The author of She-Wolves chronicles the lives and reigns of Richard II and Henry IV two
cousins whose rivalry brought their nation to the brink of disintegration - and back again *
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD
PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY 2025* *THE TELEGRAPH'S BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024* 'A
glorious work of history... a gripping and haunting tragedy... There was no book published this
year novels included that I found richer in character no plot more taut' - Tom Holland The
Spectator 'A dazzling tour de force of epic royal history: a compulsive unputdownable
real-life thriller a gripping portrait of ruthless power politics and a study of British
tyranny ... written with the delicacy and elegance of one of Britain's most brilliant
historians at the top of her game' - Simon Sebag-Montefiore 'If ever a book of history was
blessed with contemporary relevance this one is. The dumbfounding delusional narcissistic
King Richard the white-knuckle ride of Henry IV dogged all the way by notions of
illegitimacy. I feel these men could have been ripped from today's headlines. The book's great
achievement is in the storytelling - the unfolding drama the secrets of power and ambition so
beautifully controlled in the telling. The Eagle and the Hart will be a non-fiction book of the
year and will deserve the ovations it is certain to receive. When history is this gripping
there's nothing like it' - Andrew O'Hagan Richard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke were first
cousins born just three months apart. Their lives were from the beginning entwined. When they
were still children Richard was crowned King Richard II with Henry at his side carrying the
sword of state: a ten-year-old lord in the service of his ten-year-old king. Yet as the
animals on their heraldic badges showed they grew up to be opposites: Richard was the white
hart a thin-skinned narcissist and Henry the eagle a chivalric hero a leader who inspired
loyalty where Richard inspired only fear. Henry had all the qualities Richard lacked all the
qualities a sovereign needed bar one: birth right. Increasingly threatened by his charismatic
cousin Richard became consumed by the need for total power in a time of constant conflict
rebellions and reprisals. When he banished Henry into exile the stage was set for a final
confrontation as the hart became the tyrant and the eagle his usurper. Helen Castor tells
this story of one of the strangest and most fateful relationships in English history. It is a
story about power and masculinity in crisis and a nation brought to the brink of catastrophe.
At its heart it is the story of two men whose lives were played out in extraordinary parallel
to devastating effect.
