The Warrior King

With enemies on all sides, can King Richard attain his ultimate goal – to regain Jerusalem?

France, 1189

When King Henry II dies after a long illness, his rebel son Richard unwillingly assumes the title of King of England.

Never expecting to inherit the crown, he has dedicated his life to the Crusades, determined to regain the Holy Land from the Saracens. Many are sceptical of this warrior king’s fitness to govern — and when his first action is to abandon England and embark on a Third Crusade, it looks as though his detractors are to be proved right.

Allied with King Philip II of France, Richard is successful in reclaiming some key areas of the Holy Land. But for all his accomplishments, his ultimate goal – to regain Jerusalem – remains elusive.

When Richard breaks his engagement to Philip’s sister Alais and marries Princess Berengaria of Navarre, his alliance with the French king is placed under intolerable strain. And when Philip deserts the cause, the man with the ‘Lion Heart’ is under pressure like never before…

Back in England, with speculation growing about his personal life, Richard stands accused of neglecting not only his marital duties but the country he governs. Richard’s younger brother John, meanwhile, is not happy about the absentee king’s accession to the throne.

And with Richard miles away in the Holy Land, John is free to hatch a dastardly conspiracy to steal his brother's crown…

Can Richard rule his country from halfway across the world? And with Philip no longer his ally, can he fulfil the Crusade’s ultimate goal – to regain Jerusalem?

With knives being sharpened against him both at home and abroad, is the man they call Lionheart about to lose more than just another battle?