If you woke up to the news that Trump’s Pentagon thugs threatened Pope Leo— yes THE POPE— with a murderous analogy to the 14th century “Avignon Papacy” —

You may be wondering, “What the hell is The Avignon Papacy?”

My European ancient history chops were not up to par.

Luckily, I turned to my French-Canadian friend Violette, who told me the most entertaining way to learn this history, is to read a series of novels called “The Accursed Kings,” by the late Maurice Druon.

Guess what? “Les Rois Maudits” (as it’s called in the original French), in addition to being quite accurate historical fiction, are the BASIS for “The Game of Thrones.”

And George RR Martin was the first to admit it. He says that the reali life French royalty’s violent struggles make his books look G-rated!

Is there a TV version? Yes! —Streaming on YouTube if you know where to look.

Is there going to be a new TV version? Also yes.

Is there a good audiobook version? Very much yes.

More on my blog: