Dr Marc Morris is a historian who specializes in the Middle Ages. He studied and taught at the universities of London and Oxford and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His other books include a bestselling history of the Norman Conquest and highly acclaimed biographies of King John and Edward I (A Great and Terrible King). He also presented the TV series Castle and wrote its accompanying book. He contributes regularly to other history programmes on radio and television and writes for numerous journals and magazines.
An absolute masterpiece. It feels like the missing piece of historiography on an essential period of our past. Marc Morris is the platonic ideal of scholarly yet readable big history. * DAN SNOW * A rich trove of ancient wonders, worthy of many a night in the mead hall, listening to its telling! Yet it is also a book for our time ... Marc Morris is a genius of medieval narrative, and I am full of admiration. * IAN MORTIMER * A deep dive into one of the murkiest ages in our national history ... Morris is an accomplished guide to the tricksy Anglo-Saxon world ... Clever, lively ... splendid new book. * DAN JONES, Sunday Times * Brilliant ... Beautifully written, incredibly accessible and deeply researched. I couldn't recommend it more highly. * JAMES O'BRIEN * The people and times are brought vividly back to life allowing the reader to see, perhaps for the first time, the foundations of modern England ... A remarkable achievement. Marc's book will surely become a must-read for any student of English history, and particularly of this woefully overlooked, but vital, period. * JUSTIN POLLARD *