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Author

Conn Iggulden

1971

Conn Iggulden writes large-scale historical fiction centred on conquest, ambition, political violence and the making of empires.

Conn Iggulden was born in London in 1971. He studied English at the University of London and worked as a teacher for several years before leaving education to write full time. His classroom experience helped shape a direct, fast-moving style designed to make large historical narratives approachable without losing their scale. He also co-wrote The Dangerous Book for Boys, although historical fiction has remained the centre of his career.

Iggulden’s first novel, The Gates of Rome, appeared in 2003 and began the Emperor series about Julius Caesar and the end of the Roman Republic. He followed it with the Conqueror series on Genghis Khan and his descendants, the Wars of the Roses sequence and novels set in the ancient Greek world. His books frequently compress or rearrange events to maintain narrative momentum, but they introduce readers to the personalities, rivalries and military systems behind major political transformations. Recurring concerns include leadership, loyalty, succession and the creation of empires. He is a strong choice for readers who prefer campaign-driven historical fiction centred on famous rulers and periods of rapid territorial change.

Periods and events

Medieval Period Mongol Invasions Ancient Rome Roman Republic Third Servile War Imperial China Gallic Wars Caesar’s Civil War Assassination of Julius Caesar Imperial Rome Julio-Claudian Dynasty Boudican Revolt Late Medieval Wars of the Roses

Series

Series by Conn Iggulden (6 series)

Conqueror in Order

by Conn Iggulden 5 books 4.6

The Conqueror series traces the rise of Temujin as Genghis Khan and the expansion of the Mongol Empire under his descendants. Across five novels it follows tribal unification, campaigns in China and Central Asia, the invasion of eastern Europe and the succession struggles that eventually bring Kublai Khan…

Wolf of the Plains

4.6

Lords of the Bow

4.6

Bones of the Hills

4.6

Empire of Silver

4.5

Conqueror

4.6

Emperor in Order

by Conn Iggulden 5 books 4.6

The Emperor series is a highly fictionalised retelling of Julius Caesar’s life and the violent end of the Roman Republic. It follows Caesar from youth through war, political ascent and conquest, then continues beyond his assassination into the struggle between Octavian, Antony and Caesar’s killers.

The Gates of Rome

4.5

The Death of Kings

4.6

The Field of Swords

4.6

Gods of War

4.6

The Blood of Gods

4.5

The Nero Trilogy in Order

by Conn Iggulden 3 books 4.4

The Nero Trilogy recounts the rise and fall of Nero through the ambitions of his mother Agrippina and the lethal politics of the Julio-Claudian court. It begins with Nero’s childhood, follows his elevation over Britannicus and ends with revolt, imperial collapse and his death.

Nero

4.4

Tyrant

4.5

Inferno

4.6

Wars of the Roses in Order

by Conn Iggulden 4 books 4.4

The Wars of the Roses series follows the dynastic struggle from the weakness of Henry VI’s government through the rise of York, Edward IV’s victories and exiles, and the final contest between Richard III and Henry Tudor. The novels combine court politics with the major military turning points…

Stormbird

4.3

Trinity

4.4

Bloodline

4.5

Ravenspur

4.5

Athenian in Order

by Conn Iggulden 2 books 4.5

The Athenian series follows the struggle of Athens and its allies against the Persian Empire, moving from Marathon and the political battles of the intervening decade to Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Xanthippus and Themistocles provide the principal viewpoints as military survival, democratic rivalry and competing Greek interests shape…

The Gates of Athens

4.5

Protector

4.5

The Golden Age in Order

by Conn Iggulden 2 books 4.4

The Golden Age series follows Pericles from the generation after the Persian invasions into the period of Athenian naval empire and intensifying rivalry with Sparta. Political competition, military command and the costs of Athenian power shape both novels.