#HistFic The Heart Of The Conqueror by G. Lawrence @TudorTweep #SundayBlogShare

The Heart of the Conqueror by G. Lawrence

4 stars

The Heart Of The Conqueror is historical fiction set against the lead up to the famous 1066 Battle of Hastings. It is the first book in The Chronicles of Matilda, Lady of Flanders series. The story begins in 1049, when we first meet Matilda, who is the daughter of the Count of Flanders. Matilda later marries William the Conqueror.

This is a complex time of power struggles, alliances and warfare and the author does a good job of weaving the difficult history lessons with less intense details of everyday life. Many of us know about the Battle of Hastings, but few know about the period which led to this, or much about William’s own family. We’re shown that Matilda is a strong, powerful woman who believes in William and his right to the English throne. She supports him all the way from the moment she decides to accept his marriage proposal, despite their well-documented and brutal first encounter.

I found the book filled in lots of gaps in my historical knowledge of this period, which was definitely the aspect of the book that I found the most compelling. All the fighting over land and the right to rule made me think; it seems to be a never-ending cycle of mankind. I recommend this book to readers interested in the learning more of the era, seen from a different perspective.

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14th October 1066.
Two armies converge to decide the fate of England…

The most famous date in English history, when the might of the English Saxons faced the wrath of the Norman invasion. The man who stormed the sands of Sussex was William, bastard Duke of Normany, the man they eventually came to call the Conqueror… But the Heart of the Conqueror was Matilda, Lady of Flanders and Duchess of Normandy. At the side of the most famous war-lord of history, Matilda worked, not as quiet, modest wife, but as a leader… as a ruler just as ruthless as her husband. Under her soft mask of beauty and modesty there lay the heart of a woman powered by ambition. A woman who was strong, courageous and devious…

Through the eyes of one of the most extraordinary women of history unfold the events leading to the invasion of England and the battle that would decide its fate…

This is the story of Matilda, Lady of Flanders, Duchess of Normandy and Queen of England.

I am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Cornwall in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.

The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.

I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I’m currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven’t found a genre I didn’t enjoy something about so far…

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