Plantagenet England 1225-1360

New Oxford History of England #4

by Michael Prestwich

In this thorough and illuminating work, Michael Prestwich provides a comprehensive study of Plantagenet England, a dramatic and turbulent period which saw many changes. In politics it saw Simon de Montfort's challenge to the crown in Henry II's reign and it witnessed the deposition of Edward I. In contrast, it also saw the highly successful rules of Edward I and his grandson, Edward III. Political institutions were transformed with the development of parliament and war was a dominant Wales was conquered and the Scottish Wars of Independence started in Edward I's reign, and under Edward III there were triumphs at Crécy and Poitiers. Outside of politics, English society was developing a structure, from the great magnates at the top to the peasantry at the bottom. Economic changes were also significant, from the expansionary period of the thirteenth century to years of difficulty in the fourteenth century, culminating in the greatest demographic disaster of historical times,
the Black Death. In this volume in the New Oxford History of England Michael Prestwich brings this fascinating century to life.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Reference, British Literature

674 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2005

About the author

Michael Charles Prestwich OBE (born 30 January 1943) is an English historian, specialising on the history of medieval England, in particular the reign of Edward I. He is retired, having been Professor of History at Durham University, and Head of the Department of History until 2007.

Reviews

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Plantagenet England 1225–1360” covers a lot of ground and is, on the most part, an engaging history, not a stuffy textbook.

I was amused by some of my country’s long-forgotten surnames, like William Standupryght for example, or the gentleman referred to in the following quote.

“In 1347 Roger Sweatinbed of Friesthorpe was accused of fornication with Letitia Bat.”

English surnames aren’t what they used to be.

It’s amazing how people thought during those times. The following quote of man’s knowledge of woman’s body made me eyebrows move in an upward direction:

“Nor was the female anatomy understood; one view was that it was similar to the male, but turned inside out. In comparison to the male, however, the female body ‘hath smalle ballokkys’, as a late medieval writer put it. Even odder, but well founded in classical writings, was the notion that the uterus was capable of wandering about the body, causing great problems should it lodge in an inappropriate place, such as the chest.”

Medical knowledge has grown considerably since medieval times!

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

El motivo para leer La Inglaterra de los Plantagenet, fue la trazar una línea de tiempo y ordenar las obras de Shakespeare relativas a los reyes ingleses que se distinguieron por sus buenas o malas acciones, muchas de las cuales fueron modificadas por por el propio dramaturgo con motivo de hacerlas más interesantes.
La obra comienza con el reinado de Henry III, las costumbres, los símbolos, las ceremonias reales, el gobierno, la Iglesia y la corrupción que en esos tiempos también existía.
Luego de Henry siguen los Eduardos I, II y III, y cada uno de los reinado señala algún acontecimiento que los distinguió como en el caso de Henry III, el asesinato de Simón de Montfort, su cuñado, del que no se sabe si él lo ordenó,pero el historiador dice fue por causas personales y financieras.
El reinado de Edward I, se distinguió por la guerra contra los escoceses y por el levantamiento del famoso William Wallace en 1297. En 1305 llegan a un acuerdo y se instala Robert the Bruce en el trono de Escocia.
En 1308 muere Edward I y asciende el II. Este Edward inicia la guerra con Francia por las posesiones en Normandía. Por su pésimo desempeño es depuesto y lo sucede su hijo Edward III, Este rey pelea en dos frentes: Escocia y Francia. A Francia le gana en la batalla de Crécy y su hijo el conocido Black Prince, su campeón, gana la de Poitiers. Ahora Inglaterra tiene más posesiones en el Continente: Normandía y lo que fuera Aquitania. Un libro interesante.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am trying to read about the entire history of Britain up to at least 1800. I am mostly using the Penguin History of Britain series. The Penguin series focus (Britain not England, more about daily life, economy, and culture) is more my style, so I like it better. This is the first of the New Oxford History of England I have read.

This book (maybe the entire New Oxford History of England series) focuses on politics and high society. Scotland, Wales, and France are discussed in separate chapters. Because almost 150 years is covered there are a lot of names, but not more than necessary.

One problem I had is that the author does not really explain why the barons rebelled against Henry III or even Edward II. However, if you need to know what happened in England at this time, this is a good place to start.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping with my desire to read all of the books in the New Oxford History of England, I picked up "Plantagenet England 1225-1360" by Michael Prestwich. I had already read "England under the Norman and Angevin Kings", which was excellent, and so I wanted to read this book, the second in the series. Michael Prestwich, whose father was also an accomplished author, writes a wonderful book about life in England in the late Middle Ages.

This books covers the years 1225-1360, which aligns with the reigns of Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III. Edward I, also known as Edward the Longshanks, and the Hammer of the Scots, was also immortalized in the movie Braveheart. Prestwich writes about this period with an expertise that can hardly be rivaled. This expertise shows through in his writing, yet he doesn't get so into details as to leave the reader lost, or even worse, bored. He gets into details, but he knows, seemingly, when to move along, a characteristic I wish more writers had.

Prestwich highlights what life was like in England for the aristocracy, as well as for the common person. Life in England during this period was difficult, to say the least, but Prestwich brings into focus the good and the bad, highlighting each. The Black Death of 1348-1349, which killed almost half of the population of England, occurred during the title timeframe, and tries to help the reader understand just what a hell-on-earth it would be like to live through. Just an amazing book, and I would recommend every history-lover should read it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good if you are interested in this time period.