"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Trial by Fire documents the continuing relentless domination of France by Edward III from the fall of Calais in 1347 to his decision in 1369 to add the French coat of arms to those of England on his seals in celebration of his apparent triumph. Along the way we see the French reduced to a squabbling rabble after the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 which resulted in revolutions in Paris and the countryside. Sumption is too shrewd an observer to tell such a one-sided history and he is at pains to point out that however impressive the English victories may have seemed, the scale of them was largely illusory and short-lived.
Whatever the perception of the Hundred Years War as an epic conflict between two nation states, the reality was far more complicated. Both the English and the French camps were made up of a series of uneasy and shifting alliances. So who actually won never became clear--at least not until long after the swords had been sheathed. For instance, after King John II had been captured at Poitiers, the French were forced into a humiliating treaty which handed over much of France to King Edward. But John conveniently, or inconveniently, depending which way you look at it, died shortly after and his successor Charles V decided there were good reasons to no longer recognise the agreement. Seen like this, Edward's decision to add the French coat of arms to the English looks more like an empty gesture than an expression of all-conquering might.
As with the first volume, Sumption writes with engaging simplicity, making sense of the apparently pointless and bringing together a cast of thousands into a homogenous digestible whole. -- John Crace
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within United Kingdom
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 1417415-n
Book Description Condition: NEW. Seller Inventory # NW9780571207374
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # F2-9780571207374
Book Description Condition: New. This second volume on the Hundred Years War traces Edward III's increasing domination of France, from the fall of Calais in 1347 up to 1369. The period is dominated by a succession of crises in French affairs of state; crises that brought it to the verge of ruin. Num Pages: 704 pages, 50pp integrated b&w maps. BIC Classification: 3H; HBJD; HBLC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 233 x 154 x 47. Weight in Grams: 918. 2001. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # 9780571207374
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780571207374-GDR
Book Description Condition: New. This second volume on the Hundred Years War traces Edward III's increasing domination of France, from the fall of Calais in 1347 up to 1369. The period is dominated by a succession of crises in French affairs of state; crises that brought it to the verge of ruin. Num Pages: 704 pages, 50pp integrated b&w maps. BIC Classification: 3H; HBJD; HBLC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 233 x 154 x 47. Weight in Grams: 918. 2001. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # 9780571207374
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Based on a wide range of contemporary sources, both printed and unprinted, and coloured by a lively historical imagination, Trial by Fire is the absorbing continuation of Jonathan Sumption's 'immensely impressive history' (Daily Telegraph). France in 1347 was in a state close to collapse, after a decade of continual invasion and the defeats at Crecy and Calais. The next 22 years saw further humiliations: the Battle of Poitiers, a revolution in Paris, and the capture of King John II of France, followed by nine years of uncertain peace in the 1360s. The English and their allies had destroyed much of France - but they lacked the resources to occupy it, and although France was defeated, England was by no means victorious. In the second volume of his celebrated history of the Hundred Years War, Jonathan Sumption examines the middle years of the fourteenth century and the succession of crises that threatened French affairs of state, including defeat at Poitiers and the capture of the king. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780571207374
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. In the second volume of his celebrated history of the Hundred Years War, Jonathan Sumption examines the middle years of the fourteenth century and the succession of crises that threatened French affairs of state, including defeat at Poitiers and the capture of the king. Seller Inventory # B9780571207374
Book Description Condition: new. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Seller Inventory # PSN0571207375
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780571207374