The Best Kings of the Middle Ages by Phil Bradford

There was a time when kings really were kings: the Middle Ages. They ruled totally, had the power to change the world and were swiftly deposed if they didn’t make the cut. Suffice to say, there were quite a few kings in Medieval England and this book selects the best of them.

​In terms of legacy, it is a list that is hard to argue against: Henry II, Richard I, Edward I, Edward III and Henry V.  Henry II’s reign is often overshadowed by the murder of Thomas Becket, while Richard the Lionheart was beloved by the Victorians even though he spent only months in England (hardly my idea of a great English king) also tied in with the stories of Robin Hood; Edward I for his attempts to form a united kingdom by fighting the Scots and Welsh as well as his parliamentary reforms; Edward III made England into a huge power by fighting the French and starting the Hundred Years War; and Henry V has so much written about his part in the Hundred Years War and especially the Battle of Agincourt, and has a Shakespeare play written about him. Superstar king.

​Phil Bradford looks at the qualities expected of a Medieval king and then goes through the five selected kings in a structured manner, considering their life and reign, personal qualities, how they are portrayed in culture and their legacy, and finally a verdict. At the end there is a conclusion where three kings rise above the others. In total agreement here.

This is not an academic report but the book is written in a very modern way therefore making an enjoyable and accessible read for everyone. The evidence is from secondary sources from across a vast timeline, including some very modern biographies and the views of Sir Winston Churchill, a fine historian himself. Are the kings’ reputations fair or not?

​An informative, knowledgeable and very interesting account of kings and monarchy from the Middle Ages, intensely readable. Recommended.