I’m making my through the Yale English monarch series chronologically. I read Henry III volume 1 in the summer of 2022 and waited patiently until volume 2. I internally debated whether to just go ahead to Prestwich’s Edward 1, but stayed patient. The wait was worth it.
While I think Henry III volume 1 is a great well written comprehensive book, it could drag. Like I didn’t find the section on Henry’s piety the most interesting, but I recognize it’s an important area of his character. Going into volume II, I was worried it would suffer the same issues. Especially as it’s roughly the same length as volume I, but only covers a little over a decade of history. So what the heck could there be to cover in such a short time span compared to volume 1? Well to my surprise, a lot.
Volume II which covers Henry III’s reign from 1258-1272 has so much happen especially revolving around the royals vs the barons. We get more look into Henry III, but also see the rise of Longshanks. You got Simon de Montfort’s ambitions & machinations. Along with the actions of lords like the de Clares. You get the Treaty of Paris. You get Lewes. Evesham. I can go on.
So much happens and by the time I finished the book, I think the length was justified. Carpenter covers everything exceptionally and while you get the sense both in volume I and volume II, he’s a big fan of Henry III & enjoyed writing this, I felt his assessments measured & not very biased. For a book with Henry III as the main subject, I think the other figures existing & involved in his reign got their proper due. I could almost say this book is as much about Henry III as it is about Simon de Montfort.
Low & behold, Carpenter’s Two Volumes on the life & reign of Henry III are an overall excellent comprehensive work covering the life of a king who many may not know much about. He wasn’t the strongest king of course and he was often overshadowed by more larger than life figures like his own son Edward & Simon de Montfort. Yet he still left a legacy of his own in his work Westminster Abbey & his reign despite it being during relative time of peace has a very interesting & at times explosive events.
I will stress that this book is very academic as are most in this series. It’s long. There’s a lot of info. But if you like academic reads like this, I recommend it. Plus I think Carpenter’s writing is not as dry as others. For example I’m currently working my through Prestwich’s Edward 1 and that book can be very dry especially as Edward’s reign is very impactful & interesting. Not saying that’s bad, but this can be the type of stuff you’re getting into if looking into these books. Thanks!
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