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The first biography in many years of Henry III The son and successor of Bad King John, Henry III reigned for 56 years from 1216, the first child king in England for 200 years. England went on to prosper during his reign and his greatest monument is Westminster Abbey, which he made the seat of his government--indeed, Henry III was the first English King to call a parliament. Though often overlooked by historians, Henry III was a unique figure coming out of a chivalric yet Gothic era: a compulsive builder of daunting castles and epic sepulchres; a powerful, unyielding monarch who faced down the De Montfort rebellion and waged war with Wales and France; and, much more than his father, Henry was the king who really hammered out the terms of the Magna Carta with the barons. John Paul Davis brings all his forensic skills and insights to the grand story of the Gothic King in this, the only biography in print of a most remarkable monarch.… (más)
waltzmn: Maurice Powicke's great history is older than John Paul Davis's biography of Henry III (indeed, Davis cites Powicke), and it also covers a longer period (the reigns of Henry III and Edward I, not just Henry III). But it also brings a broader sweep of history and, frankly, a deeper human understanding. Although the newer book will obviously include more recently-discovered information, I thin Powicke will still give greater insight.… (más)
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That is the question we might ask of King Henry III. He was the first English king since the Norman Conquest to be overthrown by his own people. (Yes, he was allowed to keep his throne, but it was a very near thing; had he lived after rather than before Edward II, he might not have.) He was forever in debt. He was constantly accused of breaking his promises. Many of his barons found him untrustworthy. He lost territory in France, and eventually conceded he could not regain it; he never did manage to solve the situation in Wales. It is a picture of total mismanagement.
That we know from history. The question is, why? Who was this man, the grandson of the great Henry II, the father of the great Edward I, that he proved so inept? Aren't these the questions a biography is supposed to answer?
In that regard, Henry III has been singularly ill-served. Most English monarchs have multiple biographies, often of very high quality (the volumes in the Yale English Monarchs series spring to mind). Yet Henry III had nothing. When I found this biography -- the only modern biography of Henry III -- I was happy to buy it. Only to find that it doesn't explain anything. The first 240 or so pages of the book are basically a chronology: So-and-so rebelled. Henry met the King of (somewhere) and got nothing out of it. Henry went broke. So-and-so rebelled. Repeat ad nauseum. It is quickly clear that Henry wasn't a good ruler. But we don't know how the failures came about.
Only in the last twenty or so pages does author Davis try to give us a picture of Henry as a person. But even this offers more catalog than insight: Here are Henry's good traits (piety and family devotion and a relatively pacific nature, especially when compared to hotheads like his uncle Richard the Lion-Hearted-and-Bone-Headed); here are his bad traits (just about everything else). I didn't know any more after reading it than before.
Perhaps, if you want to know what happened in England from 1216 to 1272, this book will serve you well enough. But should you want to know why, forget it. ( )
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I felt that Davis spent too much time talking about battles and not enough time talking about Henry III's personality. I loved the last chapter where, in wrapping everything up, Davis mentioned that Henry III ordered a pet for his ill child and very much loved his wife. That seems to be a very rare occurrence for a king. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
DEDICATION
For my parents
Primeras palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
PREFACE History is strange in many ways.
PRELUDE FROM ROUEN TO RUNNYMEDE Plagued by fatigue and illness, King John of England ended his days at Newark on 19 October 1216, some time in the early hours of the morning.
Citas
Últimas palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
The first biography in many years of Henry III The son and successor of Bad King John, Henry III reigned for 56 years from 1216, the first child king in England for 200 years. England went on to prosper during his reign and his greatest monument is Westminster Abbey, which he made the seat of his government--indeed, Henry III was the first English King to call a parliament. Though often overlooked by historians, Henry III was a unique figure coming out of a chivalric yet Gothic era: a compulsive builder of daunting castles and epic sepulchres; a powerful, unyielding monarch who faced down the De Montfort rebellion and waged war with Wales and France; and, much more than his father, Henry was the king who really hammered out the terms of the Magna Carta with the barons. John Paul Davis brings all his forensic skills and insights to the grand story of the Gothic King in this, the only biography in print of a most remarkable monarch.
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That is the question we might ask of King Henry III. He was the first English king since the Norman Conquest to be overthrown by his own people. (Yes, he was allowed to keep his throne, but it was a very near thing; had he lived after rather than before Edward II, he might not have.) He was forever in debt. He was constantly accused of breaking his promises. Many of his barons found him untrustworthy. He lost territory in France, and eventually conceded he could not regain it; he never did manage to solve the situation in Wales. It is a picture of total mismanagement.
That we know from history. The question is, why? Who was this man, the grandson of the great Henry II, the father of the great Edward I, that he proved so inept? Aren't these the questions a biography is supposed to answer?
In that regard, Henry III has been singularly ill-served. Most English monarchs have multiple biographies, often of very high quality (the volumes in the Yale English Monarchs series spring to mind). Yet Henry III had nothing. When I found this biography -- the only modern biography of Henry III -- I was happy to buy it. Only to find that it doesn't explain anything. The first 240 or so pages of the book are basically a chronology: So-and-so rebelled. Henry met the King of (somewhere) and got nothing out of it. Henry went broke. So-and-so rebelled. Repeat ad nauseum. It is quickly clear that Henry wasn't a good ruler. But we don't know how the failures came about.
Only in the last twenty or so pages does author Davis try to give us a picture of Henry as a person. But even this offers more catalog than insight: Here are Henry's good traits (piety and family devotion and a relatively pacific nature, especially when compared to hotheads like his uncle Richard the Lion-Hearted-and-Bone-Headed); here are his bad traits (just about everything else). I didn't know any more after reading it than before.
Perhaps, if you want to know what happened in England from 1216 to 1272, this book will serve you well enough. But should you want to know why, forget it. (