A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain

by Marc Morris Narrated by Ralph Lister

Overview

Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks," conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in Braveheart). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort, traveled to the Holy Land, and conquered Wales. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments. Notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.



In this book, Marc Morris examines afresh the forces that drove Edward throughout his relentless career: his character, his Christian faith, and his sense of England's destiny-a sense shaped in particular by the tales of the legendary King Arthur. He also explores the competing reasons that led Edward's opponents (including Robert Bruce) to resist him.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/12/2015
In an age of chivalry and ever-shifting political boundaries, Edward I typified the ideal medieval monarch in his significant military conquests, construction of notable castles and towns, and participation in the Crusades. Morris (The Norman Conquest) expertly puts Edward’s achievements, such as the Model Parliament, into historical context while laying bare—and making interesting—the king’s struggles. The account primarily centers on Edward’s role as monarch; there’s comparatively little development of his personal relationships with his much-loved wife and tragedy-prone children. Edward’s flaws (expelling the Jews, throwing temper tantrums, and levying heavy taxes) receive clear analysis; Morris wryly notes that an aging Edward benefited from outliving many of his detractors. Descriptions of Edward waging war in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and even Gascony maintain a level of excitement as Morris cleverly builds anticipation, never dropping a narrative thread. In Morris’ able hands, readers accompany Edward Longshanks as he earns his legendary status as the larger-than-life warrior king who defeated Scotland’s William Wallace, held on to his French lands, and built a reputation nearly impossible for later Plantagenet rulers to duplicate. Illus. (Mar.)

The Providence Journal

"Morris does a splendid job of distinguishing England, Scotland and Wales in geographic, topographic, political and cultural terms. His descriptions of battles, political shenanigans and betrayals are as clear as a bell and his enthusiasm for his subject helps to make this biography something of a page turner."

Midwest Book Review

"Enhanced with color and b&w photos, a list of abbreviations, chapter notes, a bibliography, Family Trees, and a comprehensive index, A Great And Terrible King is an extraordinary read and highly recommended for both community and academic library collections."

Booklist

"An informative and easily digestible account of the life of an important if often unattractive medieval monarch."

The Literary Review

"A splendid example of the genre. An excellent, readable account of his reign."

The Times Literary Supplement

"The title of Marc Morris’ book is apt. No king of England had a greater impact on the peoples of Britain than Edward I. Morris has succeeded in writing a book for today."

The Bookseller

"Marc Morris is historical biography’s newest star."

Allan Massie

"Uncommonly good. Edward was a remarkable man, and a great king. Marc Morris does him justice. It’s compelling stuff."

From the Publisher

"[V]ivid details and an engaging narrative style bring the man and his period to life." ---Library Journal Starred Review

The Historian

A modern classic. This is a thoroughly readable study, written in a lively and accessible manner and full of fresh insights into a crucial period of British history.

Booklist

An informative and easily digestible account of the life of an important if often unattractive medieval monarch.

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"[V]ivid details and an engaging narrative style bring the man and his period to life." —Library Journal Starred Review

Library Journal - Audio

★ 11/01/2015
Best known by the sobriquet "Longshanks," Edward I had a pivotal role in medieval Britain as the king who, through ceaseless conflict, consolidated England, Wales, and Scotland under a single crown. Historian Morris (The Norman Conquest) is precise in his selection of the title for this work, for, as he explains, Edward was, indeed, both great and terrible. Inspired by Arthurian legend, he was great in his pursuit of personal glory (including a Crusade to the Holy Land) and in his successfully realized ambition to amalgamate his realm but often terrible in his methods. Chronically desperate for funds to support his unending wars, he ruthlessly taxed his subjects and is infamous for having expelled the Jews from England to further his confiscations. The crisp and occasionally emotional narration by Ralph Lister is superlative. VERDICT Beautifully written and based on exhaustive research from primary sources including contemporary chroniclers and surviving correspondence, this work does an outstanding job illustrating medieval society and politics. For history buffs. ["Highly recommended for scholars and generalists alike interested in the Middle Ages": LJ 2/1/15 starred review of the Pegasus hc.]—Forrest Link, Coll. of New Jersey, Ewing

Library Journal

★ 02/01/2015
Historian Morris (The Norman Conquest) has created a painstakingly researched and highly readable account of "Edwardus Magnus" (1272–1307), one of Britain's longest-lived medieval monarchs. This first major modern biography takes a chronological rather than thematic approach in detailing the accomplishments and legacy of the ruler who, according to Morris, reigned during a pivotal and decisive moment for the future of England. The author presents a decidedly positive perspective of Edward, conqueror of Wales and nemesis of the Scots, painting him as a valiant warrior with a talent for selecting men of ability to serve the state and as a man of character driven to recover Jerusalem for the papacy and rights for the crown. Included here is a fascinating but little-known account of the way in which Edward used the memory of the legendary King Arthur—believed by contemporaries to have been a real person—to his own political advantage. Today's readers will certainly find fault with Edward's sense of justice, his persecution of his Jewish subjects, his "racist" attitudes toward the Welsh, and the financial costs of his incessant war making and unparalleled castle construction. Nonetheless, vivid details and an engaging narrative style bring the man and his period to life. VERDICT Highly recommended for scholars and generalists alike interested in the Middle Ages.—Marie M. Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ

MAY 2015 - AudioFile

Narrator Ralph Lister delivers a vivid picture of medieval England as described in this well-researched audiobook on King Edward I. Ambitious and intelligent, King Edward spent most of his life fighting, starting with the Crusades. He later mounted battles against Wales, Scotland, and France to expand his realm and to exercise his kingly rights. Even on his deathbed he wanted to reclaim Jerusalem for Christianity. Lister uses his marvelous vocal range to bring strength and depth to the persona of Edward. His performance gives listeners insight into the character of the man who defeated William Wallace, of BRAVEHEART fame. Not just a monster as he has been portrayed, Edward was also a zealous, long-reigning king. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2014-12-06
Richly contextual treatment of a pivotal Medieval English monarch who consolidated the British Isles, but at violent cost and future retribution. In his age of chivalry and crusade, Edward I (1239-1307) had all the qualities of a successful, memorable leader—eloquence, decisiveness, piety, courage in battle, luck in marriage and health, and a keenness for building projects—but was he a good king? English historian Morris (The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England, 2013, etc.) gives Edward all the benefit of the doubt as the author sifts chronologically through the king's significant legacy. The first Edward since the Norman Conquest, named by his father after his patron saint, Edward the Confessor, young Edward was pulled into his father's political wrangling with insurgencies in Wales, Scotland and Gascony (Aquitaine) and inculcated with the importance of securing the rights of the crown against the resentments of the powerful earls. In 1258, he and his father were essentially shackled by the Provisions of Oxford, through which the earls had restrained the oppressive government. One earl, Simon of Montfort, nearly toppled the kingdom before Edward and his fellow royalists caught up with Simon at the slaughter of Evesham in 1265. Acceding to the crown in his mid-30s, Edward reaped the poisonous policy of disinheriting the vanquished. The dispossessed Welsh leader Llywelyn ap Gruffudd would prove the bane of Edward's own early reign, while the policy of repression in Ireland and Scotland, as well as forced revenue for holy crusading and war with France, would continue to haunt him, causing enormous dislocation and lawlessness. Moreover, Edward has the dubious distinction of being the first European leader to expel the Jews from his kingdom, in 1290. In the end, Morris sees Edward's legacy as one of "profound and lasting division." An elucidating though occasionally long-winded biography.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170544028
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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