'Powerful' The Economist'Fascinating panoramic . . . Roach brings an expert eye and
page-turning energy' Helen Castor bestselling author of She Wolves 'Narrated with pace
clarity authority and style Roach's book is a bracing tour of the world that the Normans made
their own' Thomas Williams bestselling author of Viking Britain'A fresh retelling . . .
written with enthusiasm and brio' Marc Morris bestselling author of The Anglo-SaxonsHow did
descendants of Viking marauders come to dominate Europe the Mediterranean and the Middle East?
It is a tale of ambitious adventures and fierce freebooters of fortunes made and fortunes
lost. The Normans made their influence felt across all of western Europe and the Mediterranean
from the British Isles to North Africa and Lisbon to the Holy Land. In Empires of the Normans
we discover how they combined military might and political savvy with deeply held religious
beliefs and a profound sense of their own destiny. For a century and a half they remade Europe
in their own image and yet their heritage was quickly forgotten - until now.
