Henry I (The Yale English Monarchs Series) - Hardcover

C.Warren Hollister; Amanda Clark Frost

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300088582 ISBN 13: 9780300088588

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2001

Synopsis

Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, ruled from 1100 to 1135, a time of fundamental change in the Anglo-Norman world. This long-awaited biography, written by one of the most distinguished medievalists of his generation, offers a major reassessment of Henry's character and reign. Challenging the dark and dated portrait of the king as brutal, greedy, and repressive, it argues instead that Henry's rule was based on reason and order. C. Warren Hollister points out that Henry laid the foundations for judicial and financial institutions usually attributed to his grandson, Henry II. Royal government was centralised and systematised, leading to firm, stable, and peaceful rule for his subjects in both England and Normandy. By mid-reign Henry I was the most powerful king in Western Europe, and with astute diplomacy, an intelligence network, and strategic marriages of his children (legitimate and illegitimate), he was able to undermine the various coalitions mounted against him. Henry strove throughout his reign to solidify the Anglo-Norman dynasty, and his marriage linked the Normans to the Old English line. Hollister vividly describes Henry's life and reign, places them against the political background of the time, and provides analytical studies of the king and his magnates, the royal administration, and relations between king and church. The resulting volume is one that will be welcomed by students and general readers alike.

About this title

Review:

"A deeply learned, readable, and witty biography, which provides a new assessment of an important reign ... a marvelous book."

About the Author:

C. Warren Hollister was professor of history, emeritus, at the University of California, Santa Barbara before his death in 1997.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0300088582
• ISBN 13: 9780300088588
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 566
• Editor: Amanda Clark Frost