Morland Dynasty Books In Order

Publication Order of Morland Dynasty Books

Morland Dynasty is a set of historical fiction novels written by bestselling English author of romance and historical fiction novels, Cynthia Harrod- Eagles. The series revolves around the Morland’s a family based in New York, England and their international and national relatives and associates.

Cynthia began the publication of Morland Dynasty series in 1980 when The Founding, the first book in the series was published. There are currently 35 books in the series. The debut novel is set in 1434 and features the Wars of the Roses and the most recent book, The Phoenix is set in 1931 and focuses more on the early years of the Great Depression, the rise of Fascism and concludes in the Abdication Crisis of 1936 in Britain.

The Founding

The Founding is the first book in Morland Dynasty series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. It was initially intended to be a 12 book series to be written by two authors. This would be such a huge task, and as a result, only one author penned all the 35 books in the series.

The novel introduced readers to Eleanor Courteney a Ward of a nobleman and imagined herself married to a nobleman one day. Unfortunately, she was with no dowry, and she had to lower standard and was forced to after she married into Morland dynasty. The Morlands were not in the same social status that Eleanor would have preferred, but were known for their riches because they were prosperous sheep farmers.

The story is very much similar to a family saga epic style, but of course, it is fictitious with the fictional Morlands being inserted in the right times so that the readers get an understanding of what goes on behind the closed political doors. This is facilitated by the fact that the main character, Eleanor was very close to prominent people such as King Edward’s IV father, Richard Plantagenet and later her son worked for the next king Richard.

Additionally, Eleanor is a Yorkist and therefore the story is a strong pro-Ricardian and bigoted against the Lancastrians. Another fascinating historical aspect of The Founding is the depiction of princes in the tower, along with lot other historical details. Along with the main character, there are many other children. There were plenty of births of children, marriages, the birth of children to those children and then deaths.

At the beginning of each novel in the series, there is a mention of the family tree. Eleanor, an orphaned lady, is sent to York so as to marry the heir to the Morland estates. However, she secretly admires the nobleman and war hero Richard of York. It is Eleanor’s strong will that causes the Morland family to swear allegiance to the York’s especially during stormy battles for the crown. The tale of the Morlands and their many children grand and great-grandchildren is set during the violent Wars of the Roses. This way you get a glimpse of how volatile the throne of England was and how it barely held together under a monarch who was a constant subject to military coups and some hostile usurpers from his own relations.

In this setting, the medieval feudalism which is quite an oppressive idea to the modern context makes a lot of sense. People from all different classes of life and social classes pledged loyalty to the powerful and wealthy lords who could protect them. For instance, the simple peasants would receive protection from their possessions being stolen or their villages being attacked by other lord’s gangs. For the rich folks, loyalty was often aligned to the next person who seemed fit to be crowned the king and these kings regularly asked for loans or financial gifts in order to wage war against their common enemies. So in this context, you get to understand why the Morland servants are so loyal to the family that treats them better and why the young folks sent to serve their kings and lords are passionate in their declarations of loyalty and love to their masters. This is was the kind of era that social equality didn’t play any role in the society.

Cynthia Harrod- Eagles does not shy away from the unpleasing way of life in the medieval era, even for the elites in the society. Male servants, retainers and some male children of the noble folks slept on the rushes in the great walls while women often shared and beds. The ancient tradition of fostering children to other noble family was a way to ensure that political ties remained strong, and marriage was the best way to achieve this, and nearly everyone, poor or rich had an arranged marriage.

The Dark Rose

The Dark Rose, the second novel in Morland Dynasty series is a story of Eleanor’s Morland great-grandson, French Paul, and the founders of this great dynasty. Paul is the manager of the Morland properties but constantly struggles with jealousy of his half-brother siblings and also dislikes his wife. On the other hand, King Henry VII is in love with Anne Boleyn despite being married to Catherine of Aragon.

Paul’s niece Nanette becomes the lady in waiting to Henry VII favorite. She is also fighting with the fact that she is falling in love with her uncle Paul and feels that to be at court will lessen her feelings for an affair disliked by the church. However, the church is fast changing, and the nation’s sense of right and wrong is also dividing families and among them Paul’s. His son clings to the old religion and is prepared to make his feelings known in a rebellion that threatens to bring King’s wrath to the Morland Place. With a rift already established in Paul’s family, things take a dark turn that places everything that Paul has ever built on the line.

The second novel in Morland Dynasty series is a great read. The story is replete with forbidden loves, marriages, romance, deaths, crop failures, natural disasters, intrigues with the noble family religious disputes, rebellions all neatly presented thanks to the author’s talent that sets her apart from many other historical fiction writers.

One Response to “Morland Dynasty”

1. Frances Gasparotto: 3 years ago

   I love reading these books! They are well written and very enjoyable reads!

   Reply