The Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England [Hardcover]

Michael Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2003

A king's death was a critical and highly dramatic moment, often with major political consequences. Death in battle, whether that of Harold at Hastings or Richard III at Bosworth, could end a dynasty, while the secret murders of Edward II, Richard II and Edward V blighted the fortunes of their murderers. The Death of Kings is an account of what is known about the deaths of all English medieval kings - natural, violent or accidental (as William Rufus's death while out hunting in the New Forest). It shows how contemporaries and later writers, including Shakespeare, drew morals from such deaths and about the characters of individual kings, giving these deaths an imaginative and symbolic resonance that has lasted until the present day. Full of fascinating detail and personal information about the characters and attitudes of English kings and queens, The Death of Kings is a unique window into the heart of medieval society.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Medieval England was not a good place to be a king, writes Evans-in an understatement-in this comprehensive study of the murders, battle deaths and accidental demises (and occasional death from natural causes) of 20 English monarchs between 1066 and 1485. Evans, a medieval historian who teaches at British universities, presents his meticulously researched material thematically, rather than chronologically, and like the medieval sources he mines, he focuses on the most "meaningful," "interesting" and "memorable" deaths. He uses these to address such topics as the medieval concept of death as divine retribution for misdeeds, the significance of burial places, the phenomenon of the royal martyr-saint and the surprising frequency of royal murder in the 14th and 15th centuries. Although the handful of illustrations add little, two charts showing death statistics for kings and queens may help readers who have trouble keeping the various royals straight. Throughout this scholarly work, Evans reminds readers that "medieval people saw history as a struggle between God and the Devil" and that contemporary historians chronicled deaths within this moralistic framework. He maintains a critical, distant tone, constantly questioning and analyzing his primary sources, so that his interesting book is ultimately as much about the problematics of storytelling in history as about the kings themselves.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"interesting"--Publishers Weekly Annex
-- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hambledon Continuum; 1St Edition edition (October 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852852682
• ISBN-13: 978-1852852689
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,802,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extensive, scholarly, and highly accessible account, November 15, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England (Hardcover)

The Death Of Kings: Royal Deaths In Medieval England by Michael Evans (Medieval History, Christ Church College, Canterbury, England) is an extensive, scholarly, and highly accessible account of all that is know about the deaths of medieval royalty, whether natural, by accident, or by murder. Demonstrating how writers of the era (and later) drew upon such deaths and gave them symbolic qualities that transcended the events of history, The Death Of Kings is a welcome and recommended addition to Medieval History Studies in general, and British Monarchial History collections in particular.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine study, January 20, 2010

By 

Nicklaus (Notting Hill) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England (Paperback)

This book takes its title from Shakespeare's Richard II, a passage which goes on to recount the many and varied ways mediaeval kings can, and have, met their demise.

In this fascinating and highly readable book, Michael Evans takes a thematic approach to his subject. We learn of death and burial, divine punishment, corruption of the body and so on. As anyone familiar with mediaeval history knows, sources cannot always be taken at face value, and the accounts of murders, deaths in battle, deaths by illness, etc, are not always historically accurate. Dr Evans's method, therefore, is to discuss particular deaths within these themes, going into the original sources in which the death is described, and then opening the discussion to include the mythology, the symbolism and the religious connotations to bring out the meaning behind each individual account. One intriguing section deals with royal murder and usurpation, making it a must-read for all those interested in deposed kings and their fate.

This is a highly erudite work, wonderful to read and is recommended to all who like to explore their history off the beaten track. An excellent book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review Death of Kings Book, December 14, 2009

By 

Katherine D. Russell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England (Hardcover)

This book was written by my college professor. It is extremely informative, and not a typical history book.