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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Best Kings of the Middle Ages: Success Stories of English Kingship in History and Their Legacy

The Best Kings of the Middle Ages: Success Stories of English Kingship in History and Their Legacy

Bradford, Phil

Hardcover

Biographies GeneralMedieval & Renaissance History

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 1399087274
ISBN13: 9781399087278
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Published: Aug 30 2025
Pages: 280
Weight: 1.10
Height: 1.26 Width: 6.77 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
Reexamines five famed medieval kings, questioning whether their celebrated legacies truly reflect their complex and often troubling reigns.

Henry II. Richard I. Edward I. Edward III. Henry V. Five men seen as success stories of Medieval English kingship. Three inherited tarnished crowns and restored their glory. Legal reformers and warriors, they ruled over widespread lands for decades, upholding justice, expanding their authority and changing their realms. Two others are the most famous of warrior kings, their short reigns encompassing crusades and legendary victories. Contemporary writers often waxed lyrical about them as ideals of kingship. Many modern writers have been similarly enthusiastic.

Is this justified? Alongside the story of success are other narratives, ones showing these kings in a more ambiguous light. We have the murder of archbishops, the massacre and expulsion of religious minorities, actions in battles and sieges, which today we would see as war crimes. Claims for their greatness sit uneasily with darker moments and legacies which challenge how we approach their reputations today.

This book looks at the lives of these kings and how those reputations have been shaped across the centuries, from medieval contemporaries to the modern day, in both history and fiction. Having weighed the evidence, it seeks to determine the answer to the question: were these really great kings, the best monarchs of the Middle Ages?

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