Tag: Edward the Black Prince

Book Review: “Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century” by Helen Carr

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The Plantagenets, a dynasty that ruled England for over three hundred years. At least that is if you include the Lancastrian and Yorkist kings. Otherwise, the reign of the Plantagenets ended with Richard II being overthrown. So, how did the Plantagenets fall? How did wars, favoritism, and the plague factor into the fall? Helen Carr examines these questions and the rule of three kings over the fourteenth century in her latest book, “Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century.”

I have really enjoyed Helen Carr’s insight into medieval English history in her book, The Red Prince, so when I heard she was writing a book about the Plantagenets again, with a focus on the fourteenth century, I was excited to read it. The idea in this book that caught my attention was the idea that the Plantagenet dynasty ended when Henry of Bolingbroke overthrew Richard II. As someone who believes that the Plantagenet dynasty ended with the death of Richard III, the concept that it ended almost a century earlier is intriguing.

We begin our adventure with a double reburial of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, the idea of King Edward I and his wife Eleanor of Castile. It was a kind gesture, but the prophecy that was left behind would be almost prophetic. With the death of King Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, the throne passed to his son Edward II. While Edward I was a strong warrior, Edward II was a handsome prince who only cared about his favorites, Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger. It would cause those around him, including his wife, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, to take action against him. Isabella and Mortimer placed Edward III on the throne, but they would soon learn that Edward III was not as passive as his father.

Edward III would return to the warrior state of mind like his grandfather Edward I. With his wife Philippa of Hainault, they would have a large family with many sons, including John of Gaunt and Edward the Black Prince. It would be Edward III who would try to take the French throne for England in a conflict known as the Hundred Years’ War (not the quickest war, and it didn’t go the way Edward III envisioned it). And to top it all off, Edward III had to deal with the emergence of the Black Death and how it affected not only his own family but England and Europe as a whole.

Before Edward III died, his heir, the Black Prince, died, which meant that the Black Prince’s son, Richard II, was destined to be the next king. However, youth and favoritism failed the king as chaos reigned ever since the start of his reign, with the Peasants’ Revolt, and ended with Henry of Bolingbroke becoming the first Lancastrian King, Henry IV.

This was another wonderful book by Helen Carr. It demonstrates Carr’s ability to balance extensive research with a narrative format to create an accessible history book that novices and experts will equally enjoy. My only qualm with this book, if you can call it an issue, is that I wanted it a bit longer so we get more analysis of how this one century affected English and European history as a whole. If you want a book that dives into the history of one of England’s most tumultuous centuries, I highly recommend you read “Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century” by Helen Carr.

Book Review: “The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV” by Helen Castor

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The story of the Plantagenets is filled with high triumphs and devastating tragedies. It is a story of families torn apart for a crown and the desire to either rule with an iron fist for the glory of England or live a life of luxury at the expense of their citizens. The story explored in this particular book is the tale of two cousins born months apart, Richard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke. Richard and Henry were not born to become King of England, but Fortune’s Wheel had a different plan for the cousins. So how did these cousins become kings and how did their tale turn to tragedy not only for their relationship but for all of England? Helen Castor tells the tale of these two Plantagenet kings in her latest book, “The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV.”

I want to thank Avid Reader Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have seen this book on social media and ever since it was announced, I knew I wanted to read it. I have enjoyed Castor’s posts online as well as her documentary on the She-Wolves, based on her book of the same name, so when I heard about this one, it was an intriguing premise and so I jumped at the chance to read it. 

The fact that Richard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke became King Richard II and King Henry IV respectively is quite the story. Richard was the son of Edward The Black Prince and Henry was the son of John of Gaunt; both of their fathers were sons of Edward III and so the idea was that one of his sons would inherit the throne. However, Edward III had different plans after the death of Edward The Black Prince. It was announced that the young Richard of Bordeaux would be crowned King of England. This should have been the first red flag for England because it means that a Regency council must be formed. There are fights for power and fights over finances that culminate in the Peasants’ Revolt. Richard II doesn’t have much desire to fight for his country on the battlefield against the French or the Scottish, but he does care about favoring his favorites, even if it means turning the government against him. One such group, the Appellant Lords, will prove an extremely dangerous challenge for Richard II, and it will include his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. While many of the Appellant Lords will end up dead, Henry Bolingbroke is merely exiled, which in the long run, was not the best decision for Richard II. 

In 1400, John of Gaunt died and the title as well as the lands of the Duke of Lancaster were turned over to Richard II while Henry Bolingbroke was in exile in France. This marks the turning point for Henry as he decides to invade England while Richard is away dealing with problems in Ireland. It will end with Richard’s abdication and the coronation of Henry Bolingbroke as King Henry IV. However, things are not all sunshine and rainbows for Henry IV, the 1st Lancastrian King of England, as he finds out that it is not easy being a king. 

I must applaud Castor for writing a dual biography that is both balanced and utterly brilliant. It did take me a while to read this book because I was taking so many notes while I was reading and it gave me a better understanding of this tumultuous time. I would suggest that if you do read this book, take your time so that you can understand the complex nature of the conflict between these two cousins. If you are a fan of the Plantagenet dynasty, I highly recommend you read, “The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV” by Helen Castor.

Book Review: “The Archer’s Tale” by Bernard Cornwell

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The year is 1342 in the sleepy coastal English town of Hookton when marauders attack and steal a precious relic. Thomas, a young archer, is the only survivor. With his father’s dying breath, he has given Thomas a mission to carry out, retrieve the relic, and avenge his family’s honor. The hunt for the man responsible takes Thomas to France during the beginning of the conflict that will be known as the Hundred Years’ War. Can Thomas of Hookton find the relic he was tasked to find or will another quest drag him into an even darker path? Thomas’s tale begins in the first book of the Grail Quest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell called, “The Archer’s Tale.”

I found this particular book in a used bookstore and it caught my eye. I have enjoyed the Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell and so when I saw that he had written a trilogy set during the Hundred Years’ War, I was intrigued. I wanted to see how well he would tackle the medieval period and the conflict between England and France.

We begin with the massacre of Hookton, which happened in the early hour of Easter morning 1342. The prize that the raiders are after is the lance that St. George used to slay the dragon, or that’s the story that Father Ralph tells the town. His illegitimate son Thomas is given the task of recovering the lance for a man wearing black armor with a blue and yellow standard who happened to be Thomas’s cousin. As there is nothing left for Thomas in Hookton, he decides to join Will Skeat and his archers in France as they fight for King Edward III and his son Edward the Black Prince. It is in Brittany that Thomas is introduced to the Blackbird, a female archer whose true identity is Jeanette the widowed Countess of Armorica who is trying to protect her young son, the new Count of Armorica from the English.

After saving Jeanette from a complicated situation, Thomas is on the run for killing a man. It is while he is on the run that his life is saved by a Jewish doctor and in return, Thomas saves the life of a girl named Eleanor. This girl is the illegitimate daughter of Sir Guillaume d’Evecque, a French nobleman who was with the black armored man who attacked Hookton. They both have a grudge against the man, but Sir Guillaume offers Thomas a different quest, which is to find the Holy Grail, the same relic the man in black armor is searching for. Thomas decides that he must help his friends in the English army as they face off against the French army in the battle that will be known as the Battle of Crecy.

As someone who is a fan of the Saxon Stories series, I felt like Thomas of Hookton was very much like Uhtred of Bebbanburg in the way that he is on a long quest for revenge, but he discovers that he is destined for a bigger purpose and an even more deadly path. I found myself enjoying the way Cornwell portrays medieval England and France during this conflict and I am looking forward to seeing where Thomas of Hookton will go next and if he will get his revenge and recover the Holy Grail. If you love medieval tales full of adventure and action, you should check out the first book in The Grail Quest, “The Archer’s Tale” by Bernard Cornwell.

Book Review: “The Granddaughters of Edward III” by Kathryn Warner

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Granddaughters of Edward IIIWhen we think about the legacy of Edward III, we often think about a warrior king who became king after his father, Edward II’s disastrous fall from grace. We know about his sons that he had with his beloved wife, Philippa of Hainault: Edward the Black Prince, Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. Famously, we get the 15th-century conflict known as the Wars of the Roses through the descendants of Edward III. However, the male descendants only tell half the story of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault’s legacy in England and throughout Europe. In her latest book, “The Granddaughters of Edward III,” Kathryn Warner examines the lives of Edward III’s female descendants to better appreciate the strength of this group of branches of the Plantagenet family tree.

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. I am always looking for more books about the Plantagenets, and I know a bit about Edward III’s sons but not much about his granddaughters.

Warner has chosen to take a joint biography approach to this book by focusing on nine out of eleven of Edward III’s granddaughters. These eleven granddaughters were the daughters of Lionel Antwerp, John of Gaunt, Isabella Woodstock, Edmund of Langley, and Thomas of Woodstock. The eleven granddaughters of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault were: Philippa of Clarence, Philippa of Lancaster, Elizabeth of Lancaster, Marie de Coucy, Philippa de Coucy, Catalina of Lancaster, Constance of York, Joan Beaufort, Anne of Gloucester, Joan of Gloucester, and Isabel of Gloucester.

These women were not just great ladies in England, but in the case of Philippa of Lancaster and Catalina of Lancaster, they were Queens of Portugal and Castile, respectively. Philippa of Lancaster ushered in the Illustrious Generation in the history of the royal family of Portugal. Catalina married her mother’s mortal enemy to create a stronger connection between England and Castile. Back in England, the remaining granddaughters had to deal with rebellions against King Henry IV, resulting in husbands and sons being beheaded. One had married her former brother-in-law when her husband died, and another had an affair with the king’s half-brother, resulting in the birth of an illegitimate daughter. A granddaughter had her marriage annulled when her husband decided to marry a lady-in-waiting. One began her life as an illegitimate child and would end up being the grandmother to two Kings of England.

Warner has been able to take the stories of these eleven women who shared a grandfather and show how their tales transformed England, Castile, and Portugal forever. The amount of love and attention she dedicated to this book is admirable. I appreciate how Warner could give readers who only understood the English side of these tales a better understanding of the political situations in Castile and Portugal. If you want a book with brand new medieval heroines with a connection to the Plantagenet dynasty, I highly recommend you read “The Granddaughters of Edward III” by Kathryn Warner.

Book Review: “Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown: The Kings and Queens Who Never Were” by J.F. Andrews

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52645565._SX318_SY475_In history, we tend to focus on those who were crowned kings and queens of different nations. Their strengths and their weaknesses. Their accessions and the legacies that they left behind. With every story of someone who triumphed in gaining the throne, there are tales of those who were close to the throne but were never able to achieve the ultimate goal of ruling a nation. These “lost heirs” fall into two categories; either their names live on in infamy or they are thrown into the dust of the past. Who were these men and women and why did they lose their chances to sit on the throne? These questions are explored in J.F. Andrews’ book, “Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown: The Kings and Queens Who Never Were”.

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. The title was what drew me into reading it, since these figures rarely get attention, let alone have an entire book dedicated to their lives. I have never read a book by J.F. Andrews, which is not surprising since it is a pseudonym for a historian who has a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies. I want to know who the historian really is since, in the historical field, it is a rarity to use a pseudonym, but that may just be my own personal curiosity.

Andrews’ book begins with the death of William the Conqueror and extends through the reign of Henry VII. With over 500 years of Medieval English history (with the main focus being on the Plantagenet family), it can get a bit confusing to figure out how everyone is connected, but Andrews provides a simplified family tree at the beginning of each chapter to help the reader out. It is a brilliant move and it also shows how vast Andrews’ knowledge of Medieval England’s royal families truly is.

When we tend to think about those would inherit the throne, we tend to think about the firstborn sons, like Robert Curthose, Henry the Young King, Edward the Black Prince, and Edward V. However, as the reader will learn, they were not the only ones who had a chance at the throne. Men, like Richard duke of York, believed that their claim to the throne was stronger than the person who was king. There were also those who were seen as a threat to the king who sat on the throne because of their lineage. They were all legitimate, as Andrews chose not to include those who were illegitimate.

Another factor that united all of these stories was that they all ended in tragedy. Some died from medical conditions at a young age. Others were either imprisoned, never to be heard from again. Yet the majority died in battle, either fighting for or against the king who sat on the throne at the time. Most of them, except for Richard duke of York, died relatively young, which makes us as readers wonder what their reigns might have been like if they were able to be crowned king or queen respectfully.

Overall, I found this book rather informative. Andrews’ writing is enjoyable and is easy to follow. This book really makes you wonder what if these lost heirs became kings and queens, how different history would have been. If you want to read an intriguing book about some mysterious men and women in history, I highly recommend you read, “Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown: The Kings and Queens Who Never Were” by J.F. Andrews.