The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is another re-telling of the story of the Plantagenet dynasty and my short review is that it is well-written and a pleasure to read. The Plantagenet story begins with the succession crisis in the reign of Henry I. After the death of his son, Henry attempts to have his daughter Matilda (who is married to Geoffrey Plantagenet) recognized as his heir. Naturally this does not go according to plan, and Matilda’s cousin Stephen usurps the throne, leading to a long struggle. Eventually there is a negotiated peace by which Matilda’s son Henry becomes king after Stephen’s death in 1154. Henry II is the first Plantagenet king, followed by Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, II and III and Richard II.
The book stops with the deposition and death of Richard II, though this is not really the end of the House of Plantagenet story – the rival Houses of York and Lancaster are also descendants of Edward III. But this is a convenient place to pause. The author has written another book in which the story of the Lancaster and York branches of the family is continued.
The book is an easy read, but it focuses very much on the fortunes of the Plantagents, and so it is not a broad history of medieval England. It covers roughly the same ground as three of the books by Thomas Costain: “The Conquering Family”, “The Magnificent Century” and “The Three Edwards”.