Editing Sharon Kay Penman (section)

== Plantagenet series ==
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The Plantagenet series focuses on the [[House of Plantagenet|Angevin]] King Henry II and his wife [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], beginning with the sinking of the ''[[White Ship]]'', the marriage of the [[Empress Matilda|Empress Maude]] and [[Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou|Geoffrey of Anjou]], and Henry's birth and childhood in ''When Christ and His Saints Slept.'' Of Henry and Eleanor, Penman explained:<blockquote>
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were larger than life, legends in their own lifetimes. He was one of the greatest of the medieval kings, and she was the only woman to wear the crowns of both England and France. They loved and fought and schemed on a stage that stretched from the Scots border to the Mediterranean Sea. Their children were branded by contemporaries as "The Devil’s Brood," but they founded a dynasty that was to rule England for three hundred years.

My first novel in their trilogy{{sic}}, ''When Christ and His Saints Slept'', traces the beginning of their tempestuous union. ''Time and Chance'' continues their story at high noon. From the greenwoods of Wales to a bloodied floor at Canterbury Cathedral, theirs was an amazing story, and I very much enjoyed being along for the ride!<ref name=penguinwords>{{cite web |title=In Her Own Words By Sharon Kay Penman |url=http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000024746,00.html?sym=MIS  |publisher= Penguin.com |access-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref></blockquote>

''[[When Christ and His Saints Slept]]'' introduces the genesis of the Plantagenet dynasty as Empress Maude fights to secure her claim to the English throne.<ref name=zollo /> In the 15 years she spent writing three novels and four mysteries set during the period of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] and [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] Penman claimed she found no villains. Instead she focused on the human characteristics: she believed Henry II was a brilliant king but a bad father. Of Eleanor of Aquitaine, she claimed she was a "law unto herself", and Penman was intrigued by the role of a medieval queen.<ref name = Moran />

''[[Time and Chance (Penman novel)|Time and Chance]]'' (2002), a ''New York Times Bestseller'', continues the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her husband, and focuses on the rift between Henry II and [[Thomas Becket]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Best Sellers: March 31st, 2002|access-date=2009-06-06|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/books/best-sellers-march-31-2002.html | work=The New York Times | date=March 31, 2002}}</ref> 

''Time and Chance'' spans a 15-year period from 1156 to 1171 as Henry II became estranged from his wife (although Eleanor and Henry have eight children during thirteen years), and from his close friend and advisor Thomas Becket. King Henry's decision to elevate Becket to the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] becomes a fulcrum for discord between Henry and Eleanor.<ref name=ivor>{{cite web|last=Ivor|first=Jenny|title=Sharon Kay Penman: Time and Chance|access-date=2009-06-06|url=http://www.rambles.net/penman_time02.html|year=2002}}</ref>

''[[Devil's Brood]]'' (2008) opens with the conflict between Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their four sons, which escalates into a decade of warfare and rebellion pitting the sons against the father and the brothers against each other while Eleanor spends the period imprisoned by Henry. Penman places the characters against a tightly woven tapestry of medieval life, personal conflict, and dramatic characters.<ref name=Baird1 />

''The Devil's Brood'' was supposed to be the final volume in Penman's Plantagenet series, but the "Angevins were not ready to go quietly into that good night."<ref>{{cite web |title=Sharon Kay Penman Website|url=http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/book_page.asp?ISBN=0399157859}}</ref> ''Lionheart'' (2011) is about the children of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The book focuses on [[Richard the Lionheart]]'s Crusades in the Holy Land, and on what happened to Eleanor when she was finally released after spending sixteen years in a confinement that was ordered and enforced by her husband. ''A King's Ransom'' is about the second half of Richard's life, during and following his imprisonment, ransom, and life afterward.