England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 (New Oxford History of England) [Hardcover]

Robert Bartlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2000 | Series: New Oxford History of England

This vivid and comprehensive account of the politics, religion, and culture of England in the century and a half after the Norman Conquest lays bare the patterns of everyday life, and increases our understanding of medieval society at a time when England was more closely tied to Europe than ever before.

This was a period in which the ruling dynasty and military aristocracy were deeply enmeshed with the politics and culture of France. The book describes their conflicts and their preoccupations: the sense of honour, the role of violence, and the glitter of tournament, heraldry, and Arthurian romance. The author explores the mechanics of their government, and analyzes the part played by the Church at a time of radical developments in religious life and organization. He investigates the role of ordinary men and women: the fundamental importance of the peasant economy in the growing urban and commercial arenas; and also their outlook on the world, including their views on the past; on gender and behavior; on animals; the undead, and the occult. The result is a fascinating and complex account of a period which begins with conquest and ends in assimilation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`there can be few who will not read this book with profit ... good value ... well illustrated ... this volume is a good read, from whom all readers, at any levels, will learn much.' John S.Moore, Journal of the Society of Archivists, Vol.22, No 1, 2001

`This is a superb work of scholarship that will inspire future generatioins to cherish and to further investigate the medieval past. No reader could fail to be impressed by its scope and its flair.' Nicholas Vincent, EHR, April 2001

`one of the most brilliant and idiosyncratic books ever to have been published on the history of medieval England. The freshness of Bartlett's approach is entirely exhilarating. Much as we might presume to know the chief twelfth-century sources, time after time Bartlett will throw in some new authority, or reintroduce us to the familiar, scattering spice for even the most jaded of palates ... This book deserves to command a wide popular readership.' Nicholas Vincent, EHR, April 2001

The thematic approach works extremely well, especially for the chapters on religion: his explanation of ecclesistical organization can hardly be bettered. His coverage of cultural, social, and economic matters is enlivened by amy anecdotes and dicersions; throughout he brings to the fore the humanity of the age and the concerns of the indiviual.

`startlingly clear and often unusual images of life under the Norman nd Angevin kings.' B.R. O'Brien, CHOICE Nov. 2000, Vol. 38, No.3.

`The book makes brilliant use of contemporary writers.' B.R. O'Brien, CHOICE Nov. 2000, Vol.38, No.3.

`his book is "fresh, direct, and appealing" and will reward readers at many levels.' B.R. O'Brien, CHOICE Nov. 2000, Vol.38, No.3.

`The New Oxford History of England series replaces the Oxford History of England, the first volume of which was published in 1934. Replacing those venerated works was a daunting task. New scholarship and a wider vision of history required a new synthesis. It has been accomplished in this volume wiht superb success ... This huge but not terribly expensive book has a little of everything.' Spring 2000.

`In bringing to life the anxieties of twelfth-century Englishmen, Bartlett rescues from oblivion sources which are either unknown or far too little known.' John Gillingham, TLS

About the Author

Robert Bartlett is Wardlaw Professor of Medieval History, University of St. Andrews, and author of Gerald of Wales (OUP, 1992), Trial by Fire and Water (OUP, 1986), and The Making of Europe (1993).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198227418
• ISBN-13: 978-0198227410
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent coverage of a complex and exciting period, August 11, 2001

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 (New Oxford History of England) (Hardcover)

Anyone familiar with the Cambridge History collection will be familiar with the format of this book. Essentially Bartlett's work is an expansion of an epoch of English history from, roughly, 1066 to 1200 and covers the reigns of William the Conqueror and the generations of Norman and Angevin kings succeeding him on the throne. Like the Cambridge History series, England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings dissects the period, examining life from nearly every aspect: military events of each reign, relations between king and nobility, king and commoner and king and heirs, social strata, cost of armaments, land holding and land use, cost of living and inflationary trends, law courts, rise of a merchant middle class, growth of cities, etc. The volume is incredibly thorough in its coverage of the period, and its bibliography is impressive. Original documents are described and cited throughout the book, providing the dedicated reader with primary sources with which to follow up his/her interests. It would be an excellent secondary source book for someone doing research on the period. It is however very deep and detailed and takes considerable time to read. Light reading it isn't, even for the history buff, but it is worth doing for anyone interested in this very active, very complex period.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effortless transportation through time, January 10, 2005

By 

Stephen Balbach (Ashton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 (New Oxford History of England) (Paperback)

Bartlett acts as a wonderful guide through the many layers of Medieval life. As he says in the Preface this is an "entry-point of the understanding of processes only slowly unfolding, sometimes across centuries". The book has a very narrow focus in both place and time, yet goes very deep in detail covering all aspects of medieval life. It is a long book that could easily be read in chapters in no particular order, but I read it straight through cover to cover hopeing it would not end for want of Bartletts engaging prose and wealth of fascinating source material. Perhaps the best compliment of all is my desire to want to learn more.

It is an academic book and not always easy with some sections that are fairly boring (economic production figures, calculations of the number of sheep in the country), but overall the balance of interesting material outweighs these sections and makes the effort well worth the veins of gold. Most of all, it is highly trustworthy and authoritative; Bartlett is one in a long line of English historians who endeavored to be readable, arming themselves, as Roger of Wendover (13th C) says, against both "the listless hearer and the fastidious reader" by "presenting something which each may relish," and so providing for the joint "profit and entertainment of all."

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An ambitious overview of an interesting period, April 13, 2000

By 

Richard C Davidson (Salt lake city, utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 (New Oxford History of England) (Hardcover)

Bartlett tries to cover practically every aspect of life during his period, from court politics to village religious life to sexual mores. He does a nice jobe of balancing the general and the specific, reinforcing his general conclusions with interesting anecdotes. Some parts are more tedious than others, depending on your tastes - since he deals with so many issues, some are bound to interest the reader more than others.