Dan Jones author photo

Dan Jones

Dan Jones is a British historian and author focused on medieval Europe and England. He wrote The Plantagenets, The Templars, Crusaders, and Powers and Thrones, and later the Essex Dogs novels. A New York Times bestselling writer, he is known for making medieval history accessible to broad popular audiences.

Biography & Author's Journey

Dan Jones is a British historian, journalist, presenter, and novelist whose career has been built on making medieval history vivid for general readers. Educated at the Royal Latin School and at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he took a first in history in 2002, he came into public life through journalism before becoming widely known as an author. That early training mattered: it gave his prose speed, structure, and a reporter’s instinct for scene and character. A first major turning point came with Summer of Blood in 2009, his book on the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, which drew strong critical attention and was named an Independent Book of the Year. ((https://cdn.waterstones.com/special/pdf/9780007213948.pdf))

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Quotes

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Historical fiction is the gateway drug to history
-Penguin Random House Author Q&A
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I write popular narrative history. I’m proud
-Penguin Random House Author Q&A
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At root is a very petty argument, really, between kings who all want each other's crown
-Historian Dan Jones on His Fiction Debut
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He has also been warped curiously out of shape by Shakespeare
-Dan Jones on Henry V
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When you’re writing, rhythm and discipline are essential
-Dan Jones on Henry V
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The Templars are rich subject matter for books, films and high-end TV dramas
-What Fuels Our Fascination With the Knights Templar?
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It was one of the most spectacular reversals of fortune history had ever seen
-How Religion and Greed Toppled the Templars
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But the Templars’ legend was only just beginning…
-How Religion and Greed Toppled the Templars
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Blue lips. Blackened skin. Blood leaking from noses and mouths
-More People Died in the Flu Pandemic Than in WWI

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