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‘History is a novel that has been lived’
E. & J. DE GONCOURT
‘It is terrifying to think how much research is needed to determine the truth of even the most unimportant fact’
STENDHAL
Contents
Part One: Philippe and the Closed Gates
2. The Cardinal who Did not Believe in Hell
6. From Neauphle to Saint-Marcel
8. The Count of Poitiers’s Visits
10. The Assembly of the Three Dynasties
Part Two: Artois and the Conclave
1. The Arrival of Count Robert
5. The Regent’s Army Takes a Prisoner
Part Three: From Mourning to Coronation
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN
Over the years, more than one reviewer has described my fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as historical fiction about history that never happened, flavoured with a dash of sorcery and spiced with dragons. I take that as a compliment. I have always regarded historical fiction and fantasy as sisters under the skin, two genres separated at birth. My own series draws on both traditions … and while I undoubtedly drew much of my inspiration from Tolkien, Vance, Howard, and the other fantasists who came before me, A Game of Thrones and its sequels were also influenced by the works of great historical novelists like Thomas B. Costain, Mika Waltari, Howard Pyle … and Maurice Druon, the amazing French writer who gave us the The Accursed Kings, seven splendid novels that chronicle the downfall of the Capetian kings
