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. Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine were larger than life, legends in their own lifetimes. In her Plantagenet Trilogy Penman chronicles King Henry II's life, beginning with his childhood in "When Christ and His Saints Slept." Of Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, Penman explains: With the third and final blow, the crown of his head was separated from the head, and the blood dyes the floor of the cathedral. At this, they retrieve their weapons and rush inside the cathedral for the killing. The novel ends with a detailed description of Becket's death: the knights who pursued him inform Becket he was to go to Winchester to give an account of his actions, but Becket refuses. Moreover, Becket must reconcile duty to his sovereign and duty to his God which ultimately leads to his death and martyrdom and stains King Henry II's reign. King Henry II's decision to elevate Becket to Archbishop of Canterbury is a fulcrum for discord between Henry and Eleanor. Penman brings alive for the reader the period as King Henry II becomes increasingly estranged from his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (although Eleanor and Henry have eight children during the eight years), and from his close friend and adviser Thomas Becket. Time and Chance is the sequel to Penman's When Christ and His Saints Slept and spans a 15-year period from 1156 to 1171. Time and Chance is about King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the rift between Henry II and Thomas Becket. Time and Chance is a historical novel written by Sharon Kay Penman published in 2002 and is the second volume in the Plantagenet trilogy, preceded by When Christ and His Saints Slept and followed by Devil's Brood.
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