The Kingmaking

by Helen Hollick

  I have used the Arabian type horse for Arthur’s mounts for no reason except I like the breed. There have been many horse bones found on Roman sites that are very similar to this distinctive horse, so my whim is not entirely fanciful – and no one is certain just how or when the Arabian features were first bred into the sturdy Welsh breed of today’s ponies. I like to think this was Cunedda’s doing!

  There possibly really was a massacre of Vortigern’s Council; Gloucester (Caer Gloui) is renowned for flooding; and archaeologists found a Saxon brooch among the broken Roman roof tiles in Londinium…

  Helen Hollick

  2011

  Place Names

  AgealesthrepAylesford, Kent

  Caer ArfonCaernarvon

  Caer DyddCardiff

  Caer GlouiGloucester

  Caer LeonCaerleon

  CamulodunumColchester

  CantiiKent

  CeredigionArea around Cardigan Bay

  CraeCrayford, Kent

  DubrisDover

  DumnoniaDevon & Cornwall

  Dun PelidrTraprain Law

  DurnovariaDorchester

  DurobrivaeRochester

  DurovernumCanterbury (Canti Byrig)

  EboracumYork

  EryriSnowdonia

  GaulFrance

  HafrenRiver Severn

  HiberniaIreland

  Iceni WayIckneild Way

  Less BritainBrittany

  LigreRiver Loire

  LondiniumLondon

  MeduwayMedway

  MônAnglesey

  Portus AdurniPortchester Castle, Portsmouth

  RutupiaeRichborough

  Summer LandSomerset

  TamesisRiver Thames

  TanatusThanet

  VectisIsle of White

  Venta BulgariumWinchester (Winifred’s Castre)

  Yns WitrinGlastonbury Tor

  Yr WyddfaMount Snowdon

  Pronunciation

  A basic guide to the rough pronunciation to some of the Welsh names

  Abloycab-loy-c

  Bedwyrbed-oo-ear

  Ceikay

  Cuneddakin-eth-a

  Cymraescum-rice

  Dogmaildog-my-l

  Dunautdin-eye-t

  Enniaunen-nee-eyen

  Gorloisgor-loys

  Gwenhwyfargwen-hwe-var

  Gwynllywgwen-(h)lee-oo

  Iawnyown

  Llacheu(h)lak-eye

  Melwasmel-oo-as

  Meriaunmerry-eyen

  Morgausemor-gice

  Rumaunrim-eyen

  Typiaunantyp-ee-eye-nan

  Uthroo-tha

  Ygrainneig-rine-ya

  Acknowledgements

  I scribbled the first ideas for what was to become The Kingmaking many years ago. Most of those handwritten pages went straight in the bin. I started writing it seriously when I was 32, and was accepted for publication by Heinemann in 1993, a week after my 40th birthday. The best birthday present.

  I have many people to thank for the fact that here I am in 2011 producing a new edition, with a new publisher, safe in the knowledge that the story is just as good now as it was back then (although, truthfully, it is probably better, as it has undergone several re-edits since initial publication).

  Thank you, therefore, to friends old and new – Hazel, Derek and Mal; authors Elizabeth Chadwick, Jim Nelson and Bernard Cornwell – various editors, past and present: Lynne Drew, Jo Field, Michaela Unterbarnscheidt, and to Helen Hart and her enthusiastic and efficient team at SilverWood Books in Bristol. Also to Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics, so patient and so talented.

  There were staff at many libraries and museums who originally helped me with my research, most of whom I have lost touch with, but, none the less, I am still grateful for their assistance.

  My gratitude also, to my family, husband Ron and daughter Kathy for their firm support and belief in me. One day I will make it up to them for all the forgotten dinners and untouched housework – although as Ron is now retired, that is firmly his department!

  Finally, I wish to say an especial thank you to author Sharon Penman. Without her encouragement and advice those years ago, this book may never have happened.

  Helen Hollick,

  2011

  To My Readers

  A personal message from Helen Hollick

  Writing can be a silly occupation. Solitary, often hard, tedious work for few rewards. But it is compulsive, and those few rewards can be great indeed: seeing your novel on a shelf in a bookstore; receiving an e-mail from an appreciative fan; a fabulous review; a nomination for an award. There is the sheer pleasure of starting with a blank page and experiencing the excitement of bringing a character to full and glorious life. Of delving beneath the facts of what happened and when, and filling in all the missing bits of why, how and with whom. That is the joy of writing!

  Having a book published, however, is not always plain sailing. Several years ago my backlist was dropped by William Heinemann – historical fiction had gone out of fashion – and simultaneously my agent abandoned me. I was on my own and facing the prospect of not writing another novel. I spent two weeks sobbing, then pulled myself together and set out to find an alternative publisher.

  I discovered an independent company who, as a part of their small mainstream imprint, took my backlist and my new venture: the first of the Sea Witch voyages. There were hiccups, but the office staff were enthusiastic and I had high hopes for the future. Sadly, the current economic climate is not kind to small firms, and for a second time I found myself facing the prospect of being out of print. I had four choices:

  Give up writing

  Find an alternative mainstream publisher

  Go self-publish (produce my books myself)

  Find a company that provided assisted publishing

  For me, 1 was not an option. I cannot give up writing, not while I still have a story in my head to share. Choice 2: I am mainstream published in the US and other countries, but approaching a similar UK publishing house, with their full lists and tight printing schedules, could have resulted in my novels being unavailable for several months. I have many friends who would be so disappointed to see them temporarily disappear, as would I. Lacking the technical knowledge, or time, to go self publish was not viable or practical, although the thought of running my own company was tempting. However, excited by the prospect of being in control of my destiny – and my books – I decided to opt for choice 4.

  I have known Helen Hart of SilverWood Books for several years and it was therefore an easy choice to send my precious novels into her good care, confident she would produce quality editions, quickly and efficiently.

  Transferring my list of seven books has been hard and dedicated work, not just for me, but for the team at SilverWood Books, my graphic designer Cathy Helms of AvalonGraphics, and my editors Jo Field and Michaela Unterbarnscheidt.

  Nor have the production costs been cheap – more on the ‘gulp’ level – but the quality result has been worth it…I love my characters and have great respect and fondness for all my followers, fans, friends and readers. Your encouragement and enthusiasm was all the incentive I needed to make the decision to keep my characters alive and well. And in print.

  For that, I thank you.

  Helen

  About the Author

  Helen Hollick lives in north-east London on the edge of Epping Forest with her husband, adult daughter and a variety of pets, which include several horses, a cat and a dog. She has two major interests: Roman / Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy – the early eighteenth century. Her particular pleasure is researching the facts behind the small glimpses of history and bringing the characters behind those facts to full and glorious life. She has an Honours Diploma in Early Medieval History, and may one day, if ever she finds the time, to go on to obtain her full degree.

  For up-to-date information you are invited to visit: www.helenhollick.net

  Praise for Helen Hollick

  I am so completely
and thoroughly obsessed with this author right now. This trilogy is just beautiful. I love how the author turns King Arthur into a man and then the King of legend. The amount of research Ms. Hollick must have done is astounding because the detail in this book is wonderful.

  www.bibliophilicbookblog.com

  Hollick’s writing is one of the best I’ve come across – her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there’s a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes.

  passagestothepast.com

  Helen Hollick is an author who is conquering the world one country at a time with her intricate way of bringing the past to life.

  Suite 101 Romance

  Helen Hollick brings history to life... she weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.

  peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com

  Also by Helen Hollick

  The Sea Witch Voyages

  Sea Witch: The first voyage of pirate Cpt Jesamiah Acorne

  Pirate Code: The second voyage of Cpt Jesamiah Acorne

  Bring It Close: The third voyage of Cpt Jesamiah Acorne

  Ripples In the Sand: The fourth Voyage of Cpt Jesamiah Acorne

  (published Spring 2011)

  The Saxon 1066 Series

  A Hollow Crown (UK edition title)

  The Forever Queen (US edition title)

  Harold the King (UK edition title)

  I Am The Chosen King (US edition title)

  The Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy

  The Kingmaking: Book One of the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy

  Pendragon’s Banner: Book Two of the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy

  Shadow of the King: Book Three of the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy