Review | The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

Read a synopsis of The Scarlet Lion here.

Review

The Scarlet Lion
by Elizabeth Chadwick

The year is 1197: feudalism rules, the Magna Carta is yet to be drafted, and the sovereignty of England, Wales, Ireland, Normandy, and much of modern-day France is constantly shifting. William Marshal has proved himself a worthy opponent on the battlefield, a gallant knight at court, an admirable overlord to his vassals, and a loving husband and father to his family. He shares a relationship with his wife unusual for the time period, one of mutual love and respect. He is a man of honor in every aspect of his life and has graciously reaped the benefits that are his due, as befits a man of such high standing. But with great fame and fortune often comes discord from those who covet it…

The central conflict within The Scarlet Lion is that which exists between King John (yes, that King John!) and the book’s protagonist William Marshal. John is bitter and resentful of William’s renown as a man of nobility and chivalry. John’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had revered and respected William, idealizing him as the epitome of knightly honor. John does not appreciate William’s having been propped up on such a pedestal both by his mother and brother Richard II, and on various occasions feels the need to knock William back down to size, blows which William takes in stride and with gentlemanly reserve (at least outwardly so). William is the perfect courtier but tactfully refuses to cede to John the satisfaction of a reaction to John’s passive aggressive overtures, though Schadenfreude seems to be John’s modus operandi.

But when John decides to take William and Isabelle’s two eldest sons captive as proof of William’s good will while he is abroad in Ireland, he strikes a chord with the Marshals that hits the family to its core. Isabelle and William’s marriage suffers as a result, although the pair cannot bear the idea that John’s venom has managed to seep through and rankle such a wound to their family’s very foundation. Their decision to send their sons to court will haunt them while they are in Ireland: after all, John did not hesitate to kill off his own kin; what would hold him back from inflicting such a fate on the sons of a great family already out of favor at the court?

The family lands in Ireland are a part of Isabelle’s dowry and must be protected for the sake of their children’s rightful inheritance. Though handing over his sons to John’s care as virtual hostages is a precondition for their trip to Ireland, the boys are well cared for while under John’s tutelage, and they take the opportunity to learn the ways of the court. Things get very interesting as John’s hatred for the Marshals festers, even as deep down John knows that William is the only man fit to look after his young son Henry as regent when the time comes for John to meet his maker.

Elizabeth Chadwick masterfully strikes the balance of blending historic fact with modern storytelling. Accurate period detail, sweeping scenery descriptions, and deeply developed characters come full circle to portray a tale that is historic to its roots, all the while reading like a fresh work of fiction and never like a history textbook. Everything I love about historical fiction can be found within The Scarlet Lion’s pages.

Check back later this week for an interview with author Elizabeth Chadwick!

FTC Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review.

Also at the Round Table:

• “Sunday’s Art: Edmund Leighton” by Lizzy at Historically Obsessed
• A GIVEAWAY for copies of The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion at the HFBRT
• A Guest post by Elizabeth Chadwick at The Maiden’s Court
• A Review of The Scarlet Lion by Arleigh at historical-fiction.com.
• A Review of The Scarlet Lion by Marie at The Burton Review.
• See our full Calendar of Events for more!

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