Henry III

The Great King England Never Knew It Had

Darren Baker

$39.99

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

HISTORY PRESS
01 March 2020

Biography: historical, political & military; Biography: royalty; History; British & Irish history; Medieval history

Henry III (1207-72) reigned for 56 years, the longest-serving English monarch until the modern era. Admired for his building projects like Westminster Abbey, he is nevertheless dismissed by scholars as weak and inept, at least compared to his father King John and son Edward I. This biography changes that perception and shows that he was in fact a more than capable ruler. Crowned as a boy, scarred by civil war, he strove to be the good king implored of him by William Marshal, but his increasingly insular barons and clergy, emboldened by Magna Carta, constantly thwarted his plans to make England a thriving centre of cosmopolitanism. Their jealousy and resentfulness led to a palace revolution that eventually checked his power and ambition. He would have clawed it all back were it not for one man, Simon de Montfort, who forced him to accept the form of government that eventually became the parliamentary state. Yet somehow Henry survived, as he always had through the remarkable age that was the thirteenth century.

AUTHOR: Darren Baker is a translator and historian who took his degree at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of With All For All: The Life of Simon de Montfort.

20 b/w illustrations

By: Darren Baker
Imprint: HISTORY PRESS
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd New edition
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780750992435
ISBN 10: 0750992433
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 01 March 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

DARREN BAKER is a translator and historian who took his degree at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of With All For All: The Life of Simon de Montfort.

Reviews for Henry III: The Great King England Never Knew It Had

Darren Baker paints an unforgettable portrait that allows every reader of this book to come away with a deeper understanding of medieval kingship and the determination of one king in particular to survive and save his dynasty in very difficult political circumstances. -- Michael Clanchy