Dan Jones' first history book was a popular narrative history of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381, titled Summer of Blood: The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, which was published in 2009. His second book, The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England, was published in 2012 in the United Kingdom and a year later in the United States, where it became a New York Times bestseller. It is a family portrait of the Plantagenet kings from Henry II to Richard II. Jones' third book, The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors, published in 2014, picks up where The Plantagenets leaves off and covers the period 1420–1541, from the death of Henry V to the execution of Henry VIII's cousin, Margaret Pole. His fourth book is about Magna Carta and is titled Magna Carta: The Making and Legacy of the Great Charter, published in 2014. Jones' fifth book, The Templars, The Rise and the Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors, was published in September 2017 about the Knights Templar. Jones also worked as historical consultant on the 2018 HISTORY historical drama Knightfall, also presenting the official podcast. In August 2018, he published The Colour of Time: A New History of the World, 1850-1960 illustrated by Marina Amaral. He collaborated with Amaral again in 2020 for the book The World Aflame. His sixth book, Crusaders: An Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Land was published on 5 September 2019. It deals with the Crusades from 1096 onwards.
TV presenter
In 2014, Jones' book The Plantagenets was adapted for television as a four-part series on Channel 5 entitled Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets. Jones has also made a twelve-part series for Channel 5 entitled Secrets of Great British Castles. In April 2016, he co-wrote and co-presented, with Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb, Henry VIII and His Six Wives which was shown on Channel 5. In May 2017, he co-wrote and co-presented a three-part docu-drama, with Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb, Elizabeth I, which was shown on Channel 5. For three consecutive evenings, in May and June 2017, Jones, with Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell, presented The Great Fire, for Channel 5, a series in which the three presenters walked the actual route the Great Fire of London fire took across the city. In June 2018 he presented a three-part series, for Channel 5, Building Britain's Canals. Jones has also made a four part documentary series entitled Britain's Bloody Crown which is about the Wars of the Roses. Over four weeks in March 2019, Jones, with Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell, presented London: 2,000 years of history, for Channel 5.
Journalist
Jones is a journalist. He is a columnist at the London Evening Standard, where he writes regularly about sport. He has written for The Times, the Sunday Times, The Telegraph, and for The Spectator, The Daily Beast and Newsweek, The Literary Review, The New Statesman, GQ, BBC History Magazine and History Today.
