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The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England: 1327--1330 Hardcover – March 7, 2006

by Ian Mortimer (Author)

29 customer reviews

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One night in August 1323, a captive rebel baron, Sir Roger Mortimer, drugged his guards and escaped from the Tower of London. With the king's men-at-arms in pursuit he fled to the south coast and sailed to France. There he was joined by Isabella, the Queen of England, who threw herself into his arms. A year later, as lovers, they returned with an invading army: King Edward II's forces crumbled before them and Mortimer took power. He removed Edward II in the first deposition of a monarch in British history. Then the ex-king was apparently murdered, some said with a red-hot poker, in Berkeley Castle.

Brutal, intelligent, passionate, profligate, imaginative, and violent, Sir Roger Mortimer was an extraordinary character. It is not surprising that the Queen lost her heart to him. Nor is it surprising that his contemporaries were terrified of him. But until now no one has appreciated the full evil genius of the man. This first biography reveals not only Mortimer's career as a feudal lord, a governor of Ireland, a rebel leader, and a dictator of England, but also the truth of what happened that night in Berkeley Castle.

The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England: 1327--1330

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Product Details

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (March 7, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312349416
ISBN-13: 978-0312349417
Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2046 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Great Britain
- #2104 in Books > History > Europe > Great Britain > England

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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars

5 star		69%
4 star		24%
3 star		4%
2 star		0%
1 star		3%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

Traitor against Fate?

By lordhoot on July 23, 2006

Format: Hardcover

It was with extreme pleasure that I read The Greatest Traitor, life and time of Sir Roger Mortimer written by Ian Mortimer although the author insisted that there is no relationship between himself and his subject. The book proves to be well written and researched although lack of primary sources in many part of Roger Mortimer's life hampered the author's effort. Many of these parts lies with Mortimer's personal life. He did married young and had host of children but there's really nothing in the book that reflects what Mortimer was like, as a father and husband outside of few references. This proves to be the book's only weakness and it may have been out of the author's control to provide.

The author make his case very well that Roger Mortimer was one of England's greatest traitors. Mortimer's actions against his country, his King Edward II, his oath of fealty, his relationship with Queen Isabella and his dominates over Edward III clearly marked him as worst offender of his class. However, the author also tempered that case with the reasoning that many of the things Mortimer did was in self-defense of his lands, honor and life. That Edward II was a bad ruler who ruled terribly. It wasn't until Mortimer and Isabella had total control during the regency of Edward III that they began to act and ruled like tyrants.

This book goes well with Alison Weir's Queen Isabella biography as both of them reflects on the same theory about the fate of Edward II. The Fieschi letter dominate both books that Edward II died peacefully as a religious exile in Italy and not murdered horribly in Berkely Castle as regular history books goes.Read more ›

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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

extraordinarily fine biography, superb on every level

By Beth E. Williams VINE VOICE on June 14, 2009

Format: Hardcover

Mortimer has done what is almost impossible today: a truly well researched and engaging biography with the blood still pumping madly in the body. His manner of writing is elegant and never academic; he "sees" the whole tempestuous era and the man with a refined eye, he has vision. My one minute complaint is that the author is overly harsh, in my opinion, about the "treason" of Roger Mortimer - honestly, considering the grotesque travesty that Queen Isabella, from the age of 12 onward, had to endure from her "husband" and what the country itself had to endure with a man who clearly preferred to be doing anything but ruling, guiding, shepherding his country and people, as the anointed king, I wonder that historians haven't recognized that the greatest treason was Edward II against his own heritage, people and government. I was particularly horrifed to read of the brutal betrayal and execution of Llewelyn; perhaps the single act that drove Roger Mortimer to break with Edward II?

As for the likelihood that Edward II survived I would agree with the author's hypothesis, in order to preserve his own life and that of the Queen, as Edward III came to age, was to keep Edward II alive, somewhere, as a hedge against retribution. Had Mortimer died in the Tower, or in exile, and never deposed Edward II one has to wonder if Edward III would have ever had the reign he had: a young man with his whole life in front of him. Had Edward II stayed on the throne and if he lived at least as long as his father, Edward I, then "our" Edward III would have been middle aged, at best, when he ascended the crown.Read more ›

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

Life in the fast lane

By Atheen on May 24, 2010

Format: Hardcover

Okay, to begin with, I actually got interested in this period and ran into personalities of it while reading murder mysteries set in the period by Candice Robb, The Cross-Legged Knight and others. That led me to wanting more of the background of the period. I had run across the story of Sir Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella in reading on the Kings Edward (I-III) of England and their time period. Once one gets started on a dramatic and captivating story, however, it's difficult not to follow up with an investigation of other important figures in the drama. I soon discovered by further reading in Alison Weir's Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England that this Queen was not just the "evil queen" backdrop for the reign of her son the "good king" Edward that some of the other books suggested. That discovery led me to wonder just how real the "greedy and treacherous" lover, Roger Mortimer, might be. The bibliography in Isabella lead me in turn to this book.

While I have to say that The Greatest Traitor seemed like an effort to rehabilitate the reputation of a rather unsavory character, I also have to admit that the author makes a good case for believing that Sir Roger was indeed the person he had hoped to be until events prevented him from remaining so. In fact more than any other book on the period, this one makes it obvious that the conditions of the time were such that many men of good intentions probably ended up going off the rails for some of the same reasons, mostly survival.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Roger Mortimer, flaws and all.

I love to read books by Ian Mortimer so I was biased going into this. He did not disappoint. Fascinating subject matter well written and researched. Read more

Published 2 months ago by gbash

Four Stars

I didn't know much about Mortimer so found the book very informative.

Published 3 months ago by Janice Sisti

Tour de Force of History Writing

OMG. This was such a great book. Most especially read his entire chapter on the putative death of Edward II. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Julie Murphy

I am no historian but I enjoyed this book.

Ian Mortimer once again proves he is one of the best historians of medieval English history with "The Greatest Traitor". Read more

Published 7 months ago by Larry Jones

The paradox of success: from hero to dictator

Ian Mortimer's effort to outline the character of this historical villain his largely successful. It shows in vivid details how he went from being close to Edward II, being part of... Read more

Published 7 months ago by ulpio

very interesting

Loved the book, although sometimes there are excessive details for informational purposes which footnoted, rather than included in the overall story. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Dan B.

Five Stars

One of my favorite history people.

Published 10 months ago by sharon l pena

Couldn't put it down.

Well written and attention keeping.

Published 11 months ago by R. Fass

Four Stars

A very slow read

Published 12 months ago by malcolm rogers

BRILLIANT HISTORY TOLD BY A BRILLIANT WRITER!

Ian Mortimer, you did it again! "The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer" is BRILLIANT! My first book I read of Mr. Mortimer's was on Edward III. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Patti