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Following in the Footsteps of Edward II: A Historical Guide to the Medieval King
Edward II is famously one of England's most unsuccessful kings, as utterly different from his war-like father Edward I as any man possibly could be, and the first English king to suffer the fate of deposition. Highly unconventional, even eccentric, he was an intriguing personality, and his reign of nineteen and a half years from 1307 to 1327 was a turbulent period of endless conflict and the king's infatuation with his male favourites, which ended when his own queen led an invasion of his kingdom.
Following in the Footsteps of Edward II presents a new take on this most unconventional and puzzling of kings, from the magnificent Caernarfon Castle where he was born in 1284 shortly after his father conquered North Wales, to his favourite residences at King's Langley in Hertfordshire and Westminster, to the castle of Berkeley in Gloucestershire where he supposedly met his brutal death in September 1327, to Gloucester Cathedral, where his tomb and alabaster effigy still exist and are among the greatest glories surviving from medieval England.
Following in the Footsteps of Edward II presents a new take on this most unconventional and puzzling of kings, from the magnificent Caernarfon Castle where he was born in 1284 shortly after his father conquered North Wales, to his favourite residences at King's Langley in Hertfordshire and Westminster, to the castle of Berkeley in Gloucestershire where he supposedly met his brutal death in September 1327, to Gloucester Cathedral, where his tomb and alabaster effigy still exist and are among the greatest glories surviving from medieval England.
176 pages, Paperback
Published July 31, 2019
10 people are currently reading
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About the author
Kathryn Warner
21 books180 followersI grew up in the north of England, and hold two degrees in medieval history and literature from the University of Manchester. I have run a blog about King Edward II (reigned 1307 to 1327) since 2005, have had work published about him in the prestigious academic journal the English Historical Review (founded 1886) and in the academic essay collection Fourteenth-Century England, and have appeared talking about him in the BBC documentary Quest for Bannockburn. I also appeared in a documentary about Edward II shown on the German-French TV channel Arte in late 2019, and have given a paper about him at the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds.
My first book, titled Edward II: The Unconventional King, was released in October 2014, and my biography of Edward II's queen Isabella of France (c. 1295-1358) was published in March 2016. My third book is an account of Edward's murder in 1327 or survival past that year, which came out in June 2017, and my fourth is a bio of Edward II's great-grandson Richard II, published October 2017. My fifth book, Blood Roses, came out in October 2018, and is an account of the royal houses of Lancaster and York from 1245 to 1399. My sixth was also published in October 2018 and is a biography of Edward II's malevolent favourite Hugh Despenser the Younger. My next two books came out in 2019: a travel guide to places in the UK associated with Edward II, called Following in the Footsteps of Edward II, and a biography of Edward III's queen Philippa of Hainault. A joint bio of Edward II's nieces Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth de Clare came out in February 2020, and a work of social history called Living in Medieval England: The Turbulent Year of 1326 was also published that year, A book about the Despenser family from 1261 to 1439 will come next, and a bio of Edward III's son/Henry IV's father John of Gaunt, second duke of Lancaster, is due out in 2021.
Projects I'm working on are: a joint bio of Edward II's five sisters; a joint bio of Edward III's granddaughters; a social history of London between 1300 and 1350; and a book about the medieval Beaumont family. And I'm sure there'll be plenty more after that!
My first book, titled Edward II: The Unconventional King, was released in October 2014, and my biography of Edward II's queen Isabella of France (c. 1295-1358) was published in March 2016. My third book is an account of Edward's murder in 1327 or survival past that year, which came out in June 2017, and my fourth is a bio of Edward II's great-grandson Richard II, published October 2017. My fifth book, Blood Roses, came out in October 2018, and is an account of the royal houses of Lancaster and York from 1245 to 1399. My sixth was also published in October 2018 and is a biography of Edward II's malevolent favourite Hugh Despenser the Younger. My next two books came out in 2019: a travel guide to places in the UK associated with Edward II, called Following in the Footsteps of Edward II, and a biography of Edward III's queen Philippa of Hainault. A joint bio of Edward II's nieces Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth de Clare came out in February 2020, and a work of social history called Living in Medieval England: The Turbulent Year of 1326 was also published that year, A book about the Despenser family from 1261 to 1439 will come next, and a bio of Edward III's son/Henry IV's father John of Gaunt, second duke of Lancaster, is due out in 2021.
Projects I'm working on are: a joint bio of Edward II's five sisters; a joint bio of Edward III's granddaughters; a social history of London between 1300 and 1350; and a book about the medieval Beaumont family. And I'm sure there'll be plenty more after that!
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2020
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This book is a worthy addition to any history enthusiast, such as myself. The book had a great layout and I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. The author really does know her subject and has quite clearly done a lot of research and it showed in the book.
I was really surprised have visited quite a few of the places mentioned in the book in England, Wales and Scotland. It was great to be able to visualise the places in the book that were mentioned. We went to Caernarfon Castle in October 2019 and we went to Kenilworth Castle early in 2020 so it was great to be able to look back at some of the photos I had taken which were discussed in the book (although there have been quite a few changes to some of the sites). I definitely have a few more places added to my list now that I want to visit!
I thought that the chapter length was perfect and it was spot on to keep me fully engaged and this would be an ideal introduction too to people who want to learn more about how Edward II and how he eventually came to be deposed.
It is 5 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed the layout and the length of the chapters in the book. For me this is the perfect introduction to Edward II and I loved how it dispelled some of the common myths that surround his death.
It is a must read for anyone interested in medieval England. Very highly recommended!!
This book is a worthy addition to any history enthusiast, such as myself. The book had a great layout and I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. The author really does know her subject and has quite clearly done a lot of research and it showed in the book.
I was really surprised have visited quite a few of the places mentioned in the book in England, Wales and Scotland. It was great to be able to visualise the places in the book that were mentioned. We went to Caernarfon Castle in October 2019 and we went to Kenilworth Castle early in 2020 so it was great to be able to look back at some of the photos I had taken which were discussed in the book (although there have been quite a few changes to some of the sites). I definitely have a few more places added to my list now that I want to visit!
I thought that the chapter length was perfect and it was spot on to keep me fully engaged and this would be an ideal introduction too to people who want to learn more about how Edward II and how he eventually came to be deposed.
It is 5 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed the layout and the length of the chapters in the book. For me this is the perfect introduction to Edward II and I loved how it dispelled some of the common myths that surround his death.
It is a must read for anyone interested in medieval England. Very highly recommended!!
dnf
May 4, 2020I found Following in the Footsteps of Edward II to be confusing read. Whilst the chapters themselves are organised in to chronological order, the contents of each is far from it. As someone who is unfamiliar with Edward, I had expected this to provide a succinct overview of his reign that would be easy to follow. However, the narrative jumps rapidly between years and decades, leaving me without an understanding of who was who, or how Edward was involved.
In addition to this, I found the references to opening times for the locations to further interrupt the narrative. They would have been best placed at the end in a collated fashion for easy reference.
I’m sure that if I become better acquainted with Edward I’ll be able to enjoy this. From what I can see, Warner already seems to have written excellent pieces on him, and you can absolutely feel her passion for his life throughout the text.
In addition to this, I found the references to opening times for the locations to further interrupt the narrative. They would have been best placed at the end in a collated fashion for easy reference.
I’m sure that if I become better acquainted with Edward I’ll be able to enjoy this. From what I can see, Warner already seems to have written excellent pieces on him, and you can absolutely feel her passion for his life throughout the text.
September 29, 2019
This is a worthy addition to any history enthusiast's bookshelf. This book is the newest offering from Kathryn Warner, who is a specialist in the field of 14th century England, and has written extensively about this period. I have nearly all of her books related to Edward II, and she's my no 1 source of knowledge about this king. "Following in the Footsteps of Edward II" offers a glimpse into Edward's world and allows us to follow him through the places he knew from the day he was born until the day he died (although the day of his death and his alleged murder are disputed). I enjoyed it and highly recommend it for anyone interested in medieval England.
May 14, 2020
This was a fascinating and enjoyable read. I always enjoy reading about English History especially her Kings and Queens and this wonderful book is a great place to start.
It might be confusing if you expect it to be a time table of Edward II's life because it is more an instuctional tourist guide to important sites with nuggets of information.
It might be confusing if you expect it to be a time table of Edward II's life because it is more an instuctional tourist guide to important sites with nuggets of information.
June 5, 2019
Following in the Footsteps of Edward II by Kathryn Warner is a fabulous historical account of the life and reign of Edward II (reigned 1307-1327). Very interesting to learn more about a King that continued to make bad choices, continued to surround himself with “favorites” that did not help his cause, as well as the inevitable decline that was sped forth by his wife, Isabella of France, and her coupe with Roger Mortimer to instill his son Edward III. A quick read in 2 days.
Thank you NetGalley and Pen And Sword History for this delightful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
Thank you NetGalley and Pen And Sword History for this delightful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
July 29, 2019
Following in the Footsteps of Edward II by Kathryn is a historical account of the life and reign of King Edward II., famously more interested in his garden than in his realm. This book was interesting as well written but as a history teacher with already a lot of background information I didn’t find this book informative. There was not much new here and it was a very quick, light read.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it and as a introduction to the places associated with Edward II it is a welcome addition to any bookshelf.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it and as a introduction to the places associated with Edward II it is a welcome addition to any bookshelf.
August 17, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was an easy but interesting read. My knowledge of Edward II and the Plantagenet period is fairly strong, but I did learn a fair amount from reading this. Although it may sound like you are simply following the places where he lived, you learn so much more about his life. And of course, the terrifying Isabella of France who created some particularly... interesting... royal situations.
This was an easy but interesting read. My knowledge of Edward II and the Plantagenet period is fairly strong, but I did learn a fair amount from reading this. Although it may sound like you are simply following the places where he lived, you learn so much more about his life. And of course, the terrifying Isabella of France who created some particularly... interesting... royal situations.
August 15, 2023
Must read for thorough history lovers
Found this book details amazing for someone lately declared as a direct descendant of Edward II. Helpful to think he was not killed but lived on for a few more years. This account describes him as a fair and considerate man who looked past social standings and fairly rewarded people for their work, not their titles.
Found this book details amazing for someone lately declared as a direct descendant of Edward II. Helpful to think he was not killed but lived on for a few more years. This account describes him as a fair and considerate man who looked past social standings and fairly rewarded people for their work, not their titles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews