El. knyga: House of Lilies: The Dynasty that Made Medieval France

An exuberant account of the rise and fall of a mighty French dynasty... This is Firnhaber-Baker's first foray into writing popular history, and one can only hope that there will be many more. The breadth and depth of her research are evident throughout, yet the narrative zings along at an enjoyable and very readable pace -- Catherine Hanley * HistoryExtra * A mighty, panoramic history Firnhaber-Baker does a real service for those with an interest in France and England alike by providing a dexterous and engrossing account, a treasury for anyone with an interest in the royal, political and religious worlds of the high medieval period -- David Brooks * Daily Telegraph * Sparkling dynastic history galloping through 15 reigns to tell the story of French politics, religion and architecture by way of battles, crusades, pogroms, plots and a truly incredible number of grisly executions. The result is a riotous, scintillating book It is everything good narrative history should be: learned and gloriously entertaining -- Dan Jones * Sunday Times * More than the history of a dynasty, House of Lilies is the engrossing story of the building of France, the greatest political and cultural power of the Middle Ages. The book's protagonists are not only violent, saintly and hapless kings, but also a series of fascinating, clever, and often indestructible queens and consorts. -- Paul Freeman * Yale University * House of Lilies is a delight in every way. Justine Firnhaber-Baker demonstrates her complete mastery of the lives of the Capetians, while also telling a story that pulls you along from beginning to end. The book manages to convey how history ebbs, flows, and thunders, but even more importantly allows the reader to almost feel how events moved across four centuries of medieval Europe. -- Matthew Gabriele * co-author of The Bright Ages * With consummate erudition and narrative artistry, Justine Firnhaber-Baker brings to life the human drama of an extraordinary dynasty. This rich and engaging history recounts the stories of men and women made great by birth, and sometimes by deeds, who created Capetian kingship. House of Lilies recounts the marvellous and the terrible origin story of the French nation, not-to-be-missed for lovers of the medieval, the royal, or the French. -- Sara McDougall * City University of New York *