Abstract:
Henry II requires a special service, and decides that William, his Deputy Justiciar, is the person for the job. Unfortunately, the work is so secret that the King has no good way to communicate his instructions, so he finds a bad one. (Sorry, security considerations prohibit displaying any details on the back cover of a book.) Played out early in the Crown’s dispute with Archbishop Becket, William’s story is a staunch defense of his monarch’s position. He also disparages the Knights Templar. Ironically, some of the allegedly last known editions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are included, providing a counterpoint.