I
have finally read one of Dan Jones's history books. I had already dipped into Jones’s
historical fiction, so I was feeling a little sheepish that I hadn’t read one
of his histories. And what better place
to start than with The Plantagenets. The Plantagenets is
Brown’s sweeping narrative history of a line of English kings known today as the Plantagenets.
Jones
covers 245 years and 8 kings of England, from Henry II to Richard II. For a
chronology of 8 separate kings, the book manages to be sweeping, fast-paced
narrative history that really gives you the feel of what it would have been
like to be a king or noble in medieval England between 1154 to 1399.
But
he also manages to connect some important themes of English public and cultural
development, such as the transformation of the political power in the Commons,
as well as the notion of the Kings responsibility to his citizens as
represented in the Magna Carta. In fact,
the Magna Carta comes up many times in The Plantagenets following its
grant by King John, as Jones discusses its development as a constitutional document
over time as conflicts roll across the land. The Magna Carta is an important
part of this history.
One
aspect of the narrative I found most fascinating was the fact that the position
of a medieval king was often quite precarious. Keeping your butt on the throne
required being an accomplished war leader that dealt with the French, Scots,
Irish and Welsh with dramatic flair, yet somehow paid for those wars without
taxing the population too much, it required providing prosperity for the realm,
as well as fair laws and regulations. And finally, you were expected to live
and reflect the power of kingship without spending anything on living like a king.
This balancing act was more difficult than I expected and get the wrong advisor
and things could be very difficult.
Truly,
English kings were required to campaign against their own nobles as much as
they did against the Scots and the Welsh.
All and all, it was an incredibly interesting period, dramatic, violent,
religious but not without sport.
And
if I haven’t sold you yet, some of England’s most famous and interesting kings
were Plantagenets. Richard the Lionheart is probably as well known as any
English king. His younger brother John is more infamous than famous. If you have seen Braveheart you will know Edward
I and Edward II as these were the main kings during the Scottish wars of independence.
What I didn’t know about Edward I was that he was so inspired by King Arthur
and Camelot myth during his reign.
Edward
the III and his son, the Black Prince, were fascinating characters as well. True
warriors, these two men had unparalleled success fighting the French during the
vicious wars of control of the Anglo-Norman lands in the north and west of
France.
Dan
Jones has crafted a remarkable history, and I highly recommend reading it. This
won’t be my last Dan Jones history and that’s a fact!
Publication date: July 2013 | Publisher: William Collins | Page Count: 672
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