The Perfect King is, as
the title suggests, a biography of Edward III, who reigned in the 14th
century. It’s a bit modern for me as far as history goes, but I had
hugely enjoyed Mortimer’s The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England and was looking forward forward to it.
The history begins
ahead of Edward III’s own story, which helps to set the scene and
establish the situation into which he was born and grew. The difficulties his father, Edward II, suffered (and caused) are gone into
in sufficient detail to create the context for Edward III’s own
story, without going overboard. It’s worth noting the author
employs the simple consistency of referring to Edward III as ‘Edward’
throughout (handy when his father shared the name and his eldest son,
usually called ‘the prince’ or ‘the Black Prince’, likewise).
I had the vague notion
that Edward II had been murdered by red hot poker, though the author
disagrees. Direct evidence of Edward’s father’s survival is
scarce, but the circumstantial evidence is quite numerous, and a
credible case is made for Edward II surviving for years longer than
is generally believed.
The amount of
information is extensive, and not limited to battles and war
(although I must admit that is what most interested me). It was
fascinating to read how early moment swung to and fro as Edward
tussled with King Philip of France.
Throughout the book,
the author does a good job in the useful (and sometimes essential)
task of providing context to the actions and speech that are
described. The medieval world is, in many ways, far removed from ours
and the behaviour of those in the 14th century can seem
inexplicable, without explanation.
The succession of sad
news and rapid descent from glory to tragedy of Edward towards the
end of his long reign (one of the longest in English history) is very
sympathetic. It takes little imagination to place oneself with an old
man whose mind is fraying daily but who remains burdened by royal
responsibility (particularly in the modern age, when Alzheimer’s is
on the march).
It’s slightly
surprising there wasn’t a brief section on the immediate aftermath
of Edward’s death, regarding the succession.
The book has a number
of maps near the beginning, including England, the Anglo-Scottish
borders, France and other bits of Europe. Unlike some maps in books,
they’re detailed without being cluttered, and none of the maps get
partially devoured by the spine of the book.
Notes are frequent
throughout. It’s a small thing, but I much prefer footnotes to
having notes explained at the back of a book, which happens here.
Checking back and forth is a little more tedious than glancing at the
bottom of the page.
As is common with this
sort of book, there are a number of photographs (black and white) and
the odd picture contained within. The tombs are particularly
interesting as they feature, in all likelihood, realistic depictions
of the faces of significant figures, including Edward.
The end has eight
appendices. Generally, these were of little interest to me (excepting
an interesting explanation of why I* was almost certainly descended
from Edward III). However, the whole purpose of appendices is to
provide additional information that doesn’t sit easily in the main
body of text or is not essential to the main subject, so that’s not
an issue.
*Well, anyone with
English ancestry. But that includes me.
I really rather like
this book, and finished it feeling that I had an understanding of
England prior to and after Edward’s reign, as well as the impact of
major events (including the Black Death) on society. I have a little
knowledge of the era but wouldn’t say I was well-versed in it, and
never felt confused or out of my depth.
Thaddeus
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