Cleveland is in Normandy. The Empress' forces are routed and the Earl of Gloucester is captured. Forced to return to rescue the Empress the Earl of Cleveland has to fight King Stephen's army and the English winter to rescue his Empress. With the future King Henry II as his squire the Earl has to wage a war against an increasing number of enemies and a diminishing number of allies. The novel is filled with both intrigue and bloody medieval battles.
William of Stockton, the son of the Warlord, is heading to the Holy Land to do penance. He is leaving a world that he knows and entering a new one. The world he discovers is one filled with intrigue and false knights. Counts and Barons battle for thrones. All are not what they seem. William must return to his roots and become, as his father once was an English knight. He discovers unexpected allies and treacherous friends. He battles Seljuq Turks, Assassins, Egyptians and rogue knights. Through his journey, he discovers that most valuable of treasures: himself.
This is the story of how Richard de Clare, Count of Striguil, aided by the Warlord took three hundred knights and carved out a kingdom for himself in Ireland. The Kingdom of Leinster would be grown, by King Henry into the whole Kingdom of Ireland. A fast-moving story which takes the reader from the reclamation of Scotland to the Welsh Marches following the fortunes of the Warlord, his son and the men who march behind their banners.
The Emperor Henry of the Holy Roman Empire is dying and his wife, the Empress Matilda is in danger from those who would use her to gain the title and the power, King Henry of England sends Alfraed of Norton to rescue her and avoid a war. With enemies from France, Flanders and the Empire as well as Norman traitors, the handful of Northern Knights have to fight across Europe and back. A fast moving novel which moves from Germany to the Scottish borders in the turbulent times of the early twelfth century when friends could become foes overnight.
When King Henry appoints Thomas Becket as his Archbishop of Canterbury he does not realise the problems he will create for himself. When the priest refuses to allow the King’s brother then tensions escalate. It soon becomes clear that King Louis of France has woven a complicated alliance of enemies and spies in an attempt to reclaim the Vexin from King Henry. The Warlord is forced to defer his visit home and join the King in putting down a rebellion in Brittany. When the King of Scotland dies his hot-headed brother, William, gains the crown and war breaks out on the King’s northern border. There is only one man who can deal with the unrest and the Warlord returns to Northumbria to confront the Scots once more. Based on actual events ‘Poisonous Plots’ is a fast-moving novel and continues the saga of the Warlord and his family.
When King Henry makes the momentous decision to crown his eldest son King, even though he is still a youth, he sets in motion a series of events which will tear his empire apart. The Warlord and his son, Earl William, are called upon to not only defend their own land but save the empire for their king. As though things could not get any worse, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury returns to England and the land is plunged into turmoil and revolt. Culminating in the Battle of Alnwick, 1174, this is a fast moving and action packed novel which fictionalizes the real events of 1169-1174.
When a king rules lands on both sides of the Channel there are always those who plot and plan to take both from him. There are rivals who seek to invade England and Normandy. There are assassination attempts and the only man who can stop all of these is the Earl of Cleveland. Moving from Scotland to Normandy and back again this fast moving novel set in the turbulent times before England's first civil war will keep you breathless!
The Warlord has had a long and eventful life but he is growing old. Fate and King Henry determine that he will not go quietly watching the sun set from his castle. He is sent to cement the marriage between the King’s half sister and a prince of the Welsh. It is while he is there that he uncovers a plot which threatens not only his life but the very crown which Henry wears on his head. With his grandson, Samuel, at his side the Warlord fights one last war to save the land he loves, England.
The tide is turning and the forces of the Empress are making inroads into King Stephen's lands. The Warlord of the North rides south to help the Earl of Gloucester with one final push to dislodge the Usurper but fate has a twist in the tail. There is much treachery as well as barons who fail to deliver on their promises. One thing is consistent; the Warlord's mission to restore the crown to the rightful ruler.
When the Earl of Gloucester suddenly dies and the Empress Matilda is forced to return to Normandy it seems that the civil war is about to end and Stephen of Blois will have succeeded in winning his crown. The Warlord of the North takes the fledgling Prince Henry under his wing and begins to train him to become king. When others try to take advantage of the Warlord's position he and his warriors have to dig deep to defeat their enemies. Gradually Henry becomes a man and shows that he has the potential to become a king. An exciting and fast moving novel filled with battles, plots and conspiracies.
With the Civil War seeming to be never ending, the Warlord and Duke Henry decide on a bold strategy which pits the men of the north against the might of Stephen and his forces. At the same time, a conspiracy of kings and counts attempt to wrest the young duke's lands from him. Betrayed by his own family, Henry becomes the king who in later life will conquer Wales and Ireland. We see the cub grow into a lion and hear him roar.
The civil war is over. King Henry now rules a vast empire but even as he begins his rule the Scots steal slaves and cattle from the north of England and the Warlord's son, William, recently returned from the Crusades has to rescue them. King Henry and the Warlord cannot rest either for one of his brothers rebels in Anjou. With the Welsh border aflame no one is allowed the luxury of a peaceful existence. War has come again and the Warlord, along with his son, must fight again, for England.
With a legend for a grandfather, it is hard to live up to not only men’s expectations but also those of the king. Sir Samuel of Stockton is a great knight but any chance of peace in his life ends when King Henry and his sons begin to squabble and bicker about the future of England, Normandy and Aquitaine. He either supports the king or the next king. How does a knight keep his honour in such circumstances? When King Philip of France also uses the discord to foster dissension then Sir Samuel must emulate the Warlord and defend a king and a country whilst keeping his home safe. The story moves from the borders with Scotland to the heart of France and thence to Sicily, Cyprus and the Holy Land in a fitting finale to the Anarchy series.