Maurice Druon: The Accursed Kings. The Iron King. The Strangled Queen. The Poisoned Crown. Books 1-3

Before you is a collection of suspenseful novels about the Middle Ages that will not only transport readers to the past but also delight them with authentic historical details and characters. The action of Druon's cycle covers almost the entire 14th century. We enter medieval France, travel through Europe, and witness lavish coronations, the frantic scramble of rulers hungry for power, executions, intrigues, and the cruelty of those dark times. "A curse on your lineage until the thirteenth generation!" cries Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from the flames of the stake, straight into the face of King Philip IV the Fair of France. This fiery prophecy will come true: starting in 1314, kings will succeed one another on the throne for over half a century, but none will last long. Palace intrigues, sudden deaths, dynastic upheavals, and bloody wars will accompany this grim procession of the Accursed Kings.
While creating his cycle about the incredible era that shaped the future of beautiful France, Maurice Druon worked meticulously in the National Archives, researching ancient documents. "The Accursed Kings" is a unique series of magnificent historical frescoes.
In the first three novels of the cycle, the king's daughters-in-law are accused of infidelity, one king dies, then another, rebel barons sow discord in the provinces, officials plunder the state treasury, and the country suffers from famine. Personal rivalries, court plots, the filth inevitable in politics—or perhaps all these blows of fate are indeed just the consequences of the curse?..

Author: Maurice Druon

Translation: Nadezhda Zharkova, Leonid Efimov

Pages: 720 (offset). Hardcover

Dimensions: 218x150x37 mm

Series: Foreign Literature. Large Books