Customer Reviews

Devil's Brood : The Angevin Family

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Alfred Duggan's "Devil's Brood" is a rollicking historical lark that explores the diabolical nature of the Angevin family. Sired allegedly by demons, the family cluster of Henry Curtmantle, his wife Eleanor, and their sons Richard Lionheart, Henry III, Geoffrey, and John Lackland defined western Europe in the twelfth century. And Duggan takes great delight in showing how this dastardly bunch of ambitious power-seekers had a lot of fun doing so - even as they tried to tear each other apart.

Duggan's work is well-researched, but this is not a scholarly history. Duggan instead is trying to tell a fun story in the guise of history - there's nary a footnote or cross-reference to another modern historian to be found. Rather, this book is written with the confidence of a man who knows his material and finds it fascinating - one can easily imagine this story being told by your uncle who teaches English history at the nearby college in order to liven up a boring family get-together.

Is this a perfect history? Far from it - but it is solid and it is entertaining. Fans of English history of the period may not learn many new facts, but they will surely pick up an appreciation for the vibrant characters who constituted the Devil's Brood.