The latest title in the Penguin Monarchs series - a portrait of Norman England's ruthless, dynamic king
The youngest of William the Conqueror's sons, Henry I (1100-35) was never meant to be king, but he was destined to become one of the greatest of all medieval monarchs, both through his own ruthlessness and intelligence and through the dynastic legacy of his daughter Matilda, who began the Plantagenet line that would rule England until 1485.
A self-consciously
diligent and thoughtful king, his rule was looked back on as the real post-invasion re-founding of England as a new realm, integrated into the continent, wealthy and stable.
Edmund King's wonderful portrait of Henry shows him as a strikingly charismatic and thoughtful man.
His life was dogged by a single great disaster, the death of his teenage heir William in the White Ship disaster.
Despite astonishing numbers of illegitimate sons, Henry was now left with only a daughter.
This fact would shape the rest of the 12th century and beyond.
By:
Edmund King Imprint: Allen Lane Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 186mm,
Width: 129mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 201g ISBN:9780141978987 ISBN 10: 0141978988 Series:Penguin Monarchs Pages: 128 Publication Date:15 August 2018 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Edmund King is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at Sheffield University. His books include a life of King Stephen, Peterborough Abbey, 1086-1310 and Medieval England from Hastings to Bosworth.