The Eagle and the Hart - by Helen Castor

About the Book

"The dual biography of Richard II and Henry IV, two cousins whose lives played out in extraordinary parallel, until Henry deposed the tyrant Richard and declared himself King of England"--

Book Synopsis

From an acclaimed historian comes an epic tale of power and betrayal: the dual biography of Richard II and Henry IV, two cousins whose tumultuous reigns shaped the course of English history.

Richard of Bordeaux and Henry of Bolingbroke, cousins born just three months apart, were ten years old when Richard became king of England. They were thirty-two when Henry deposed him and became king in his place. Now, the story behind one of the strangest and most fateful events in English history (and the inspiration behind Shakespeare's most celebrated history plays) is brought to vivid life by the acclaimed author of Blood and Roses, Helen Castor.

Castor showcases the enigmatic Richard II, a king who clung to his divine right to rule but lacked the leadership to sustain his throne. His reign, marred by narcissism and disdain for constitutional principles, spiraled into chaos, ultimately leading to his downfall at the hands of his cousin. Enter Henry IV--a stark contrast. Castor portrays him as a chivalric hero, a leader who inspired loyalty and camaraderie. Yet, his journey to the throne was anything but smooth, plagued by rebellion and political turmoil. What makes Castor's account so compelling is her ability to weave these personal stories into the bigger picture. She explores the turbulent themes of masculinity, identity, and the fragile nature of power, offering a timely reminder of the perils of self-obsessed rulers--and the challenges faced by those who follow in their wake.

Richly researched and beautifully written, The Eagle and the Hart isn't just a history book--it's a gripping tale of leadership, legacy, and the timeless struggle for power. For anyone fascinated by medieval England or the universal dynamics of power and ambition, this is not to be missed.

Review Quotes

"The Eagle and the Hart brings the 14th century to life in all its gaudy colour, terrifying bloodletting, and high drama. A book to feast on." --London Evening Standard

"The Eagle and the Hart is a meticulous account of the precariousness of kingship and the psychology of power. It is also a rattlingly good story, told with scholarship and humanity by one of our finest historians." --Helen Carr, The Spectator

"The Eagle and the Hart is packed with drama and incident, but it's also written with an electrifying sense of the tensions between individuals and institutions, innovation and tradition, legitimacy and tyranny. This is a masterpiece of narrative history." --Matthew Lyons, The Telegraph

"[An] exhaustively researched and beautifully written account . . . The Eagle and the Hart reads not just as a political epic but as a timely reflection on both the dangers of egomaniacal rulers and the challenges facing those who replace them." --Katherine Harvey, The Times (UK)

"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 delicacy and elegance by one of Britain's most brilliant historians at the top of her game." --Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History of Humanity and Jerusalem: The Biography

"A luminous 600-page study of the Plantagenet cousins who between them generated the plots for three of Shakespeare's history plays." --The Guardian

"Among the front rank of writers producing thoughtful and engaging popular history, Ms. Castor . . . examines complex events and an extensive cast of personalities in clear, uncluttered prose. . . . [A] richly textured re-creation of an era in which chivalric ideals coexisted with deeds of treachery and brutality." --Wall Street Journal

"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, author of Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I

"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, author of The Siege of Loyalty House

"It is the measure of her genius for narrative and character that the tale she tells does not remotely suffer from comparison with Shakespeare. Two men of remarkable but opposed talent, yoked together in mutual hatred, in death as in life, each doomed forever to be defined by the other, here is tragedy indeed. There is no book published this year, novels included, that I found richer in character, no plot more taut." --Tom Holland, Spectator Best Books of the Year

"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

"The book is astonishingly good. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is both a gripping, moving, deeply humane study of two contrasting cousins, and a clear-eyed dissection of late medieval England's polity." --Dan Jones, History, Etc.

About the Author

Helen Castor is an acclaimed medieval and Tudor historian. Her first book, Blood and Roses, was longlisted for what is now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and won the English Association's Beatrice White Prize. Her next two books, She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth and Joan of Arc: A History were both on numerous Best Books of the Year lists and made into documentaries for BBC television, and Joan of Arc was longlisted for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography. She has one son and lives in London.