The Cursed Kings. Lily and the Lion. When the King Destroys France

Creating his cycle about the incredible era that defined the future of beautiful France, Maurice Druon meticulously worked in the National Archives, studying ancient documents. His grand historical cycle «The Cursed Kings» concludes with the novels «Lily and the Lion» and «When the King Destroys France» — narratives about excessive ambitions and inevitable downfall. Edward III ascends the throne of England, the son of Isabella of France, who sends his mother's lover Roger Mortimer to the gallows, and removes her from the royal court. But this is just the beginning: at the instigation of Robert of Artois, exiled from France for forgery, Edward III claims rights to the French throne — and thus begins the Hundred Years' War. In the final novel of the seven-volume saga, the loquacious Cardinal Élie de Perigord recounts how the mighty fell: the war drains France, King John II the Good plans to give the English a decisive battle near Poitiers, and this becomes a catastrophe for both him and the country. In an atmosphere of palace intrigues, bloody reprisals, and coups, the descendants of Philip IV the Fair, once cursed by the Grand Master of the Knights Templar Jacques de Molay who was burned at the stake, ruin the once powerful and wealthy nation.