A Great and Terrible King

Marc Morris's biography of Edward I is an immensely readable look at one of Britain's greatest kings. Using a variety of sources, both ancient and modern, Morris tells the story of Edward from his birth, his tempestuous youth as a Prince alongside his father, King Henry III, to the very end of his reign, just short of his 70th birthday.

Edward forged a kingdom, conquering Wales, expanding into Ireland and, in the last decades of his reign, fighting the Scots to a standstill. He ruled one kingdom in the end and deserved the epithet a Great and Terrible King.

Morris is very even-handed in his account, detailing Edward's triumphs as well as his disasters. He was one of the greatest monarchs of his time, fighting on a Crusade in the Holy Land, defending what was left of the Crown's lands in France (Gascony) and fighting long and hard to subdue the British Isles. Yet he was also demanding, especially when it came to funding his various wars.

A very good account of an important time in the history of Britain.