- Jubilee offer: spend £10 or more on any product sold by Amazon.co.uk on or before June 6 and you can buy The Diamond Jubilee A Classical Celebration Album for just £2.50 Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £2.50
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Lion Rampant for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £2.50, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Probably the most romantic, exciting and yet most tragic story in the history of medieval Wales. It is the true story of Princess Nest and the Lord Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys in the years after the Norman invasion, based on the 'Chronicles of the Princes'. Nest was the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, ruler of South Wales, and became known as Helen of Wales, not only because of her beauty, but also for the passions she aroused in so many men, which led to wars and vendetta. When her father was slain by the Normans, she became ward, then mistress of King Henry I of England, who gave her in marriage to Gerald of Windsor, castellan of Pembroke. At Christmas 1109, she was abducted, albeit willingly, from Cilgerran Castle by her cousin Owain, her husband having ot escape through the privy shaft. This lead to years of unrest and warfare, both between various Welsh factions and between them and the Normans, culminating in her husband's revenge. Nest had a least nine children by five different fathers, including Owain and King Henry. From these liaisons came a remarkable progeny, including the Fitzgeralds, from whom JFK could trace his ancestry. One son was Bishop of St Davids, another two conquerors of Ireland, one of whom took his father's flag there which later became St Patrick's Cross, now part of the Union Jack. Her grandson was Giraldus Cambrensis, the famous priest and chronicler - and her nephew was The Lord Rhys, instigator of the first Eisteddfod in 1176. This fast-moving tale of love and lust, tenderness and treachery, its historical accuracy brings the atmosphere of twelfth century Wales to life with vibrant authenticity.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has written many historical novels, primarily the Crowner John series of books. I really enjoyed all of those books and I have I think reviewed all of them.
This book is set at an earlier period in history and is the true story of Princess Nest and the Lord Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys. It takes place in the years after the Conqueror's Norman invasion of England and the subsequent death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
It is a poignant and swift moving tale of love, lust and treachery and brings to life a period of Welsh history in the 12th century. The author's research and knowledge of the period he writes about are always impeccable and told in such a way that they become of great interest to the reader.
This book is set at an earlier period in history and is the true story of Princess Nest and the Lord Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys. It takes place in the years after the Conqueror's Norman invasion of England and the subsequent death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
It is a poignant and swift moving tale of love, lust and treachery and brings to life a period of Welsh history in the 12th century. The author's research and knowledge of the period he writes about are always impeccable and told in such a way that they become of great interest to the reader.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE, became a Home Office Pathologist in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, in 1980. He has written many historical novels, primarily the Crowner John series of books. I really enjoyed all of those books and I have I think reviewed all of them.
This book is set at an earlier period in history and is the true story of Princess Nest and the Lord Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys. It takes place in the years after the Conqueror's Norman invasion of England and the subsequent death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
It is a poignant and swift moving tale of love, lust and treachery and brings to life a period of Welsh history in the 12th century. The author's research and knowledge of the period he writes about are always impeccable and told in such a way that they become of great interest to the reader.
This book is set at an earlier period in history and is the true story of Princess Nest and the Lord Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys. It takes place in the years after the Conqueror's Norman invasion of England and the subsequent death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
It is a poignant and swift moving tale of love, lust and treachery and brings to life a period of Welsh history in the 12th century. The author's research and knowledge of the period he writes about are always impeccable and told in such a way that they become of great interest to the reader.
Format:Paperback
'The Lion Rampant' is a reprint from the 70s, & I believe, now a print on demand. It's interesting because it shows how the author developed his writing, but it is a far cry from his more enjoyable contemporary novels & those on Crowner John. It's a historical romp, but I don't think much of the claim that it is based on 'the truth' - based on what facts were known about Nesta and Owain, yes, but facts about one of the most fascinating women in Welsh history prove very hard to pin down. For instance it is claimed that Nesta was abducted willingly but there is no evidence to back this up, just the sniping of Gerald Cambrensis, her grandson (maybe she cut him out of her will!) I am surprised that Knight fell into this trap, though it was an early effort, so it doesn't matter that much I suppose. Owain is a dashing hero (am I the only one who thinks he was a psychopath?!) and Nesta a wilful wanton - so much for the flower of Welsh womanhood! And Gerald her cuckolded husband suffers the usual character assassination... so the stereotypes fly thick and fast. The plot is wonderful and bounces along, it is really well paced and it is here that Knight excels. It is this that saves the book and makes it worth a read. Perhaps because I have the older copy, I regard it as a swashbuckler, and a bit of a curio. I don't know whether then reprint will be or has been amended, but I look forward to reading it if so.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fiction > Historical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
