{"product_id":"the-eagle-and-the-hart-the-tragedy-of-richard-ii-and-henry-iv","title":"The Eagle and the Hart : The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV","description":"\u003cp\u003eby Helen Castor\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"col2\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"format_title\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"format_title\"\u003e688 pages\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"format_title\"\u003eSigned by the author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER The author of She-Wolves chronicles the lives and reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, two cousins whose rivalry brought their nation to the brink of disintegration - and back again*LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY 2025**THE TELEGRAPH'S BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024*'A glorious work of history... a gripping and haunting tragedy... There was no book published this year, novels included, that I found richer in character; no plot more taut' - Tom Holland, The Spectator'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...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewritten with the delicacy and elegance of one of Britain’s most brilliant historians at the top of her game' - Simon Sebag-Montefiore'If ever a book of history was blessed with contemporary relevance, this one is. The dumbfounding, delusional, narcissistic King Richard; the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV, dogged all the way by notions of illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today’s headlines.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe book’s great achievement is in the storytelling — the unfolding drama, the secrets of power and ambition so beautifully controlled in the telling. The Eagle and the Hart will be a non-fiction book of the year and will deserve the ovations it is certain to receive. When history is this gripping there’s nothing like it' - Andrew O'HaganRichard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke were first cousins, born just three months apart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir lives were from the beginning entwined. When they were still children, Richard was crowned King Richard II with Henry at his side, carrying the sword of state: a ten-year-old lord in the service of his ten-year-old king. Yet, as the animals on their heraldic badges showed, they grew up to be opposites: Richard was the white hart, a thin-skinned narcissist, and Henry the eagle, a chivalric hero, a leader who inspired loyalty where Richard inspired only fear.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHenry had all the qualities Richard lacked, all the qualities a sovereign needed, bar one: birth right. Increasingly threatened by his charismatic cousin, Richard became consumed by the need for total power, in a time of constant conflict, rebellions and reprisals. When he banished Henry into exile, the stage was set for a final confrontation, as the hart became the tyrant and the eagle his usurper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHelen Castor tells this story of one of the strangest and most fateful relationships in English history. It is a story about power, and masculinity in crisis, and a nation brought to the brink of catastrophe. At its heart, it is the story of two men whose lives were played out in extraordinary parallel, to devastating effect.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hunt's Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57725596107133,"sku":null,"price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0514\/8635\/9739\/files\/Screenshot2026-01-21at16.50.54.png?v=1769014263","url":"https:\/\/huntsbookshop.pro\/products\/the-eagle-and-the-hart-the-tragedy-of-richard-ii-and-henry-iv","provider":"Hunt's Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}