Customer Reviews

The Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England

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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.

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.

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