In the Reign of King John

An illustrated portrait of English society in the year of Magna Carta, from best-selling author Dan Jones.

A new, beautifully illustrated edition of Realm Divided , Dan Jones's portrait of Plantagenet England in the reign of King John. 1215 was not just the year of Magna Carta and King John's war with his barons, but a year of crusading and church reform, of foreign wars and dramatic sieges, of trade and treachery; a year in which England was invaded by a French army and London was stormed by angry barons; and the supposedly impregnable castle at Rochester was brought down with burning pig fat. But this was also a year in which life, for most people, just went on.

In the Reign of King John thus opens a window onto everyday life in thirteenth-century England: home and church, love and marriage, education and agriculture, outlawry and hunting, food and clothing. It offers a vivid and authoritative portrait – from royal court to peasant wedding – of medieval life in the round, as well as an exhilarating and revelatory exploration of the big themes of politics, warfare, religion, feudalism and the law during a transformative year in English history.

About the Author

Dan Jones is a historian, broadcaster and award-winning journalist. His books, including The Plantagenets, Magna Carta, The Templars and The Colour of Time (with Marina Amaral), have sold more than one million copies worldwide. He has written and hosted dozens of TV shows including the acclaimed Netflix/Channel 5 series, Secrets of Great British Castles . His writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines including the London Evening Standard , the Sunday Times , the Daily Telegraph , the Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, GQ and The Spectator.