They made history
Two Houses, Two Kingdoms: A History of France and England 1100−1300
Catherine Hanley (Yale University Press, £25)
THE 12th and 13th centuries were spanned by eight successive kings of France and seven of England. They were all married, sometimes more than once, and produced well in excess of 100 children. Those children (including heirs) who survived the prevailing high levels of infant mortality were, in turn, found eligible wives or husbands, invariably chosen politically from among a great many of the royal and noble houses of western Europe. As a consequence, in considering this period—in particular the ongoing relationship between the ruling houses of France and England—we are faced with a bewildering cast of characters.
'It is driven by the never dull men and women who shaped the medieval kingdoms'
Fortunately, in this new book, Catherine Hanley acts as our supremely accomplished guide. She has a remarkable grasp of the entire picture, and weaves an engaging narrative based on considerable familiarity with primary and secondary source material. At the outset, we are told unashamedly that this is a book about people (her emphasis). Indeed, the content is driven by the never dull and sometimes quite extraordinary men and women who effectively shaped the medieval kingdoms of France and England.
They include Richard the Lionheart, the ‘very bad’ King John, Edward I, Louis the Fat, Philip Augustus and the royal saint, Louis IX, together with
