The Normans: From Raiders to Kings

"Lars Brownworth’s The Normans is like a gallop through the Middle Ages on a fast warhorse. It is rare to find an author who takes on a subject so broad and so complex, while delivering a book that is both fast-paced and readable."
Bill Yenne, author of Julius Caesar: Lessons in Leadership from the Great Conqueror; Hap Arnold: The General Who Invented the USAF; The White Rose of Stalingrad; and Sitting Bull

"An evocative journey through the colourful and dangerous world of early medieval Europe"
Jonathan Harris, author of Byzantium and the Crusades

There is much more to the Norman story than the Battle of Hastings. These descendants of the Vikings who settled in France, England, and Italy - but were not strictly French, English, or Italian - played a large role in creating the modern world. They were the success story of the Middle Ages; a footloose band of individual adventurers who transformed the face of medieval Europe. During the course of two centuries they launched a series of extraordinary conquests, carving out kingdoms from the North Sea to the North African coast.

In The Normans, author Lars Brownworth follows their story, from the first shock of a Viking raid on an Irish monastery to the exile of the last Norman Prince of Antioch. In the process he brings to vivid life the Norman tapestry’s rich cast of characters: figures like Rollo the Walker, William Iron-Arm, Tancred the Monkey King, and Robert Guiscard. It presents a fascinating glimpse of a time when a group of restless adventurers had the world at their fingertips.

• The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings
• Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization
• The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
• The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D.
• In Distant Lands: A Short History of the Crusades
• A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain
• The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones
• The Legend of Ragnar Lothbrok: Viking King and Warrior
• The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
• The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England