'A superb book, illuminating a fascinating and turbulent era. It is the figure of Matilda who rightly commanded the stage in all her power and complexity' Nicola Cornick 'Packed with romance, real history, a cast of superbly imagined characters . . . The Stolen Crown is an entertaining tour-de-force' Lancashire Post 'A well-researched adventure about a strong medieval woman fighting the odds against her' Historical Novels Review When Empress Matilda is eighteen years old, tragedy strikes the royal family, and she becomes the only child of the king of England - the de facto heir to the throne. As her dying father persuades the barons to pledge allegiance to her, Matilda returns to England - but the lords and clergy do not like an independent woman. And Matilda is nothing if not headstrong . . . When the old king dies, the country is plunged into instant chaos. So begins a fierce battle between cousins that will go down in history as a time called 'The Anarchy'. And Matilda must race