In a sparkling, fast-paced narrative, Shakespeare`s Kings chronicles the turbulent events that inspired Shakespeare`s history plays, from Edward III to Richard III. In a time of uncertainty and incessant warfare - when the crown was constantly contested, alliances were made and broken, and the people rose up in revolt - this was the raw material that inspired Shakespeare`s dramas. But what really happened between 1337 and 1485? Where did history stop and drama begin? John Julius Norwich establishes just how real Shakespeare`s characters and events are and what liberties he took with the facts to entertain his audience. Shakespeare`s Kings is an illuminating companion to history and to the richness of Shakespeare`s imagination, with a body of work which still shapes our view of the past today.