Customer Reviews

The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain 1066-1284

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Carpenter's survey of post-Conquest Britain somehow manages to be both very detailed and very broad. As expected, he focuses mainly on the political and religious aspects of the period, but he is careful to include social history (including discussions of slavery, the peasantry, queenship and chivalry)where it impinges on those subjects. The result is magnificently clear narrative of this complicated and turbulent era. Four chapters of purely social history round out the story: two at the beginning discuss the peoples and economy of Britain, and two near the end summarize "The Structures of Society" and the "Church, Religion, Literacy, and Learning." Within the main body of the text he provides short overviews of Welsh and Scots power structures and history. These are especially welcome additions, and though he generally includes only the details that help make sense of Anglo-Norman actions, he writes these sections from a Welsh or Scottish perspective.

Surprisingly, the most gripping parts of the book concern subjects that might be thought dry. Carpenter excels at dealing with abstractions. His description of the legal system, which changed several times throughout the period and eventually gave rise to both common law and the Magna Carta, is actually thrilling. His discussions of the economy, feudal rights and obligations, and the importance of the castle to medieval politics are fascinating. Of course, all this comes at a price: he doesn't have room for much in the way of anecdote, and a few subjects that ought to make for exciting reading (the civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda, the reign of Henry II)are a little flat. Sometimes, maddeningly, he refers to good stories (Matilda's daring escapes, "notorious" clerical crimes, the romantic intrigues of Nest, a Helen of Wales) and then refrains from telling them. Other chapters in history fare better; his coverage of William I, William Rufus, and Henry I was especially lively and satisfying. The small sacrifices he makes to narrative cleanliness don't detract from the work's readability; it's compelling throughout--it's just what's compelling that gets you.

There are a few more serious omissions, or rather near-omissions. The crusades get little attention, and I would have liked to hear more about the major female players. Still, he covers everything at least briefly--in itself a staggering achievement. In short, this is a thorough introduction to the period, an engrossing read, and a fine update on contemporary medieval scholarship. Indispensable.