The Lions of the North

Written by the Duke of Northumberland himself, featuring his own photography. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, the story of Alnwick Castle and the Percy family has been woven into the fabric of British history. Lions of the North tells, from a unique and personal perspective, the stories of the Percy family and Alnwick Castle over a thousand years of British history. Generations of Percy barons, lords, earls and dukes played vital parts in great historical events, from the Norman Conquest to the two World Wars, and the castle, once battered by marauding armies, is now a major tourist attraction. The Duke has drawn on his unparalleled access to the Percy archives to paint this fascinating portrait of a British dynasty and its survival against the odds.

Preface: Alnwick Castle before the Percys Chapter 1: 1066-1294. After the Norman Conquest: the Percy's rise to power Chapter 2: 1294-1368. The Percys come to Northumberland: the purchase of Alnwick Castle Chapter 3: 1368-1489. Kingmakers and rebels: the first four Earls of Northumberland Chapter 4: 1489-1585. The Tudor period: rise and fall, execution and murder Chapter 5: 1585-1750. The Stuarts, plots and civil war: the last Earl Chapter 6: 1750-1847. Percy restoration: the first Duke of Northumberland Chapter 7: 1847-1918. Victorians and Edwardians: from the Great Exhibition to the Great War Chapter 8: 1918-2018. The last 100 years: Alnwick in the modern world Chapter 9: The Estate: gardens, parks and management