We all know the famous story of Joan of Arc and how she rallied the French against her country's invaders, but have you ever wondered what the Hundred Years War would be like if the English had lost before the Maid of Orleans helped her people fight back? Lancastrian: The Knight of Colchester explores this alternate route with a retelling of the events after King Henry V's death. Now England is without a king; with Henry V's heir being too young to rule. And so John Lancaster, brother to the late king, takes power until Henry VI can come of age.
But John Lancaster, the Duke of Bedford, is not so keen on giving up power and he attempts to take his nephew's life, which would secure the throne for him once and for all. This sparks a civil war within England, where those behind Bedford fight against Henry VI's loyal knights. It is in the center of this conflict we find William Bennett, a farmhand from Colchester and son of a proud, yet deceased, knight. The first part of Lancastrian follows William as he journeys across England and France in an attempt to save the kingdom from the grip of tyranny and secure the throne for Henry VI. But there are other dangers aside from the Lancastrians as the young and ambitious Frankish king, Charles VII, plots to invade a weakened England.
Along the way, William will meet prominent men of history, including Sir John Fastolf, Thomas Montacute the Earl of Salisbury, John Hardyng the Duke of York, and others. Lancastrian mixes historical places, people, and even events, with fiction. What if the English had lost the Hundred Years War 30 years before history tells us they did? Will those loyal to Henry VI overthrow the Lancaster dynasty and reseat the rightful king? Or will the Duke of Bedford's lust for power clash with the king of France and their Scottish allies and plunge Europe deeper into war?
Book 1 of Lancastrian is available here!
