Henry Iii (the Rise To Power And Personal Rule, 1207-1258)

By (author) Carpenter, David
Short description/annotation:
The first in a groundbreaking two-volume history of Henry III’s rule, from when he first assumed the crown to the moment his personal rule ended
Description:
The first in a groundbreaking two-volume history of Henry III’s rule
 
“Professor Carpenter is one of Britain’s foremost medievalists. . . . No one knows more about Henry, and a lifetime of scholarship is here poured out, elegantly and often humorously. This is a fine, judicious, illuminating work that should be the standard study of the reign for generations to come.”—Dan Jones, Sunday Times
 
Nine years of age when he came to the throne in 1216, Henry III had to rule within the limits set by the establishment of Magna Carta and the emergence of parliament. Pacific, conciliatory, and deeply religious, Henry brought many years of peace to England and rebuilt Westminster Abbey in honor of his patron saint, Edward the Confessor. He poured money into embellishing his palaces and creating a magnificent court. Yet this investment in “soft power” did not prevent a great revolution in 1258, led by Simon de Montfort, ending Henry’s personal rule.
 
Eminent historian David Carpenter brings to life Henry’s character and reign as never before. Using source material of unparalleled richness—material that makes it possible to get closer to Henry than any other medieval monarch—Carpenter stresses the king’s achievements as well as his failures while offering an entirely new perspective on the intimate connections between medieval politics and religion.
Review quote:
“[A] monumental, awesome yet highly readable book…Carpenter is the foremost scholar of England’s 13th century, and his spectacular erudition shines on every page. . . . Above all, he has narrative gifts that root this history of our medieval country in reality rather than in romance, and makes the lives of our distant forebears feel as comprehensible as our own.”—Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph

“Professor Carpenter is one of Britain’s foremost medievalists. . . . No one knows more about Henry, and a lifetime of scholarship is here poured out, elegantly and often humorously. This is a fine, judicious, illuminating work that should be the standard study of the reign for generations to come.”—Dan Jones, Sunday Times

“You are in for a colourful ride. . . . Yale University Press is to be congratulated on allowing Carpenter to explore so many aspects of 13th-century English government at such length. The glorious details—lamprey cooking included—are what make it a pleasure.”—Dominic Selwood, Spectator

“[A] major new biography.”—BBC History Magazine

“Carpenter’s view of Henry is essentially a benign one: he sees him as a generous and well-meaning man. . . . It is a persuasive view. This is a magisterial biography, authoritative and yet accessible.”—Nigel Saul, History Today

“[F]ull of good judgment in good prose.”—Christopher Howse, Spectator, “Books of the Year”

“A monumental biography . . . written in a blithe and energetic style, its narrative thread tracing the intrigues and intricacies of England’s first Plantagenet king.”—E. Andrew Darden, Aspects of History

“Carpenter’s ability to grapple with something so enigmatic as a monarch’s character, particularly that of a medieval monarch, is convincing and compelling. . . . Carpenter has crafted something that very many of us can delight in.”—Benjamin Linley Wild, Royal Studies Journal

“Few biographers of a medieval individual, however, can have got closer to their subject than Professor David Carpenter. . . . Carpenter infuses what will surely become the standard biography of England’s longest reigning medieval king with personal insights that add richness, colour and humo