For all you Shakespeare students who had problems keeping the family tree for the English kings clear--whos Norman? Where did the Plantagenets fit in? and where did that name come from? Who started the Tudor line? What was so bad about Richard II? I just read a superbly well written narrative history by the English historian Dan Jones, The Plantagenets. It is long, but reads like a novel. If you think politics are dirty now, think of how things worked in the 12-15th centuries--kings got rid of their rivals, often brothers or royal uncles, by having them killed. With a state religion, Bishops and Archbishops held great power, and riches, so the kings often had to exile them in order to steal the churchs property. Dan Jones has a later book on the Tudors, which I have on my reserve list at the library. Next years Shakespeare class will have clearer information on the English history plays.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 20:48:15 +0000