History of the plantagenets book

The plantagenets is a wonderful gallop through english history. The plantagenets the warrior kings and queens who made. As heir to his mother and to stephen he held england and normandy. The plantagenets timeline of the kings and queens of england. Mar 10, 2018 history buffs looking for a good book on the plantagenets might be disappointed in this one. See more ideas about history books, books and books to read. This is the story of eight english kings during the colorful high middle ages. On costain, the plantagenets, and history books aramink.

Their remarkable reign saw england emerge from the dark ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of europe. Aged 21, he already possessed a reputation for restless energy and decisive action. Yet his reign saw spectacular advancement in the arts, sciences, and theology, as well as in government. The plantagenets succeeds in bringing an extraordinary family arrestingly to life. The plantagenets ruled england from the year 11541485, through fifteen monarchs. The plantagenets is a wonderful narrative history, one which paints vividly the longest dynasty in english annals 115499. The plantagenets 11541485 introduction history of england. In this history, jones resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. Edward i attempted to create a british empire dominated by england, conquering wales and pronouncing his eldest son prince of wales, and then attacking scotland. The plantagenets is an accessible book that tells the whole narrative of the dynasty, from the coronation of henry, count of anjou, in 1145 to the fall of yorkist richard iii at the battle of bosworth in 1485. Hamilton shows that the most important challenge for a king in this period was to reconcile a growing expectation on the part of the political classes to be involved in the government of. Pressure of other work made it impossible, however, to produce them at the gait i had hoped to achieve.

He is an awardwinning journalist and a pioneer of the resurgence of interest in medieval history. A history of the plantagenets audiobooks listen to the full. William the conqueror a landmark book 1959 the ame plantagenetsame series also known as the pageant of england the conquering family 1949 the magnificent century 1951 the three edwards 1958 the last plantagenets 1962. Dan jones first history book was a popular narrative history of the english peasants revolt of 81, titled summer of blood. Thomas b costain an indepth history of england from the time of the norman conquest william the conqueror to the death of richard iii excluding william rufus ii and henry i. Henrys wife eleanor ruled the even larger territory to the south called aquitaine. Stories to remember 1956 a selection of novels and short stories chosen by costain and john beecroft. His first book on the peasants revolt received widespread. This is truly a definitive book building on the compelling style of his first book, summer of blood, bringing medieval britain into vivid focus for the. A history of the plantagenets i began these books of english history with the hope of carrying the series forward, under the general title of the pageant of england, to a much later period than the last of the plantagenet kings. I began these books of english history with the hope of carrying the series forward, under the general title of the pageant of england, to a much later period than the last of the plantagenet kings. The troubled period after the norman conquest, when the foundations of government were hammered out between monarch and people, comes to life through costains storytelling skill. House of plantagenet, royal house of england, which reigned from 1154 to 1485 and provided 14 kings, 6 of whom belonged to the cadet houses of lancaster and york. Rjay all of sharon kay penmans books historical fiction are fabulous.

Apr 18, 20 the plantagenets is proof that contemporary history can engage with the medieval world with style, wit, and chutzpah. Book overview the new york times bestseller that tells the story of britains greatest and worst dynastya reallife game of thrones the wall street journal by the author of the templars the first plantagenet kings inherited a bloodsoaked realm from the normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from scotland to. Jones dan the plantagenets part 01 audiobook youtube. I credit these books with making medieval english history roar to life for me. United kingdom united kingdom the early plantagenets. Posts may address genealogy, government, lifestyle, and. Costains fourvolume history of the plantagenets begins with the conquering family and the conquest of england by william the conqueror in 1066, closing with the reign of john in 1216. In this epic narrative history of courage, treachery, ambition, and deception, dan jones resurrects the. Dec 09, 2018 after henry ii forges a mighty empire including england and france, his sons richard the lionheart and john turn on their father and bring the dynasty to the edge of collapse. The first plantagenet kings inherited a bloodsoaked realm from the normans and transformed it into an. Such fundamental issues as the relationship between church and state, the nature of governmentgovernance, the interaction of social and economic classes, and. The first plantagenet king inherited a bloodsoaked kingdom from the normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from scotland to jerusalem. The plantagenets ruled england for more than three hundred years, from the. This is a fascinating book and dan jones lively writing style makes it as much fun to read as fiction.

Matildas son henry plantagenet, the first and greatest of three angevin kings of england, succeeded stephen in 1154. Although less famous than their tudor cousins, the unnaturally cruel and powerful plantagenets were the longestreigning english royal dynasty, ruling for more than two centuries, from henry iis ascendance in 1154 after a violent civil war to richard iis deposition at the hands of his cousin henry bolingbroke in 99. The devils brood episode 1 plantagenets bbc documentary. Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly engaging narrative. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. In a book of dazzling scope and ambition, dan jones paints a psychological family portrait of the royal house of plantagenet, creating a mesmerising new history of britain before the tudors. It is a very readable, compulsively addictive, indepth story of the kings and queens who were the early ruling class. For the next 200 years the history of the plantagenets is traceable through a line of kings who seemingly alternated between strong and powerful nationbuilders and their extremely weak and ineffectual successors. The conquering family the history of the plantagenets.

Every person and event of importance is covered and the various powerplays are explained in an easy to understand fashion and placed in their geopolitical context be it english or international. I enjoyed the books on the subject by thomas b costain. The early plantagenets henry ii 115489 matildas son henry plantagenet, the first and greatest of three angevin kings of england, succeeded stephen in 1154. In this epic history, dan jones vividly resurrects this fierce. The crown of england changed hands five times as two branches of the plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Can you recommend books about the plantagenets history forum. First published in 20 by viking, author dan jones tome documents the plantagenet line with a clear overview, an attention to detail, and a fine pen. If you want something as a quick beach read, go back to phillipa gregory.

The plantagenets their story is the story of britain. The plantagenets paperback softback dan jones history. Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly. This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. A beautifully written historical book that provides the reader with an in depth. Buy a cheap copy of the last plantagenets book by thomas b.

The first plantagenet was king henry 2nd whose father owned vast lands in anjou an area as big as normandy around the modern town of tours. The conquering family the history of the plantagenets ebook. The 15th century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in british history. The plantagenet dynasty british monarchy family history. History audio books jones dan the plantagenets part 01. The plantagenet dynasty was the ruling royal dynasty of england and wales from 1277 for two hundred and forty five years by way of eight kings, or three hundred and seventeen years by way of fourteen kings, if we include the successive royal houses of lancaster and york, both of which were off shoots of the house of plantagenet, making the dynasty both englands and britains. The warrior kings and queens who made england is a fascinating history of the twoandahalf centuries that transformed england from a norman colony to a european power. Dan joness exploration of a colourful medieval dynasty is a gripping work of narrative history, writes alexander larman. In this epic narrative history of courage, treachery, ambition, and deception, dan jones resurrects the unruly royal dynasty that preceded the tudors. This list is for historical fiction books with the main focus on the plantagenet rulers of england they must be major characters, andor prominent secondary characters. Jul 04, 20 the history of the plantagenets from the normans to richard ii covered in great detail.

The royal line descended from the union between geoffrey, count of anjou d. Very well written and an easy and pleasurable book to read. A fastpaced, bloodsoaked history of the dynasty that transformed england from a looselygoverned patchwork into a. Historical romances are allowed, but they must meet the criteria listed above. The name plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses. The plantagenet period was dominated by three major conflicts at home and abroad. It is a long book at more than 600 pages, but remains engaging throughout. The story of the plantagenet dynasty is the story of one of the pivotal ages in english history. This page covers the history of the plantagenet and tudor dynasties. I have no idea why this book has anything less than straight 5 stars.

Plantagenet kings were even more french than the normans who were largely of viking blood. In this epic history, jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. Englands greatest royal dynasty, the plantagenets, ruled over england through eight generations of kings. This is not just a dry and dusty record of the plantagenet rulers of england but a highly readable book that. The plantagenets were a huge powerful family not just in england but throughout europe.

A history of the plantagenets audiobooks listen to the. Four out of the five kings considered in this book were. The magnificent century, the second volume of costains a history of the plantagenets, covers henry iiis long and turbulent reign, from 1216 to 1272. It was under the rule of the last five plantagenet kings that the english monarchy was born. He writes and presents the popular netflix series secrets of great british castles. His book on the plantagenets was recently adapted for a documentary series in england entitled britains bloodiest dynasty. The final volume in a history of the plantagenets covers the century from 77 to 1485 when civil war ravaged england, rebellious peasants marched on london and. Dan jones book traces the history of that royal dynasty, beginning with the rise of henry ii in 1154. Every one of the plantagenet kings would face political crises of the first order. Jones has a popular writing style and his selfstated goal is to make history come alive. Such fundamental issues as the relationship between church and state, the nature of. But in charting the fortunes of the family, the book explores not only military victories and defeats across europe, on crusade and in. Attitudes and outlooks were formed with regard to a vast array of profoundly important issues.

Aug 10, 2010 founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. Costains vivid descriptions of the personalities and actions of the angevin kings, their. In the plantagenets, dan jones reveals a british royal line in all its. The first plantagenet king inherited a bloodsoaked kingdom from the normans and transformed it into an empire stretched at its peak from scotland to jerusalem. Jun 02, 2012 the plantagenets is proof that contemporary history can engage with the medieval world with style, wit and chutzpah. A factual account of the period, beginning in 1120 with the wreck of the white ship and the anarchy, and taking us through the reigns of all of the plantagenet kings until richard ii was deposed in 99. It is a long book at more than six hundred pages but remains engaging throughout. The first plantagenet kings inherited a bloodsoaked realm from the normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from scotland to jerusalem. The first plantagenet king inherited a bloodsoaked kingdom fro. During his lifetime, henry was frequently unpopular, unreliable, and inconsistent. The political history of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries can be regarded as a commentary on the magna carta, the great charter of liberties that king john had been forced to accept in 1215.

That, in a nutshell, is the conclusion to jeff hamiltons lucid account of the reigns of henry iii, edward i, edward ii, edward iii and richard ii. Jul 01, 2017 although almost twentyfive years have passed since the end of israels most ambitious archaeological undertaking, the name of this site, masada, still exerts romantic appeal. William the conqueror a landmark book 1959 the plantagenets series also known as the pageant of england the conquering family 1949 the magnificent century 1951 the three edwards 1958 the last plantagenets 1962 other works. Powerful personalities, vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this.

The plantagenets the warrior kings and queens who made england book. The kings who made england, was published in 2012 in the united kingdom and a year later in the united states, 6 where. House of plantagenet family tree from king henry iii 1216 1272 to edward v 1483 including the houses of lancaster and york. The plantagenets book johnson county library bibliocommons. The plantagenets is proof that contemporary history can engage with the medieval world with style, wit and chutzpah. Jun 16, 2010 the book provides a straightforward, chronological narrative of the rule of each king, exploring the challenges they faced, their achievements and failings.

Scotland was to remain elusive and retain its independence until late in the reign of the stuart kings. The book opens with the maritime disaster fair cousin, since it pleases you, it pleases us well, said richard. Dan joness the plantagenets is a glittering pageant of a book which brings to life 300 years of history. For enjoyable historical narratives, this book is a real winner. Pdf the plantagenets download full pdf book download.