Published to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Jersey's unique relationship with the English crown, this book sets out to answer the question, 'Why are the Channel Islands, and Jersey in particular, subject to the English crown?'. The extraordinary political relationship between England and the Channel Islands had its origins in the year 1204, when King John lost possession of Normandy. This book, written by two of Britain's most distinguished historians, examines the history of Jersey before that fateful year and for the fifty years after in search of the answer.