Blood Royal by Eric Jager

I finished reading an interesting history book titled Blood Royal by Eric Jager the other day. It's the real life account of a royal assassination in medieval Paris that would lead to conflict between France and England.

In early November 1407, Louis, Duke of Orleans was assassinated by a group of masked men as he rode down a dark Parisian street.  (A dangerous thing in the 1st place!)  Louis was a powerful figure in France; he would serve as regent whenever his brother King Charles VI was incapacitated by mental illness.  Unfortunately he was unpopular and had plenty of enemies.
News of the murder spread throughout the capital and France then on to European royal courts.  
The provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, was charged with the investigation.  Because of a 30 ft parchment which survived through the centuries, we have a detailed record of that investigation.  De Tignonville's findings took him to the royal court.  
It was revealed John, Duke of Burgundy was behind the assassination.  These two powerful men were known rivals. Burgundy was tried and cleared while de Tignonville was punished.  The story doesn't end there!  The consequences reverberated in the years to come.
Jager writes a concise and fascinating description of French royal politics and life in medieval Paris.  If you've been to Paris as I have, you'll recognize many of the places named in the book.  Plenty of maps, illustrations, and artwork are featured in each chapter.

I first read about this infamous assassination in The Queen's Secret by Jean Plaidy.  Young Princess Katherine learns about the murder of her uncle through her governess and household servants discussing it. In time Katherine would her own part to play…