Learning history is a fantastic source for writing a fantasy novel. But history doesn’t have to be boring. There are a lot of great non-fiction books out there which are very well-written and read almost like a novel. One of my favorite writers is Alison Weir. I also recently came across some great articles on HubPages. Check out one, “The Scottish Wars of Independence – Background“, by Hub writer, JKenny. It’s fascinating and informative but not stuffed with a bunch of boring details. If you are writing a fantasy novel, it can really get your creativity juices flowing.
You won’t be able to read just one of JKenny’s articles. He has lots of others. Check out his Hub Page at http://jkenny.hubpages.com/ for articles on Robert the Bruce, John Balloil, Edward I, and so on.
Learning history is what most inspired me to write fantasy novels. I started with Ancient Egypt and worked my way around to ancient Mesopotamia, Greek, Shang, and so one. It was the Romans led me to Britannia, Charlemagne, and medieval times. Sometimes history can be dry, but not always. In non-fiction, you have real-life intrigue and drama, heroes and villains, war and peace. If you want to write a good fantasy novel, get ideas from history. Start by reading short articles such as the ones written by JKenny.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Author Dawn Ross 
Very cool. These could be great inspiration.