The Magnificent Century

The reign of Henry III was very long, by medieval standards, 1216 to 1272. I suppose especially to Henry that it did seem to last a century. While England faced no existential challenges in his lifetime, the work of controlling the feudal nobility was beyond Henry's power. He watched the remains of the overseas possessions melt away, and his grip on Scotland was virtually non-existent. He died after the reins of power were firmly in the hands of his exceptional son, Edward I. Costain does present a readable account of this period, and the characters who sought to control Henry. There is coverage of the birth of the House of Commons during the de Montfort civil war.

This is my favorite book of the Plantagenet series. Costain makes history come alive and is not a dull writer like some authors of pure history. All about the 13th century as you never knew it. Very worth reading!

I found this book in a used bookstore and bought it. After enjoying my read (which paralleled a book I'd recently read by Sharon K Penman, "Falls the Shadow"), I found "The Three Edwards" which I also enjoyed reading.

Costain makes English history really interesting and understandable, despite many important characters having the same name! Whew!

I have a copy of "The Last Plantagenets" but have not yet read it. I'll post a review once I do.

3942. The Pageant of England: The Magnificent Century, by Thomas B. Costain (read 7 Oct 2004) It was back on Nov 18, 1975 that I read Costain's first book in this series, A History of the Plantagenets: The Conquering Family and found it thoroughly enjoyable. This volume covers the reign of Henry III, who was 9 when his father, King John, died on 19 Oct 1216. Henry had a turbulent career--not a strong king and often in trouble. He died 16 Nov 1272, to be succeeded by his son, Edward I, who Costain calls the greatest English king. I did not find this book so great--Costain is so breezy in his writing that I thought the book not very authoritative-sounding. No footnotes, and of course the bibliography is dated since the book was published show more in 1951. The next volume in the series is The Three Edwards, but I have no present plan to read it--I read the first volume 29 years ago; maybe I'll get to the third one 29 years from now. (Well, I did better than that. I read the Three Edwards on 2 June 2015.) show less

I found this book in a used bookstore and bought it. After enjoying my read (which paralleled a book I'd recently read by Sharon K Penman, "Falls the Shadow"), I found "The Three Edwards" which I also enjoyed reading.

Costain makes English history really interesting and understandable, despite many important characters having the same name! Whew!

I have a copy of "The Last Plantagenets" but have not yet read it. I'll post a review once I do.

He takes you there!