The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199 (The Medieval World) [Paperback]

Ralph V. Turner (Author), Richard R. Heiser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0582256593 | ISBN-13: 978-0582256590 | Publication Date: July 11, 2000

This ground-breaking and substantive new history considers Richard's reign from a perspective that is as much French as English. Viewing the king himself as a great military commander, it also shows him as a more competent administrator than previously acknowledged. Modern revisionist work allows the authors to correct many misconceptions about Richard's French possessions, and recent scholarship on his rival, Philip Augustus, permits examination of the formidable threat that the resurgent Capetian monarchy represented.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"significant and useful...important to anyone interested in King Richard, the history of the various territories under his control, or the study of medieval government" Albion "This book is both useful and important." H-net reviews

"a monograph that presents the Lionheart's reign in a much more complete way than any previous study...an exemplary study that places Richard more fimly in his European context than ever before." Speculm

From the Back Cover

Richard Lionheart (Richard I) , has been traditionally viewed as warrior king, and a model of kingly and knightly virtues. In this work, the king's greatness as a military commander is demonstrated, his skills as politician and administrator are also highlighted. Draws on the latest work of feudalism, corrects many misconceptions and presents a vital new approach to one of medieval history's most fascinating periods. Uses original French as well as English sources. Covers England, as well, as the Crusades. Readers interested in Medieval History. Also available in Hardcover 0-582-25660-7.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Longman Group United Kingdom (July 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582256593
• ISBN-13: 978-0582256590
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,466,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ralph V. Turner was born on a plantation outside Forrest City, Arkansas, where he attended public schools. He was a history major at the University of Arkansas, where he took his BA and MA. Following graduation, he spent an academic year at Poitiers, France, as a Fulbright Scholar. That year was a life-changing experience, creating a thirst for travel,learning and the scholar's life that has never been quenched. On his return from France, he enrolled at the Johns Hopkins University, where he completed his doctorate in history in 1962, writing his thesis on the English royal courts of justice under King John and Henry III. A revised and expanded version was published as 'The King and his Courts' by Cornell University Press (1968). He joined the history faculty of the Florida State University at Tallahassee after leaving Johns Hopkins, and he spent most of his academic career there, continuing to do research and write on medieval English history, chiefly on the Angevin kings and their government. This interest led him to turn to study of Magna Carta and its impact on Anglo-American government and politics, 'Magna Carta through the Ages' (Pearson 2003). He became interested in writing collective biographies of royal administrators in 12th-century England, and later he tackled biographies of King John (Longman 1994; History Press 2009) of Richard Lionheart co-authored with his former student Richard R. Heiser(Pearson 2000). Yet his interest in French history and civilization remained strong, and he became more and more interested in the Angevin kings' French possessions, an interest whetted by his studies of Richard I and John. His year as a student at Poitiers had aroused a lifelong interest in Eleanor of Aquitaine, and after his retirement from teaching in 2000, he turned to uncovering a true image of that scandal-ridden queen in a new biography. It was published by Yale University Press in spring 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be Warned: This is administrative history, not a biography., January 17, 2003

By 

Lois Huneycutt (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199 (The Medieval World) (Paperback)

Most people don't find the dull records of administration to make for scintillating reading, but for those who already know a lot about Richard I and want a new perspective, this is an excellent study. It places Richard in a European-wide context in a way few studies have done before. However, it does not address (because it is not intended to address) some of the more fascinating aspects of Richard's career: The crusade, his personal life, etc.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Richard III Lionheart: one man, many interpretations, November 23, 2007

By 

Robert Fripp "RobertFripp.ca/" (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199 (The Medieval World) (Paperback)

'The Reign of Richard Lionheart: ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199' shows how fashions in scholarship have swung across a range of judgments and opinions, from adulation, to disgust for a king who had time only for war. 'The Reign of Richard Lionheart' tracks nearly eight hundred years worth of wildly different, parallel interpretations of Richard's history. Historical fashion is as much the topic here as this controversial king's achievements."

Do not mistake this book for a straightforward biography of Richard III. Rather, it is a study of many interpretations of the man. Depending on the age in which they wrote, historians have suffered severe mood-swings: they either loved him or reviled him, his warlike career interpreted either as a badge of honor or of shame (while he spent a fortune on war and neglected other aspects of his subjects' care).

By Robert Fripp, author of
Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199, April 9, 2010

By 

M. Patricia Cochlin "PastHunter" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199 (The Medieval World) (Paperback)

This ten year time capsule of Richard I's reign is insightful. It is definitely a good source for research on the topic.