1. Very Dark Indeed: 58 BC–843
2. Their Own Destruction Sure: 843–1151
3. The Gift of Excalibur: 1151–1223
6. A Foregone Conclusion: 1380–1453
7. The Universal Spider: 1453–83
8. A Warm, Sunlit Land: 1483–1515
9. With His Usual Flourish: 1515–47
10. ‘Well worth a Mass’: 1547–1643
11. ‘L’Etat c’est moi’: 1643–1715
12. The Writing on the Wall: 1715–89
13. ‘I am indeed your king’: 1789–93
14. ‘Pas de faiblesse!’: 1793–5
15. A Blessing or a Curse?: 1795–1815
16. The Perfect Compromise: 1815–48
17. ‘A symbol of national glory’: 1848–52
18. A Sphinx Without a Riddle: 1852–70
19. The Last Manifestation: 1870–3
21. The Cross of Lorraine: 1935–45
Acknowledgements and Illustration Credits