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Bloody Crowns
- Author
- Michael Livingston
- Narrator
- Rupert Farley
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 15 September 2026
- Run Time
- 19 hours 22 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
“A riveting page-turner that brilliantly revises centuries of history” (Bernard Cornwell, New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Kingdom)
Henry V at Agincourt. Edward III at Crécy. The Black Prince at Poitiers. Joan of Arc at Orléans. The period we call “the Hundred Years War” was a cascade of violence bursting with some of the most famous figures and fascinating fights in history. The central combatants, England and France, bore witness to uncountable deaths, unbelievable tragedy, and uncompromising glory. But there was much more to this period than a struggle between two nations for dominance.
Bloody Crowns tells a new story of how medieval Europe was consumed, not by a hundred years’ war, but by two full centuries of war from 1292 to 1492. During those years, blood was spilled far beyond the borders of England and France. The Low Countries became war zones. Italy was swept up. So, too, the Holy Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula, Scotland, and Wales. The conflict drove enormous leaps forward in military technology and organization, political systems and national identities, laying the groundwork for the modern world.
With a keen eye for military intrigue and drama, Bloody Crowns critically revises our understanding of how modern Europe arose from medieval battlefields.
Critics Review
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“A vivid blow-by-blow account.”—Times Literary Supplement
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“Lively...an engaging, sometimes thrilling introduction to an epic conflict.”—Telegraph
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“Livingston has a knack for writing accessible history.”—Aspects of History
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“A well-trodden subject in expert hands.”—Kirkus
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“For my money, Michael Livingston is one of the best military historians working today.”—Dan Jones, History, Etc.
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“A forceful reassessment of one of the longest and most transformative conflicts in European history.”—Yakima Herald-Republic
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“A riveting page-turner that brilliantly revises centuries of history.”—Bernard Cornwell, New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Kingdom
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“He’s done it again! Michael Livingston upends our traditional understanding of history, while simultaneously telling a cracking tale.”—Dan Snow, author of The Story of England
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“Livingston bravely challenges the very definition of the Hundred Years War—and its many historical myths.”—Kelly DeVries, author of Joan of Arc
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“In this marvelous revisionist take on the Hundred Years War, Michael Livingston demonstrates that war in Europe in the Middle Ages raged on far longer than is commonly and popularly understood. Written with epic pace and clarity, this is a book that finely demonstrates how rigorous scholarship can also make for gripping popular history.”—Helen H. Carr, author of The Red Prince
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“Engaging ... a pleasure to read.”—Military History Matters
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Michael Livingston
- Narrator
- Rupert Farley
- Duration
- 19 hours 22 minutes
- Release Date
- 15 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668663264
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- European history: medieval period, middle ages, European history: medieval period, middle ages, European history, Medieval warfare (predating gunpowder warfare), Military history
Synopsis
A prize-winning scholar’s new and expansive telling of the Hundred Years’ War, revealing how the lines drawn on medieval battlefields forged the modern world   “A riveting page-turner that brilliantly revises centuries of history” (Bernard Cornwell, New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Kingdom) Henry V at Agincourt. Edward III at Crécy. The Black Prince at Poitiers. Joan of Arc at Orléans. The period we call “the Hundred Years War” was a cascade of violence bursting with some of the most famous figures and fascinating fights in history. The central combatants, England and France, bore witness to uncountable deaths, unbelievable tragedy, and uncompromising glory. But there was much more to this period than a struggle between two nations for dominance.  Bloody Crowns tells a new story of how medieval Europe was consumed, not by a hundred years’ war, but by two full centuries of war from 1292 to 1492. During those years, blood was spilled far beyond the borders of England and France. The Low Countries became war zones. Italy was swept up. So, too, the Holy Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula, Scotland, and Wales. The conflict drove enormous leaps forward in military technology and organization, political systems and national identities, laying the groundwork for the modern world. With a keen eye for military intrigue and drama, Bloody Crowns critically revises our understanding of how modern Europe arose from medieval battlefields.
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