Books by John Brunton

The remarkable progress of the Beaufort dynasty and how they seized the opportunity for wealth, power and influence in an era of instability and bitter feuding.

From Vlad the Impaler and Tomas de Torquemada to Eustace the Monk and Reynald of Chatillon, some figures of the Middle Ages stand out and their stories simply beg to be told. The mini-biographies of these, and many more, rogues, rebels and mavericks of the Middle Ages illuminate this fascinating period of history. By no means were they all unsympathetic characters, though many ended either murdered or executed, but not a single one could be described as less than remarkable. This book is for anyone who enjoys medieval history in all its forms. Spanning the Norman Conquest, the Hundred Years War, the Wars of the Roses and the beginnings of European discovery of the wider world, much of what we see as 'medieval' is depicted through the focus of such players. Their colourful stories bring to life different aspects of society, such as chivalry, peasant revolts, crusading, heresy, sorcery and philosophy.

Originally published in 1939, this book contains the autobiography of the well-travelled Victorian engineer John Brunton (1812-99), which he wrote for his grandchildren. Brunton's account is easy to read and filled with a number of interesting vignettes of colonial life and attitudes.