It's one of those reference works that should be on every non fiction bookshelf. This book is a joy to read, not just for a medieval-obsessive like myself, but for anyone with a general interest in history.

For the first time a group of subjects had forced an English king to agree to a document that limited his powers by law and protected their rights.' On 15 June he reluctantly agreed to fix his regal seal to a document that would change the world.Ī milestone in the development of constitutional politics and the rule of the law, the 'Great Charter' established an Englishman's right to Habeas Corpus and set limits to the exercise of royal power. Beset by foreign crisis and domestic rebellion, King John was fast running out of options. ''On a summer's day in 1215, a beleaguered English monarch met a group of disgruntled barons in a meadow by the River Thames named Runnymede. The following blurb is from the inside jacket of MAGNA CARTA and an excellent summary of what the book is about: The work is also the basis for the recent TV series, written and presented by the author. Dan Jones is of course, the author of the bestselling non fiction work THE PLANTAGENETS which sets out the dynasty's rise to power and eventual ruin over several centuries of medieval British history. But its pomp and pride enormously enriched our island's story.June 2015 sees the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta at Runnymede and in this book Dan Jones presents a useful guide to bring the general reader up to speed. Only when Henry Tudor, scion of the persecuted Welsh, killed Edward's usurping brother Richard III and married his sister did the dynasty finally dwindle into a couple of pretenders. Richard II's deposition echoed that of Edward II, and the Wars of the Roses had their roots in Plantagenet pretensions. Jones's conclusion pulls the hectic centuries into a coherent whole, pointing to the emergence of English as a national language, and a wealth of artistic and architectural achievement. Almost all the Plantagenets aspired to being crusading kings, usually with disastrous consequences. Lacking too is a proper presentation of the profoundly religious medieval mindset. The economics of war and peace are confusing: time and again it seems that the country is ruined, but within a few pages wealth is once again flowing into – and out of – the royal coffers. The 'whys' have to be sketchy there is space only for what happened.

Dan jones the plantagenets review