Blood Cries Afar: The Magna Carta War and the Invasion of England 1215 - 1217

by Sean McGlynn

Exactly 150 years after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, history came extremely close to repeating itself when another army set sail from the Continent with the intention of imposing foreign rule on England. This time the invasion force was under the command of Louis the Lion, son and heir of the powerful French king Philip Augustus. Taking advantage of the turmoil created in England by the civil war over Magna Carta and by King John’s disastrous rule, Prince Louis and his army of French soldiers and mercenaries allied with the barons of the English rebel forces. The prize was England itself.

The invasion was one of the most dramatic episodes of British history. This specially updated edition of Blood Cries Afar contains new material on the importance of the Magna Carta and the conflict that surrounded its birth. It tells a dramatic and violent but overlooked story, with a broad appeal to those interested in the history of England and France, and war in an age of kings, knights, castles, battles and brutality.

Genres: History, Medieval, Medieval History, Nonfiction, France, British Literature, Plantagenet

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[lucky little cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars from me because I never read nonfiction and McGlynn absolutely makes it lively and easy to read. I have no idea how actual history experts would view it, though.

[Bettie]

Description: 150 years after the Norman Conquest, history came within a hair's breadth of repeating itself. In 1216, taking advantage of the turmoil created in England by King John's inept rule, Prince Louis of France invaded England and allied with English rebels. The prize was the crown of England. Within months Louis had seized control of one-third of the country, including London. This is the first book to cover the bloody events of the invasion, one of the most dramatic but most overlooked episodes of British history. The text vividly describes the campaigns, sieges, battles and atrocities of the invasion and its colourful leaders - Louis the Lion, King John, William Marshal, and the mercenaries Fawkes de Beaute and Eustace the Monk - to offer the first detailed military analysis of this epic struggle for England.

[Martin Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable military history of the Magna Carta Wars. War was a political tool in the Middle Ages and McGlynn explores this concept thoroughly in his detailed yet well written account. It's a riveting read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the military operations surrounding Magna Carta and the last French invasion of England which very nearly saw England become another French Capetian province.

[Rosaline Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

McGlynn has written the first military study of the French invasion of England in 1216. The narrative reads like a novel as he gives brilliantly vivid descriptions of campaigns, sieges and battles. No detail is too small; he explains the motivations, geography and technical aspects of the assaults.

There is a lot of scene setting, we don’t get to the Magna Carta until page 130 and the invasion begins over half way through the book. The invasion is, like the other action, pacy and exciting. McGlynn gives a sense of the severity of the civil war, how Louis’s invasion nearly became a second Norman conquest and how it was ultimately defeated by John’s commanders.

However, McGlynn does present new academic interpretations within the text and his revisionist history occasionally feels alienating and aimed at peers who may not have needed the intermingled generic scene setting.

[Julie Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed, academic, yet highly readable account of the French invasion - specifically focusing on military history and battle by battle - during the First Barons’ War. Well researched with lots of footnotes, McGlynn cites all the leading "johannites" both pro and con.

It opens explaining the interactions between K John and K Phillip Augusta. Philip’s systematic dismantling of the Angevin Empire, from John’s loss of Normandy in 1204 to the decisive French victory at Bouvines in 1214. McGlynn shows how Philip’s mastery of feudal law, alliance-building, and opportunistic warfare made him one of medieval Europe’s most formidable rulers. In many ways, K Phillip is the architect of the First Barons War.

In 1215, King John’s disastrous reign—marked by heavy taxation, failed wars, and ruthless reprisals—finally drove a group of rebellious barons (The Northerners) to open revolt. John’s refusal to adhere to the terms of Magna Carta were the final straw. The rebels took an extraordinary step: they invited Prince Louis of France to take the English crown.

In May 1216, Louis landed in Kent with a powerful army and quickly gained ground. London welcomed him, and many English castles switched allegiance, the regular population caught in the crossfire. [Unlike other histories, McGlynn frequently mentions the devastation inflicted on the civilian population, describing the atrocities, torture and scorched-earth policies that made war in the middle ages so destructive.] King John, increasingly isolated, resorted to a scorched-earth strategy, burning towns and destroying crops to deny Louis resources. His cruelty alienated even more supporters, but his sudden death from dysentery in October 1216 changed the game.

With John gone, the crown passed to his nine-year-old son, Henry III, ("When Henry shrugged his shoulders, all John's crimes slip away") under the guardianship of the legendary knight William Marshal. Marshal skillfully reframed the war as a defense of a rightful child-king against a foreign invader, persuading many barons to return to the royalist cause.

1217: At sea, England's fleet crushed the French navy at the Battle of Sandwich, cutting off all Louis’s hopes of reinforcements. On land, Marshal’s forces won a decisive victory at the Battle of Lincoln, routing Louis’s allies and capturing key rebel leaders.

Facing dwindling support and a hopeless military situation, Louis signed the Treaty of Lambeth in September 1217, renouncing his claim to the throne in exchange for safe passage home and payment of his debts. The invasion collapsed, Henry III’s rule was secured.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a readable narrative of events. but the analysis of the campaign takes up four pages at the end.
The invasion of England starts 153 pages into a book that's 241 pages long (having out the Appendices). So if you're looking for an in-depth study of the Invasion, this isn't it. While McGlynn makes much in his introduction for the respectability and importance of 'military history', the book narrates events from the conquest of Normandy to the end of the 'French" invasion of 1217.
While the narrative moves along, and the main events are ticked off, there's something missing. If this is military history, then how does it differ from a narrative history of a period that involved a lot of fighting?
The introduction states: 'considerable attention will be devoted to styles of military leadership' the invasion 'will be studied with the intention of revealing the true nature of warfare in Western Europe'. This sounds like a course outline, but once it's established that castles were important, battles were usually avoided, and ravaging was the default tactic there isn't much more on offer.
The style tends towards padding, McGlynn likes to repeat himself, as though he's lecturing to an audience he's not certain of. Occasionally there is a memorable sentence.
'This is a very cynical observation and therefore a convincing one.' 'When Knights felt they were only receiving crumbs from Louis' French table they looked elsewhere for their dinner'.

[Neeuqdrazil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read - I always enjoy history where I know some parts, but not others. This was a good counterpoint to the first book in the Sharon Kay Penman Wales trilogy (Here be Dragons), because this is the history of a number of the events portrayed in that book.

There were some weird bits (names weren't always consistent, for example), and there were some points where copy-editing was definitely needed, but it didn't keep me from enjoying it.

[Anton Tomsinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

That book reads like a novel, full of plot twists, battles and intrigues. But it is based on a very solid research which is presented with clear conclusions. You will get to know not only the narrative of John’s war against barons and French invasion, but also the most up-to-date conception of medieval warfare, statecraft and nobles' world-view (say goodbye to many myths of old historians).

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and readable account of how the French invaded England in 1216, and so nearly succeeded with the help of the rebel barons that were fed up with the ruinous and callous reign of King John. Sean McGlynn has thoroughly researched this subject and has written a book that surely be a cornerstone for this turbulent and landmark period of English history.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-told history of the Anglo-French war begun in the reign of Richard the Lionheart and weakly carried on by his successor King John against Philip Augustus and his son, Louis the Lion.

[Heather Domin · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be reviewed for HNS August 2012

[Jamison · Rating 3 out of 5]

very detailed, well researched, well written but a little dry in some places. It picks up between the beginning of the invasion and the Battle of Lincoln but other parts drag on a bit.

[Jane Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The military history of the reign of King John. It's not my kind of history; indeed, it seems to sum up the insanity that has always ruled society.