The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England

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Henry II hid out in Ireland for a year to let things cool off after his knights killed Thomas Becket, before appearing in Canterbury to collapse sobbing on Becket's tomb. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world.

Plantagenets Series by Sharon Kay Penman - Goodreads Plantagenets Series by Sharon Kay Penman - Goodreads

This is the era of chivalry and the Black Death, the Knights Templar, the founding of parliament, and the Hundred Years’ War, when England’s national identity was forged by the sword.

In this regard I’m a revisionist, not a traditionalist like Jones, who draws up a heavy charge sheet spread over some sixty pages, a catalogue of crime and personal failure that Matthew Paris, the medieval chronicler and character assassin, would doubtless applaud. Although many contemporaries assumed he coveted the throne, in reality, it would have been against his honor to usurp the king, no matter how helpless, ungrateful, or deserving Richard may have seemed.

books about the Plantagenets - Shepherd The best books about the Plantagenets - Shepherd

Also helpful are the maps and family trees, which I found an invaluable aid, especially since – as I mentioned above – I knew very little (or next to nothing) about this period before cracking the front cover. He does grow into a very good king, more like his grandfather, and wins numerous battles against the French, reclaiming much of the territory that was once held by Henry II and Richard I. a set of fine vignettes relating dynastic life, death, war, peace, governance, and palace intrigues. The Plantagenet line ruled from 1154 (Henry II) to 1399 (Richard II) - the High Middle Ages, more or less.Each monarch in turn has his story told; which wars he fought in, the land he gained and lost, who he married and who his children were. He also managed to get excommunicated, and to make matters worse, his reaction was to triumphantly seize church land and hold family members of the church for ransom. So, a great way to make a quick buck: pretend to find Arthur's skeleton and sell tickets for people to come check out the bones! Whether or not he actually had Thomas Becket killed is still debatable, but he never actually said "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?

The Plantagenet Prelude: (The Plantagenets: book I): the The Plantagenet Prelude: (The Plantagenets: book I): the

Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly engaging narrative.Combined with some of the other histories I've read, I've come to one firm conclusion: never, ever name a prospective British monarch "Arthur. Geoffrey, son of the count of Anjou, had taken to sporting a sprig of yellow broom as his personal emblem- the planta genista in Latin, hence the name of the ensuing dynasty. They do, but they must have had the fingers of their left hand, as they held the hand of the King with their right hand, crossed behind their backs. Photograph: Katherine Rose Dan Jones has followed his acclaimed account of the Peasant’s Revolt, Summer of Blood, with a triumphant take on a colourful medieval dynasty. Fortunately, there are men and women willing to stand up to those Plantagenet kings who prove unworthy, and thankfully, there are more capable members of the family available when they need them the most.