Historical Fiction for Homeschoolers
Discover the best historical fiction books for homeschoolers! Our curated list features engaging, educational novels perfect for teaching history at home.
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Belisarius, Book I
by Paolo A. Belzoni
Belisarius was a general under the Roman emporer Justinian who helped to rebuild the Roman Empire.
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Crown of the World
by Nathan Sadasivan
Here is the tale of Godfrey de Montferrat, a boy who became both a monk and a knight who swore an oath to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is also the tale of that kingdom, which men called Outremer-The Land Beyond the Sea. With the miraculous success of the First Crusade, all said that the heroic tales of old had come to life in that place. By Godfrey's time-the late 12th century-the Kingdom is dying, chivalry fading, hope growing cold, and foes pressing hard from every side. But Godfrey stands in contradiction to the prevailing rot-a young man striving to live up to the heroic ideal. Surrounded by greed and corruption, Godfrey must determine where his true loyalties lay: to friends? to prince? to love? to God? Around Godfrey swirl the loves, betrayals, triumphs, and disasters of the Kingdom's waning years. Knight of the Temple weaves together an exciting, multi-layered and historically faithful tale of the Land Beyond the Sea. From the desert wastes of Egypt, to the bustling streets of medieval Antioch, to the Holy City of Jerusalem itself, Nathan Sadasivan paints a vivid portrait of the Crusades strewn with unforgettable characters - Amalric, the ill-tempered King of Jerusalem; Malik, the proud young Saracen; Jacques, Godfrey's childhood friend; Tristan, the single-minded swordmaster, and Andronicus, the enigmatic Byzantine prince, among many others Knight of the Temple is the first book in the Crown of the World trilogy.
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The Laviniad
by Claudio R. Salvucci
Set in ancient Italy, The Laviniad picks up the tale following the death of Aeneas, when his young son Ascanius is thrust to the fore as leader of the Trojan remnant in Italy. Following the trials of this youth in the face of his hostile Italian neighbors, the author spins his enthralling yarn with tight, compelling poetry.
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Red Falcons of Tremoine
by Hendry Peart
Leo, a fifteen-year-old orphan, discovers that he is the heir to two feuding families.
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Big John's Secret
by Eleanor M. Jewett
Mystery surrounds the young peasant boy known as Big John. Raised during the strife-filled days of the reign of King John of England, his life is one day changed when a knight says, in passing, “You remind me of someone—someone I once knew and loved.” It is from “Old Marm,” the herb woman, that John understands that injustice has been done his family. Though never telling him the family name lest he unwittingly betray himself, she does all she can to prepare him to one day reclaim his name and family honor. Then Old Marm dies, and John is left without a clue to his identity. In the next years John’s unusual size and strength and the knowledge he has gained of letters and of the art of healing earn him a place as page to an earl organizing the 5th Crusade. In the Holy Land John searches for a father he hopes is living still. Amidst battle, capture and setbacks, John—now a squire to a Knight Hospitaller—encounters Francis of Assisi, who had come to the Holy Land just at this time to preach the Gospel to the Saracens. It is another meeting that changes the course of Big John’s life. . Illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman.
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The Red Keep
by Allen French
Conan, a young squire in twelth-century Burgundy, is determined to find a way to defeat the fearsome Sauval brothers, a pair of robber barons who pillage and terrorize the local countryside.
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Beorn the Proud
by Madeleine A. Polland
Beorn, a pagan Viking from Denmark, becomes a better ruler as a result of the influence of Ness, a Christian girl he took from Ireland as his slave.
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Madeleine Takes Command
by Ethel C. Brill
This historical novel, set in 17th century New France, features Madeleine de Vercheres a teenage girl who takes up arms in defense of family, country, and faith against the Iroquois.
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El Cid, God's Own Champion
by James Fitzhenry
This book is an inspiring biography about an extraordinary Catholic knight chosen by God to save his nation from Islamic aggression. Known by the honorary title of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz is an epic hero who is relevant to our time. Exiled by his king, insulted and maligned by those who should have supported him, he selflessly fought against seemingly insurmountable odds to save Christian Spain. Commanding the respect even of his enemies, upon his death a Muslim historian acclaimed him a "miracle among the great miracles of the Almighty." The Cid is an example of what can be achieved through devotion to duty, prayer, and trust in God.
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God King
by Joanne Williamson
A never-before published tale by the author of the best-selling Hittite Warrior, carries the reader back to Ancient Egypt and biblical Jerusalem. It is 701 B.C-rule of the Kushite dynasty in ancient Egypt. Young Prince Taharka, a very minor royal son, succeeds unexpectedly to the throne of Kush and Egypt-a divine rulership. It's not long, however, before a treacherous plot pushes him into sudden exile and into the hands of Amos, an emissary of King Hezekiah seeking help against the Assyrians. Posing as a medical assistant, Taharka journeys with Amos to Judea where he encounters two kings in conflict. His true identity suddenly uncovered, he must choose with whom he will fight-the mighty Assyrian, Sennacherib, promising alliance or Hezekiah, the Jew who trusts in Yahweh. A novel inspired by research on the historical King Taharka and his period.
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The Lost Baron
by Allen French
Martin's first day as a page is also his last when the Baron mysteriously disappears and his visiting relative and heir takes charge of the castle.
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Hittite Warrior
by Joanne Williamson
Judea has always been the crossroads and battlefield of contending nations. It is no less so in this biblical time of the Judges. Uriah Tarhund's Hittite home is destroyed by invading Greeks. His dying father tells him to go south to seek a Canaanite named Sisera. "He will help you. For my sake. . . ." Uriah is plunged into the tumult of an uneasy Judea. When he saves a young boy from being sacrificed to Moloch, he is given succor for a time by the Hebrews. Later, he finds Sisera and joins him in war against these same people. When the Canaanites are defeated, the young Hittite has the opportunity to come to peace with himself, the Hebrew people and their God.
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The Hidden Treasure of Glaston
by Eleanore M Jewett
Amidst great mystery, Hugh is left in the care of Glastonbury Abbey by his father who must flee England too swiftly to be burdened by a crippled son. Ashamed of his physical weakness, yet possessed of a stout heart, Hugh finds that life at the abbey is surprisingly full in this year 1171, in the turbulent days of King Henry II. Hugh, his friend Dickon and their strange friend, the mad Bleheris, uncover a treasure trove and with it a deeper mystery of the sort that could only occur in Glastonbury where Joseph of Arimithea was said to have lived out his last years. Before all is done, more is resolved than Hugh could ever have hoped. A Newbery Honor winner. Illustrated by Frederick Chapman.
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Son of Charlemagne
by Barbara Willard
The year is A.D. 781. King Charles of the Franks is crossing the Alps with his family and court on a journey to meet with Pope Hadrian. One frosty night he speaks to his young son Carl: When we come to Rome you will know that I am naming you my heir. One day you will rule over all my lands. . . . But the King already had an heir, Pepin the Hunchback, mockingly called Gobbo. Was he to be dispossessed? Yet Carl sees that Charlemagne is determined to do what he feels is best to serve God and Europe.
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Beyond the Desert Gate
by Mary Ray
Palestine, first century A.D.-the Jews have revolted against Roman occupation. The ten Greek cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings. Apollodorus, a merchant of Philadelphia, takes a risk and rescues a man whom a Roman patrol has left to die in the desert. When Apollodorus is killed by robbers, his three sons are left almost penniless and must each find a way for themselves. Philo, the youngest, is befriended by Xenos, the man saved from the desert, who has lost his memory. From him the boy learns the art of the scribe, and together they try to find their identity-one from the past, the other for the future. A serious story of an important time in history. This is the sequel to The Ides of April.
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If All The Swords In England
by Barbara Willard
Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II. With an expert pen Barbara Willard deftly recounts events leading to the bishop's martyrdom in 1170.
