The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England

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A king could get away with an awful lot, but London would turn on you, the people would rise against you, your own family would depose you, if you went too far. This book ends with Henry IV taking power and initiating the divide in the monarchy that would become the Wars of the Roses, the subject of Jones' next book.

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones – review | History books | The The Plantagenets by Dan Jones – review | History books | The

The greatest of all the Plantagenet kings, Edward III, is succeeded in 1377 by one of the very worst, Richard II, and the whole process of civil war begins again. Reputedly descended from a daughter of Satan, they were set to become England’s longest reigning dynasty. Thus, we have approximately two-hundred-and-fifty years of history packed into five-hundred pages of text. When we glimpse these people, we do so only in fragments, like the darkness briefly lit by lightning. Along the way, you get a view of some of the supporting cast, such as the martyred Thomas Beckett, and the conniving Piers Gaveston.Here are history's most spectacular Kings and Queens - and a brilliant new probing of the greatest mystery of all time, the death of the Princess in the Tower.

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones: 9780143124924

Matilda is supported by her half brother Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, who is by all accounts an honorable and capable leader and probably, if he had been legitimate, would have made a very good king. If you want a history-lite introduction to the dynasty, then perhaps this is a good book for you, but if you like your histories more accurate and challenging then perhaps it is not. The evolving symbolism of kingship, the changing architectural landscape, and the emerging use of the English language in government and in poetry, are also addressed.But my favourite incident took place after the Pope responded to John’s seizure of the proprieties of the See of Canterbury and placed England under Interdict. It will be thoroughly enjoyed by Anglophile history buffs and others who love popular history or even historical fiction.

The Plantagenets: book II): one The Revolt of the Eaglets: (The Plantagenets: book II): one

That was unfortunate since there were lots of people and subjects on which I would like to have more information. His handling of the reign of the latter, the first gentleman of England, is particularly good, hardly surprising in that he previously published a commendable account of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt. The risk with a long dynastic history is that it becomes just one damn thing after another, and the reader gets lost in a snowstorm of names and events. Geoffrey was eleven years her junior, and Normans saw Angevins as barbarians who murdered priests, desecrated churches, and had appalling table manners.Yet the Black Prince and Edward died before their time, and John found his influence increased with the accession of his young nephew, Richard II. Her father, Elisha Ashley, served with the Green Mountain Boys in the Revolutionary War and also is the patriot who allowed me to join the Sons of the American Revolution.

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made

He spent the rest of the day and also the whole of the following night in bitterness of soul, given over to prayer and sleeplessness, and continuing his fast for three days. Written with an eye for character, an appreciation of tangled palace intrigue, and an abiding respect for the occasionally gruesome battle or execution, this is closer to the script of a premium cable show than a doctoral dissertation.HistoryNet, in their review of the book, described it as "lively and entertaining" and "a must for those interested in medieval history". The grandson of William the Conqueror, he was the only surviving legitimate son and heir of Henry I. They had troubles like any modern ruler - peers and parliaments that wouldn't give them the money they wanted to go crusading or waging war in France, relatives scheming to take their throne (half the time it was the king's own brothers or even sons rebelling against him! When learning about Henry II, for example, we have a quote from Gerard of Wales; a man who apparently knew Henry personally and well. What I learned from this book: the Plantagenets were so batshit crazy that they make the situations in Game of Thrones (ASoIaF) look comparatively mundane.