Product Description

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 the man'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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22770 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 377 pages

Review
' Mortimer' s book roars, races and sings-with a sense of passion and drama and an unrelenting pace.' Ann Wroe, Daily Telegraph

History Today (Professor Nigel Saul)
‘A superb study of the man who was effective ruler of England from 1327 to 1330...'

Times Literary Supplement (Dr Alex Burghart)
‘His book is a deeply competent and cogent portrait.'

Customer Reviews

Fine biography of an unfairly forgotten figure
Ian Mortimer does a grand job in shining a light on a dark corner of English history. I first came across the notorious Roger Mortimer years ago as a kid when my father took me on a guided trip to 'Mortimer's Hole', Roger's hiding place at Nottingham Castle. There wasn't much said about Roger, just that he murdered King Edward II and ruled the realm before being undone in 1330 by the young Edward III. Ian Mortimer puts flesh on his bones here, with a meticulously researched account of his life with some compelling detail [such as Roger's grandfather keeping Simon de Montfort's head as a souvenir]and well drawn portraits of Roger and his supporting cast - Aymer de Valence, for example, emerges as a fascinating character.

Ian Mortimer convincingly puts Roger's alleged villainy into context and makes us sympathise with him and the actions he took against an incompetent and inadequate ruler. The self-interested and sort-sighted acts of Edward II and the other members of the ruling order remind us that a corrupt political elite is far from a recent phenomenon.

The book is excellent throughout, but perhaps Ian Mortimer overeggs the pudding with his insistent support for the conspiracy theory that Edward II survived his stint in Berkley Castle and lived on for years in exile in Italy. I suppose this does help to put a new angle on the story and there just may be something in it, but I don't think the evidence as displayed here is really convincing. Similar stories have been circulated about a number of historical figures [Richard II during his usurper Henry IV's reign and Richard Duke of York during Henry VII's time], but all make more sense as opportunist political plots. Edward II's alleged survival doesn't seem to me any more likely. But whether you buy the revisionism or not, this a well-written and fascinating book.

Thoroughly exciting and compelling reading.
Where were history books like this when I was at school?

Mortimer's account of the actions of his namesake is gripping, exciting and at the same time wince-inducing.

There is no doubt that England in the early 1300s was not a green and pleasant land to live in. The behaviour of the noble classes was anything but noble; self-interest was their driving force.

This book traces the story behind the overthrow of King Edward II because he had become a self-absorbed tyrant who flouted his cornation oath and the laws of the land. It is obviously hard to delve deeply into the minds of people who left little in the way of written records. A historian has to rely on tidbits and implications. Nonetheless, I found this book to be absorbing and exciting.

The pace is excellent, and luckily for the reader, there is a reasonable narrative to follow. In addition, the author has avoided the problem of peoples' names changing as they inherit titles, and so on. This latter aspect can make the reading of medieval history very trying.

Another reviewer has accused the author of revisionism. This is the sort of allegation that is always thrown against a proponent of a radical or alternative perspective.

There is NO doubt that the limited scope for free expression and constant pressure applied by the Church would have made the discussion of Edward's sexuality a taboo for many centuries. What the author has done is to look at the king and judge his behaviour, rather than his sexuality. Edward's habit of rewarding his favourites at the expense of others was his undoing, as much as his refysal to listen to wise counsel.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone with a keen interest in the history of England.

Fascinating, engrossing and superbly researched
This book caught my interest as although I had heard of Roger Mortimer, it was in connection with Isabella rather than as a personality in his own right. The present day Ian Mortimer (no relation!!) has done a truly fantastic job of bringing the era and the man to vivid life - no mean feat. Superbly researched and steering away from the assumptions made by some writers when the source material is sketchier than required, this book conveys a real sense of the person - how he felt, why he did what he did and the time in which he lived. When you consider just how much influence Roger Mortimer had on the future course of British history, it's amazing that he has received so little attention.
If only all historical biographies were like this - a rattling good yarn, told with great skill and with strict adherence to the facts - wonderful!