Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of Royal Favourites of Medieval England.
I was absolutely enthralled with reading this book. I found it extremely informative and interesting.
Definitely recommended if you enjoy reading about Medieval England.

From the Norman conquest to the Wars of the Roses, Medieval England was a hotbed of royal intrigue, paranoia, and betrayal. Kings needed trusted advisors, but who could they truly rely on? This book explores the lives of England’s monarchs and the powerful courtiers who shaped their reigns—for better or worse.

This book seems to be written for a lay audience that doesn’t have much knowledge of the monarchs of the era. Rather than being written chronologically, it gives a short biography of each monarch, followed by short biographies of their favorites. (Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser don’t have their own sections, because their stories are presented as part of Edward II’s bio.) The book is entertaining rather than scholarly and shows the author’s prejudices, particularly in the whitewashing of Richard III.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is about the men (mainly) who sided with their monarch of the time and who served them either with distinction but in some cases not so. Some were faithful, others less so. Wealth and power often came with their titles but wad it always justified?
An interesting read about some of the figures in our history maybe not so well known.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this arc in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

Royal Favourites of Medieval England is a richly detailed, compulsively readable dive into the powerful — and often precarious — lives of those who earned the trust of kings. From Norman conquest to the fall of Richard III, April Taylor masterfully blends biography, political intrigue, and historical analysis into a work that’s both scholarly and deeply entertaining.

I loved the structure of this book — brief, insightful profiles of each monarch followed by sharp, illuminating looks at their closest confidants. Taylor doesn’t just list names and titles; she captures the personalities, ambitions, loyalties, and betrayals that shaped the course of English history. Some of these figures are well-known, like William Marshal (always a favorite!), while others felt like hidden gems of courtly influence I hadn’t encountered in such depth before.

What stood out most to me was how seamlessly Taylor threads the impact of each favorite’s rise — and often their dramatic fall — into the broader fabric of medieval politics. There’s a real sense of cause and consequence here, and the stakes feel very real. From battlefield loyalty to backroom maneuvering, the human drama is compelling from start to finish.

This is easily one of my favorite historical reads of the year — perfect for fans of medieval history, court politics, and anyone fascinated by the behind-the-throne power players who shaped a kingdom.

Huge thanks to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the ARC. Every time I pick up one of your titles, I know I’m in for something thoroughly researched and endlessly fascinating — and this one exceeded expectations.

Royal Favourites of Medieval England is my first work by Taylor and something that I feel compelled to point out is that I absolutely love this writer’s sense of humor. As I started reading, I must admit that I was expecting something a bit drier, but the author manages to work in some amusing observations and subtle sarcasm that gives the text a little bit of extra flavor, which I found to be a nice thing. Taylor’s style is straightforward, and a lot of information is thrown at the reader, but in a very digestible way. Through the period covered, the author provides a biography of each monarch highlighting memorable moments of their reigns followed by shorter biographies of those courtiers to whom they gave their trust and favor.

This volume is an excellent overview of English history during the medieval period and offers great, quick insights into each king from William the Conqueror to Richard III. A lot of interesting and figures emerge in the book, including familiar names like William Marshal, and those that I’m less well-versed about like William Longespée (the rat!) and Nicholaa de lay Haye (probably my favorite among the lot!) Definitely a great read and I really appreciated the moments where the author suggested further reading on certain topics that might be of interest to the reader (this book necessarily glosses over quite a bit, but succeeds at providing a general overview of four hundred years of history and influential figures as intended.)