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Kings and Castles
Medieval Britain was dominated by its kings, and its kings dominated the land with their castles.
But what were those castles? Were they fortresses? Palaces? Or symbols of their owners power, and of their right to rule.
In this stimulating collection of articles and essays, the best-selling historian and broadcaster Marc Morris answers those fundamental questions - and many more.
He explores some of Britain’s favourite castles, such as Framlingham, Goodrich and Castle Acre, and the castle-building campaigns of famous kings like William the Conqueror and Edward I. And he addresses issues such as the origins of the cult of St George, the changing role of the medieval English earl and the riddle of the Winchester Round Table. Two articles – one on Edward I’s reputation, another on Lanercost Priory – appear here for the first time.
Dr Marc Morris is a best-selling historian and broadcaster. In 2003 he presented the six-part TV series Castle and wrote its accompanying book. His other books include a critically acclaimed biography of Edward I, A Great and Terrible King, and a major new history of The Norman Conquest.
Praise for Marc Morris:
‘Morris’s socio-architectural take on the past is a treat’ (Guardian)
'Uncommonly good ... a true historian' (Allan Massie, Daily Telegraph)
‘Marc Morris makes it look easy: he knows instinctively how to tell a good story and strikes a fine balance between the colloquial and the erudite, the wry and the informative’ (The Times)
'Insightful, compelling and highly readable' (Robyn Young)
‘Marc Morris is a first-rate historian, original and conscientious: one of the few people with a doctorate who can communicate to a wide audience. He does not just communicate but enthuses people, and constantly asks new and provocative questions that really make you think’ (Ian Mortimer)
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading publisher of digital books.
But what were those castles? Were they fortresses? Palaces? Or symbols of their owners power, and of their right to rule.
In this stimulating collection of articles and essays, the best-selling historian and broadcaster Marc Morris answers those fundamental questions - and many more.
He explores some of Britain’s favourite castles, such as Framlingham, Goodrich and Castle Acre, and the castle-building campaigns of famous kings like William the Conqueror and Edward I. And he addresses issues such as the origins of the cult of St George, the changing role of the medieval English earl and the riddle of the Winchester Round Table. Two articles – one on Edward I’s reputation, another on Lanercost Priory – appear here for the first time.
Dr Marc Morris is a best-selling historian and broadcaster. In 2003 he presented the six-part TV series Castle and wrote its accompanying book. His other books include a critically acclaimed biography of Edward I, A Great and Terrible King, and a major new history of The Norman Conquest.
Praise for Marc Morris:
‘Morris’s socio-architectural take on the past is a treat’ (Guardian)
'Uncommonly good ... a true historian' (Allan Massie, Daily Telegraph)
‘Marc Morris makes it look easy: he knows instinctively how to tell a good story and strikes a fine balance between the colloquial and the erudite, the wry and the informative’ (The Times)
'Insightful, compelling and highly readable' (Robyn Young)
‘Marc Morris is a first-rate historian, original and conscientious: one of the few people with a doctorate who can communicate to a wide audience. He does not just communicate but enthuses people, and constantly asks new and provocative questions that really make you think’ (Ian Mortimer)
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading publisher of digital books.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2012
70 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Marc Morris
11 books465 followersMarc Morris, PhD, is an historian and broadcaster, specializing in the Middle Ages. An expert on medieval monarchy and aristocracy, Marc has written numerous articles for History Today, BBC History Magazine and Heritage Today; he speaks regularly to schools, historical societies, and literary festivals, and also leads specialist tours of UK castles. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and lives in England.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 9, 2022
I wouldn't call this Kings and Castles.Maybe abreivated English history but not Kings and Castles.Although those are mentioned and discussed I found the author not capable of deep diving either subject.The research however was on point which explains my three star rating.
Read
August 29, 2017A collection of essays and articles, with a bit of overlap. Really interesting detail, enlightening, and very fluently written. I am totally obsessed with the Bigod Earls of Norfolk now, just because of the beyond-parody name.
October 23, 2016
I recommend this book to those who know little about the subject of English castles and those Kings and important people living during this era in history (Morris identifies this period as roughly from 1066 to 1500). Much of the book centers around Edward I, king from 1272-1307. If you have already have a solid knowledge of English castles and Edward I, you may find this book lacking.
The book is a compilation of articles previously written for various magazines. The first third of the book centers on castles, and where and why each was built. Morris then moves to chapters on kings, beginning with Edward I. The author has obviously researched Edward I, as much of the rest of the book talks about his reign. Because the book is a collection of articles, the reader will encounter the same information repeatedly.
I personally enjoyed the chapters on castles and life in England during the time they were built. Because I had not studied much about the Middle Ages, I was still interested in the chapters on kings (and yes, even with the repetition of info about Edward I). It would have been helpful to include a few pictures of the castles talked about, even if they weren't part of the original articles. Morris writes with a conversational style that is extremely enjoyable.
Overall, a good quick read and recommended for those new to this era in history.
The book is a compilation of articles previously written for various magazines. The first third of the book centers on castles, and where and why each was built. Morris then moves to chapters on kings, beginning with Edward I. The author has obviously researched Edward I, as much of the rest of the book talks about his reign. Because the book is a collection of articles, the reader will encounter the same information repeatedly.
I personally enjoyed the chapters on castles and life in England during the time they were built. Because I had not studied much about the Middle Ages, I was still interested in the chapters on kings (and yes, even with the repetition of info about Edward I). It would have been helpful to include a few pictures of the castles talked about, even if they weren't part of the original articles. Morris writes with a conversational style that is extremely enjoyable.
Overall, a good quick read and recommended for those new to this era in history.
September 18, 2016
After reading "Norman Conquest" and "King John" I found this collection of essays clunky. (Maddeningly irritating overuse of the phrase "as every schoolboy knows".) Seemed like material from "Castles" and "King Edward I" just rehashed. Perhaps as a primer for some unfamiliar with Mr. Morris' work it would be a better read. I found the last chapter the most intriguing. Still a huge fan of Mr. Morris, but will stick to his books and not articles and essays.
April 15, 2017
Interesting read, lots about Edward I.
October 28, 2017
I would recommend this book for those who want to read a little about English history before diving in its VERY short in length obviously and can be read in a hour or so by a fast reader its a collection of articles written by Marc Morris the author. I had previously read his book on Castles and on the Norman Conquest so I decided to give this one a try. I was shocked to see how short it is and I almost have trouble justifying calling it a book. It is almost like a advertisement of Marc's skills as a historian (which I respect) with a bit of a suggestion on reading his book on Castles and on Edward I (Which is a major subject in this writing) I can't bring myself to review it negatively for that fact though. Its quite enjoyable for those who aren't necessarily fresh on their English history. I can see though why its negatively reviewed though. Its very short and those who are seriously into English history and have read some of his prior works were shocked to see such a quick read that doesn't really add anything new to the subject advertised. I try to review from the point of view of someone who isn't a hardcore critic and judge it based on how interesting the subject is and how well written it is and in Marc Morris' case its always well written.
March 14, 2020
This was underwhelming. I like Marc Morris’ writings, but this book didn’t read as one. Combining essays into a book should probably take some effort, add some context, etc, but this was minimal in every way: the essays came one after another without a linking word or background.
What exacerbated this is that so many of them covered the same few topics (Edward I and Edward III) and as such, the reader got the same information again in every chapter (and, honestly, for Edward I the author already has a proper narrative history out so these essays should have been ignored). The information wasn’t bad — but the way it was put forward definitely was. As it is, I cannot think of a worse way to actually interest people in a topic rather than describing “X” in the same repetitive words again and again.
The saving grace, if it can be called that, could be summed up in some early chapters that were relatively unconnected to both the rest of the work as well as the specific topics of Mr Morris’ books which concerned some of the bigger magnates in England who are quite interesting on their own. Yet, there was no flow…
This review was originally posted on my blog.
What exacerbated this is that so many of them covered the same few topics (Edward I and Edward III) and as such, the reader got the same information again in every chapter (and, honestly, for Edward I the author already has a proper narrative history out so these essays should have been ignored). The information wasn’t bad — but the way it was put forward definitely was. As it is, I cannot think of a worse way to actually interest people in a topic rather than describing “X” in the same repetitive words again and again.
The saving grace, if it can be called that, could be summed up in some early chapters that were relatively unconnected to both the rest of the work as well as the specific topics of Mr Morris’ books which concerned some of the bigger magnates in England who are quite interesting on their own. Yet, there was no flow…
This review was originally posted on my blog.
February 13, 2023
An incohérent collection of un-referenced essays
While there is nothing wrong per se, with any of the essays that make up this book, it's worth noting that
1) They often repeat the others
2) There are virtually no references
3) There's no Bibliography
I would not reccomend this book - which is a shame because Castles are my jam, and I'm sure I've read other Marc Morris books and enjoyed them, so I don't why this one is such a poor showing.
As a side note - I found the authors attitude towards the invasion and subjugation of Wales to be quite disrespectful. Wales was and remains, a distinct country from England with its own language, history and customs. Erasing that in a book of history is a poor showing. Edward I was the scourge of both Scotland AND Wales, and his success at building some iconic castles does not in any way make his actions worthy of praise or admiration .
While there is nothing wrong per se, with any of the essays that make up this book, it's worth noting that
1) They often repeat the others
2) There are virtually no references
3) There's no Bibliography
I would not reccomend this book - which is a shame because Castles are my jam, and I'm sure I've read other Marc Morris books and enjoyed them, so I don't why this one is such a poor showing.
As a side note - I found the authors attitude towards the invasion and subjugation of Wales to be quite disrespectful. Wales was and remains, a distinct country from England with its own language, history and customs. Erasing that in a book of history is a poor showing. Edward I was the scourge of both Scotland AND Wales, and his success at building some iconic castles does not in any way make his actions worthy of praise or admiration .
February 29, 2020
This isn't really a book, or at least it wasn't written as one. It's a collection of articles written for magazines. While they are OK in themselves, as a book it doesn't hang together or read very well. Often there is information in one chapter which is repeated almost verbatim in the next, so it can get a bit tedious. Would have been better had it been edited for publication as a book.
December 3, 2022
A selection of articles from magazines. The king is mainly Edward I. Each chapter can be read independently but as a whole book it gets repetitive.
February 21, 2022
A most entertaining read.
January 1, 2013
As a collection of essays, Kings and Castles is necessarily bitsy. Essays are not all thematically linked, except through the overarching theme of Kings and Castles. Here and there chapters will overlap, with quotes and comments repeated or paraphrased in slightly different contexts. This is all in the nature of a collection, however, and not to be seen as criticism.
The book is best viewed as introduction to the works of Marc Morris and in this role it serves admirably. The essays span the entirety of Morris' career, from explorations of what constitutes a castle to character analyses of characters such as Edward I. They demonstrate the deft touch, the perceptive argument and - what makes Morris, if not unique certainly unusual in factual history - the humour in his writing. Anyone with an unfulfilled interest in the Middle Ages should start here. They will not be disappointed.
The book is best viewed as introduction to the works of Marc Morris and in this role it serves admirably. The essays span the entirety of Morris' career, from explorations of what constitutes a castle to character analyses of characters such as Edward I. They demonstrate the deft touch, the perceptive argument and - what makes Morris, if not unique certainly unusual in factual history - the humour in his writing. Anyone with an unfulfilled interest in the Middle Ages should start here. They will not be disappointed.
May 23, 2013
castles are super neat
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews