Why read Edward III?

Book cover of Edward III

Book description

A landmark biography of the charismatic king beloved of fourteenth-century England

Edward III (1312-1377) was the most successful European ruler of his age. Reigning for over fifty years, he achieved spectacular military triumphs and overcame grave threats to his authority, from parliamentary revolt to the Black Death. Revered by his…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Edward III as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Hope Carolle

Author

Edward III’s founding of the Order of the Garter was what inspired me to write my book, but I knew little about him.

This true medieval king’s fifty-year-long reign was marked by controversy from the start, but he was also a romantic, a warrior (he instigated the 100 Year War against the French), steered England through the horrific amount of death from the plague in 1348, and was the patriarch to The Black Prince and John of Gaunt, and The War of the Roses came after his reign.

I recommend this fascinating account of his life.

From Hope's list on The best books to survive and thrive in Medieval England.

David Green

Author

A magnificent example of the possibilities of historical biography from an author whose life was cut tragically short. Ormrod writes with a balance of passion, precision, and wry humour. Edward III reigned in the shadow of the deposition of his father, while his own military triumphs in the Hundred Years War set an example his successor, Richard II, found impossible to emulate. Alongside a wealth of detail, Ormrod reveals the pressures of kingship during the extraordinary turbulence of the fourteenth century.

From David's list on The best books on the late medieval crisis: war and plague in Britain and France.