Simon Fairfax’s 1413 – Sir James Betrayed?

Book number 36 of 2024

In 1413, the fourth in Simon Fairfax’s A Knight and a Spy series, Sir Jamie de Grispere is thrust into some of the most dangerous situations yet. King Henry IV has died, and as his son, Henry V, assumes the throne, there are all kinds of threats to the stability of England.

In Part I, Jamie travels undercover to Scotland to see if a man claiming to be Richard II is truly that monarch. If he is, then Henry V’s claim to the throne is in jeopardy, and Isabella – wife of France’s King Charles – would be a bigamist, making her child illegitimate. Jamie has to get close enough to this supposed Richard II to see who he really is. He and Mark of Cornwall pose as cloth merchants to infiltrate the Scottish court and discover the truth.

Meanwhile, Cristo and his beloved wife, Alessandria, decide that their true home is in England, where they have friends and family. They embark on the dangerous journey from Florence to London. In London itself, Bishop Beaufort, Henry V’s uncle, schemes to oust Henry.

In Part II, Jamie and Cristo travel to Paris at the behest of Sir Richard Whittington. They must warn the Armagnacs and the royal family of the Duke of Burgundy’s plans to start a riot using the working classes of Paris – the Cabochiens. They get there in time, but neither the Armagnacs nor Charles’ family believe the uprising will actually occur. What follows are hellish scenes of violence and depravity as the mob attacks and kills anyone thought to be connected to the Armagnacs. Jamie and Cristo are effectively prisoners in the Armagnac compound, until they manage a daring escape down the Seine.

Part III is the darkest chapter yet in Jamie’s saga. He has married Lady Alice, but their honeymoon is short-lived, as Sir Richard and Henry V decide to sacrifice him and his good name to see how widespread the Lollardy heresy has spread in England. As soon as he and Cristo arrive in London from Paris, Jamie is arrested for treason and taken to the Tower of London. Cristo breaks into Sir Richard’s home and learns that Jamie is to be a pawn in a power struggle. If Jamie can infiltrate Sir John Oldcastle’s forces and provide information on the planned revolt, Henry can crush the Lollardy uprising.

Through Sir Richard’s behind the scenes maneuvering, Jamie is transferred out of the Tower to a low-security castle in the country. From there, he escapes and joins Oldcastle’s crew. They are planning a violent revolution similar to the one that happened in Paris, using guild members and other adherents to the Lollard heresy.

Simon Fairfax has hewed closely to the actual historical events of 1413 in this novel, proving that real life is plenty exciting enough! Even though Jamie, Cristo, and Mark are fictional, they participate in well-documented battles and intrigues. The political maneuvering in the British and French courts is incredibly complicated, but it boils down to two things: Henry’s two uncles are continually fomenting unrest to undermine Henry’s authority, and England wants France divided – and thus weakened – between the Armagnacs and Burgundians. The pursuit of these ends leads to high stakes intrigue, where innocent and loyal subjects like Jamie de Grispere can be sacrificed like pawns in a chess game.

1413 is the fourth of six novels in the series, and I am definitely hooked. Look for a post reviewing 1414 soon!

Simon Fairfax’s 1410 – A Ripping Good Tale

Book #24 of 2024

A good friend who knows I love British history recently gave me the first two books in Simon Fairfax’s A Knight and a Spy series: 1410 and 1411. I just finished 1410, and it is rollicking good fun. Its hero is young Jamie de Grispere, son of wealthy cloth merchant Thomas de Grispere. Jamie has spent his youth on the border between England and Scotland learning how to fight battles under Sir Robert de Umfraville. After his apprenticeship is complete, he is called back to London, where Sir Richard Whittington, spymaster for Prince Hal – the future Henry V – has need of him.

Meanwhile, the master Italian assassin, Christofor Corio, narrowly escapes capture in Paris after he kills a French nobleman who raped his sister. He ends up in the same inn that houses Thomas de Grispere. Thomas decides to employ him as a bodyguard after Christoforo saves him from a gang of thieves.

In Cornwall, a huge wrestler named Mark accidentally kills another wrestler in a match. Even though he is absolved of any blame, the dead wrestler’s family vows revenge, so he leaves for London with a traveling friar.

Jamie, Christo, and Mark all end up together, and 1410 chronicles their adventures as they go undercover to foil the dastardly plots of England’s foes. If you like adventure series like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars books, or even that classic ’80s television series, The A-Team, then this is right up your alley. Jamie is larger than life; he is almost superhuman in his swordsmanship. Christo is like a ninja, able to move unseen and unheard, while performing incredible acrobatic feats with his daggers. Mark is a gentle giant of extraordinary strength. Throw in an enormous horse that will only obey Jamie’s commands and a devoted wolfhound he rescues from an abusive owner, and you’ve got all the boxes checked.

Their first assignment is go to the French court in Paris and see what the sinister Duke of Burgandy is up to. It turns out he is planning to retake Calais from the English with the help of a huge siege engine he is building in nearby Saint-Omer. While interacting with various personages at the French court, Jamie quickly learns that he must keep his wits about him and trust no one.

Their second assignment is to go to Wales and infiltrate Owen Glyndower’s forces and find out if, when, and where they plan to attack England. Jamie must walk a fine line between pretending to be a renegade from the English court and getting important information out to Sir Richard Grey, who is loyal to Prince Hal.

Throughout these assignments, there are lots of suspense, swordplay, intrigue, and even a little romance. It’s all great fun, with the good guys winning the day, and the bad guys getting their just deserts. Fairfax does a good job of conveying what life was like in medieval England and France, using relatively authentic language. He’s obviously done his homework where it comes to how swordsmen fought, as well as the historical background for the plot. These books are something fun to escape into, especially now that summer is about to begin. I’m already into the second book, 1411!