Henry II was an enigma to contemporaries, and has excited widely divergent judgments ever since. Dramatic incidents of his reign, such as his quarrel with Archbishop Becket and his troubled relations with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, have attracted the attention of historical novelists, playwrights, and filmmakers, but with no unanimity of interpretation. That he was a great king there can be no doubt. Yet his motives and intentions are not easy to divine, and it is Professor Warren's contention that concentration on the great crises of the reign can lead to distortion. This...

King John is a study not only of a king and his political misfortunes, but also of a period--a period of profound changes in society at large, and hence one of unprecedented stressed. John's personality, so distorted by chronicles such as Roger of Wendover and Matthew Paris, is investigated through his acts: but he is seen also against the background of his predecessors on the throne, of the society in which he lived and of the problems that were posed for a rule by that society.

John was the fourth son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive to manhood. In his younger days he was...

This account of King John's reign is a study both of the king and his political misfortunes, and also of his times. John is set against the background of his predecessors, of the society in which he lived and of the problems posed by continuities independent of his making.

This biography provides a comprehensive reappraisal of Henry II, the man and king. W.L. Warren explores a whole range of contemporary sources to illuminate the king's policy and personality, as well as the events of his reign.