Customer Reviews

From Alfred to Henry III; 871-1272

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A recent trip to the Tower of London, and yes, watching the film _Braveheart_ a few times whetted my appetite for more information on the kings of medieval England, specifically, the effect of the Norman invasion. Since I loved to read American history but knew very little about European history, especially medieval European history, I used this book as an introductory primer on the subject. Brooke provides a brief chronological history of each English king over this 400 year period that saw a great transformation of England from a disjointed island of kingdoms that looked to Scandinavia to the beginnings of a more unified nation-state that followed its destiny in the course of the Continent. To a lesser extent, the author also examines various facets of English life and government over this period and examines its changes and what aspects survive until this day. Brooke is also quite evenhanded in analyzing the Anglo-Saxon England and the England of the Normans, and even though his book was written over 30 years ago, and even though he cites many Victorian-era works in his bibligraphy, Brooke's book isn't as dated or as pro-English as one might think -- it has stood the test of time, including the "politically-correct" fad. The wealth of names and the sometimes rapid succession of kings sometimes left me puzzled as exactly who was who and who was in charge of the throne, but as I said before, the book is a solid starting point from which I plan to read more about medieval Europe and the kings and queens of that period.

Well written. I learned something. I like the Norton Library Series on Britain, so I've gotten all the other seven volumes too, even though they were written in the 60's.