The English Monarchs
1 primary work • 3 total works
Book 11
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.
"King John" is a study not only of a king and his political misfortunes, but also of a period - a period of profound changes in society at large, and hence one of unprecedented stressed. John's personality, so distorted by chronicles such as Roger of Wendover and Matthew Paris, is investigated through his acts: but he is seen also against the background of his predecessors on the throne, of the society in which he lived and of the problems that were posed for a rule by that society. John was the fourth son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive to manhood. In his younger days he was irresponsible, selfish and disloyal, but from 1194 he began to emerge as much more like his father than any of the brothers whose prowess he had formerly sought to rival.Only Henry II himself is comparable to the later John in his powers of organization and the ability, invaluable in a ruler, to bend his energies to points of administrative detail. The account of John's reign is fascinating, revealing and extremely readable. Dr. Warren's analysis of the contemporary situation explains the true significance of the struggle for the Magna Carta.
He is unsparing in his criticism of John's failing but gives due recognition to his remarkable activities.
He is unsparing in his criticism of John's failing but gives due recognition to his remarkable activities.