{"product_id":"king-stephen-9780300181951","title":"King Stephen","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA biography that provides the most authoritative picture yet of King Stephen, whose reign (1135-1154), with its 'nineteen long winters' of civil war, made his name synonymous with failed leadership. After years of work on the sources, the author shows with clarity the strengths and weaknesses of the monarch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Edmund King’s discussion of these issues is the fullest and most detailed to date, offered through the medium of a compelling biography of the king.”—Nigel Saul, \u003ci\u003eHistory Today\u003c\/i\u003e -- Nigel Saul * History Today *\u003cbr\u003e“King is an expert guide, with a forensic eye for detail and a sharp-witted way with an explanation for a 21st-century readership.”—Helen Castor, \u003ci\u003eTimes Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e -- Helen Castor * Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003e'King's strength has always been in the close reading of the texts he uses. He deploys his knowledge of the contemporary authors to great effect, time and again making arresting observations about their individual perspectives and links to events, which adds to the freshness and liveliness of his treatment.' - \u003ci\u003eReviews in History\u003c\/i\u003e -- David Crouch * Reviews in History *\u003cbr\u003e\"This is a splendid addition to the English Monarchs series, a piece of thickly descriptive political history at its best. With magisterial command of the sources and contexts, Edmund King takes us on a lively tour of Stephen's castles and courts, his options and dilemmas. It is the story of Matildas, one of them the admirable wife-queen who repeatedly rescued Stephen; of his tumultuous brother Henry; of lesser men who, with the king himself, tried to carry on the work of royal power as public order failed; and of the dynastic and clerical elites that dominated England. Close to his sources, Professor King shows how the violence of castles pervades all these stories. He writes with verve and sympathy. His Stephen, found wanting in the end - although hardly 'as usual' - was no nonentity.\" - Thomas N. Bisson, Emeritus Lea Professor of Medieval History, Harvard University -- Thomas Bisson\u003cbr\u003e\"King has written a masterpiece that reveals how a medieval political community can both consume and then reconstitute itself and offers readers a king emblematic of his truncated, troubled age.\"—J.P. Huffman, \u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e -- J.P. Huffman * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e“This new monograph on King Stephen makes a formidable addition to the Yale English Monarchs series, and to medieval studies more generally.\"—\u003ci\u003eMedium Aevum, 80:2 (2011)\u003c\/i\u003e * Medium Aevum, 80:2 (2011) *\u003cbr\u003eSelected as a \u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the United Kingdom category. -- Choice Outstanding Academic Title  * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e“…a balanced and reliable account.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Good Book Guide\u003c\/i\u003e * The Good Book Guide *\u003cbr\u003eIn keeping with the high standards of the Yale Monarch series, King has produced an effective account of the man and his reign that will hold up for a long time. His scholarship demonstrates a comfortable familiarity with the era. Successfully scouring the many chronicles, charters, letters and papal correspondence, King has rendered it all in crisp prose.— Laurence W. Marvin, Berry College, Canadian Journal of History -- Laurence W. Marvin * Canadian Journal of History *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An important, indeed invaluable, addition to the English Monarchs series. Based throughout on extensive research in primary sources, complemented by perceptive synthesis, the volume is a tour de force.\" — \u003ci\u003eNorthern History Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e * Northern History Journal *","brand":"Yale University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49401519997271,"sku":"9780300181951","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780300181951.jpg?v=1730477686","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/king-stephen-9780300181951","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}