The Blood of Princes Books in Order

The Blood of Princes is a Welsh historical saga centered on the struggle to preserve Gwynedd against English expansion. It opens with Rise, set in 1246, when the death of Llywelyn the Great leaves North Wales vulnerable at a moment when England is eager to press its advantage.

The stakes are homeland and independence.

The series draws on the history of the Welsh princes, whose authority depended on family alliances, local support, and the ability to resist far stronger neighboring kings. In this setting, a succession dispute is never merely domestic. It can invite English intervention and put the future of the whole country at risk.

Rise establishes the central pressure: Welsh leaders must unite, negotiate, or fight while King Henry III gathers resources to bring Gwynedd under English control. Pilling’s interest in Welsh history gives the story a strong sense of landscape, from mountain strongholds to border routes and communities exposed to invasion.

The tone is one of political and military struggle rather than simple national myth. Characters face the difficult realities of leadership, divided families, and the cost of asking people to resist a better-equipped enemy. Victories can be temporary, and even a successful defense may demand painful concessions.

Readers who enjoy Pilling’s Longsword books will find related historical ground here, but this series places Welsh perspectives at the center. It is concerned with the people whose land is being contested, not only with the English crown’s campaign.

Begin with Rise. It lays out the conflict and the historical world that drives the wider saga.