The Mud and the Crown
The Mud and the Crown is a sweeping four-part historical saga tracing England’s transformation under Henry V and the forces unleashed by his ambition. From a reluctant prince’s ascension to the mud of Agincourt, the king’s early death, and the rise of Joan of Arc, the series explores power, duty, war, love, and the machinery of monarchy. Kings command armies, but craftsmen, soldiers, queens, and commoners bear the cost. Richly imagined and grounded in history, it is an intimate portrait of people caught between conscience and destiny as two kingdoms struggle for survival, legitimacy, memory, and the future of France.
Part 1: Ascension follows Prince Hal as he leaves the taverns of his youth behind and accepts the crushing responsibilities of Henry V. Crowned amid ceremony and expectation, he must turn uncertainty into authority, silence rebellion, manage ambitious nobles, and prepare England for war with France. Yet every decisive act carries a human cost, drawing him farther from friendship, mercy, and the man he once was. From Westminster to Harfleur, this opening volume explores power as both privilege and prison, revealing how a young king ascends by surrendering pieces of himself to the crown he was born to wear forever.
Launching August 2026
Henry V’s battered army leaves Harfleur weakened by disease, hunger, and exhaustion, yet the king refuses to retreat. Pursued across France and trapped near Agincourt, the English face an overwhelming enemy on ground chosen by necessity. As Thomas Ashcombe struggles to keep the machinery of war functioning, mud, discipline, and desperate courage transform likely destruction into a legendary victory. But triumph carries a terrible cost, and those who survive must reckon with what glory conceals.
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Lauching Winter 2026
At the height of his power, Henry V has conquered France through military force, political calculation, and administration. Yet the kingdom he creates depends upon a man already being consumed by illness and ambition. When Henry dies abruptly, an infant inherits two crowns, rival regents divide authority, Burgundy begins to waver, and Catherine seeks her own survival. The English war machine continues without its master, moving confidently toward Orléans and the catastrophe it cannot foresee.
Lauching Winter 2026
England’s conquest of France appears secure, but certainty begins to unravel before a new enemy. From the siege of Orléans emerges Joan of Arc, whose faith restores French purpose and exposes the weakness beneath English power. As alliances fracture, commanders fail, and territory is lost, the machinery built by Henry V turns against those struggling to preserve it. Victory gives way to retreat, leaving Thomas Ashcombe to confront the cost of a kingdom built on war.