Plantagenet England 1225-1360 (New Oxford History of England) [Hardcover]

Michael Prestwich (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198228449 | ISBN-13: 978-0198228448 | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

In this thorough and illuminating work, Michael Prestwich provides a comprehensive study of Plantagenet England, a dramatic and turbulent period which saw many changes. In politics it saw Simon de Montfort's challenge to the crown in Henry II's reign and it witnessed the deposition of Edward I. In contrast, it also saw the highly successful rules of Edward I and his grandson, Edward III. Political institutions were transformed with the development of parliament and war was a dominant theme: Wales was conquered and the Scottish Wars of Independence started in Edward I's reign, and under Edward III there were triumphs at Cr�cy and Poitiers. Outside of politics, English society was developing a structure, from the great magnates at the top to the peasantry at the bottom. Economic changes were also significant, from the expansionary period of the thirteenth century to years of difficulty in the fourteenth century, culminating in the greatest demographic disaster of historical times, the Black Death. In this volume in the New Oxford History of England Michael Prestwich brings this fascinating century to life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Prestwich's contribution to the new series is clearly and gracefully written, soundly argued, and respectful of older authorities while recognizing new worksThis is a work that should proudly join its predecessors' volumes on our shelves."--Speculum

About the Author

Michael Prestwich has taught at Oxford and the University of St. Andrews before moving to the University of Durham in 1979. He has been Professor of History since 1986 and from 1992 to 1999 he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 664 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198228449
• ISBN-13: 978-0198228448
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive though a little uneven, August 27, 2008

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reader 451 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plantagenet England 1225-1360 (New Oxford History of England) (Paperback)

Michael Prestwich's review of Plantagenet England stretches from the Magna Carta to the Black Death, and even a little beyond, to the peace of Brétigny: not a very long, but a key period in English history. This particular book in the Oxford History has the major advantage of comprising both an event-driven account and a theme-based section. The political drama is thus put in context, and the necessary social tableau informed by the twists and turns of the kings' and other important men's doings.

The book is full of colourful individual anecdotes illustrating its broader analysis. It contains intriguing sections on crime and punishment and on the horrific Black Death. Prestwich indulges his pet themes, however, especially war and military strategy, while the essential subject of parliamentary development is left a little vague. This is the period when England's modern political institutions were born, when Westminster acquired a two-chamber parliament and embryo government institutions; this is of course mentioned, but it is a shame the book doesn't say more about how it came about. The economic and financial data can also be a little confused, the national debt calculations in one place bordering on incoherent. To some extent, though, these are minor quibbles, and the 575 pages this book contains are well worth reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Survey, April 17, 2011

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R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plantagenet England 1225-1360 (New Oxford History of England) (Paperback)

The second volume in the New Oxford History of England. Prestwich deals with the problem of balancing narrative and thematic exposition by essentially dividing the book into 2 halves. The first half is a largely a narrative of events from the reigns of Henry III to the end of Edward III's reign. This covers both the major political history and some institutional history, particularly the development of governmental institutions such as parliament and the Crown's fiscal powers. The second half is a thematic set of chapters covering social history, economic history, Church history, demography, the impact of the Black Death, and some treatment of artistic and intellectual history. The quality of writing is very good.

A particularly important themes is the development of a relatively powerful and bureaucratic royal government, often prompted by the pressures of war. The individual personalities and capabilities of different monarchs are important features of the history of this period. Complementing the increasing power of the Crown is emergence of important parliamentary instutions. Other themes are the expansion and increasing monetarization of the economy, the increasing substitution of monetary for feudal relationships, the growing power of landlords, the effects of the growing population, changes in military technology, and the catastrophic impact of the Black Death. Prestwich's division of the book into a narrative and a thematic section is logical and useful though it has the effect of leaving some important trends, such as the development of parliamentary institutions or increasing monetarization of the economy, are treated implicitly rather than explictly.

This book follows nicely from its predecessor. There is a nice timeline of events appended and a very good bibliography though the latter is not annotated.

5.0 out of 5 stars Plantagenet England, July 31, 2011

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HRHQB - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Plantagenet England 1225-1360 (New Oxford History of England) (Hardcover)

This is a great book though it is pretty heavy reading.
Fantastic detail of the era as you would expect being an Oxford History book