WORST MEDIEVAL MONARCHS

Stephen. John. Edward II. Richard II. Richard III. These five are widely viewed as the worst of England's medieval kings. Certainly, their reigns were not success stories. 18 men sat on English throne between the Battles of Hastings 1066 and Bosworth 1485. None was an unqualified success. Mediaeval kingship was a difficult art and no one could always get it right. John died in the middle of a Civil War he was losing, Edward II and Richard II were both deposed, and Richard III was killed in battle. Stephen alone died peacefully in his bed, but only after almost two decades of civil war, leaving his throne to his opponent. Medieval England was not of course a democracy. The king's natural advisers were the nobility and he was expected to listen to their views and spread his patronage widely among them. Evil counsellors were an occupational hazard. All five kings have been seen as incompetent, their reigns blighted by civil war and conflict. They tore the realm apart, failing in the basic duty of a king to ensure peace and justice. For that, all of them paid a heavy price. As well as incompetence, some also have reputations for cruelty and villainy, more than one has been portrayed as a tyrant. The murder of family members and arbitrary executions stain their reputations. This book looks at the stories of their lives and reigns, all of which were dramatic and often unpredictable and examines how they have been seen since their deaths, the ways their reputations have been shaped across the centuries. Fiction, from Shakespeare's plays to modern films, has also played its part in creating the modern picture. Is this fair, or should they be redeemed? 256 pages.