The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain, 1066-1284

Penguin History of Britain #3

by David Arscott Carpenter

The two-and-a-half centuries after 1066 were momentous ones in the history of Britain. In 1066, England was conquered for the last time. The Anglo-Saxon ruling class was destroyed and and the English became a subject race, dominated by a Norman-French dynasty and aristocracy. This book shows how the English domination of the kingdom was by no means a foregone conclusion. The struggle for mastery in the book's title is in reality the struggle for different masteries within Great Britain. The book weaves together the histories of England, Scotland and Wales in a new way and argues that all three, in their different fashions, were competing for domination

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, British Literature, European History, World History

616 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2003

About the author

David Arscott Carpenter is an English historian, currently Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. He has written widely on the reign of Henry III.

David Carpenter is Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London and an expert in thirteenth-century England. He has published extensively on politics and society in the reigns of King John and Henry III as well as on the context, issue and reception of Magna Carta. His book The Struggle for Mastery: Britain 1066-1284 is widely read by scholars, students and the general public. Professor Carpenter has been tracing versions of Magna Carta 1215 for the Magna Carta Project and is currently preparing a book on the Charter for Penguin.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an overview of the 200 years after the Normans conquered England. It is mostly political history, with a fair amount of social, economic, etc. thrown in. It is part of the Oxford history of Britain series, which they are in the process of updating. As such it can be dry for the average reader.

This book is for people who have heard of 'the Anarchy' in England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Kings Richard and John, Robin Hood, or any other event that happened in England between 1066-1284. It is also a history of Scotland and Wales, but since England was the biggest, most literate, richest, etc. most of the focus in on England. It serves as an introductory college text in the UK.

Since it covers a broad span of time people can appear and disappear rather quickly. The author discusses causes, effects, complications from the political interactions within Britain and between Britain and Europe (principally France and the Pope).

This is the second time I've read this and I learned more this time around. I think I'll read it at least 2 or 3 more times. It's the first book I've read that covers this whole period. I knew about most of the rulers and events, but this put it all together and showed the development of society.

[Ozymandias · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I order you to hold a free election but forbid you to elect anyone save Richard, my clerk.”
The Penguin History of Britain is a replacement for the Pelican History of England that came out in the 1950s and ‘60s and served as the go-to source for accessible multivolume British history. I’m starting my review off with this fact because I’m reading through the series in order and my opinions of the books will depend both on how well they stand up as individual volumes as well as how they fare as part of the broader series.

After the iconoclastic approach taken by the last two books, this book is a surprisingly old-fashioned take on Norman England. We get a pretty straightforward military/political narrative with only 5/16 chapters taking a more thematic approach. This is particularly true of the chapters covering the Norman kings, which often amount to little more than a series of wars and ongoing conflicts between nobles and crown. It’s necessary to understand this if you want to have an idea of what changed over the 12th and 13th century, but the early chapters can be a little limited. The later chapters, once the internecine warfare dies off slightly (starting with Henry II), start to include more discussion of elements like law and economic policies. The thematic chapters are useful as well, discussing issues like demographics, the economy, feudalism, and religion/literature. But while some of these are core to the discussion, the spine of this 616-page volume is clearly the political events and transitions. I’ve got whiplash from the last book!

Where that one barely even mentioned the existence of kings, this one is shaped around them. Each chapter (except the thematic ones) is built around the reign of one of those kings, and even the discussion of economics and law is given from the royal perspective. It’s a little like reading a series of minibiographies. We get to meet the kings, learn something of their personalities (Carpenter is delightfully opinionated, using words like thundered and unsmiling) and see their efforts to secure their mastery over the nobility. It is very rigorously focused on matters of high state. While there is some discussion of law and economics, it is considered entirely from the royal perspective. Broader affairs outside England are mentioned when relevant, but don’t expect much discussion of them. If you don’t know about the Investiture Conflict and the Gregorian Reforms, for example, the casual mention of conflicts between the kings and popes will make no sense to you. Frustratingly, this is not a great introduction to the period as a whole. If you’re not versed on medieval history I’d recommend starting with Europe in the High Middle Ages from Penguin’s History of Europe. It has a good mix of political, cultural, religious, and geographical information and offers a good backdrop for wider affairs in Christendom. That should prime you for understanding this book.

The description of the book as a traditional and political narrative may make it seem deceptively simplistic. Books like this are extremely difficult to write well as they need to juggle several plotlines while keeping the cast low and the events concise to prevent confusion. This makes the book sound like a novel, and the comparison is not wholly wrong except that novels have a lot more freedom of action. A history book cannot simply alter events to make them more easy to understand. What this book does well is show the concerns and goals of the upper classes (particularly the kings) and the strategic way they preserved or expanded their control. At times there are so many names thrown out that your eyes glaze over, but in general the book keeps key individuals down to a manageable amount. The confusion is more often due to the similarity of unoriginal names, which is something a historian can do nothing about.

Something that Carpenter is very good at is selecting apposite quotations. There were a large number of these enlivening the reading and establishing character. My favorite is the one above (by Henry II) but there were many others.

“I would go into exile more quickly if you gave me a better horse.” - Lanfranc
“Whoever heard of a king perishing by shipwreck?” - William Rufus
“You English are too timid.” - Richard I

Nothing helps bring people to life like a good quote. This is part of what makes the series so readable. The only complaint I have is that the chapters are extremely inconsistent. They range in size from 18 pages to 54, with nothing you can do if you’ve started an unexpectedly long chapter but read it through to the end. A series of subchapters might have helped with this.

One thing that has changed since the Pelican series is that this is a history of Britain not just England, and it takes that role seriously. While the book is structured around an English/Norman narrative (unsurprising as England is the leading state in Britain), it always makes sure to consider events in regions outside England’s control. As he puts it, he intends to treat Scotland and Wales for their own sake and Ireland when it appears in English history. In other words, Scotland and Wales are treated seriously and not as mere afterthoughts, although Wales being decentralized and lacking a single subject tends to be less thorough than Scotland. We thus get a pretty strong account of great kings like David and the famous squabbles of Macbeth and Malcolm. I’m always perplexed to see Scottish history treated separately from English as it makes it very hard to follow what’s going on. The creation of an Anglo-Norman ruling class in Scotland is incomprehensible when divorced from English history. In this case though, I felt that a bit more of a thematic approach would have helped. If we could have had a discussion of Scottish adoption of Norman culture (including the English language) in a separate chapter it would have been easier to understand. As it is, we generally get the Scottish or Welsh ruler lumped together with the reign of their contemporary English king.

It is difficult for me to assess this book. On the one hand I greatly enjoyed it and found it an excellent guide to high politics from the Norman Conquest through Edward I and the rise of Parliament. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s always the right fit for this series. It’s getting increasingly hard to say exactly what would be a good fit at this point. Each book has been so radically different from the last that it’s difficult to see any coherence to the series at all. I don’t want to sound like there’s one model that each book has to follow, but I would have thought that any introductory text (particularly those aimed at the general reader) should try to cover the culture of the time (not merely at the very top) as well as the events. Each author should write their own book of course and build it around what issues most interest them, but there should be a certain shared set of topics (broadly defined) that they all cover. Mattingly’s book is the only one that comes close to providing a well-rounded approach, let down only by the absence of sources. Overall, I’m giving this book the score I feel it deserves, but it serves as yet another example of the series’ general inconsistency and lack of central planning.

The good news here is that this is the first of Penguin’s books that shares the stage with Oxford’s New History of England. I think the intention is that that series will eventually extend back to Roman and Anglo-Saxon times, but publication of those books seem to have stalled. The first published book is England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, which provides a parallel account that fixes most of the weaknesses of this one. It’s greatest defect is that it is somewhat lacking in political narrative, covering all of it in a single chapter. So the two books complement each other excellently. The only catch is that the dates don't quite match (1075-1225) so you may have to look to the next book (Plantagenet England) if you want to read about the development of Parliament. All in all, I loved this book. But I won’t pretend it’s great as an introduction to medieval society outside its discussion of political/social structure and the ongoing questions of feudalism. If you’re interested in anything more than a top-heavy political history I’d read it in conjunction with the Oxford book. Together this should cover all the bases.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a complex story and one I didn't give the attention it needed and deserved. Carpenter is dealing with Ireland, Scotland and Wales in addition to England. I thought it was well researched and well written.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to think of a better introductory text to medieval Britain. Covering the years from the Conquest in 1066 to Edward I's mastery of Wales, this is an excellent overview of possibly the most momentous and formative years of these isles. The patterns of alliance, hostility, submission and defiance that we are still so familiar with today were established in these years - the Norman conquest of England; the expansion, contraction and final settling of the boundaries of Scotland; the annexing of the Isle of Man; the takeover of the Scottish islands from Norway; the Norman invasion of Ireland; the dynastic struggles in Wales; the establishment of the overlordship of the English crown; the slow progression of nationhood from Norman to English; Magna Carta.

Carpenter covers these complex and weighty issues not just in chronological format but with room for chapters on the economic, religious, cultural and linguistic developments. Along the way he analyses how the sophisticated system of government of Anglo-Saxon England made it vulnerable to the Norman invasion, why Wales' disunity protected it for a time before proving its ultimate downfall, and how the Scottish kings unified disparate peoples under one crown. It makes for fascinating reading, and highlights the dangers of assuming that English mastery of Britain was a foregone conclusion. Indeed, as Carpenter points out, it was only after the break-up of the Angevin Empire and loss of their Continental distractions that successive English kings turned their attentions to the domination of Wales and Scotland, and to a lesser extent Ireland.

That said, this is very much high-level history, more a textbook than a narrative history. Those looking for an insight into 'how people lived', the everyday life of medieval barons and peasants, are best looking elsewhere!

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to medieval history there is and probably will be for some time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overall book about the said period in the history of the British Isles.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between 1066 and 1284 there was a great deal of conflict within the British Isles over mastery. Through England had long been more powerful than the other realms within the isles, throughout this period there were a great many conflicts within as well as between different kingdoms, as kings, princes, local rulers, nobles, and even peasants sought to attain their ambitions through military, diplomatic, and political means. The beginning and end points of this book are definitely chosen with care, as there was a fundamental change in English behavior relative to its neighbors once England was ruled over by a militarily powerful Norman elite which long had French ties which connected them with continental affairs. One of the unfortunate effects of the extinguishing of English power in Normandy was the eventual intensification of English power within the British Isles, something which proved to be an unpleasant matter for the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish before too long. Although ultimately English supremacy over Ireland was highly contested throughout the next few centuries and England's domination of Scotland was not immediately lasting, by the end of the 13th century England has a very mighty position within the British Isles, making it perhaps inevitable that they would eventually try their hand at domination of France, but that is the subject for another book, I suppose.

This book is more than 500 pages long but only has sixteen chapters, many of which are quite large. The book begins with a list of maps and genealogical tables, a preface, maps, as well as money, technical terms and names of people and places. After that the first couple of chapters discuss the different peoples (1) as well as economies of Britain (2) during the middle of the eleventh century when the book begins. After that comes a look at the Norman conquest of England between 1066 and 1087 (3) as well as the relationship between Wales, Scotland, and the Normans from 1058-1094 (4). This is followed by Britain's relationship with the Anglo-Norman realm from 1087-1135 (5). After this there is a chapter on the remodeling of Britain during the troubled and anarchical reign of King Stephen, King David of Scotland, and the various Welsh rulers of the time (6). After this comes a discussion of King Henry II and the impact of his reign on both Britain and Ireland (7) as well as the reigns of Richard the Lionheart and William the Lion of Scotland (8). After this comes the reign of King John (9) as well as several chapters that discuss the minority of King Henry III and its sequel as well as the reigns of Llywelyn the Great and Alexander II of Scotland (10), Britain during the personal reign of Henry III (11), and the Tribulations of Henry III, the triumphs of Alexander the III and Llywelyn the Prince of Whales in the third quarter of the thirteenth century (12). After this the author discusses the structures of society during this period (13), church, religion, literacy, and learning (14), the Parliamentary state of Edward I (15), and conquest and coexistence in Wales and Scotland (16), after which the book ends with genealogical tables, a bibliography, and an index.

One of the things this book gets right is the way that it addresses a great many concerns and not only military and political history. Now, I do not think it should be a surprise that I greatly appreciate both military and political history, of which this book has a good deal of. But what elevates this book is that it views the military and political matters of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in a context that includes a great many concerns that are less obvious but still of vital importance, including matters of economics, demography, and religion. All too often our understanding of the context of the history of the High Middle Ages, where this book takes place, is limited to a few names and dates, and this book really fleshes out the details and shows how the various realms of the British Isles were deeply interconnected with each other and how it was that the Isles themselves were connected to what was going on in continental Europe, at least to the extent that first the Welsh (unsuccessfully) and then the Scottish (more successfully) attempted to create an alliance with France to oppose English domination, and how it was that Edward I was able to pull off his taxation while John I was not, lessons which have a lot to teach students of history as well as students of the proper use of authority.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb on the inside cover stated that The Struggle for Mastery (part of the Penguin History of Britain series) was the first narrative history of this period for almost 50 years. This puzzled me at first given that the Oxford history of Norman England had come out only three years before. I then realised that (typically English mistake), The Struggle for Mastery is about the whole island, not simply the biggest and wealthiest part of it.

It nevertheless remains true that a good three quarters or more of the book is devoted to England and for the most part the chapters are arranged around English regnal dates. The 1284 terminus, to make a point, occurs half way through Edward I's reign at the point when he has conquered Wales, annihilating the Welsh ruling house.

The Struggle for Mastery is essentially a narrative history. I might have wished for a little more on social and demographic changes. Oddly the chapters that mostly deal with this focus on the thirteenth century. There seems little on the hundred years after Hastings. But, a narrative history it is and a very good one at that. The characters of the monarchs are brought out well. The inattentive reader can quickly become confused by the various twelfth century Matildas who crop up but if you are prepared to re-read the odd paragraph then all becomes mostly clear.

What emerges is an Anglo-Norman realm that took over an already well-developed Anglo-Saxon state and for the most part managed to build on this (the odd civil war notwithstanding) to create a powerful fiscal and administrative regime that, under Edward I, could come to dominate the island and would do so for the succeeding centuries. As with all histories of the period King John comes across as particularly unredeemable. As was said, hell itself was made fouler by his presence. Henry II and Edward I are the two monarchs that stand out for their legal reforms and driving personalities.

I did learn a lot about the Scottish mediaeval kingship that I did not know before: Malcolm, David and Alexander all conquering and consolidating the mainland and the isles from a small local base between the Firth and the Moray. Carpenter muses that had the death of the Maid of Norway (slightly outside of the period) in fact happened to an English monarch then perhaps the eventual Scottish inheritance of the British crown would have occurred 300 years earlier.

The book is not without moments of humour. Two, one deliberate and one inadvertent stick out. The Saintly Hugh of Lincoln was apparently a kleptomaniac when it came to relics who had to be frisked when leaving a shrine. He went so far as biting a chunk out of one of Mary Magdalene's bones which feels like taking these things a bit too far. And Llywellyn the Great is at one point referred to as the King of ales. Welsh beer was perhaps a more kingly drink back then.

[Jack Caulfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty exemplary style of history writing: a compellingly told, well-organized central narrative recounting the high politics of the time in some detail; thematic chapters sprinkled throughout to delve into themes like national identity and religious reform; primary sources used to advance specific arguments without being pored over at the expense of the reader's interest. The style hits the sweet spot, for me, between dry, theoretical academic history and patronizing pop history, leaning towards the former but never sacrificing readability or expecting a lot of background knowledge from the reader.

This was far more enjoyable than the entries I've read so far in the similar Penguin History of Europe series—I think the tighter temporal and geographical scope here allows this to feel much more grounded in the specific personalities and events of the period, rather than simply being a story of large-scale historical change.

One unfortunate anomaly: this volume ostensibly ends in 1284, while the following volume picks up from 1307, leaving the back half of Edward I's reign essentially uncovered (some events from the rest of Edward's reign are very briefly sketched out but not presented in any detail). I don't know what kind of editorial conflict led to this gap, but it results in the absurdity of an otherwise comprehensive history of Britain that never mentions, for instance, William Wallace.

[Michael Bully · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a demanding read. Probably not for someone wanting a basic introduction to Britain History from 1066-1284. Intense at times. Some people use this work more like a reference book, using the index to ferret out the subjects that they are interested in. I read it all the way through, and merits a great deal of attention. But very rewarding.
As well as covering the Norman conquest, the reigns of the Norman kings, the Stephen and Matilda war, the Angevin kings, the author is determined to connect this histories of Scotland and Wales, and to a lesser extent- Ireland to that of England. Sometimes via the main narrative, other times in separate chapters.
There also separate sections about economics, parliament and administration, the growth of literacy. There is a fascinating chapter on religion, particularly helpful for those of us studying the 13th century, which looks at the emergence of the friars and the rise of belief in the doctrine of Purgatory.
The author manages to explain some quite complex events and ideas, such as the 1258 Provisions of Oxford that Henry III was required to accept, and their longer term consequences. Also like the way the book is not burdened with anecdotes and attempted moral judgements, or tries to unearth controversy. There is distinct lack of sensationalism which is to to be welcomed.

[Katie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read parts of this for class (medieval England), but I took on the whole novel for my own schooling. I found the biographies more interesting than the accounts on religion and economics, but all together, this is an excellent history book. I knew very little about this period, and now I can say with some air I know at least a bit. Parts of the read were repetitive, information repeats from other chapters, but as one who didn’t know anyway, it helped the matter stick.

[Joseph Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The period covered by David Carpenter's 'The Struggle for Mastery: Britain, 1066-1284' is an eminently interesting one; and whilst Carpenter's depth of knowledge is undeniable, the manner in which he transfers that knowledge to the reader is decidedly uninspiring.

In short, then: Carpenter assembles all the ingredient for a good book; but ultimately fails to produce one.

[Matt Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

bit long and dry but it never claimed to be anything else

[Oliver Laming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrative history at its best, the structure works well. Very dense in regards legal and administrative development and it doesn't hold your hand much. Overall a bit of a treasure trove and an excellent synthesis of the sources.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a history that delved into Medieval Life and this book came up rather short in that regard. I wanted to get a glimpse into the life of a medieval person, be it a priest, a peasant or a baron. This book is more a chronology of names and dates, focussing mainly on the kings of England. There are so many names in this book that eventually I started skimming of them (knowing that I could never remember them).
I wish the book had delved more into themes such as chivalry and the class structures, as well as giving interesting anecdotes along the way to illustrate the period. Rather it could literally be seen as blow by blow account of the 200 odd years it covers, much in the same way of a history textbook.

[Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me years to read. I'd read about 60 pages at a whack, then the exigencies of life took over and I put it down for a spell. But I invariably picked it up again some kilometers down the road and keep slogging through.. Well-written and interesting throughout. I especially profited from the portion of the book about Richard the Lionheart and how the Magna Carta came about in 1215 (and was later slighted, ignored or refined by subsequent kings and their parliaments). Interesting tidbit: You'll also learned about the increase in writing for contracts and other mundane business matters during this period. Great summary of the history of the English, Scottish and Welsh kingdoms in the 12th and 13th centuries.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granted this is a textbook. But it's the kind of textbook that's worth reading anyway, becuase it's full of analysis not just facts. I really enjoyed it, and knew every time I opened it that I'd learn something new

[The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to read if interested in history, especially Britain's history. The prose is good and contrary to many history books, you never skim/skip pages.
This was a nice introduction for me to the Penguin's History of Britain

[Ben Rothman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a "struggle."

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Jur]

The 200 years after the coming of the Normans.

As Background to the 1st Baron's War 1215-17 and finding out who this King John was and why he was hated so much.

[Les Stephens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

This may well be the most boring history book I ever read. Focuses heavily on legal administration, taxation and revenue. At last I know how much Henry II spent on wine!

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of fascinating information in this book, but oh my goodness, so dryly written. If you can't make Eleanor of Aquitaine interesting you need to work on your writing style.