The Hundred Years War rages on and the bloodiest battles are yet to be fought. Across France, towns are closing their gates, the crops are burning and the country stands alert to danger. The english army, victorious at the Battle of Crecy and led by the Black Prince, is inviding again the French are hunting them down. Thomas of Hookton, an English archer known as Le Batard, is under orders to seek out the lost sword of St Peter, a weapon said to grant certain victory to whoever possesses her. As the outnumbered English army becomes trapped near the town of Poitiers, Thomas, his sworn enemies meet in an extraordinary confrontation that ignites one of the greatest battles of all time. Rich in colour and character, in great adventure and thrilling conflict, 1356 is the magnificent tale of how the quest for a holy relic, with the power to alter fate, leads to a battle that will change the course of history for ever.