The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Kingmakers: How Power in England Was Won and Lost on the Welsh Frontier, Timothy Venning

Kingmakers: How Power in England Was Won and Lost on the Welsh Frontier

Timothy Venning

For a medieval English king, delegation was a necessary evil; and nowhere more necessary - nor more potentially disastrous - than on the Anglo-Welsh borders. The Marcher lords first empowered by William I were relied upon by subsequent Norman and Plantagenet kings to protect the dangerous frontiers of the realm. In Wales, as in Ireland, the smaller size and military weakness of divided neighbouring states encouraged conquest, with the seized lands enhancing the power of the aggressive English lords. They were granted ever greater authority by the monarch, to the point where they believed they ruled like kings. They intermarried, schemed for extra lands and snatched power in a complex and often violent political process. Owing to their resources and unparalleled military effectiveness, they soon came to overawe kings and dominate national events. The strength of the Marcher lords would come to the fore at numerous times in the nation's history in the shape of notorious figures such as Simon de Montfort and Roger Mortimer. The civil war of King Stephen's reign, the baronial resistance to King John, the overthrow of Edward II and Richard II; all of these crises turned upon the involvement of the lords of the Marches. Timothy Venning explores their mentality and reveals the dramatic careers both of those who prospered from their loyalty to the king and those whose power was gained by treachery - from the Norman Conquest to the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Amberley Publishing
  • Publish Date: Nov 15th, 2023
  • Pages: 320
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.84in - 5.20in - 0.60in - 0.56lb
  • EAN: 9781398119499
  • Categories: Europe - Medieval

About the Author

Venning, Timothy: - Timothy Venning studied history at Kings College, London to PhD level, winning the London University History Prize in 1979. He has written articles for the Dictionary of National Biography, as well as a book on Oliver Cromwell and reference works on British office-holders and the chronology of the Byzantine Empire. He also contributes to major biographical publications and his research forms the basis for many other publications.

More books by Timothy Venning

Book Cover for: The Roman Empire in Transition and Crisis: An Alternative History AD 651-950, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: A Chronology of Medieval British History: 1307-1485, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: A Chronology of the Crusades, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: Royal Mysteries of the Stuart and Georgian Periods, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: Royal Mysteries of the Tudor Period, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: Road to Civil War, 1625-1642: The Unexpected Revolution, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: Lords of the Isles: From Viking Warlords to Clan Chiefs, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: A Chronology of Ancient Greece, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: The Rise of the Roman Empire: An Alternative History, AD 375-641, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: The Kings & Queens of Wales, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: The Medieval Period, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: An Alternative History of Britain: The Hundred Years War, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: Compendium of British Office Holders, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England, Timothy Venning
Book Cover for: The King Arthur Mysteries: Arthur's Britain and Early Medieval World, Timothy Venning