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The Accursed Kings #1
袞械谢械蟹薪褘泄 泻芯褉芯谢褜
袦芯褉懈褋邪 袛褉褞芯薪邪 褔懈褌邪褞褖邪褟 锌褍斜谢懈泻邪 蟹薪邪械褌 锌褉械卸写械 胁褋械谐芯 锌芯 褋邪谐械 芦袩褉芯泻谢褟褌褘械 泻芯褉芯谢懈禄, 芯褌泻褉褘胁褕械泄 屑褉邪褔薪褘械 褌邪泄薪褘 小褉械写薪械胁械泻芯胁褜褟. 袟邪 泻邪卸写褘屑 锌褉芯懈蟹胁械写械薪懈械屑 褑懈泻谢邪 褋褌芯褟谢邪 泻褉芯锌芯褌谢懈胁邪褟 褉邪斜芯褌邪 胁 袧邪褑懈芯薪邪谢褜薪芯屑 邪褉褏懈胁械, 懈蟹褍褔械薪懈械 写芯泻褍屑械薪褌芯胁, 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪薪褘褏 薪邪 邪褉褏邪懈褔薪芯屑 褎褉邪薪褑褍蟹褋泻芯屑 懈谢懈 薪邪 谢邪褌褘薪懈. 袨褌泻褉褘谢 褝褌褍 褋械褉懈褞 懈褋褌芯褉懈褔械褋泻懈褏 褎褉械褋芯泻 褉芯屑邪薪 芦袞械谢械蟹薪褘泄 泻芯褉芯谢褜禄. 袙械谢懈泻懈泄 屑邪谐懈褋褌褉 芯褉写械薪邪 褌邪屑锌谢懈械褉芯胁 袞邪泻 写械 袦芯谢械, 胁蟹芯泄写褟 薪邪 泻芯褋褌械褉 18 屑邪褉褌邪 1314 谐芯写邪, 锌褉芯泻谢褟谢 褋胁芯懈褏 锌邪谢邪褔械泄 鈥� 锌邪锌褍 袣谢懈屑械薪褌邪 V, 泻芯褉芯谢褟 肖懈谢懈锌锌邪 袣褉邪褋懈胁芯谐芯, 械谐芯 褋芯胁械褌薪懈泻邪 袚懈泄芯屑邪 写械 袧芯谐邪褉械 懈 胁褋械 懈褏 锌芯褌芯屑褋褌胁芯 写芯 褌褉懈薪邪写褑邪褌芯谐芯 泻芯谢械薪邪. 袩械褉胁褘泄 褍写邪褉 褋褍写褜斜褘 鈥� 芯斜胁懈薪械薪懈械 薪械胁械褋褌芯泻 泻芯褉芯谢褟 胁 薪械胁械褉薪芯褋褌懈 鈥� 薪械 蟹邪屑械写谢懈谢 锌芯褋谢械写芯胁邪褌褜. 袧芯 械褖械 薪懈泻褌芯 薪械 蟹薪邪械褌, 泻邪泻懈械 斜械写褘 褋褍谢懈褌 斜褍写褍褖械械 袞械谢械蟹薪芯屑褍 泻芯褉芯谢褞鈥�
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First published April 25, 1955
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About the author
Maurice Druon
185听books726听followersMaurice Druon was born in Paris. He is the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he wrote the Chant des Partisans, which, with music composed by Anna Marly, was used as an anthem by the French Resistance during the Second World War.
In 1948 he received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Les grandes familles. On December 8, 1966, he was elected to the 30th seat of the Acad茅mie fran莽aise, succeeding Georges Duhamel.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Acad茅mie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings).
He was Minister of Cultural Affairs in 1973 and 1974 in Pierre Messmer's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris from 1978 to 1981.
Source:
In 1948 he received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Les grandes familles. On December 8, 1966, he was elected to the 30th seat of the Acad茅mie fran莽aise, succeeding Georges Duhamel.
While his scholarly writing earned him a seat at the Acad茅mie, he is best known for a series of seven historical novels published in the 1950s under the title Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings).
He was Minister of Cultural Affairs in 1973 and 1974 in Pierre Messmer's cabinet, and a deputy of Paris from 1978 to 1981.
Source:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,623 reviews
April 26, 2023
"During his reign, France was a great country, and the French were the most miserable of all people."George R.R. Martin has apparently called The Accursed Kings, a seven-book historical novel series by Maurice Druon, 'the original game of thrones'. Which pretty much means that soon everyone and their grandma will be reading these.
Well, for once I'm the cool kid (ahem, I mean, nerdy overachiever, of course) who can say - Well, I first read鹿 these books years ago, having spent every penny of my sparse pocket money on these tomes.
鹿 Actually, 'read' is an incorrect description. I *inhaled* these books (figuratively) at the age of 11, completely entranced by the fascinating world of historical intrigue, for the first time having realized that history is not just the boring collection of dates, names and battles - that the wheel of history can be turned by people who are very much unaware of the overarching implications of their actions and scheming.-----------
This book, the first in the Accursed Kings series, drops the reader smack into the middle of French palace intrigues that surrounded the last year (1314) of the reign of Philippe IV (a.k.a. Philippe the Fair - as in 'pretty', and not 'just') - and into the thick of the events that eventually precipitated the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
'Sir, you have turned the fractured land into a united country that is beginning to have a single beating heart.'
Philippe IV, informally known as the titular Iron King because of his iron will and cruelty, "the impassive and cruel ruler" who "harbored the dream of the greatness of France as a nation" and managed to turn it into a force to be reckoned with (but, at the same time, the land of incredibly heavy taxes and cruel tyrannical attitude to anyone from whom the king could get the money to finance his dream of absolute power) and also the place where "everyone had to obey, bend their backs, or break their foreheads on the granite of the monarchical rule". Philippe entered the annals of history as a ruthless, merciless, cold ruler - something that in this book he's unaware of until the baffling discovery - alas, too late.
"Two terrifying phrases that turned his heart cold: "Even if there's nobody in the world more handsome than Philippe, he can only look at people but he has nothing to say to them. He is not a human, not even an animal - he's just a statue."Philippe the Fair did not appreciate strong opposition - something that the Order of the Knights Templar has learned the hard way, having been mercilessly destroyed by the king's power, with its elderly leader Jacques De Molay burned for his supposed crimes to which he had confessed after years of torture. And, burning to death, De Molay, tortured and betrayed, screams out a curse that, according to Druon, will haunt the King and his progeny for years to come:
And another testimony of yet another witness of Philippe's reign: "Nothing will make him bow; he is the Iron King."
'The Iron King,' muttered Philippe the Fair. 'So was I this good at hiding my weaknesses? How little the others know about us, and how strictly will I be judged by the posterity!"
"Pope Clement... Knight Guillaume de Nogaret... King Philippe - within a year I will call you to the Lord's judgment and you will be justly punished! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation!"
King Philippe seemingly would have had no reason to worry. With three adult married sons and a daughter married to the King of England, his descendants should have ruled France for centuries to come. Alas, the direct line of ruling House of Capet came to the end a decade and a half after the chilling curse (not a spoiler, okay - it's history). Was it the Knight's Templar curse? Was it simply an unlucky yet inevitable chain of events? Who knows. But, as history shows, the actions of people involved in making history can have consequences no one can foresee.
These two, as it turns out, are Queen Isabelle and Robert D'Artois, conspiring to bring to light the infidelities of Princesses Marguerite and Blanche, married to Isabelle's brothers, the sons of King Philippe the Fair.
"People called to play an important role in history mostly are unaware how the events they usher in will play out. These two, talking in Westminster palace at the March sunset in 1314, could not even imagine that due to coincidences, due to their own actions they will give push to a war between the kingdoms of France and England - a war that would last for more than a hundred years."
Robert D'Artois, a scheming brute giant of a man (six feet tall in the 14th century was no joke!), deprived of his inheritance and status, will do anything to hurt his aunt Mahaut to whom he lost his inheritance - another skilled intriguer and a mother and cousin of the adulteresses. Queen Isabelle, a spurned wife of Edward II of England who allows his 'favorites' to run his kingdom, is indignant of the shame the affair brings to her royal family of France - and is resentful of the pleasures and happiness the others - and not her, the Queen and the unloved wife - are allowed to have.
One of the strongest elements in the entire 'Accursed Kings' series is the larger than life character of Robert D'Artois, the scheming intriguer pursuing his never-ending goal of righting the real and imaginary wrongs against him, obsessed with power struggle between him and Countess Mahaut D'Artois, a powerful woman who appears to be evenly matched in the art of intrigue with her boisterous nephew. Robert, a cruel and merciless man is nevertheless somehow absolutely charmingly fascinating in his humor and unstoppable vitality.
When I was 11, I was torn between having a serious literary crush on him and his complete opposite - cold-headed and rational Philippe, count of Poitiers, the middle son of Philippe IV (and, since history precludes the idea of spoilers, future Philippe V).
In this world of palace intrigue, Robert, Mahaut and Charles Valois (Philippe IV's younger power-obsessed brother) are the aspiring puppetmasters trying to use the rest of the world as their marionettes. Philippe IV's children Isabelle and (eventually) Philippe de Poitiers are worthy schemers in their own right. Tolomei, an Italian banker, however, knows where the money is - since no scheming can be done without the money. And Louis X the Quarreler (Philippe IV's eldest son and the heir to the throne) is a weak pathetic man who is destined to be a marionette rather than a puppetmaster.
This is a book full of intrigues and politics - and scandals, love, deceptions, betrayals, heartbreaks, murders, cruelty, vitality, blood, money, and all the other things that make history so alluring and yet so terrifying.
And, if you want to find out what happens in the end, you don't need to wait until you read all the books (even though they all have been finished long ago, in 1955-1960, with the unexpected 7th volume following in 1977) - you can consult your history books (or Wikipedia, really) to see how it all turned out. And you will see that everyone is in this book to play a role that the unrelenting history has decided they should play, no exceptions.
And you do not have to be a history buff to understand and enjoy the plotline of this book (I surely wasn't one at eleven!) - Druon weaves the political details of that time into his narrative quite seamlessly, easily bringing his readers up to speed on the 14th century France.
When I started my re-read, I was a bit afraid that the overwhelming childhood adoration of this book will not stand the test of time. I should not have worried - it withstood that test with the untouchable air that would have made even Philippe the Fair envious. It's a lovely fascinating and nicely paced book that brings history to life - to the point where a certain nerdy 11-year-old reader would bring it to school to read it at recess. 4 French lilies and a relieved sigh at the lack of disappointment and disillusionment in this beloved childhood companion.
"Do I need to remind you, Isabelle, what we are obligated to sacrifice for the sake of our position and that we are born not to succumb to our personal grievances? We do not live our own lives; we live for the sake of our kingdom and only through this we can find satisfaction - of course, only if we are worthy of our high station in life."
----------
A side note: There is a lovely 1972 French TV series based on this book, made to look almost like a theater production, and it has English subtitles. It's quite interesting, and can be found here:
----------
Another side note: I read this book (both times) in Russian translation as I don't read French and English translations of French books are in my opinion too lifeless and cumbersome. So I cannot comment on the quality of the current translation - but the Russian one (for those who read it) is full of life and is truly excellent.
February 22, 2019
鈥淚t must be admitted that such things were common coin of the period. Kingdoms were often handed over to adolescents, whose absolute power fascinated them as might a game. Hardly grown out of the age in which it is fun to tear the wings from flies, they might now amuse themselves by tearing the heads from men. Too young to fear or even imagine death, they would not hesitate to distribute it around them.鈥�
Philippe IV, the Fair, of France
Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair, came to the throne at the age of 17 and ruled France for 29 years. He was a dispassionate, imperial man. His ice cold blue eyes betrayed nothing of the workings of his mind. He fought with Edward I King of England. He defied the Pope. He expelled the Jews in 1306, over 100,000 of them were frog marched out of the country. On Friday the 13th in 1307, Black Friday as it famously came to be known long before it became a celebrated day of Walmart shopping, he arrested the Knights Templar and seized all their property.
He simply owed the Jews and the Knights Templar too much money. Of course a king can not say the reason he is forcibly expelling one group or torturing to death another group is because he is...well鈥 welcher. The Jews are one thing. You can just give them a boot in the buttocks on their way out of the country and no one will care, but the Knights Templar are quite another thing. In fact they are a rather dangerous lot, skilled swordsmen, warriors for Christ none the less, and they have more than money enough to curry favor with those that can extract them from the clutches of the crown.
This is delicate matter that can not be handled delicately.
Philip The Fair must have sat down and made a list of every dastardly thing that a man or an entire organization can be accused of. The short list: apostasy, idolatry, heresy, beastiality, obscene rituals, financial corruption, fraud, secrecy and of course the ever popular sodomy. After all it gets cold in those Middle Eastern desert climates at night, sometimes a pair of saddlebags are not a pair of saddlebags. (Those aren鈥檛 pillows!)
This all leads to torture and more torture.
Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar was of particular interest to the crown. He was tortured for seven long years.
鈥滱nd more recently he had undergone the torture by stretching, the most appalling perhaps of all those to which he had been subjected. A weight of two hundred pounds had been tied to his right foot while he, old as he was, had been hoisted to the ceiling by a rope and pulley. And all the time Guillaume de Nogaret鈥檚 sinister voice kept repeating, 鈥楥onfess, Messire, why don鈥檛 you confess?鈥� And since he still obstinately refused, they had hauled him from floor to ceiling more hurriedly, more jerkily. He had felt his limbs becoming disjoined, the articulations parting, his whole body seemed to be bursting, and he had begun to scream that he would confess everything, admit every crime, all the crimes of the world.鈥�
Now I have never looked at a goat with desire or had any inclinations for devil worship, but if you swing 200 pounds off my leg and jerk me up and down until all the joints of my body dislocate I will admit to fornicating with the devil while he fornicated the goat or any other thing you want me to confess to if you will make the pain go away. De Molay, after a valiant effort to resist, has admitted everything that Philip needs him to confess.
This book starts in 1314 with a few strategic flashbacks to catch us up on how things happened, but I wanted to give a little background on Philip before discussing Maurice Druon鈥檚 book The Iron King first in a series of seven novels published from 1955 to 1977.
That stench in your nostrils is the reek of betrayal.
So after seven years Philip has what he wants so it is time to start piling up the wood and get ready for the smell of singed flesh. He brings de Molay and a few of the remaining high ranking Templars to the final show trial so that the charges can be publicly read. De Molay puts a damper on the event by renouncing all the charges and placing a curse on Pope Clement V, de Nogaret, and Philip IV.
鈥淎ccursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation!鈥�
The crowd is swayed for a moment by the spirited defense offered by the Knights Templar, but they really came to see the show and once the first lit torch is dropped:
鈥滱 huge sigh rose from thousands of breasts, a sigh of relief and horror, excitement and dismay, a sigh made up of anguish and of revulsion and of pleasure.鈥�
Blanche of Burgundy, one of the scandalized cousins.
All three of Philip鈥檚 sons have been married to a girl from Burgundy, political alliances. The three girls are cousins, muses of beauty, and thick as thieves. Isabella, Philip鈥檚 only daughter, has been married off to the King of England Edward II with the hope that peace can be achieved and sustained. Philip would like to see his grandson on the throne of England. Druon makes the case that Isabella may have had bigger plans than that for her infant son.
Poor Piers Gaveston lying dead at the feet of one of his assassins Guy de Beauchamp. Was he killed because he was having pillow fights with Edward in the bedroom or was he killed because he鈥檇 gained too much influence too quickly?
Despite Isabella鈥檚 renown beauty, Edward likes to spend his time with boys, spilling his royal seed other places than in the fertile womb of his queen. When he becomes too close to Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, his wife proves to be more like her father than her three brothers. She arranges to have Gaveston ran through with a sword and beheaded. His body left on the very road he was executed on. Gaveston irritated more than just the queen with the special attention he received from Edward. It wasn鈥檛 hard to find men willing to take him off the chessboard.
When Isabella hears her sister-in-laws might be committing acts of adultery she concocts a plan that will hand irrefutable evidence to her father. She doesn鈥檛 like her sister-in-laws and doesn鈥檛 mind exposing their conduct even if it embarrasses her father and the French court. This scandal was called the Tour de Nesie Affair named for the tower in which these royal women and their young lovers were 鈥渟upposedly鈥� meeting. There is speculation that these accusations were all part of Isabella鈥檚 grand plan to eventually see her son ruling France.
Queen Isabella
Now with three brothers you would think that there would be no chance for the future Edward III to ever be next in line for the French throne. Each of the three brothers became King in quick succession, all died young, and all failed to produce a male heir touching off a little dust up called The Hundred Years鈥� War. Edward III, was the closest male heir to the House of Capet, but the French slid around that issue by declaring Edward III unfit under the rules of the Salic Law. This law covers a lot of different aspects of the rules and conducts of the Franks, but the section we are most interested in is the part where it states it is against French law for a female to sit on the throne of France nor shall any male heir from her line be qualified to be King of France either.
Knowing Queen Isabella, as I鈥檝e come to know her under the guiding hand of Druon, I can only imagine how much stewing, plotting, and conniving she will be doing with the hope of seeing her son in her father鈥檚 chair despite the stipulations by the Salic Law.
I have stretched out the history, giving everyone some of the lead up to the events in this novel and also flashed forward a bit to see where things will be going. has been leading the surge in bringing this series back into print. He has said that he was heavily influenced by Druon and states that 鈥漈his is the original Game of Thrones鈥欌€�.
If you love Game of Thrones you might just like this series. If you don鈥檛 like Game of Thrones you might just love this series. There is intrigue, uneasy alliances, betrayal, lust, gamesmanship, and a minor Italian character named Guccio Baglioni who when he meets a mother and daughter can鈥檛 decide which he will try to seduce first. Ahhh those Italians.
I鈥檓 looking forward to book two called . Now isn鈥檛 that quite the tantalizing title.
Philippe IV, the Fair, of France
Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair, came to the throne at the age of 17 and ruled France for 29 years. He was a dispassionate, imperial man. His ice cold blue eyes betrayed nothing of the workings of his mind. He fought with Edward I King of England. He defied the Pope. He expelled the Jews in 1306, over 100,000 of them were frog marched out of the country. On Friday the 13th in 1307, Black Friday as it famously came to be known long before it became a celebrated day of Walmart shopping, he arrested the Knights Templar and seized all their property.
He simply owed the Jews and the Knights Templar too much money. Of course a king can not say the reason he is forcibly expelling one group or torturing to death another group is because he is...well鈥 welcher. The Jews are one thing. You can just give them a boot in the buttocks on their way out of the country and no one will care, but the Knights Templar are quite another thing. In fact they are a rather dangerous lot, skilled swordsmen, warriors for Christ none the less, and they have more than money enough to curry favor with those that can extract them from the clutches of the crown.
This is delicate matter that can not be handled delicately.
Philip The Fair must have sat down and made a list of every dastardly thing that a man or an entire organization can be accused of. The short list: apostasy, idolatry, heresy, beastiality, obscene rituals, financial corruption, fraud, secrecy and of course the ever popular sodomy. After all it gets cold in those Middle Eastern desert climates at night, sometimes a pair of saddlebags are not a pair of saddlebags. (Those aren鈥檛 pillows!)
This all leads to torture and more torture.
Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar was of particular interest to the crown. He was tortured for seven long years.
鈥滱nd more recently he had undergone the torture by stretching, the most appalling perhaps of all those to which he had been subjected. A weight of two hundred pounds had been tied to his right foot while he, old as he was, had been hoisted to the ceiling by a rope and pulley. And all the time Guillaume de Nogaret鈥檚 sinister voice kept repeating, 鈥楥onfess, Messire, why don鈥檛 you confess?鈥� And since he still obstinately refused, they had hauled him from floor to ceiling more hurriedly, more jerkily. He had felt his limbs becoming disjoined, the articulations parting, his whole body seemed to be bursting, and he had begun to scream that he would confess everything, admit every crime, all the crimes of the world.鈥�
Now I have never looked at a goat with desire or had any inclinations for devil worship, but if you swing 200 pounds off my leg and jerk me up and down until all the joints of my body dislocate I will admit to fornicating with the devil while he fornicated the goat or any other thing you want me to confess to if you will make the pain go away. De Molay, after a valiant effort to resist, has admitted everything that Philip needs him to confess.
This book starts in 1314 with a few strategic flashbacks to catch us up on how things happened, but I wanted to give a little background on Philip before discussing Maurice Druon鈥檚 book The Iron King first in a series of seven novels published from 1955 to 1977.
That stench in your nostrils is the reek of betrayal.
So after seven years Philip has what he wants so it is time to start piling up the wood and get ready for the smell of singed flesh. He brings de Molay and a few of the remaining high ranking Templars to the final show trial so that the charges can be publicly read. De Molay puts a damper on the event by renouncing all the charges and placing a curse on Pope Clement V, de Nogaret, and Philip IV.
鈥淎ccursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation!鈥�
The crowd is swayed for a moment by the spirited defense offered by the Knights Templar, but they really came to see the show and once the first lit torch is dropped:
鈥滱 huge sigh rose from thousands of breasts, a sigh of relief and horror, excitement and dismay, a sigh made up of anguish and of revulsion and of pleasure.鈥�
Blanche of Burgundy, one of the scandalized cousins.
All three of Philip鈥檚 sons have been married to a girl from Burgundy, political alliances. The three girls are cousins, muses of beauty, and thick as thieves. Isabella, Philip鈥檚 only daughter, has been married off to the King of England Edward II with the hope that peace can be achieved and sustained. Philip would like to see his grandson on the throne of England. Druon makes the case that Isabella may have had bigger plans than that for her infant son.
Poor Piers Gaveston lying dead at the feet of one of his assassins Guy de Beauchamp. Was he killed because he was having pillow fights with Edward in the bedroom or was he killed because he鈥檇 gained too much influence too quickly?
Despite Isabella鈥檚 renown beauty, Edward likes to spend his time with boys, spilling his royal seed other places than in the fertile womb of his queen. When he becomes too close to Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, his wife proves to be more like her father than her three brothers. She arranges to have Gaveston ran through with a sword and beheaded. His body left on the very road he was executed on. Gaveston irritated more than just the queen with the special attention he received from Edward. It wasn鈥檛 hard to find men willing to take him off the chessboard.
When Isabella hears her sister-in-laws might be committing acts of adultery she concocts a plan that will hand irrefutable evidence to her father. She doesn鈥檛 like her sister-in-laws and doesn鈥檛 mind exposing their conduct even if it embarrasses her father and the French court. This scandal was called the Tour de Nesie Affair named for the tower in which these royal women and their young lovers were 鈥渟upposedly鈥� meeting. There is speculation that these accusations were all part of Isabella鈥檚 grand plan to eventually see her son ruling France.
Queen Isabella
Now with three brothers you would think that there would be no chance for the future Edward III to ever be next in line for the French throne. Each of the three brothers became King in quick succession, all died young, and all failed to produce a male heir touching off a little dust up called The Hundred Years鈥� War. Edward III, was the closest male heir to the House of Capet, but the French slid around that issue by declaring Edward III unfit under the rules of the Salic Law. This law covers a lot of different aspects of the rules and conducts of the Franks, but the section we are most interested in is the part where it states it is against French law for a female to sit on the throne of France nor shall any male heir from her line be qualified to be King of France either.
Knowing Queen Isabella, as I鈥檝e come to know her under the guiding hand of Druon, I can only imagine how much stewing, plotting, and conniving she will be doing with the hope of seeing her son in her father鈥檚 chair despite the stipulations by the Salic Law.
I have stretched out the history, giving everyone some of the lead up to the events in this novel and also flashed forward a bit to see where things will be going. has been leading the surge in bringing this series back into print. He has said that he was heavily influenced by Druon and states that 鈥漈his is the original Game of Thrones鈥欌€�.
If you love Game of Thrones you might just like this series. If you don鈥檛 like Game of Thrones you might just love this series. There is intrigue, uneasy alliances, betrayal, lust, gamesmanship, and a minor Italian character named Guccio Baglioni who when he meets a mother and daughter can鈥檛 decide which he will try to seduce first. Ahhh those Italians.
I鈥檓 looking forward to book two called . Now isn鈥檛 that quite the tantalizing title.
March 27, 2023
4/5 Estrellas
El viernes 13 de octubre de 1307, Felipe IV "El hermoso", rey de Francia de la dinast铆a de los capetos, ordenaba la detenci贸n de los miembros de la orden del Temple, con la connivencia del papado, dominado con mano de hierro desde el trono franc茅s, que incluso hab铆a forzado el traslado del m谩ximo pont铆fice a Avignon.
Esta fat铆dica fecha marc贸 los viernes 13 como augurio de mala suerte y abri贸 un periodo de 7 a帽os de terrible proceso contra los miembros de esta orden militar, que culmin贸 el 18 de marzo de 1314 con la muerte en la hoguera del gran Maestre Jacques de Molay.
En los momento cumbre del suplicio, el gran Maestre pronunci贸 una terrible maldici贸n, augurando la muerte en el plazo de un a帽o de los principales instigadores del proceso, el papa Clemente V, el rey y el principal instructor del mismo, Guillermo de Nogaret. As铆 mismo predijo que el linaje del rey dejar铆a de reinar en Francia.
Nadie hizo mucho caso de estas palabras. El rey Felipe, El "Rey de hierro", representaba la cumbre del poder de la dinast铆a capeta en Francia, desde los lejanos tiempos en que los descendientes de Roberto y Hugo Capet, desplazaron a los 煤ltimos d茅biles reyes carolingios all谩 por finales del siglo X. Hab铆a abandonado las veleidades guerreras de sus predecesores, las cruzadas, hab铆a afianzado el poder real frente a las bander铆as feudales que destrozaban Europa. Hab铆a controlado los feudos franceses de la dinast铆a Plantagenet, haciendo valer sus derechos y obtenido la pleites铆a de los reyes ingleses por sus posesiones en el continente. Tambi茅n hab铆a potenciado a la burgues铆a, liberado a los siervos, iniciado el parlamentarismo en Francia, el papado estaba en manos francesas....驴qu茅 pod铆a ir mal?
La paz y la prosperidad, la falta de guerras, que drenaba un porcentaje importante del excedente de la poblaci贸n francesa y de segundones de la nobleza, sobre todo hacia Tierra Santa, dio lugar a un aumento importante de la poblaci贸n y de los conflictos internos. Esto, junto con un periodo de malas cosechas, trajo el hambre y el descontento. El rey tiene graves problemas econ贸micos y ha cedido la gesti贸n de su tesoro a la Orden del Temple, para tener liquidez. Sin embargo en un momento dado decidi贸 que era mejor eliminar al banquero y quedarse con todo. Detr谩s del atroz proceso al Temple s贸lo hab铆a intereses econ贸micos.
Ten铆a 3 hijos varones, casados y en edad adulta......驴Qui茅n podr铆a creer que el futuro de la dinast铆a no estaba asegurado?
Sin embargo empiezan a ocurrir cosas: primero muere el Papa Clemente, luego Nogaret y el 29 de noviembre, tras un derrame cerebral, muere el Rey, sin haber cumplido los 50. La primera parte de la profec铆a se ha cumplido.
Las 3 mujeres de los hijos del Rey se ven envueltas en un esc谩ndalo terrible de adulterio y son confinadas de por vida. No tienen descendientes varones. La cosa se est谩 poniendo oscura.
La 煤nica hija del rey Felipe, Isabel "la loba de Francia", est谩 casada con el rey ingl茅s Eduardo II, homosexual declarado, pero tienen un hijo var贸n y sano, el futuro Eduardo III. Desde hace siglos una espada de Damocles pende sobre el trono de Francia, que un pretendiente ingl茅s, Plantagenet, con inmensas posesiones en Francia, tenga derechos sobre el trono de Francia, porque falle la descendencia directa. Eduardo III es sobrino de Felipe.......la cosa se pone m谩s oscura.
El inmenso tablero de intrigas de la Europa del Siglo XIV, cuyo punto culminante ser谩 la guerra de los 100 a帽os, se pone en marcha. Maurice Druon nos va poniendo en antecedentes de forma amena, sencilla y con gran erudici贸n.
Este libro tiene casi 70 a帽os, pero mantiene la frescura de su narraci贸n intacta. Las notas hist贸ricas nos van aclarando interesantes datos de la historia o del periodo hist贸rico en que transcurren los hechos. Glosario de personajes muy bueno.
No se lleva 5 estrellas, porque no deja de ser el arranque de una serie que se presenta apasionante y que nos lleva de cabeza a la dram谩tica guerra de los 100 a帽os. Empezamos a conocer a los personajes y los entresijos de la corte, de la sociedad y de la econom铆a de la 茅poca. Quiz谩 falta un poco de la agilidad y de la narraci贸n b茅lica de la novela hist贸rica actual. Estoy seguro que las 5 caer谩n en la traca que se avecina en las siguientes entregas.
A modo de curiosidad, sabed que del tronco capeto, derivan una gran parte de las dinast铆as que han reinado en Europa en los 煤ltimos 1000 a帽os. De la rama principal, derivaron los Valois, los Borb贸n, los Anjou......hoy en d铆a, las dos 煤ltimas casas reinantes que provienen de este gran tronco din谩stico son la espa帽ola y la de Luxemburgo.
Me apunto el siguiente de inmediato.
Creo que George R. R. Martin dej贸 dicho que la verdadera guerra de tronos fue la que sucedi贸 en esta 茅poca, en el drama que antecedi贸 a la guerra de los 100 a帽os. Yo tengo dudas con la guerra de "Las dos Rosas. Cuando acabe la serie decidir茅.
El viernes 13 de octubre de 1307, Felipe IV "El hermoso", rey de Francia de la dinast铆a de los capetos, ordenaba la detenci贸n de los miembros de la orden del Temple, con la connivencia del papado, dominado con mano de hierro desde el trono franc茅s, que incluso hab铆a forzado el traslado del m谩ximo pont铆fice a Avignon.
Esta fat铆dica fecha marc贸 los viernes 13 como augurio de mala suerte y abri贸 un periodo de 7 a帽os de terrible proceso contra los miembros de esta orden militar, que culmin贸 el 18 de marzo de 1314 con la muerte en la hoguera del gran Maestre Jacques de Molay.
En los momento cumbre del suplicio, el gran Maestre pronunci贸 una terrible maldici贸n, augurando la muerte en el plazo de un a帽o de los principales instigadores del proceso, el papa Clemente V, el rey y el principal instructor del mismo, Guillermo de Nogaret. As铆 mismo predijo que el linaje del rey dejar铆a de reinar en Francia.
Nadie hizo mucho caso de estas palabras. El rey Felipe, El "Rey de hierro", representaba la cumbre del poder de la dinast铆a capeta en Francia, desde los lejanos tiempos en que los descendientes de Roberto y Hugo Capet, desplazaron a los 煤ltimos d茅biles reyes carolingios all谩 por finales del siglo X. Hab铆a abandonado las veleidades guerreras de sus predecesores, las cruzadas, hab铆a afianzado el poder real frente a las bander铆as feudales que destrozaban Europa. Hab铆a controlado los feudos franceses de la dinast铆a Plantagenet, haciendo valer sus derechos y obtenido la pleites铆a de los reyes ingleses por sus posesiones en el continente. Tambi茅n hab铆a potenciado a la burgues铆a, liberado a los siervos, iniciado el parlamentarismo en Francia, el papado estaba en manos francesas....驴qu茅 pod铆a ir mal?
La paz y la prosperidad, la falta de guerras, que drenaba un porcentaje importante del excedente de la poblaci贸n francesa y de segundones de la nobleza, sobre todo hacia Tierra Santa, dio lugar a un aumento importante de la poblaci贸n y de los conflictos internos. Esto, junto con un periodo de malas cosechas, trajo el hambre y el descontento. El rey tiene graves problemas econ贸micos y ha cedido la gesti贸n de su tesoro a la Orden del Temple, para tener liquidez. Sin embargo en un momento dado decidi贸 que era mejor eliminar al banquero y quedarse con todo. Detr谩s del atroz proceso al Temple s贸lo hab铆a intereses econ贸micos.
Ten铆a 3 hijos varones, casados y en edad adulta......驴Qui茅n podr铆a creer que el futuro de la dinast铆a no estaba asegurado?
Sin embargo empiezan a ocurrir cosas: primero muere el Papa Clemente, luego Nogaret y el 29 de noviembre, tras un derrame cerebral, muere el Rey, sin haber cumplido los 50. La primera parte de la profec铆a se ha cumplido.
Las 3 mujeres de los hijos del Rey se ven envueltas en un esc谩ndalo terrible de adulterio y son confinadas de por vida. No tienen descendientes varones. La cosa se est谩 poniendo oscura.
La 煤nica hija del rey Felipe, Isabel "la loba de Francia", est谩 casada con el rey ingl茅s Eduardo II, homosexual declarado, pero tienen un hijo var贸n y sano, el futuro Eduardo III. Desde hace siglos una espada de Damocles pende sobre el trono de Francia, que un pretendiente ingl茅s, Plantagenet, con inmensas posesiones en Francia, tenga derechos sobre el trono de Francia, porque falle la descendencia directa. Eduardo III es sobrino de Felipe.......la cosa se pone m谩s oscura.
El inmenso tablero de intrigas de la Europa del Siglo XIV, cuyo punto culminante ser谩 la guerra de los 100 a帽os, se pone en marcha. Maurice Druon nos va poniendo en antecedentes de forma amena, sencilla y con gran erudici贸n.
Este libro tiene casi 70 a帽os, pero mantiene la frescura de su narraci贸n intacta. Las notas hist贸ricas nos van aclarando interesantes datos de la historia o del periodo hist贸rico en que transcurren los hechos. Glosario de personajes muy bueno.
No se lleva 5 estrellas, porque no deja de ser el arranque de una serie que se presenta apasionante y que nos lleva de cabeza a la dram谩tica guerra de los 100 a帽os. Empezamos a conocer a los personajes y los entresijos de la corte, de la sociedad y de la econom铆a de la 茅poca. Quiz谩 falta un poco de la agilidad y de la narraci贸n b茅lica de la novela hist贸rica actual. Estoy seguro que las 5 caer谩n en la traca que se avecina en las siguientes entregas.
A modo de curiosidad, sabed que del tronco capeto, derivan una gran parte de las dinast铆as que han reinado en Europa en los 煤ltimos 1000 a帽os. De la rama principal, derivaron los Valois, los Borb贸n, los Anjou......hoy en d铆a, las dos 煤ltimas casas reinantes que provienen de este gran tronco din谩stico son la espa帽ola y la de Luxemburgo.
Me apunto el siguiente de inmediato.
Creo que George R. R. Martin dej贸 dicho que la verdadera guerra de tronos fue la que sucedi贸 en esta 茅poca, en el drama que antecedi贸 a la guerra de los 100 a帽os. Yo tengo dudas con la guerra de "Las dos Rosas. Cuando acabe la serie decidir茅.
February 7, 2017
No, I did not read this book, first in a series of seven, because the saga has been one of the sources for the Game of Thrones, about which, both in its book and filmed versions I know little more than this. No, I read it because I am interested in the end of the Capetians and the beginning of the Valois dynasty.
In this novel we are presented with a few episodes at the end of the life of the King of France Philippe IV (1268-1314), le Bel. As his epithet indicates, he was a man considered of great beauty, if of a cold and inexorable beauty. Like his implacable and stony personality.
His reign was relatively successful and he achieved many of the aims he set himself. As a close contemporary of Dante Alighieri (1268-1321), he also shared with the poet a deep enmity with the Pope Boniface VIII (pope during 1295-1303).
Dante put the Pope in one of the circles of his Inferno, and Philippe put the Pope in his place. That is, the French King would not accept any spiritual authority over his own, and much before Henry VIII did so in England, Philippe assumed both the holy and terrestrial powers over his land. The by product of this conflict is that the Papacy was also extracted out of Rome and placed in the South of France, in Avignon.
Philippe certainly had an ability to deal with his problems in a surgical manner. If not his beauty, his coldness could be put to merciless use. As a solution to his financial problems he expelled the Jews--again much before Queen Isabel and King Fernando did the same in Castile and Arag贸n-- while also expropriating them.
But this novel does not really deal with the above, though, since it starts later. Maurice Druon begins his saga of The Cursed Kings with another one of Philippe鈥檚 deeds: his definitive eradication of the Templars. This brutal undertaking provided him with a similar financial windfall to that obtained from the Jews. We also see him attempting another of these profitable measures for a third time. The last to be shorn of their wealth were the Lombard bankers. But death for the beautiful king before he could succeed in this.
To the end of the Templars Druon intertwines another episode in this novel which provides plenty of dramatic feed: the scandal of the Nesle Tower.
If Philippe had the envied luck of any medieval king, for he had three sons all eligible to succeed him as heir, he had been less lucky with the three women his numerous male progeny married. All three women, two of them sisters, and the third a cousin. All three, Marguerite, Jeanne and Blanche were not too happy with their respective royal husbands and found solace elsewhere - in the Nestle Tower. They were found out and locked up. To add to the already dense intrigue, the sneak had been the sister in law, the Queen of England, Isabelle, mother of Edward III.
And so we get closer to the beginning of the Hundred Years War, and I pick up the second volume.
I have decided to write about the style and the writing in a future review of a subsequent volume.
April 22, 2025
4,5 猸� Me ha encantado. Buen inicio de la serie Los Reyes Malditos.
Sin exagerar llevaba mas de veinte a帽os con ganas de leer la obra de Maurice Druon, inter茅s que me lleg贸 como a muchos otros cuando all谩 por el a帽o 2003 cuando disfrut谩bamos de los libros de Canci贸n de Hielo y Fuego y George R.R. Martin citaba esta serie hist贸rica como fuente de inspiraci贸n, incluso llego a decir: Este es el aut茅ntico Juego de Tronos. Pues hab铆a que leerla.
Pero en aquella 茅poca era dif铆cil conseguir los libros, al menos la serie completa. A帽os despu茅s con el 茅xito de la serie de televisi贸n se empez贸 a reeditar la obra de Druon poniendo en portada la cita de Martin para mayor reclamo comercial. Flaco favor al franc茅s ya que poco tiene que ver con los Siete Reinos.
Dicho esto, El Rey de Hierro, primera novela de esta serie hist贸rica, me ha sorprendido y gustado mucho.
Corre el a帽o 1314, Felipe IV El Hermoso condena a muerte tras un proceso de siete a帽os a los 煤ltimos Caballeros del Temple. El Gran Maestre de los templarios Jacques de Molay antes de morir maldijo a todos sus enemigos incluyendo al Rey de Francia y su familia.
隆Malditos, malditos! 隆Malditos hasta la decimotercera generaci贸n de vuestro linaje!.
A partir de aqu铆, bueno, pr谩cticamente es el inicio, nos metemos de lleno de intrigas palaciegas, conspiraciones, luchas de poder, adulterio (vaya, como en Desembarco del Rey) y un sin fin de trejemanejes. Conforme avanza la novela lo que en un principio parece que solo son cositas de palacio se va convirtiendo en un problema cada vez mayor, m谩s drama, m谩s violencia y el reino patas arriba.
Se estaban dando los primeros pasos para la Guerra de los 100 a帽os entre los reinos de Francia e Inglaterra.
La ambientaci贸n y datos hist贸ricos es de un se帽or que sabe muy bien lo que hace. Estos datos e incluso an茅cdotas no son notas al pie de p谩gina, lo incluye en la misma narraci贸n (entre par茅ntesis) como si fuese un gu铆a a un grupo de turistas. Esto me ha gustado mucho.
Las caracterizaci贸n de los personajes es excelente y personajes hist贸ricos hay muchos. Al principio como toda novela coral cuesta ubicarlos pero una vez pasado ese bache y te familiarizas con ellos, me he metido en sus tramas y he conspirado con ellos.
La situaci贸n social y pol铆tica de la 茅poca est谩 muy bien documentada y eso a帽ade a la narraci贸n m谩s tramas y m谩s trejemanejes fuera de palacio. El conflicto con los flamencos de Flandes, la incipiente tensi贸n con los banqueros Lombardos... esto es un no parar.
Druon escribi贸 esta novela en los a帽os 50 y bien podr铆a haberse escrito el a帽o pasado, su estilo no ha envejecido nada. El ritmo es constante sin parrafadas tediosas, te mantiene el inter茅s p谩gina a p谩gina pero tambi茅n es verdad que no hay grandes momentos 茅picos ni un final apote贸sico. Y no hay necesidad, la serie consta de siete libros y aun quedan muchas cosas que contar.
Seguir茅 con la serie aunque me la ir茅 dosificando poco a poco.
Muy recomendable.
June 5, 2023
18 de marzo de 1314. Tras siete a帽os de torturas y humillaciones, Jacques de Molay, 煤ltimo gran maestre de la Orden del Temple, es condenado a la hoguera. Se pone fin as铆 a un gran largo proceso en el que los templarios se han visto despojados de todos sus bienes y obligados a confesar todas las barbaridades que al gobierno franc茅s y al papado se le han ocurrido para desprestigiarlos. Las 煤ltimas palabras del gran maestre antes de ser pasto de las llamas maldicen a los causantes de su ca铆da: el papa Clemente V; el rey Felipe IV de Francia; y su hombre de confianza, el consejero Guillermo de Nogaret. Una maldici贸n que llevara a lo largo de ese infausto a帽o a la tumba a los tres hombres. Pero no sin antes saldarse con un esc谩ndalo amoroso dentro de la familia real francesa que marcara los 煤ltimos compases del reinado del llamado 鈥淩ey de Hierro鈥�.
Leer la saga de 鈥淟os Reyes Malditos鈥� no era solo una deuda literaria que tenia desde hace muchos a帽os. Era tambi茅n una necesidad imperiosa que hasta ahora no he podido saciar. Como buena amante de la historia medieval y el tema de los templarios, este libro ten铆a desde el inicio todos los ingredientes para encantarme. Y si a eso se le sumaba que George R.R. Martin a confesado que estos libros son una de sus principales fuentes de inspiraci贸n para su maravillosa (y frustrante por lo que esta tardando en llegar el sexto libro) saga de 鈥淐anci贸n de Hielo y Fuego鈥�, pues las expectativas no pod铆an estar m谩s altas.
Y la novela ha estado totalmente a la altura. Desde pr谩cticamente la primera p谩gina la pluma de Maurice Druon me ha metido de lleno en el argumento. Druon compone un cuadro muy n铆tido y vibrante de la Francia del a帽o 1314 a partir de los hechos que azotaron los 煤ltimos momentos del reinado de Felipe El Hermoso, conocido como 鈥淓l Rey de Hierro鈥� por su fr铆a personalidad y su f茅rrea forma de gobernar. Un reinado que marcar铆a el futuro de Francia por varios motivos, cuyo germen puede conocerse en esta novela. Druon nos ense帽a con gran eficiencia y maestr铆a todas las complejidades pol铆ticas, econ贸micas y sociales. Ese reinado, un complejo tapiz en el que el autor franc茅s se mueve con gran soltura. Su labor documental es sensacional. No solo trata perfectamente lo hist贸rico y lo pol铆tico, tambi茅n logra hacer un cuadro perfecto de las costumbres y vida cotidiana de un franc茅s del siglo XII, meter al lector en esa 茅poca y sentir que camina en el pa铆s del a帽o 1314 o en la campi帽a francesa. Se nota mucho el mismo que le ha puesto a todos y cada uno de los detalles que aparecen en su libro. Y es algo que se agradece mucho mientras se lee.
Pero creo que la gran novedad que Druon aporta en su trabajo es la forma en que humaniza a todos los personajes hist贸ricos que protagonizan los hechos que narran. As铆 Felipe El Hermoso es un rey duro y de personalidad implacable, pero al mismo tiempo est谩 conmovedoramente preocupado por el legado que dejar谩 cuando muera y preocupado por haber hecho las cosas bien y haber proporcionado bienestar a sus s煤bditos y haber afianzado el poder de la corona en el pa铆s. Su casquivana nuera, Margarita de Borgo帽a, tiene una personalidad retorcida, lujuriosa y ego铆sta; pero en sus momentos m谩s bajos, cuando ya todo esta perdido, sabe sacar todo el orgullo y dignidad que lleva dentro. La hija del rey, la reina de Inglaterra Isabel, es una mujer con un sentido de la dignidad real tan fuerte como su padre, tanto como para llevar sin ninguna duda a tres mujeres a la desgracia. Aunque eso no la haga ser m谩s feliz en su matrimonio, ni sentirse m谩s satisfecha. Y Marigny, el secretario del rey, pese a sus grandes habilidades para llevar el gobierno y haber ascendido en la escala pol铆tica por sus propios medios, es un hombre que est谩 constantemente en la cuerda floja y cuestionado por los chanchullos de su hermano y su baja condici贸n social de nacimiento.
Y podr铆a seguir mucho m谩s rato hablando de m谩s personajes. Todo el libro es una rica galer铆a de caracteres finamente trazados, hijos del periodo hist贸rico y las circunstanciad pol铆ticas y sociales entre las que nacieron. Todos tienen sus aristas, sus matices y sus claroscuros. Druon logra aportar a estos caracteres una dimensi贸n humana de la que muchos autores del genero hist贸rico deber铆an aprender, y que, personalmente, he encontrado en muy pocas obras (destacando esa maravilla que es la Trilog铆a de Cromwell de la a帽orada Hilary Mantel). A todo esto se le a帽ade una prosa muy cuidada, que no por ello deja de ser 谩gil y que est谩 bien condimentada con vocabulario t铆pico de la 茅poca. Desde luego, todo esto ayuda a meterte de lleno en la historia que se tiene entre manos.
Aunque pr谩cticamente toda la novela gira entorno a la figura del rey Felipe, a este le acompa帽an una gran cantidad de personajes secundarios que dan mucha vida a la trama. A mi eso me ha parecido uno de los principales atractivos de esta lectura. Porque gracias a eso no nos quedamos solo con lo que pasa en los consejos reales, con los grandes medidas pol铆ticas, o con el esc谩ndalo de la Torre de Nesl茅. tambi茅n podemos conocer como eran las vidas de una gran variedad de clases m谩s humildes y sencillas, conociendo as铆 otros aspectos y contextos de la vida medieval. Adem谩s, esto permite que la novela trate otras subtramas m谩s centradas en los viajes, lo amoroso o lo costumbrista.
Si hay algo que podr铆a poner como punto negativo de esta lectura, es que el autor no se centra mucho en el contexto hist贸rico, y aunque su estudio psicol贸gico de los personajes es estupendo, hubiera dado m谩s profundidad a toda la novela si los hubiera desarrollado m谩s. Adem谩s, reconozco que me pareci贸 que Druon comet铆a uno de los errores, que por lo menos para m铆 son m谩s imperdonables cuando hablamos de novela hist贸rica: no tomarse su tiempo para contextualizar hist贸ricamente la trama, para explicar al lector m谩s desinformado cu谩les son las principales cuestiones pol铆ticas, religiosas, econ贸micas y sociales m谩s importantes. Es cierto que a medida que vas leyendo el lector va descubriendo poco a poco todos los entresijos del contexto hist贸rico y acaba haci茅ndose una idea. Y personalmente, como por gustos personales como por trabajo, estoy bastante familiarizada con la Edad Media francesa, no me cost贸 mucho ubicarme. Pero admito que si hubiera sido una lectora que no conociera tanto del tema me hubiera costado engancharme a la historia por esa cuesti贸n.
Pero todo eso tiene una explicaci贸n y una justificaci贸n, ya que estamos ante el primero de los siete tomos que componen. Una saga que, por lo que tengo entendido, se sucede a lo largo de muchos a帽os y reinados. Es decir, hay mucho margen para desarrollar m谩s el contexto de los propios personajes y la evoluci贸n de los mismos.De hecho, como hilo conductor de cara a las siguientes novelas encontramos las aventuras y desventuras de la familia de banqueros lombardos Tolomei, poni茅ndose el foco en el cabeza de familia, Spinello, y en su sobrino, Guccio. El primero se vera enfrentado a los grandes poderes por su inmenso poder econ贸mico; el segundo protagonizara una trama m谩s centrada en lo amoroso. Y se deja caer que los dos personajes y sus actuaciones ponen las bases de un hilo conductor, que unir谩 en el tiempo todo lo que acontece en las siguientes entregas de esta saga.
Por cierto, yo he comprado y voy a leer la presente septolog铆a de segunda mano en una edici贸n del C铆rculo de Lectores del a帽o 1971. No s茅 en otras m谩s modernas, pero en esta te viene un 谩rbol geneal贸gico un apartado con otras hist贸ricas que da mucha informaci贸n, y un repertorio biogr谩fico en el que se habla de todos los personajes que aparecen en la novela. Todos estos anexos resultan muy 煤tiles, ya no solo por lo que he dicho antes de que ayudan a contextualizar te hist贸ricamente, tambi茅n favorecen que no te pierdas entre tanto nombre.
En definitiva, como 鈥淓l Rey de Hierro鈥� ha sido un inicio de serie muy prometedor. Estoy deseando leer los cinco tomos siguientes (mi edici贸n tiene solo seis de los siete vol煤menes oficiakes, pero por lo que tengo entendido el s茅ptimo es tan malo que muchos fans de la saga prefieren olvidar que existe tan siquiera)
Leer la saga de 鈥淟os Reyes Malditos鈥� no era solo una deuda literaria que tenia desde hace muchos a帽os. Era tambi茅n una necesidad imperiosa que hasta ahora no he podido saciar. Como buena amante de la historia medieval y el tema de los templarios, este libro ten铆a desde el inicio todos los ingredientes para encantarme. Y si a eso se le sumaba que George R.R. Martin a confesado que estos libros son una de sus principales fuentes de inspiraci贸n para su maravillosa (y frustrante por lo que esta tardando en llegar el sexto libro) saga de 鈥淐anci贸n de Hielo y Fuego鈥�, pues las expectativas no pod铆an estar m谩s altas.
Y la novela ha estado totalmente a la altura. Desde pr谩cticamente la primera p谩gina la pluma de Maurice Druon me ha metido de lleno en el argumento. Druon compone un cuadro muy n铆tido y vibrante de la Francia del a帽o 1314 a partir de los hechos que azotaron los 煤ltimos momentos del reinado de Felipe El Hermoso, conocido como 鈥淓l Rey de Hierro鈥� por su fr铆a personalidad y su f茅rrea forma de gobernar. Un reinado que marcar铆a el futuro de Francia por varios motivos, cuyo germen puede conocerse en esta novela. Druon nos ense帽a con gran eficiencia y maestr铆a todas las complejidades pol铆ticas, econ贸micas y sociales. Ese reinado, un complejo tapiz en el que el autor franc茅s se mueve con gran soltura. Su labor documental es sensacional. No solo trata perfectamente lo hist贸rico y lo pol铆tico, tambi茅n logra hacer un cuadro perfecto de las costumbres y vida cotidiana de un franc茅s del siglo XII, meter al lector en esa 茅poca y sentir que camina en el pa铆s del a帽o 1314 o en la campi帽a francesa. Se nota mucho el mismo que le ha puesto a todos y cada uno de los detalles que aparecen en su libro. Y es algo que se agradece mucho mientras se lee.
Pero creo que la gran novedad que Druon aporta en su trabajo es la forma en que humaniza a todos los personajes hist贸ricos que protagonizan los hechos que narran. As铆 Felipe El Hermoso es un rey duro y de personalidad implacable, pero al mismo tiempo est谩 conmovedoramente preocupado por el legado que dejar谩 cuando muera y preocupado por haber hecho las cosas bien y haber proporcionado bienestar a sus s煤bditos y haber afianzado el poder de la corona en el pa铆s. Su casquivana nuera, Margarita de Borgo帽a, tiene una personalidad retorcida, lujuriosa y ego铆sta; pero en sus momentos m谩s bajos, cuando ya todo esta perdido, sabe sacar todo el orgullo y dignidad que lleva dentro. La hija del rey, la reina de Inglaterra Isabel, es una mujer con un sentido de la dignidad real tan fuerte como su padre, tanto como para llevar sin ninguna duda a tres mujeres a la desgracia. Aunque eso no la haga ser m谩s feliz en su matrimonio, ni sentirse m谩s satisfecha. Y Marigny, el secretario del rey, pese a sus grandes habilidades para llevar el gobierno y haber ascendido en la escala pol铆tica por sus propios medios, es un hombre que est谩 constantemente en la cuerda floja y cuestionado por los chanchullos de su hermano y su baja condici贸n social de nacimiento.
Y podr铆a seguir mucho m谩s rato hablando de m谩s personajes. Todo el libro es una rica galer铆a de caracteres finamente trazados, hijos del periodo hist贸rico y las circunstanciad pol铆ticas y sociales entre las que nacieron. Todos tienen sus aristas, sus matices y sus claroscuros. Druon logra aportar a estos caracteres una dimensi贸n humana de la que muchos autores del genero hist贸rico deber铆an aprender, y que, personalmente, he encontrado en muy pocas obras (destacando esa maravilla que es la Trilog铆a de Cromwell de la a帽orada Hilary Mantel). A todo esto se le a帽ade una prosa muy cuidada, que no por ello deja de ser 谩gil y que est谩 bien condimentada con vocabulario t铆pico de la 茅poca. Desde luego, todo esto ayuda a meterte de lleno en la historia que se tiene entre manos.
Aunque pr谩cticamente toda la novela gira entorno a la figura del rey Felipe, a este le acompa帽an una gran cantidad de personajes secundarios que dan mucha vida a la trama. A mi eso me ha parecido uno de los principales atractivos de esta lectura. Porque gracias a eso no nos quedamos solo con lo que pasa en los consejos reales, con los grandes medidas pol铆ticas, o con el esc谩ndalo de la Torre de Nesl茅. tambi茅n podemos conocer como eran las vidas de una gran variedad de clases m谩s humildes y sencillas, conociendo as铆 otros aspectos y contextos de la vida medieval. Adem谩s, esto permite que la novela trate otras subtramas m谩s centradas en los viajes, lo amoroso o lo costumbrista.
Si hay algo que podr铆a poner como punto negativo de esta lectura, es que el autor no se centra mucho en el contexto hist贸rico, y aunque su estudio psicol贸gico de los personajes es estupendo, hubiera dado m谩s profundidad a toda la novela si los hubiera desarrollado m谩s. Adem谩s, reconozco que me pareci贸 que Druon comet铆a uno de los errores, que por lo menos para m铆 son m谩s imperdonables cuando hablamos de novela hist贸rica: no tomarse su tiempo para contextualizar hist贸ricamente la trama, para explicar al lector m谩s desinformado cu谩les son las principales cuestiones pol铆ticas, religiosas, econ贸micas y sociales m谩s importantes. Es cierto que a medida que vas leyendo el lector va descubriendo poco a poco todos los entresijos del contexto hist贸rico y acaba haci茅ndose una idea. Y personalmente, como por gustos personales como por trabajo, estoy bastante familiarizada con la Edad Media francesa, no me cost贸 mucho ubicarme. Pero admito que si hubiera sido una lectora que no conociera tanto del tema me hubiera costado engancharme a la historia por esa cuesti贸n.
Pero todo eso tiene una explicaci贸n y una justificaci贸n, ya que estamos ante el primero de los siete tomos que componen. Una saga que, por lo que tengo entendido, se sucede a lo largo de muchos a帽os y reinados. Es decir, hay mucho margen para desarrollar m谩s el contexto de los propios personajes y la evoluci贸n de los mismos.De hecho, como hilo conductor de cara a las siguientes novelas encontramos las aventuras y desventuras de la familia de banqueros lombardos Tolomei, poni茅ndose el foco en el cabeza de familia, Spinello, y en su sobrino, Guccio. El primero se vera enfrentado a los grandes poderes por su inmenso poder econ贸mico; el segundo protagonizara una trama m谩s centrada en lo amoroso. Y se deja caer que los dos personajes y sus actuaciones ponen las bases de un hilo conductor, que unir谩 en el tiempo todo lo que acontece en las siguientes entregas de esta saga.
Por cierto, yo he comprado y voy a leer la presente septolog铆a de segunda mano en una edici贸n del C铆rculo de Lectores del a帽o 1971. No s茅 en otras m谩s modernas, pero en esta te viene un 谩rbol geneal贸gico un apartado con otras hist贸ricas que da mucha informaci贸n, y un repertorio biogr谩fico en el que se habla de todos los personajes que aparecen en la novela. Todos estos anexos resultan muy 煤tiles, ya no solo por lo que he dicho antes de que ayudan a contextualizar te hist贸ricamente, tambi茅n favorecen que no te pierdas entre tanto nombre.
En definitiva, como 鈥淓l Rey de Hierro鈥� ha sido un inicio de serie muy prometedor. Estoy deseando leer los cinco tomos siguientes (mi edici贸n tiene solo seis de los siete vol煤menes oficiakes, pero por lo que tengo entendido el s茅ptimo es tan malo que muchos fans de la saga prefieren olvidar que existe tan siquiera)
August 4, 2019
Aqu铆 la videorese帽a:
A m铆 me das salseo hist贸rico y datos curiosos para poder consegure el "quesito" amarillo o marr贸n del Trivial Pursuit y me tienes ganada.
Y s铆, se supone que GRR Martin se bas贸 en parte en esta saga para escribir su "Canci贸n de hielo y fuego", pero eso es lo de menos. Porque aparte de que todo el mundo quiera el trono (la corona de Francia en este caso) como si fuera en 煤ltimo gofre con chocolate del planeta Tierra, la trama de ambas sagas no se parece en exceso. Quiero decir, hay conspiraciones y luchas por el poder y corruptelas financieras y l铆os amorosos, pero no es como si Martin hubiera usado la Historia de la Francia del siglo XIV como un calco.
Si dijera que los personajes son muy complejos psicol贸gicamente mentir铆a, porque si bien su personalidad y sus motivaciones est谩n claras, tampoco es que el autor pierda mucho tiempo en darles grandes mon贸logos internos o explicar al detalle todo lo que sienten. A ver, que se supone que Isabel odia a sus nueras porque... 驴tienen sexo mientras que ella no, porque est谩 casada con Eduardo II, que era homosexual? Que a ver, una motivaci贸n es, aunque un poco floja, si tenemos en cuenta que una infidelidad de sus nueras casadas con los herederos franceses pondr铆a en cuesti贸n su descendencia, cosa que interesaba a Isabel, cuyo hijo entonces podr铆a hacer valer sus aspiraciones al trono de Francia. Pero vale, fue por celos, aceptamos barco como animal acu谩tico.
Al fin y al cabo, esta es una novela de ficci贸n. Ficci贸n hist贸rica, s铆, pero ficci贸n al fin y al cabo. Maurice Druon no tiene por qu茅 seguir la objetividad de la Historia como disciplina cient铆fica, puede usar las fuentes que quiere e ignorar las que no le convienen a su narrativa. No se trata de una manual de Historia medieval. Aunque est谩 muy bien documentado y lleno de notas que desarrolla con m谩s detenimiento al final de la mayor铆a de los cap铆tulos. Aprendes much铆simo con este libro. Pero que nadie se lleve a enga帽o: no es la verdad hist贸rica.
Pero bueno, si se tiene esto claro (al igual de cierta misoginia, porque es un libro publicado en 1955 de un autor franc茅s, no le pid谩is peras al olmo) es un libro muy entretenido y f谩cil de leer donde una pluralidad de personas conspiran y luchan por el trono de hier-- perd贸n, por la corona de Francia.
A m铆 me das salseo hist贸rico y datos curiosos para poder consegure el "quesito" amarillo o marr贸n del Trivial Pursuit y me tienes ganada.
Y s铆, se supone que GRR Martin se bas贸 en parte en esta saga para escribir su "Canci贸n de hielo y fuego", pero eso es lo de menos. Porque aparte de que todo el mundo quiera el trono (la corona de Francia en este caso) como si fuera en 煤ltimo gofre con chocolate del planeta Tierra, la trama de ambas sagas no se parece en exceso. Quiero decir, hay conspiraciones y luchas por el poder y corruptelas financieras y l铆os amorosos, pero no es como si Martin hubiera usado la Historia de la Francia del siglo XIV como un calco.
Si dijera que los personajes son muy complejos psicol贸gicamente mentir铆a, porque si bien su personalidad y sus motivaciones est谩n claras, tampoco es que el autor pierda mucho tiempo en darles grandes mon贸logos internos o explicar al detalle todo lo que sienten. A ver, que se supone que Isabel odia a sus nueras porque... 驴tienen sexo mientras que ella no, porque est谩 casada con Eduardo II, que era homosexual? Que a ver, una motivaci贸n es, aunque un poco floja, si tenemos en cuenta que una infidelidad de sus nueras casadas con los herederos franceses pondr铆a en cuesti贸n su descendencia, cosa que interesaba a Isabel, cuyo hijo entonces podr铆a hacer valer sus aspiraciones al trono de Francia. Pero vale, fue por celos, aceptamos barco como animal acu谩tico.
Al fin y al cabo, esta es una novela de ficci贸n. Ficci贸n hist贸rica, s铆, pero ficci贸n al fin y al cabo. Maurice Druon no tiene por qu茅 seguir la objetividad de la Historia como disciplina cient铆fica, puede usar las fuentes que quiere e ignorar las que no le convienen a su narrativa. No se trata de una manual de Historia medieval. Aunque est谩 muy bien documentado y lleno de notas que desarrolla con m谩s detenimiento al final de la mayor铆a de los cap铆tulos. Aprendes much铆simo con este libro. Pero que nadie se lleve a enga帽o: no es la verdad hist贸rica.
Pero bueno, si se tiene esto claro (al igual de cierta misoginia, porque es un libro publicado en 1955 de un autor franc茅s, no le pid谩is peras al olmo) es un libro muy entretenido y f谩cil de leer donde una pluralidad de personas conspiran y luchan por el trono de hier-- perd贸n, por la corona de Francia.
November 6, 2017
No me resisto a un libro de historia bien contado.
Cuando los encuentro me pregunto por qu茅 los profes del colegio no ense帽an historia as铆.
Un libro muy bien contado acerca del reinado de Felipe "el hermoso" y la maldici贸n que recibi贸 de los templarios.
El ser humano ha estado da帽ado siempre, el poder, la ambici贸n y la crueldad han sido parte de la historia desde que el hombre es protagonista de ella.
Esta colecci贸n de siete libros es super recomendada para los amantes de la historia.
Cuando los encuentro me pregunto por qu茅 los profes del colegio no ense帽an historia as铆.
Un libro muy bien contado acerca del reinado de Felipe "el hermoso" y la maldici贸n que recibi贸 de los templarios.
El ser humano ha estado da帽ado siempre, el poder, la ambici贸n y la crueldad han sido parte de la historia desde que el hombre es protagonista de ella.
Esta colecci贸n de siete libros es super recomendada para los amantes de la historia.
February 6, 2013
Enough is enough. I'm giving up on this book. I - as I'm sure were many others - was lured into reading this on the promise of George RR Martin's recommendation: `This was the original Game of Thrones'. It wasn't, not even close. It's a history book disguised as a novel, written in a tedious and childish style.
Harsh, I know. In its defence, it's an old book (1955) that's been recently re-launched and it's a translation - either or both of these elements could be the reason why this book didn't work for me. The main problem wasn't the subject, which is a truly fascinating one, a complex and interesting period in European history, peopled by intriguing and extreme characters, the problem throughout was the writing style, which alternated between a dreary monologue of facts, and imaginary conversations which never engaged and were, at times, simply bizarre. It didn't feel real. It quickly became very annoying. The only thing I can say in its defence is that it is thorough, if you love this particular period of history, and, maybe, if you're a younger reader, this might work for you.
It's not often I don't finish a book I'm intending to review. Writing is hard; every author's work deserves careful consideration. I won't usually review any book until I've read it all, but sometimes that's just not possible. I got halfway through, I gave it that much of my time, but reached a point where I really could not turn another page. Life is just too short to spend reading books you're not enjoying as much as I was not enjoying this.
Harsh, I know. In its defence, it's an old book (1955) that's been recently re-launched and it's a translation - either or both of these elements could be the reason why this book didn't work for me. The main problem wasn't the subject, which is a truly fascinating one, a complex and interesting period in European history, peopled by intriguing and extreme characters, the problem throughout was the writing style, which alternated between a dreary monologue of facts, and imaginary conversations which never engaged and were, at times, simply bizarre. It didn't feel real. It quickly became very annoying. The only thing I can say in its defence is that it is thorough, if you love this particular period of history, and, maybe, if you're a younger reader, this might work for you.
It's not often I don't finish a book I'm intending to review. Writing is hard; every author's work deserves careful consideration. I won't usually review any book until I've read it all, but sometimes that's just not possible. I got halfway through, I gave it that much of my time, but reached a point where I really could not turn another page. Life is just too short to spend reading books you're not enjoying as much as I was not enjoying this.
July 31, 2019
This is the first book in The Accursed Kings series which inspired George R. R. Martin鈥檚 Game of Thrones.
I have always wanted to learn more about the Capetian dynasty of France. In this novel, the leading character is Philip IV, also known as Philip the Fair owing to the king鈥檚 handsome looks. But his rigid and icy personality also earned him another nickname, which is 鈥渢he Iron King鈥�.
On the whole, the novel is episodic but doesn鈥檛 lack suspenseful moments. Some descriptions of the cruel methods of execution and torture are quite graphic. Apart from being entertained on the royals jockeying for power and the royal women鈥檚 love affairs, one also gets a peek into the period鈥檚 morals, superstitions, politics and religious and territorial conflicts. One of Philips IV鈥檚 more notorious deeds is his brutal annihilation of the Order of the Knights Templar and confiscation of its wealth. He also directs much of his effort towards wrestling power from the Holy Empire. Generally, character development is not very well executed.
It is interesting to note that the demise of the Order of the Templars gave rise to construction guilds and secret institutions that eventually became the origins of Freemasonry, a fraternal organization known for its secretive initiation rites.
I鈥檓 giving this novel 3.7 stars, rounding up to 4. I鈥檓 undecided as to whether I will read the sequels (including this one, there are seven books in the whole series), as I have never been a fan of series.
I have always wanted to learn more about the Capetian dynasty of France. In this novel, the leading character is Philip IV, also known as Philip the Fair owing to the king鈥檚 handsome looks. But his rigid and icy personality also earned him another nickname, which is 鈥渢he Iron King鈥�.
On the whole, the novel is episodic but doesn鈥檛 lack suspenseful moments. Some descriptions of the cruel methods of execution and torture are quite graphic. Apart from being entertained on the royals jockeying for power and the royal women鈥檚 love affairs, one also gets a peek into the period鈥檚 morals, superstitions, politics and religious and territorial conflicts. One of Philips IV鈥檚 more notorious deeds is his brutal annihilation of the Order of the Knights Templar and confiscation of its wealth. He also directs much of his effort towards wrestling power from the Holy Empire. Generally, character development is not very well executed.
It is interesting to note that the demise of the Order of the Templars gave rise to construction guilds and secret institutions that eventually became the origins of Freemasonry, a fraternal organization known for its secretive initiation rites.
I鈥檓 giving this novel 3.7 stars, rounding up to 4. I鈥檓 undecided as to whether I will read the sequels (including this one, there are seven books in the whole series), as I have never been a fan of series.
March 28, 2016
So, this is being marketed as "the original Game of Thrones". With blurbs and a new introduction from George R.R. Martin himself. What an eye-catching endorsement! I was sold.
Well, yes and no. It's actually quite different than GoT. But at the same time, I can see where it's an influence on Martin's story. Not the only one, but it's certainly there.
That said, it's quite an enjoyable novel. It has held up well over time (published in 1955 originally) and survived translation (from French). It moved at a quick pace and was quite compelling.
Well, yes and no. It's actually quite different than GoT. But at the same time, I can see where it's an influence on Martin's story. Not the only one, but it's certainly there.
That said, it's quite an enjoyable novel. It has held up well over time (published in 1955 originally) and survived translation (from French). It moved at a quick pace and was quite compelling.
September 1, 2016
Si no es un cl谩sico de la literatura universal, esta novela es ya un cl谩sico del g茅nero hist贸rico. Bien documentada y entretenida, su inter茅s no decae nunca. Acompa帽amos en ella a Felipe el Hermoso y a la familia real francesa a principios del tr谩gico siglo XIV. Pero tambi茅n se nos presentan otros personajes y dramas, como el de los Templarios cuando se aboli贸 la orden, el de los banqueros italianos residentes en Francia, o el de nobles arruinados a punto de ser embargados.
Aparte de la minuciosa documentaci贸n hist贸rica, el autor muestra imaginaci贸n para reconstruir los sentimientos de sus personajes. Un detalle violento son las escenas de torturas y ejecuciones en la Edad Media. 隆Ni el autodenominado Estado Isl谩mico es tan refinadamente perverso!
Aparte de la minuciosa documentaci贸n hist贸rica, el autor muestra imaginaci贸n para reconstruir los sentimientos de sus personajes. Un detalle violento son las escenas de torturas y ejecuciones en la Edad Media. 隆Ni el autodenominado Estado Isl谩mico es tan refinadamente perverso!
May 19, 2013
The Iron King is set in 1314, the year in which the Trial of the Templars reached its conclusion, and the French court was shocked by the Tower of Nesle affair. If you know what happens in these events, this novel is not for you. Prior knowledge will reduce the book to a travelogue featuring nothing but the drabbest of landmarks.
The Iron King is Philip IV, called the Fair, ostensibly because he鈥檚 as pretty (and as sentimental) as a statue. Philip is obsessed with strengthening the monarchy of France, by any means necessary. In the first part of the book the last phase of the Trial of the Templars takes center-stage. This trial, beginning with the arrest of all Templars in France on November 13th 1307, shook Europe. The Order of the Templars was one of the most powerful and wealthiest organizations in Europe; that a king would indict and persecute them was virtually unthinkable (and would not have worked had Philip not had the pope on a leash in Avignon). The second phase of the book centers on the Tower of the Nesle affair, the last part is about the curse of the Templars (hence The Accursed Kings) and the Lombards鈥� efforts to escape persecution.
The reason for the bad review is not that nothing happens in this book; it鈥檚 because the book isn鈥檛 written in anything resembling an engaging style. Druon is almost as statuesque as he claims Philip was. Almost everything is written from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, and even when not, the characters still don鈥檛 come to life. We are told this or that person is, for example, jealous, or an intriguer, or devoted etc. etc., but it never comes off. They remain one-dimensional, and in this way the book entirely fails to draw one in. Druon obviously knew what he was talking about (even though current scholarship may disagree with the theories he espoused in 1955), but it falls flat because it doesn鈥檛 engage. I love Medieval history, and I had to force myself to finish this. Sad, because this book could have been so much more.
The Iron King is Philip IV, called the Fair, ostensibly because he鈥檚 as pretty (and as sentimental) as a statue. Philip is obsessed with strengthening the monarchy of France, by any means necessary. In the first part of the book the last phase of the Trial of the Templars takes center-stage. This trial, beginning with the arrest of all Templars in France on November 13th 1307, shook Europe. The Order of the Templars was one of the most powerful and wealthiest organizations in Europe; that a king would indict and persecute them was virtually unthinkable (and would not have worked had Philip not had the pope on a leash in Avignon). The second phase of the book centers on the Tower of the Nesle affair, the last part is about the curse of the Templars (hence The Accursed Kings) and the Lombards鈥� efforts to escape persecution.
The reason for the bad review is not that nothing happens in this book; it鈥檚 because the book isn鈥檛 written in anything resembling an engaging style. Druon is almost as statuesque as he claims Philip was. Almost everything is written from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, and even when not, the characters still don鈥檛 come to life. We are told this or that person is, for example, jealous, or an intriguer, or devoted etc. etc., but it never comes off. They remain one-dimensional, and in this way the book entirely fails to draw one in. Druon obviously knew what he was talking about (even though current scholarship may disagree with the theories he espoused in 1955), but it falls flat because it doesn鈥檛 engage. I love Medieval history, and I had to force myself to finish this. Sad, because this book could have been so much more.
August 7, 2021
This was a middle-of-the-road trashy historical fiction for me.
Too trashy and soap opera-ish for me to like it as a well-written historical fiction with a distinct sense of place and great characters鈥�
... and not trashy and funny enough to be enjoyable as a farce. I wish it went full Monty python and the holy grail
Also according to this book the 4 adulterers were so inexplicably dumb and incompetent, I rooted against them. Imagine the adulteress giving her lover a brooch with the inscription 鈥淚 am a lover of this married princess鈥� and he proudly wears it in front of everyone. Give them all Darwin awards, please.
Also every character's interactions were very stilted and unnatural. And all the characters were very one-note.
But this royal family is interesting, I鈥檒l continue reading wikipedia about them!
Although now I know the firmness of the boobs of every female character, so that鈥檚 something.
Too trashy and soap opera-ish for me to like it as a well-written historical fiction with a distinct sense of place and great characters鈥�
Between the two princesses and their lovers all shame had long since vanished. It was their custom to enjoy all the pleasures of love in each other鈥檚 presence. If Blanche on occasion turned her eyes away, and hid her nakedness in the shadowy corners of the room, Marguerite derived an added pleasure from watching others making love, as she did from being watched herself.
鈥楾hey鈥檙e going to burn, they鈥檙e going to be grilled,鈥� she said in a hoarse, breathless voice, 鈥榳hile we ...鈥� Her eye sought in the heart of the fire infernal visions to excite her pleasure. Abruptly she turned to face Philippe and gave herself to him, standing, as the nymphs in the legend gave themselves to the fauns.
... and not trashy and funny enough to be enjoyable as a farce. I wish it went full Monty python and the holy grail
Also according to this book the 4 adulterers were so inexplicably dumb and incompetent, I rooted against them. Imagine the adulteress giving her lover a brooch with the inscription 鈥淚 am a lover of this married princess鈥� and he proudly wears it in front of everyone. Give them all Darwin awards, please.
Also every character's interactions were very stilted and unnatural. And all the characters were very one-note.
But this royal family is interesting, I鈥檒l continue reading wikipedia about them!
Although now I know the firmness of the boobs of every female character, so that鈥檚 something.
From all the evidence it appeared that the widow was prepared to pay in her own person, and one might well have asked if she were submitting to sacrifice to evade the debt, or whether she was merely using the debt as an opportunity of personal sacrifice.
As a good Italian, Guccio thought that it would be extremely pleasing to have both mother and daughter at the same time. Dame Eliabel still had many charms, particularly for those who did not mind a certain fullness of figure, her hands were soft and her bosom, abundant as it might be, seemed nevertheless to preserve a certain firmness; but this could be no more than an additional amusement. To risk missing the younger in order to linger with the older would destroy the enjoyment of the game.
December 30, 2018
'Power is a bitter thing'
An eminently readable historical novel, the first of seven, retelling the story of the Capet dynasty in medieval France. This first book follows Philippe IV (Philip the Fair) from his suppression of the Templars to his death in 1314.
The book was originally published in 1955 and there is a slightly old-fashioned air to the narrative. It reminds me a little of Dumas but without the swashbuckling and sense of humour, especially his La Reine Margot, though this is lighter on atmosphere. Druon moves between the machinations of the court and the sexual intrigues of the king's three daughters-in-law, though both are always seen as political. There are all-too-brief appearances of Isabella, married to Edward II of England (I hope to see more of her in later books), and an intriguing sub-plot involving Lombardy bankers in France - including Papa Boccaccio, father of the more famous author.
There are some simplicities in language (they are there in the original French so it's not merely a translation issue) but this is historically detailed to compensate. What it's not is a version of the Philippa Gregory historical romance with modern personalities dressed up in medieval costume. Thankfully! With the death of Philippe, the scene is set for the troubled reign of Louis X in the next book.
An eminently readable historical novel, the first of seven, retelling the story of the Capet dynasty in medieval France. This first book follows Philippe IV (Philip the Fair) from his suppression of the Templars to his death in 1314.
The book was originally published in 1955 and there is a slightly old-fashioned air to the narrative. It reminds me a little of Dumas but without the swashbuckling and sense of humour, especially his La Reine Margot, though this is lighter on atmosphere. Druon moves between the machinations of the court and the sexual intrigues of the king's three daughters-in-law, though both are always seen as political. There are all-too-brief appearances of Isabella, married to Edward II of England (I hope to see more of her in later books), and an intriguing sub-plot involving Lombardy bankers in France - including Papa Boccaccio, father of the more famous author.
There are some simplicities in language (they are there in the original French so it's not merely a translation issue) but this is historically detailed to compensate. What it's not is a version of the Philippa Gregory historical romance with modern personalities dressed up in medieval costume. Thankfully! With the death of Philippe, the scene is set for the troubled reign of Louis X in the next book.
April 3, 2013
George R. R. Martin once wrote in a blog post that if you love his A Song of Ice and Fire series and are looking for "something like it", then you really need to check out The Iron King by Maurice Druon. In the newest edition of the book's foreword, he calls it the "original game of thrones" and credits it for being one of the great historical novels that inspired his own epic series.
Even if I hadn't known all this, the parallels are clear; this is only the first book of The Accursed Kings series and already it has it all, just without the fantasy elements -- conspiracies, assassinations, illicit affairs, royal scandals, rivaling families, public executions, lies, sex, betrayals and torture and poisonings and death curses, oh my.
Originally written in French and published in the mid-1950s, the books in this series were long out of print and apparently quite difficult to get your hands on, until now. Fortunately, the English translation of the first book recently made it back into print (with the rest to follow, I hear), thus resulting in yours truly just about tripping over her own feet rushing to press the "buy" button for the Kindle version. Even without GRRM's glowing recommendation, I'm always up for good historical fiction, especially books involving European monarchies and the Middle Ages.
The Iron King is a fascinating take on the events which preceded and led up to arguably one of the most significant conflicts of the medieval period, The Hundred Years' War. King Philip IV of France, called "The Iron King" because of his aloof nature and severe rule, sentences the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar Jacques de Molay to burn at the stake. Upon his death, the Templar maintains his innocence and publicly curses the three men whom he feels has unjustly put him there: Pope Clement, King Philip, and Guillaume de Nogaret, Keeper of the Seals.
Meanwhile, all is not well in Philip's family. Two of his sons, Louis and Charles are being cuckolded by their wives, cousins Marguerite and Blanche of Burgundy. If that wasn't bad enough, his third son's wife, Jeanne of Burgundy, is also privy to these affairs, even if she doesn't cheat herself. When Philip's only daughter Isabella discovers what the Burgundy women are doing to her three brothers, she begins scheming to expose them, and Robert III of Artois, who harbors a deep hatred for the Burgundys, is only all too happy to help.
The scandal is blown wide open, of course, as we know from the events of the Tour de Nesle Affair. The king and his family recall the the last words uttered by Grand Master Jacques de Molay: "Pope Clement, Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret, King Philip, I summon you to the Tribunal of Heaven before the year is out, to receive your just punishment! Accursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation of your lines!" Are the troubles involving the unfaithful wives part of the curse? Or is the worst yet to come?
I have to say, I liked this book a lot. The story takes quite a bit of time to get get set up, but then so much of the history and the characters have to be detailed and introduced. As the reader, I felt I needed the ramp-up time to refresh myself on the historical facts and get all those "Philip"s, "Charles"s and "Louis"s sorted out anyway. As always, trying to keep names in order is a common occupational hazard when reading historical fiction about European kings and queens. However, all the people and events Druon decided to include and write about in his storytelling are there for a reason, building up and forming a cogent picture by the end of the book.
Also, fair warning: the writing can be a little hard on the eyes. As with many books translated from their original language, it's not always pretty. I'm not sure this can be helped, and I certainly don't hold that against the author or the translator; sometimes, that's just the way things are. I admit I've had better times with other translated-to-English books, but then again, I've also had worse. The experience was definitely not as rough as I expected after seeing other reviews talking about the same topic, and to me the book was still very readable and easy to get into.
See this and others at .
Even if I hadn't known all this, the parallels are clear; this is only the first book of The Accursed Kings series and already it has it all, just without the fantasy elements -- conspiracies, assassinations, illicit affairs, royal scandals, rivaling families, public executions, lies, sex, betrayals and torture and poisonings and death curses, oh my.
Originally written in French and published in the mid-1950s, the books in this series were long out of print and apparently quite difficult to get your hands on, until now. Fortunately, the English translation of the first book recently made it back into print (with the rest to follow, I hear), thus resulting in yours truly just about tripping over her own feet rushing to press the "buy" button for the Kindle version. Even without GRRM's glowing recommendation, I'm always up for good historical fiction, especially books involving European monarchies and the Middle Ages.
The Iron King is a fascinating take on the events which preceded and led up to arguably one of the most significant conflicts of the medieval period, The Hundred Years' War. King Philip IV of France, called "The Iron King" because of his aloof nature and severe rule, sentences the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar Jacques de Molay to burn at the stake. Upon his death, the Templar maintains his innocence and publicly curses the three men whom he feels has unjustly put him there: Pope Clement, King Philip, and Guillaume de Nogaret, Keeper of the Seals.
Meanwhile, all is not well in Philip's family. Two of his sons, Louis and Charles are being cuckolded by their wives, cousins Marguerite and Blanche of Burgundy. If that wasn't bad enough, his third son's wife, Jeanne of Burgundy, is also privy to these affairs, even if she doesn't cheat herself. When Philip's only daughter Isabella discovers what the Burgundy women are doing to her three brothers, she begins scheming to expose them, and Robert III of Artois, who harbors a deep hatred for the Burgundys, is only all too happy to help.
The scandal is blown wide open, of course, as we know from the events of the Tour de Nesle Affair. The king and his family recall the the last words uttered by Grand Master Jacques de Molay: "Pope Clement, Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret, King Philip, I summon you to the Tribunal of Heaven before the year is out, to receive your just punishment! Accursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation of your lines!" Are the troubles involving the unfaithful wives part of the curse? Or is the worst yet to come?
I have to say, I liked this book a lot. The story takes quite a bit of time to get get set up, but then so much of the history and the characters have to be detailed and introduced. As the reader, I felt I needed the ramp-up time to refresh myself on the historical facts and get all those "Philip"s, "Charles"s and "Louis"s sorted out anyway. As always, trying to keep names in order is a common occupational hazard when reading historical fiction about European kings and queens. However, all the people and events Druon decided to include and write about in his storytelling are there for a reason, building up and forming a cogent picture by the end of the book.
Also, fair warning: the writing can be a little hard on the eyes. As with many books translated from their original language, it's not always pretty. I'm not sure this can be helped, and I certainly don't hold that against the author or the translator; sometimes, that's just the way things are. I admit I've had better times with other translated-to-English books, but then again, I've also had worse. The experience was definitely not as rough as I expected after seeing other reviews talking about the same topic, and to me the book was still very readable and easy to get into.
See this and others at .
June 8, 2014
As Druon opens his series in the early 14th century, much is taking place in France. Philip IV has ultimate control of his subjects and has married his daughter, Isabella, to the King of England in hopes of holding some degree of control on the other side of the Channel. Philip has finally captured the leadership of the Knights Templar and is set to bestow the ultimate punishment, with the backing of the Church, to uphold his image as the Iron King. Even while Parisians support the religious group, an example must be made of them and those who seek to contradict the concentrated leadership in Paris and Rome. When Philip executes the Templars as heretics, a final prediction from the pyre sees three prominent men cursed with death by the end of the year. A pall spreads across the land and all eyes are on those named. Meanwhile, Queen Isabella learns that her sisters-in-law have been being anything but princess-like back in France and she sets a trap and watches the downfall. During a trip to see her father, Isabella lets the information come to light, which leads to a number of horrific events, all solidifying the Iron King's moniker. While those in court continue to live high on the hog, their financial situations are precarious, balanced by a number of Italian money lenders, whose power could topple the monarchy at any turn. With a secret passed along from the Templars, these lenders hold more than monetary power over the political elite. Druon sets the tone for what will surely be a series full of intrigue, power, deception, and utter ruin.
While called a likely precursor to the Song of Ice and Fire series penned by series fan George RR Martin, the series remains fairly ensconced in history and its realistic portrayal. With a flair for the dramatic, Druon introduces the reader to a number of characters sure to play key roles throughout the series, even if their importance is not fully known at this point. Having not seen the mini-series and not being a historical buff of that period, I am eager to be surprised by much of what occurs and the characters whose lives become highly important over time. History and politics buffs, as well as those who find monarchical series (a la Tudors) will revel in the story lines and plot development.
Kudos, M. Druon for this wonderful opening novel. I hope my attention is kept with the next six instalments.
While called a likely precursor to the Song of Ice and Fire series penned by series fan George RR Martin, the series remains fairly ensconced in history and its realistic portrayal. With a flair for the dramatic, Druon introduces the reader to a number of characters sure to play key roles throughout the series, even if their importance is not fully known at this point. Having not seen the mini-series and not being a historical buff of that period, I am eager to be surprised by much of what occurs and the characters whose lives become highly important over time. History and politics buffs, as well as those who find monarchical series (a la Tudors) will revel in the story lines and plot development.
Kudos, M. Druon for this wonderful opening novel. I hope my attention is kept with the next six instalments.
August 26, 2021
3 cosas malas de este libro:
1-Al menos en esta edici贸n, el precio es excesivo para lo corto que es.
2-El Final tremendamente ins铆pido y que deja todas las historias abiertas, todos los cabos sueltos. (se entiende porque es una saga, pero a煤n as铆)
3-Un final abrupto. Si te agarra descuidado, vas a pensar que a煤n te quedan p谩ginas por leer, pero lo cierto es que las 煤ltimas 30 p谩ginas no son m谩s que el 谩rbol geneal贸gico de los personajes, el 铆ndice, y unas cu谩ntas p谩ginas en blanco.
Lo bueno:
-Descripciones certeras y directas. El autor no desperdicia palabras ni describe de m谩s, por lo que es muy f谩cil dibujarnos mentalmente los escenarios, vestuarios y personajes, pero sin aburrirnos.
-Sucesi贸n r谩pida de eventos. Esto me gusta mucho en cualquier libro, ya que en cada p谩gina pasa algo, si un p谩rrafo est谩 all铆, es por una raz贸n, y no nos encontramos casi con nada de paja.
-En un s贸lo libro pasan m谩s cosas que en 2 libros y medio de Juego de Tronos.
-Balance perfecto entre descripci贸n, di谩logos y descripciones. Una lectura muy fluida.
Pueden seguirme en YouTube por si quieren ver cuando haga una rese帽a m谩s amplia de este libro.
Aqu铆 pueden encontrar mi canal:
1-Al menos en esta edici贸n, el precio es excesivo para lo corto que es.
2-El Final tremendamente ins铆pido y que deja todas las historias abiertas, todos los cabos sueltos. (se entiende porque es una saga, pero a煤n as铆)
3-Un final abrupto. Si te agarra descuidado, vas a pensar que a煤n te quedan p谩ginas por leer, pero lo cierto es que las 煤ltimas 30 p谩ginas no son m谩s que el 谩rbol geneal贸gico de los personajes, el 铆ndice, y unas cu谩ntas p谩ginas en blanco.
Lo bueno:
-Descripciones certeras y directas. El autor no desperdicia palabras ni describe de m谩s, por lo que es muy f谩cil dibujarnos mentalmente los escenarios, vestuarios y personajes, pero sin aburrirnos.
-Sucesi贸n r谩pida de eventos. Esto me gusta mucho en cualquier libro, ya que en cada p谩gina pasa algo, si un p谩rrafo est谩 all铆, es por una raz贸n, y no nos encontramos casi con nada de paja.
-En un s贸lo libro pasan m谩s cosas que en 2 libros y medio de Juego de Tronos.
-Balance perfecto entre descripci贸n, di谩logos y descripciones. Una lectura muy fluida.
Pueden seguirme en YouTube por si quieren ver cuando haga una rese帽a m谩s amplia de este libro.
Aqu铆 pueden encontrar mi canal:
May 6, 2019
On March 18, 1314 the elderly Grand Master of the Knight Templars, Jacques de Molay, and the Preceptor of Normandy, Geoffroi de Charney, were burned at the stake in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. This is the beginning of this truly wonderful tale. Maurice Druon takes artistic license, this is historical fiction after all, and has de Molay give an impassioned speech while burning where he curses the King, his Keeper of Seals and the Pope to be cursed to their thirteenth generation. (The cursed ones were Philip IV, Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret, and Pope Clement V). While that does sound good, this historian in me would like to point out that de Molay actually said, recorded in a court document of the proceedings:
"Dieu sait qui a tort et a p茅ch茅. Il va bientot arriver malheur 脿 ceux qui nous ont condamn茅s 脿 mort"
("God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death")
Either version gives us a hint as to what it to come. By the end of the book, King Philip, Nogaret and Pope Clement were all dead and this has severe consequences for France. The rest of this I shall not spoil and you really ought to read the book for yourself. I would like to point out that Philip IV, aka Philip le Bel (Philip the Fair, since he was very handsome) sometimes gets a bad reputation for his supression of the Templars and various other acts primarily based on his need for funds. He has a hard and ruthless man. I also tend to credit him with the foundation of the modern French Kingships with power centralized. Druon treats him fairly. I appreciated that.
This shouldn't be a spoiler, unless you are a historical idiot, but Philip's death and the events of the Tour de Nesle affair,which are recounted in their entirety, plus his daughter, Isabella's marriage to Edward II of England and the remaining three sons of his (Louis X, Philip V and Charles IV) all became kings without issue and this sows the seeds of the Hundred Years War.
Brilliant novel, wonderful and real characters-this is why history is so damn interesting. A note about these Royals..they are the real deal. They would take what passes for Royalty these days and have them dismembered and served as canapes without blinking. I prefer the old Kings.
"Dieu sait qui a tort et a p茅ch茅. Il va bientot arriver malheur 脿 ceux qui nous ont condamn茅s 脿 mort"
("God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death")
Either version gives us a hint as to what it to come. By the end of the book, King Philip, Nogaret and Pope Clement were all dead and this has severe consequences for France. The rest of this I shall not spoil and you really ought to read the book for yourself. I would like to point out that Philip IV, aka Philip le Bel (Philip the Fair, since he was very handsome) sometimes gets a bad reputation for his supression of the Templars and various other acts primarily based on his need for funds. He has a hard and ruthless man. I also tend to credit him with the foundation of the modern French Kingships with power centralized. Druon treats him fairly. I appreciated that.
This shouldn't be a spoiler, unless you are a historical idiot, but Philip's death and the events of the Tour de Nesle affair,which are recounted in their entirety, plus his daughter, Isabella's marriage to Edward II of England and the remaining three sons of his (Louis X, Philip V and Charles IV) all became kings without issue and this sows the seeds of the Hundred Years War.
Brilliant novel, wonderful and real characters-this is why history is so damn interesting. A note about these Royals..they are the real deal. They would take what passes for Royalty these days and have them dismembered and served as canapes without blinking. I prefer the old Kings.
December 29, 2015
4,5/5
Une excellente lecture, pleine d'intrigues et de conspirations. L'Histoire comme un roman, passionnante et vivante !
Une excellente lecture, pleine d'intrigues et de conspirations. L'Histoire comme un roman, passionnante et vivante !
December 1, 2019
The Iron King, for those unacquainted with the title, is the first book in The Accursed Kings series which George R.R. Martin credits as the progenitor for his Song of Ice and Fire (he even writes an introduction to the current edition.) It's a historical series written way back in the 1950's that leads up to the War of the Roses (upon which Martin based his fantasy series.) There's no magic in this book, though there is a curse that does seem to be coming to fruition, though without any clear supernatural forces at work鈥攎erely the inevitable consequences of bad decisions and corruption.
I was surprised how easily I slipped into the story given I rarely read historical novels, but Maurice Druon does have some of that enigmatic ability that George R.R. Martin displays in the early books in his series of pulling you along through various characters, making you empathize with them without having to necessarily like or admire them. It's such an interesting way of telling the story: following the underlying thread of these development through various of the players ranging from kings and queens down to lowly merchant's sons.
A lot of the key elements of Game of Thrones can indeed be found here: intrigue, violence, sex, and more than all of those a kind of elevation of social mores of the period as almost immutable laws of nature. I suppose a lot of historical fiction plays on such things, but I noticed it more here perhaps because the book being more than sixty years old, it's less concerned with hand-waving to our modern ideological requirements for fiction. That fact may turn some readers off: Druon casually accepts notions of gender in a way that feels outdated to us now. Women are judged on fidelity while men are punished not for cheating on their own spouses but for exploiting another man's wife. Was this true of the 14th century? Or merely representative of a mid-20th century view of gender roles?
Regardless, The Iron King is a quick read that immerses the reader into a set of historical intrigues and their consequences that is both gripping and informative. I could easily see myself picking up the next book in the series, even if, as seems so representative of that era, the sequel to "The Iron King" is titled, "The Strangled Queen".
I was surprised how easily I slipped into the story given I rarely read historical novels, but Maurice Druon does have some of that enigmatic ability that George R.R. Martin displays in the early books in his series of pulling you along through various characters, making you empathize with them without having to necessarily like or admire them. It's such an interesting way of telling the story: following the underlying thread of these development through various of the players ranging from kings and queens down to lowly merchant's sons.
A lot of the key elements of Game of Thrones can indeed be found here: intrigue, violence, sex, and more than all of those a kind of elevation of social mores of the period as almost immutable laws of nature. I suppose a lot of historical fiction plays on such things, but I noticed it more here perhaps because the book being more than sixty years old, it's less concerned with hand-waving to our modern ideological requirements for fiction. That fact may turn some readers off: Druon casually accepts notions of gender in a way that feels outdated to us now. Women are judged on fidelity while men are punished not for cheating on their own spouses but for exploiting another man's wife. Was this true of the 14th century? Or merely representative of a mid-20th century view of gender roles?
Regardless, The Iron King is a quick read that immerses the reader into a set of historical intrigues and their consequences that is both gripping and informative. I could easily see myself picking up the next book in the series, even if, as seems so representative of that era, the sequel to "The Iron King" is titled, "The Strangled Queen".
March 20, 2013
Okay, so the George R. R. Martin intro sold me a little, as he credits this with some of the inspiration for A Song of Ice and Fire. This is the first novel of a series of seven, I believe, written in French and begun in the 1950s, and dealing with the Hundred Years War between France and England. It is interesting to pick up on the elements that Martin borrowed for his own series (the litany of names that the Templar Jacques de Molay repeatedly utters to remind himself of those who have wronged him is echoed in Arya Stark's similar repetition of the names of those whom she wishes to see dead) but The Accursed Kings is fascinating in its own right, and - hey - each book is probably less than a third as long as any of Martin's!
July 21, 2020
Me encanta esta serie. Incluso a los que no les gusta la historia les va a gustar. Cuando termine los 7 hago una evaluaci贸n como corresponde, ahora es imposible.
April 12, 2025
Cuando le铆 por primera vez la declaraci贸n de George RR Martin de que la serie "Los Reyes Malditos" de Maurice Druon era el "Juego de Tronos original", supe que ten铆a que leerla. No me decepcion贸.
Ambientada a principios del siglo XIV en Francia, "El Rey de Hierro" narra los 煤ltimos a帽os del reinado del rey Felipe el Hermoso,conocido por su persecuci贸n de los Caballeros Templarios y el comportamiento escandaloso de sus nueras. La persecuci贸n de Felipe a los Templarios es particularmente notable por la ejecuci贸n del Gran Maestre Jacques Molay, quien, con sus 煤ltimas palabras, maldice al rey y a sus descendientes. Poco despu茅s, las cosas empiezan a ir mal para Felipe, incluyendo la muerte de uno de sus consejeros de confianza y el descubrimiento del adulterio cometido por sus nueras. No pasa mucho tiempo antes de que Felipe empiece a preguntarse si la maldici贸n de Molay se est谩 cumpliendo y si su propia ca铆da ser谩 la siguiente.
Bien escrita y de ritmo 谩gil, El Rey de Hierro est谩 llena de intriga pol铆tica y astucia. La novela presenta a los principales actores del poder pol铆tico en la corte de Felipe, as铆 como a quienes no pertenecen a ella, como su hija Isabel, reina de Inglaterra, y los banqueros lombardos que controlaban el pr茅stamo de dinero. Si bien la narrativa se desarrolla desde m煤ltiples perspectivas, Droun logra transmitir con 茅xito las motivaciones y las caracter铆sticas definitorias de cada uno de sus personajes principales. A lo largo de la novela se transmite mucha informaci贸n hist贸rica, pero esta informaci贸n nunca ralentiza la narrativa, ya que Druon no hace que sus personajes se expliquen entre s铆 detalles hist贸ricos con los que ya estar铆an completamente familiarizados. En cambio, Druon ha incluido una extensa serie de notas finales para proporcionar al lector un contexto hist贸rico, un enfoque que desear铆a que adoptaran m谩s autores de ficci贸n hist贸rica.
En general, El Rey de Hierro es una lectura fant谩stica, y estoy deseando leer los libros restantes de la serie Reyes Malditos. Muy recomendable para los amantes de la ficci贸n hist贸rica medieval
Ambientada a principios del siglo XIV en Francia, "El Rey de Hierro" narra los 煤ltimos a帽os del reinado del rey Felipe el Hermoso,conocido por su persecuci贸n de los Caballeros Templarios y el comportamiento escandaloso de sus nueras. La persecuci贸n de Felipe a los Templarios es particularmente notable por la ejecuci贸n del Gran Maestre Jacques Molay, quien, con sus 煤ltimas palabras, maldice al rey y a sus descendientes. Poco despu茅s, las cosas empiezan a ir mal para Felipe, incluyendo la muerte de uno de sus consejeros de confianza y el descubrimiento del adulterio cometido por sus nueras. No pasa mucho tiempo antes de que Felipe empiece a preguntarse si la maldici贸n de Molay se est谩 cumpliendo y si su propia ca铆da ser谩 la siguiente.
Bien escrita y de ritmo 谩gil, El Rey de Hierro est谩 llena de intriga pol铆tica y astucia. La novela presenta a los principales actores del poder pol铆tico en la corte de Felipe, as铆 como a quienes no pertenecen a ella, como su hija Isabel, reina de Inglaterra, y los banqueros lombardos que controlaban el pr茅stamo de dinero. Si bien la narrativa se desarrolla desde m煤ltiples perspectivas, Droun logra transmitir con 茅xito las motivaciones y las caracter铆sticas definitorias de cada uno de sus personajes principales. A lo largo de la novela se transmite mucha informaci贸n hist贸rica, pero esta informaci贸n nunca ralentiza la narrativa, ya que Druon no hace que sus personajes se expliquen entre s铆 detalles hist贸ricos con los que ya estar铆an completamente familiarizados. En cambio, Druon ha incluido una extensa serie de notas finales para proporcionar al lector un contexto hist贸rico, un enfoque que desear铆a que adoptaran m谩s autores de ficci贸n hist贸rica.
En general, El Rey de Hierro es una lectura fant谩stica, y estoy deseando leer los libros restantes de la serie Reyes Malditos. Muy recomendable para los amantes de la ficci贸n hist贸rica medieval
January 11, 2021
Okay. I have not watched the Game of Thrones series, and most likely I will not do it in the future, either - even if or despite the communication message posted on the cover of 鈥淭he Accursed Kings鈥� series (which I am presently tackling with a beginner's passionate enthusiasm) that this served as inspiration for the epic of Game of Thrones. I feel comfortable enough with the reading only and for the rest to use my own imagination of how to make this expand in a larger horizon or universe. So, nothing bad or sad for not being myself a fan of Game of Thrones.
Here, in 鈥楾he Iron King鈥� we learn about Philip IV (or Philip the Fair, although I cannot understand why he was called as such based on the pictures I saw) that reigns in the early fourteenth century as the absolute master of France. Of a legendary beauty (let's not forget that 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'), with an icy look in which contempt is read (or a faint smile, when he plays with his nephew), this king, whose main character trait is the iron will (so we know why he was blessed with the sub-title of 'the iron king'), opposes the papal supremacy, installing his own pope at Avignon, reduces the turbulent lords to silence, defeats his enemies (far too many to count them here), and works methodically to consolidate a centralized state (France was grand and glorious under his reign, but French people were unhappy, with few exceptions, certainly).
As both the history and this story tell us, the only ones who manage to oppose him are the Knights Templar, a strong (too strong) organization from a military, religious and financial point of view. As it happens, they disturbed Philip through their independence, and their riches aroused his greed (as would have done to any other king in his place). In a logical sequence of facts, the leaders of the Order of Templars are imprisoned and, with the help of the royal counsellor who gathers false incriminating evidence (plus some Inquisition style approach to provoke the needed 'truth' confessions), they are staged a trial at the ecclesiastical court which condemns them to 'prison for life', but soon to be changed by the king and his counsellors into 'to be burned at the stake'. Under the grand master of the Knights Templar, subjected as prey to the flames, places a dreadful curse on some names, and as history shows us later, one step in a row, or slightly two steps, it seems it was all eventually fulfilled as per uttered words. The rest is in the book, of course.
I was anxious to read some light, easy to go historical novels, and as good fortune helped it, the 7 books of the series "The Accursed Kings" are all available in my home library. I am glad that the first book is appetizing enough to make me want to dig into the remaining ones, too. The writing style, the prose, its development reminds me of the novels of Alexandre Dumas (though we cannot put equality sign between the two writers), and I think this is a major reason why I want to keep reading the next books. So, happy reading to me! :D
Here, in 鈥楾he Iron King鈥� we learn about Philip IV (or Philip the Fair, although I cannot understand why he was called as such based on the pictures I saw) that reigns in the early fourteenth century as the absolute master of France. Of a legendary beauty (let's not forget that 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'), with an icy look in which contempt is read (or a faint smile, when he plays with his nephew), this king, whose main character trait is the iron will (so we know why he was blessed with the sub-title of 'the iron king'), opposes the papal supremacy, installing his own pope at Avignon, reduces the turbulent lords to silence, defeats his enemies (far too many to count them here), and works methodically to consolidate a centralized state (France was grand and glorious under his reign, but French people were unhappy, with few exceptions, certainly).
As both the history and this story tell us, the only ones who manage to oppose him are the Knights Templar, a strong (too strong) organization from a military, religious and financial point of view. As it happens, they disturbed Philip through their independence, and their riches aroused his greed (as would have done to any other king in his place). In a logical sequence of facts, the leaders of the Order of Templars are imprisoned and, with the help of the royal counsellor who gathers false incriminating evidence (plus some Inquisition style approach to provoke the needed 'truth' confessions), they are staged a trial at the ecclesiastical court which condemns them to 'prison for life', but soon to be changed by the king and his counsellors into 'to be burned at the stake'. Under the grand master of the Knights Templar, subjected as prey to the flames, places a dreadful curse on some names, and as history shows us later, one step in a row, or slightly two steps, it seems it was all eventually fulfilled as per uttered words. The rest is in the book, of course.
I was anxious to read some light, easy to go historical novels, and as good fortune helped it, the 7 books of the series "The Accursed Kings" are all available in my home library. I am glad that the first book is appetizing enough to make me want to dig into the remaining ones, too. The writing style, the prose, its development reminds me of the novels of Alexandre Dumas (though we cannot put equality sign between the two writers), and I think this is a major reason why I want to keep reading the next books. So, happy reading to me! :D
January 6, 2023
袧械蟹邪斜褉邪胁懈屑邪 锌芯褉械写懈褑邪 蟹邪 褎褉械薪褋泻芯褌芯 褋褉械写薪芯胁械泻芯胁懈械 懈 褎褉械薪褋泻懈褌械 泻褉邪谢械, 薪械锌芯褋褉械写褋褌胁械薪芯 锌褉械写懈 薪邪褔邪谢芯褌芯 薪邪 褋褌芯谐芯写懈褕薪邪褌邪 胁芯泄薪邪. 袦薪芯谐芯 懈薪褌褉懈谐懈, 斜芯谐邪褌芯 懈褋褌芯褉懈褔械褋泻芯 锌谢邪褌薪芯 懈 褟褉泻懈 褏邪褉邪泻褌械褉懈!
September 2, 2024
In het Nederlands: Filips de Schone, vervloekt en bemind.
In dit boek gaat het eigenlijk over 3 episodes: het einde van de Tempeliers, met de verbranding van o.a. Jacques de Molay, die op de brandstapel een vervloeking uitsprak over de paus, de Zegelbewaarder, en de Koning. Inderdaad stierven alle drie binnen het jaar.
Het volgende onderwerp is de overspeligheid van de schoondochters van de koning, ze worden aan de kaak gesteld en levenslang in een klooster opgesloten. Deze overspeligheid heeft grote gevolgen, want is de troonsopvolging nu niet bezoedeld?
En dan als laatste komen de Lombardische kooplui aan bod. Dit zijn allemaal rijke personen, die al veel geleend hebben aan hoge heren, en hen geholpen hebben met louche zaakjes. De kooplui blijven redelijk onafhankelijk en in plaats van hun handel enkel te drijven in Frankrijk, waar er een tekort is aan goederen en voedsel, en dus de prijzen voor alles extreem hoog worden, blijven ze ook uit- en invoeren uit het buitenland, wat er mede voor zorgt dat de goederen- en geldtekorten in Frankrijk niet opgelost raken. De Hoge Raad wil dus de Lombardische handelaars uit het land zetten, en alles confisqueren waar ze maar de hand aan kunnen slaan. Maar dat is buiten Spinello Tolomei gerekend. Dit is een sluwe handelaar, die een troef achter de hand heeft. De aartsbisschop heeft namelijk een schuldbewijs getekend voor kerkelijke goederen, in beslag genomen van de Tempeliers, die Tolomei voor hem in het buitenland zou verkopen, en daarvoor had Tolomei hem al (een voorschot) betaald. Dit document kan Tolomei nu gebruiken; de bisschop moet zijn broer, die lid is van de Hoge Raad, overtuigen om de verordering tegen de Lombardische kooplieden te vernietigen.
Deze verhalen zijn allemaal passend door elkaar verweven in het boek.
Het boek eindigt met de dood van Philips IV, na een beroerte.
Het was wel leuk en aangenaam om te lezen, maar misschien was het boek te ouderwets om er nog ten volle van te kunnen genieten.
In dit boek gaat het eigenlijk over 3 episodes: het einde van de Tempeliers, met de verbranding van o.a. Jacques de Molay, die op de brandstapel een vervloeking uitsprak over de paus, de Zegelbewaarder, en de Koning. Inderdaad stierven alle drie binnen het jaar.
Het volgende onderwerp is de overspeligheid van de schoondochters van de koning, ze worden aan de kaak gesteld en levenslang in een klooster opgesloten. Deze overspeligheid heeft grote gevolgen, want is de troonsopvolging nu niet bezoedeld?
En dan als laatste komen de Lombardische kooplui aan bod. Dit zijn allemaal rijke personen, die al veel geleend hebben aan hoge heren, en hen geholpen hebben met louche zaakjes. De kooplui blijven redelijk onafhankelijk en in plaats van hun handel enkel te drijven in Frankrijk, waar er een tekort is aan goederen en voedsel, en dus de prijzen voor alles extreem hoog worden, blijven ze ook uit- en invoeren uit het buitenland, wat er mede voor zorgt dat de goederen- en geldtekorten in Frankrijk niet opgelost raken. De Hoge Raad wil dus de Lombardische handelaars uit het land zetten, en alles confisqueren waar ze maar de hand aan kunnen slaan. Maar dat is buiten Spinello Tolomei gerekend. Dit is een sluwe handelaar, die een troef achter de hand heeft. De aartsbisschop heeft namelijk een schuldbewijs getekend voor kerkelijke goederen, in beslag genomen van de Tempeliers, die Tolomei voor hem in het buitenland zou verkopen, en daarvoor had Tolomei hem al (een voorschot) betaald. Dit document kan Tolomei nu gebruiken; de bisschop moet zijn broer, die lid is van de Hoge Raad, overtuigen om de verordering tegen de Lombardische kooplieden te vernietigen.
Deze verhalen zijn allemaal passend door elkaar verweven in het boek.
Het boek eindigt met de dood van Philips IV, na een beroerte.
Het was wel leuk en aangenaam om te lezen, maar misschien was het boek te ouderwets om er nog ten volle van te kunnen genieten.
June 27, 2023
So, here it is. This book is freakin' rad. When George R.R. Martin called this the original Game of Thrones he wasn't mucking about. There's political intrigue, conspiracies, betrayals, gory violence, and sensuality. This book is a historical fiction novel that is a no holds barred representation of what happens when a group of people are ruled by their baser instincts rather than morals. I loved every minute of it.
The novel follows Philip the Fair in the 14th century around the time when his daughter (Isabella) was married to Edward II and after the death of Gaveston (Edward II's lover). The French nation is also dealing with the fallout of the Templars being convicted of Heresy. So, the main takeaway is that the royal family is knee-deep in doo-doo and they don't have their boots on. To make matters worse, the king's daughters-in-law are involved with a scandal that entails adultry. Fast-forward, it needs to be dealt with.
It is really well-written, and you can't tell that it was written in the 50s. It could have been written 10 years ago. If you love history, you'll enjoy this. If you love Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy this. If you love Braveheart, you'll enjoy this. If you want something new and haven't really read historical fiction, this is a good place to start. Highly recommend.
There it is and there you have it.
The novel follows Philip the Fair in the 14th century around the time when his daughter (Isabella) was married to Edward II and after the death of Gaveston (Edward II's lover). The French nation is also dealing with the fallout of the Templars being convicted of Heresy. So, the main takeaway is that the royal family is knee-deep in doo-doo and they don't have their boots on. To make matters worse, the king's daughters-in-law are involved with a scandal that entails adultry. Fast-forward, it needs to be dealt with.
It is really well-written, and you can't tell that it was written in the 50s. It could have been written 10 years ago. If you love history, you'll enjoy this. If you love Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy this. If you love Braveheart, you'll enjoy this. If you want something new and haven't really read historical fiction, this is a good place to start. Highly recommend.
There it is and there you have it.
November 2, 2022
隆Brutal! A este libro no le sobra ni una p谩gina, ni una palabra, ni una coma, es m谩s, deseaba que fuese m谩s extenso. La prosa de Maurice es hermosa y potente, intensa y precisa, los personajes son dignos de un universo de poder y corrupci贸n, ambientada en Francia de 1300 esta historia contiene todo aquello por lo que el hombre sucumbe: poder, venganza, riquezas, sexo y como todo un reino se hunde por estas pasiones.
Dicho por el mismo George RR Martin, la saga de Los reyes malditos es el Juego de tronos original. Es evidente la influencia que tuvo sobre 茅l, donde varios eventos del libro como las cacer铆as, el desenfreno sexual, las charlas del rey y sus consejeros, los planes de muerte, la brujer铆a y las ejecuciones p煤blicas lo inspiraron a crear Canci贸n de hielo y fuego.
Decadencia, muerte y desgracias es el eje principal de este primer libro. Me encant贸 como el autor describ铆a la atm贸sfera y sus personajes como Roberto de Artois, La reina Isabel, las princesas ad煤lteras y Felipe el hermoso actual rey de Francia propician el terreno para que germine el caos que apenas comienza.
Dicho por el mismo George RR Martin, la saga de Los reyes malditos es el Juego de tronos original. Es evidente la influencia que tuvo sobre 茅l, donde varios eventos del libro como las cacer铆as, el desenfreno sexual, las charlas del rey y sus consejeros, los planes de muerte, la brujer铆a y las ejecuciones p煤blicas lo inspiraron a crear Canci贸n de hielo y fuego.
Decadencia, muerte y desgracias es el eje principal de este primer libro. Me encant贸 como el autor describ铆a la atm贸sfera y sus personajes como Roberto de Artois, La reina Isabel, las princesas ad煤lteras y Felipe el hermoso actual rey de Francia propician el terreno para que germine el caos que apenas comienza.
October 15, 2019
6,5/10
Esta es una de esas lecturas que al terminarla puedo decir que ha estado bien, pero que al mismo tiempo no me ha entusiasmado. Todo es correcto e incluso tiene alg煤n momento notable, pero en general le falta un "algo" que la haga sobresalir por encima de otras lecturas similares.
Me prestaron los 3 primeros libros de esta saga y ahora mismo tengo la duda de si seguir con ella, puede que en el segundo la cosa mejore, o tal vez siga siendo todo demasiado correcto y plano...
Esta es una de esas lecturas que al terminarla puedo decir que ha estado bien, pero que al mismo tiempo no me ha entusiasmado. Todo es correcto e incluso tiene alg煤n momento notable, pero en general le falta un "algo" que la haga sobresalir por encima de otras lecturas similares.
Me prestaron los 3 primeros libros de esta saga y ahora mismo tengo la duda de si seguir con ella, puede que en el segundo la cosa mejore, o tal vez siga siendo todo demasiado correcto y plano...
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