Henry II was an enigma to contemporaries, and has excited widely divergent judgments ever since. Dramatic incidents of his reign, such as his quarrel with Archbishop Becket and his troubled relations with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, have attracted the attention of historical novelists, playwrights, and filmmakers, but with no unanimity of interpretation. That he was a great king there can be no doubt. Yet his motives and intentions are not easy to divine, and it is Professor Warren's contention that concentration on the great crises of the reign can lead to distortion. This book is therefore a comprehensive reappraisal of the reign based, with rare understanding, on contemporary sources; it provides a coherent and persuasive revaluation of the man and the king, and is, in itself an eloquent and impressive achievement.
- ISBN10 0413383903
- ISBN13 9780413383907
- Publish Date September 1977 (first published 1 January 1973)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 14 April 1994
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Methuen Publishing Ltd
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 720
- Language English