Edward II: The Terrors of Kingship

by Christopher Given-Wilson

'He seems to have laboured under an almost child-like misapprehension about the size of his world. Had greatness not been thrust upon him, he might have lived a life of great harmlessness.'

The reign of Edward II was a succession of disasters. Unkingly, inept in war, and in thrall to favourites, he preferred digging ditches and rowing boats to the tedium of government. His infatuation with a young Gascon nobleman, Piers Gaveston, alienated even the most natural supporters of the crown. Hoping to lay the ghost of his soldierly father, Edward I, he invaded Scotland and suffered catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. After twenty ruinous years, betrayed and abandoned by most of his nobles and by his wife and her lover, Edward was imprisoned in Berkeley Castle and murdered - the first English king since the Norman Conquest to be deposed.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Medieval, Royalty

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2016

About the author

Chris Given-Wilson is emeritus professor of medieval history, University of St. Andrews.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be wrong to expect a detailed overview of Edward II’s life in his volume of the Penguin Monarch series – the series after all describes itself as “short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers”, most around 100-150 pages long. With that in mind, I can only describe Chris Given-Wilson’s Edward II: The Terrors of Kingship as a compelling read that covers the basics of Edward II’s life and reign.

There have been voluminous books written about Edward II, namely Seymour Philips’ entry in the Yale Monarch series (Edward II, clocking in at 704 pages), but to fit Edward’s life into the Penguin Monarch format, Given-Wilson has had to narrow in on Edward himself. The analysis of Edward II’s personality is brisk and doesn’t delve too deeply while discussions about the personalities and controversies of Edward’s reign are only mentioned in passing (e.g. the manner of Edward’s death is discussed within a page and those looking for a discussion of the theory that Edward survived must turn to the ‘Further Reading’ section for Given-Wilson to mention that some scholars believe it (he, however, appears to be a sceptic).

However, I was astounded at how efficient Given-Wilson’s text was without losing readability. He has a flair for humour that shows itself at times but at all times, he is fair and balanced in his reporting. I was pleased with how he handled discussions of controversies like Isabella of France’s rumoured affair with Roger Mortimer or Edward II’s sexuality (though I did cringe a bit at his use of terms like ‘homosexual’ and ‘bisexual’ to describe Edward II’s sexuality – these would have been alien concepts to medieval people). I adored the final ten pages which are dedicated to ways that Edward II has been ‘imagined’ over time, covering Richard II’s attempts to canonise his great-grandfather, Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, the reimagining of Edward as a icon of gay pride, and even Mel Gibson’s excretable Braveheart gets a brief dissection.

All in all, this is a good overview of Edward II. This is great for someone who knows nothing about Edward and wants an unchallenging introduction to the king but even those who know a lot about him may enjoy Given-Wilson’s biography.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains two priceless sentences:

Describing an incident at Bannockburn Given-Wilson comments that one knight, “seeing Robert Bruce...sought immortality by charging directly at him, but when a blow from Bruce’s axe split his head in two he was obliged to settle for mortality”

To show the strength of the Earl of Lancaster’s enmity towards a political rival he states that he “had never located a burial ground for hatchets”

Superb!

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging overview of the life, reign and fall from power of King Edward II. While the previous two books in the Penguin Monarchs series, concerning Henry III and Edward I, focused on law, politics and war, Given-Wilson devotes time to Edward II's personality and interests in an effort to explain his difficulties as king. Edward's sarcastic wit, enthusiasm for pursuits considered unbecoming for royalty such as swimming, rowing and roof thatching, close relationships with Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the younger and conflicts with his barons are discussed in detail. The events following his overthrow (and speculation concerning his death) is passed over quickly but there is discussion of his place in modern popular culture. Further Reading list at the back of the book.

[Anwen Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but very engaging overview of the troubled reign of Edward II. Very easy to follow, despite the wealth of material it has to cover, and relatively balanced, offering multiple perspectives on the king's behaviour. I particularly liked the attention paid to Gaveston and Despenser; there's no pretending that they were definitely just bros and pals, but there's enough room here for nuance and the suggestion that their relationships were difficult to define. The further reading suggestions at the end are great, too.

Also, on a trivial note, I had no idea that Hugh Despenser was so annoyed at being exiled that he decided to become a pirate for a year. What a terrible, awful, brilliant chap. As a Welsh person, I absolutely hate him, but as a morally complex gay, I respect him.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read quite a few books on this time in history, so I wasn’t expecting to learn anything new. But a different slant on Edward’s state of mind was interesting and some facts about the behaviour of other characters were new to me. Overall I thought it a useful reminder of Edward’s disastrous reign, well written and easy to read.

[Ollie Embourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one's pretty good. Reviewing something that's just a short biography is quite difficult because, like, sure is about the life of Edward II (which it succeeds wholly at being, admittedly). Given-Wilson has a really readable style though so it was a fun read. I particularly enjoyed him describing somebody getting cleaved in twain with an axe as "settling for mere mortality". That was worth a sensible chuckle.

[Jodie Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

'He was haunted as much by the future as by the past.'

The book takes a sympathetic approach when analysing the reign of Edward II, seen by many, especially among his contemporaries as a weak and ineffectual leader. The author looks at his inheritance, which included unwinnable wars and crippingly high taxation.

However, the failure of his kingship is firmly directed at his inability to work with the aristocracy and leading magnates to ensure good governance; instead having a penchant for favourites and alienating those around him resulting in putting all his father's achievements into jeopardy and bringing instability to the country. An interesting read.

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely helpful and relevant to my module, although it took me a while to finish what is a relatively short book! It goes into brilliantly informative detail about Edward II’s reign, without being too boring and Given-Wilson’s approach to history will help any student studying his reign.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read leaving me wanting to look further into the life of this very unusual king. My intention is to read the full Penguin series although this is the first!

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great read from this lovely series,

[Georgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

gave an insightful look into one of England's more controversial kings and the many challenges he faced.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and concise, fast-moving, brief. Very informative overview of the reign and an intriguing study of the king himself. I'll read this again.