Название: Usurpers, A New Look at Medieval Kings
Автор: Michele Morrical
Издательство: Pen and Sword History
Год: 2021
Страниц: 261
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf, epub
Размер: 10.2 MB

In the Middle Ages, England had to contend with a string of usurpers who disrupted the British monarchy and ultimately changed the course of European history by deposing England’s reigning kings and seizing power for themselves. Some of the most infamous usurper kings to come out of medieval England include William the Conqueror, Stephen of Blois, Henry Bolingbroke, Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry Tudor. Did these kings really deserve the title of usurper or were they unfairly vilified by royal propaganda and biased chroniclers?

In this book we examine the lives of these six medieval kings, the circumstances which brought each of them to power, and whether or not they deserve the title of usurper. Along the way readers will hear stories of some of the most fascinating people from medieval Europe, including Empress Matilda, the woman who nearly succeeded at becoming the first ruling Queen of England; Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen of both France and England who stirred her own sons to rebel against their father, Henry II; the cruel and vengeful reign of Richard II which caused his own family to overthrow him; the epic struggle for power between Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, and Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses; the notorious Richard III and his monstrous reputation as a child-killer; and Henry VII who rose from relative obscurity to establish the most famous royal family of all time: the Tudors.

The reader might be surprised to know that not all these kings were really usurpers, at least not in this author’s opinion. The purpose of this book is to correct popular misconceptions and long-held beliefs about these six kings who have been traditionally labeled as usurpers. One of the most difficult aspects of doing historical research during this time period is the lack of trustworthy sources, or sometimes the lack of any sources at all. Notably, you have the chroniclers who are clearly biased, perhaps even hired by a king to write the official history of their reign, so it’s important to take those accounts with a grain of salt. To unravel the truth, I have relied on a variety of sources, including medieval chroniclers, vintage biographies from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, and the newest research by modern-day historians for the most accurate, up-to-date information we have on the lives of these infamous medieval kings of England.