The Conqueror: A line of Bastards

by G. Morgan

His ancestors had nominally been Christian, yet theirs was a semi pagan society. Living behind their castle walls hunting, feasting and fighting, illiterate and uncultured! In these parts they even spoke Viking as late as the 11th century, although our protagonist was brought up speaking Norman French. As in most countries during the Dark Ages it was the church that brought civilisation to such warlords in return for their goodwill and patronage. Our main character’s father was noted for his religion and so his son was born into the mainstream of Christianity. I am of course talking about a certain child of note, who turned out to be something no one thought possible. As a boy they called him William the Bastard. As a man they called him William the Great. But when he died history began to call him something else…William the Conqueror. On the edge of Europe is the edge of the known world! Western Christendom has many great centres of learning, but much of it is still covered by thick forest and remains uncharted. Along the northern fringes of West Francia, Normans eke out a living. Beyond their settlements the unknown begins. Wolves and brigands lurk in the depths. A need to escape these hostile surroundings gave Rome dynamism. One by one the northern barbarian Kings converted to Christianity, banishing their old idols to the deepest woods. And within the next hundred years the wilderness was tamed…and woodlands gave way to cathedrals.

362 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2023