Starred review from April 22, 2013
Morris (A Great and Terrible King) brilliantly revisits the Norman Conquest, “the single most important event in English history,” by following the body-strewn fortunes of its key players: England’s King Edward the Confessor; his hated father-in-law and England’s premier earl, Godwine; Harold II, the prior’s son and England’s last Anglo-Saxon king; and Edward’s cousin William, the fearsome duke of Normandy, known by contemporaries as “the Bastard” and by posterity as “the Conqueror.” Miraculously surviving a Viking invasion, exile, the death of six older half-brothers (from battle, illness, and execution), and his mother’s perfidies, Edward—a descendant of Alfred the Great—took the English crown but was dominated by his father-in-law. Yet to Godwine’s chagrin, Edward chose William as his successor in return for his loyalty. Nevertheless, after Edward’s death, Harold snatched the crown, setting in motion William’s invasion and his own death at the supremely gory Battle of Hastings. In England, William and the Normans ended slavery, dispossessed the English ruling elite of their lands, ushered in an architectural revolution, zealously reformed the Church, and savagely starved the north into submission. Readable, authoritative, and remarkably nuanced, Morris’s history is sublime. 8 pages of color illus., two maps, and two family trees. Agent: Julian Alexander, LAW (U.K.).
Starred review from July 1, 2013
British historian Morris (A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain) strives to present an unbiased account of William of Normandy's 1066 invasion of England and his assumption of the English crown. He argues that the Norman Conquest was the most significant event in English history. To support his claim, he elaborates on the circumstances leading up to the conquest, including the state of both English and Norman societies and the impact the Normans had on England after William took the throne. He considers, for example, the lasting changes brought by the Normans to terms of inheritance, landholding, architecture (e.g., the building of the Tower of London), and religious attitudes. The great strength of Morris's account is his examination of early sources such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. He looks at these with a discerning eye, clearly evaluating biases, strengths, and weaknesses, all the while giving readers a cohesive narrative. Although Morris's analysis may border on overlong in some places, his book offers a fascinating look at the challenges of discerning truth from rumor and falsehood based on scant sources almost a thousand years old. VERDICT Highly recommended for both academic and casual readers seeking a full exploration of 1066 and all that.--Rebekah Kati, Walden Univ. Lib., Morrisville, NC
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from May 1, 2013
The story of William the Conqueror's invasion of England is hardly new, but the situations that prompted it on both sides of the English Channel have never been told in so much depth. A historian who specializes in the Middle Ages, especially that period's monarchies and aristocracy, Morris (Kings and Castle, 2012, etc.) takes thoroughness to new heights as he compares all the available sources in this valuable text. The French relied on the writings of William of Jumieges, chaplain to William; the Bayeux Tapestry commissioned by William's half brother, Bishop Odo; and the work of Orderic Vitalis, an Anglo-Norman born in 1075. The English viewpoint comes from the anonymously penned Life of King Edward and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. The difficulty with the Chronicles is that it was copied by different monasteries, each skewing facts to fit their particular patron's viewpoint. There is no doubt that King Edward the Confessor was king in name only; Earl Godwin's family was effectively ruling England during Edward's reign. His daughter married Edward, and his sons, including Harold (he of the arrow in the eye), held all England save Mercia. No wonder they felt the crown was rightfully theirs. William's abilities and the Vikings' support of brother Tostig's greed proved them wrong. The most important source for the actual invasion is Song of the Battle of Hastings, a contemporary epic poem only discovered in the early-19th century. The English rebelled against foreign rule, new language and customs for five more years before a semblance of order was established. The author includes useful maps, an expansive genealogical tree and extensive notes. A thoroughly enjoyable book from a historian's historian who can write for the masses.
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May 15, 2013
The headlines of 1066the death of Edward the Confessor, the succession by Harold Godwinson, and Harold's overthrow by Duke William of Normandyrather simplify the challenges of sorting out what happened in England a millennium ago. The sources, such as the Bayeux Tapestry and various chronicles, have biases, omissions, and limitations. Beginning several decades before the Norman invasion and ending with William the Conqueror's death in 1087, Morris' narrative incorporates the problems of sources yet yields plausible explanations of hotly debated points, such as whether the Confessor, as the Conqueror claimed, promised him, a kinsman, the English throne. Harold's claim was indeed weak, but as Morris notes, English royal succession was not necessarily hereditary. The issue decided by arms at the Battle of Hastings, Morris then presents in digestible prose the Conquest's ensuing consequences, such as two decades of Norman warfare to subdue the English, the construction of castles like the Tower of London, and the commissioning of the celebrated Domesday Book. Soundly grounded popular history, Morris' captivating account is suitable for studious or recreational purposes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)