Author:Ian Mortimer
From the bestselling author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, comes the story of King Edward III, who - like Elizabeth and Victoria after him - embodied the values of his age, forged a nation out of war and re-made England.
He ordered his uncle to be beheaded; he usurped his father's throne; he started a war which lasted for more than a hundred years, and taxed his people more than any other previous king.
Nineteenth century historians saw in Edward the opportunity to decry a warmonger, and painted him as a self-seeking, rapacious, tax-gathering conqueror. Yet, in this first full study of the King's character and life, Dr Ian Mortimer unveils that behind the strong warrior king was a compassionate, conscientious and often merciful man - resolute yet devoted to his wife, friends and family, and the father of both the English nation and the English people.
'A fascinating portrait. At times, the reader seems almost able to reach across time and touch this man' - The Economist
An excellent biography; entertaining as well as informative
—— Allan Massie , Daily TelegraphA fascinating portrait. At times, the reader seems almost able to reach across time and touch this man
—— The EconomistIn producing this fine biography, Mortimer has succeeded magnificently, and has gone a long, long way towards restoring Edward III to his proper place as one of the great makers of this nation
—— Alison Weir , Daily MailIan Mortimer...has virtually single-handedly put medieval history back in the hands of ordinary readers, combining scrupulous research with a wonderfully iconoclastic approach to storytelling
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Daily TelegraphSarah Wise has created an exceptional work, in that it is both scholarly and page turning - a genuine treat
—— Gilda O'NeillSarah Wise is too clever and considered a historian simply to give us a lurid, one-dimensional Victorian melodrama. Through painstaking archival work and readable empathetic prose, she has instead sought to evoke the texture of life here
—— Daily TelegraphThe account is both moving and engrossing, and its tendency in places to become a litany of misery and despair is redeemed by Sarah Wise's light and occasionally humorous touch
—— Literary ReviewAs with her previous book The Italian Boy, Sarah Wise is superb on statistical detail... In every respect this is a note-perfect work of social history, thoroughly researched, charitable in its sympathies, and sadly still embodying lessons for today
—— IndependentCarefully researched... a wide-ranging study
—— Sunday TelegraphHer achievement is remarkable... This engrossing work shines a light not only on a turbulent period in London's history, but on humanity itself. Only the best histories can claim as much
—— GuardianSpilling facts, lives, conditions, intolerable burdens and the spirit expressed by spontaneous dancing in the streets, The Blackest Streets is a little masterpiece
—— HeraldExtraordinary scholarship and rare sensitivity
—— Ophelia Field , Daily TelegraphSarah Wise mines the archives to bring the local inhabitants back to life, and makes particularly brilliant use of the interviews that historian Raphael Samuel conducted in the 1970s with Arthur Harding.
—— LRBAs in her wonderful book The Italian Boy, she explores a milieu that was hungry, dirty, threadbare and exploited
—— Christopher Hirst , The IndependentSarah Wise animates the horrors in fascinating detail
—— Toby Clements , The Telegraph
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