The Life and Times of William I

Kings and Queens of England

by Maurice Percy Ashley, Antonia Fraser (Editor)

Alternate cover for ISBN 0297765507

A definitive series on the monarchs who changed English history

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Historical, Royalty

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Maurice Percy Ashley, CBE, was a noted historian of the 17th Century and a former editor of The Listener.

Reviews

[zed · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy comes with a very useful illustrated guide to places of interest. Though a touch dated anyone with an interest in The Conqueror will get something from this.

[Best British Biographies]

Up to this point, the majority of the biographies of English monarchs that I have read for my project were written specifically for a series produced by a publisher. The more of these I read, the more I wonder about the selection process that the editors employ in choosing authors for the various volumes. Oftentimes the choice seems an obvious one, as was probably the case of Frank Barlow with Edward the Confessor, or Richard Abels for one about Æthelred. With others, though, the author’s qualifications make their selection a little more puzzling. Were they the best choice, or simply the best one available?

For the rest of my review, click on the link:

https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2020/...

[Bill38silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of a useful series of books on the lives of kings and queens under the editorial guidance of Antonia Fraser. I read the 1992 reprint and enjoyed the 220 pages liberally sprinkled with 16 colour plates and over 100 illustrations. Like many people I know of William the Conqueror almost entirely from the Battle of Hastings/Bayeaux tapestry and subsequent harrying of the north and Domesday Book. One surprising discovery was that "William did not change the traditional English laws and customs; what he did was to add to them and confuse them".

This book provides plenty of information of the man and the period without getting bogged down in too much unnecessary detail. What emerges from the tale is that William the Bastard as he was known (the name Conqueror came centuries later) spent a huge amount of time fighting battles and travelling backwards and forwards to quell revolts in England and France but still had time to accumulate substantial personal riches. A key to his way of ruling was to surround himself with trusted people who were happy to do the dirty work in return for money and lands. A key man of violent times.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good overview of late Saxon; early Norman England. Gives a balanced view of William, looking at both his achievements and failures. Excellent for an introduction to the Norman conquest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of England before and after the Conquest of 1066, but the book seemed oddly oldfashioned - written in 1973. The book is copiously illustrated with manuscript illustrations of people mentioned in the text, with pictures from the Bayeux Tapestry, and photographs of castles. There is not a lot of personal information.

To some extent, the book is something of a condemnation of William as a corpulent tyrant who did little good for England. The text frequently compares his war-torn reign with the final ten years of the reign of Edward the Confessor - ignoring the strife of Harold's time, or the warfare and privation of the previous decades. Ashley refers to Harold as having "royal blood in his veins" - but as far as I know, Harold had no royal English blood, and a connection with Swein Forkbeard was to be descended from one of England's conquerors. If William was descended from Viking warlords, so was Harold.

An interesting read, though, with an interesting overview of the blurred question of feudalism and the compare-and-contrast of Anglo-Saxon life compared with the Norman customs.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book mixed with lots of pictures from the Bayeux tapestry.

It is broken down into different passages dealing with for example church and subduing England and so does not follow one Chronological path. Still, the book provides light detail on Wiliam's life with excerpts from other at that time.

Good read & reference book but would have liked more detail and text.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have all this series of Kings & Queens of England. Fairly good for quick ref.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as heavy as other books i've read, but it is still useful.