Trivia

Merthin Fitzgerald is described in the novel as being of short stature and having bright red hair which he inherited from his ancestor, Jack Jackson - the main character from The Pillars of the Earth (2010).

This series deviates from the original source novel considerably more than it's prequel The Pillars of the Earth.

The Battle of Crecy (1346) as witnessed by Caris whilst in France was significant for two reasons. Firstly it heralded the rise of the longbow as the dominant weapon on the battlefield - a title it would keep until the 17th century and reliable handheld firearms. Secondly it was the first recorded use in battle of a cannon - called a ribauldequin and known as the "infernal machine". Having 12 barrels it was used by the English army, slow to load and liable to explode it nevertheless was the embryo of the gunpowder age

What Caris witnesses was not the battle of Crecy but skirmishes beforehand. Crecy is a fair few miles away from the Somme River that was the focus of the action in the series. Edward had to cross that river first. In the battle of Crecy the French attacked the English positions not the other way round

In the novel, Merthin and Ralph FitzGerald's father was not Earl of Shiring. Sir Gerald was an ambitious but impoverished minor nobleman. Sir Roland did not gain the Earldom at Sir Gerald's expense but was Earl from the start of the book.