Product Description

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 Crécy 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #489898 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 664 pages

Times Literary Supplement, 17 February 2006
An admirable blend of clarity and objective empiricism.

Review
...a valuable addition to the 'New Oxford History of England' series ... Prestwich handles a wide range of topics skilfully and knowledgeably. This is a sober and judicious book which will have a wide appeal. (Martin Heale, History Journal )

...[a] valuable volume (Contemporary Review )

Impressive volume... a splendidly clear and useable account. (John Hudson, BBC History Magazine )

...an admirable blend of clarity and objective empiricism (Nicholas Vincent, Times Literary Supplement )

John Hudson, BBC History Magazine
"Impressive volume... a splendidly clear and useable account."

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive though a little uneven
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.