William the Conqueror Edward Augustus Freeman 9781177502061 Books
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William the Conqueror Edward Augustus Freeman 9781177502061 Books
This book is an example of an all-too-rare phenomenon when it comes to the writing of biographies. It is a well-researched and well-argued book (although, in the convention of the late 19th century, it is not filled with textual notes in the fashion of contemporary books) but a book that does not either have in mind hero worship of its subject or a great deal of personal hatred. Rather, it is a book that takes seriously its task of writing about a very important historical figure in a way that is nuanced and fair-minded. Perhaps such books were once more common–they do not appear that common these days, as most people today seem to write mainly because of personal reasons and not because of larger personal axes to grind. This book appears to be a companion volume to an earlier book the author wrote (which I have not read) about the Norman conquest of England, that apparently inspired him to write about its leading character, William, the Duke of Normandy.This particular book is organized in a mostly chronological fashion, with a bit of thematic organization as well mixed in. The book discusses the brutal childhood of William (which in many ways is similar to that of James I/VI of England and Scotland), with similar results, in that William became extremely subtle, legalistic, focused on his authority of office, and with a well-deserved reputation for having a twisty mind as a result of a violent childhood and doubtful legitimacy. The book continues through William’s early ducal career, marriage drama involving a papal dispensation, making a claim to the County of Maine in France as well as England as a result of fortuitous circumstances, and his conquest of England and his rule in both the continent and England. The author is a patriotic Englishman, but he is a broad-minded enough one to appreciate the fact that as a conqueror William was restrained in his conduct and respectful of legal norms in such a way that it allowed the native constitutional strength of the realm of England to reassert itself, with the changes that resulted from William’s rule.
Although this book is about a remote historical figure, it has some clear relevance for right now. William the Conqueror is portrayed as a lawful neutral/evil sort of ruler who is restrained but despotic in his ways, refusing to act in ways that would provoke open rebellion but acting in ways that lead to massive oppression and changes, albeit gradually. William is cautious but relentless, full of guile and trickery but not desiring in any way to behave in directly evil or dishonest ways. Above all, William is portrayed (perhaps ironically) as a legalist, seeking to overwhelm others with lawyer-like arguments, seeking justification for that which he does, rather than seeking to behave in a proper way, his ambition colored by a desire to preserve legal forms while changing the reality behind them. Even if William was a man of almost a millennium ago, he is close enough to our contemporary political leaders to be a fit model to study. Also of interest is the way in which William’s search for power ended up increasing the power of the papacy by giving them a legal argument to set up kings similar to that of their support of Pippen the Short in France.
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William the Conqueror Edward Augustus Freeman 9781177502061 Books Reviews
William the Conqueror, King of England is my 25th Great Grandfather, which made me interested in the history of this man, and his influence over England. Reading this gave me insight into how he got his various monikers such as; William the Bastard, William the Conqueror, William the Great, and of course his reign as King of England. If I happened onto this book just for the history, rather than family ties, I would have enjoyed the good and bad of William the Conqueror and family.
Always love Jacob Abbott's books. He is writing at about a high-school level, but he is not glossing over the ugly facts or making heroes out of highly flawed (but astounding) characters. This book and others in the series make great summer reading. Like "Game of Thrones," but this really happened. (Check out "Peter the Great" by Abbott for a real Game of Thrones, minus the dragons).
This book, like his others in the series, give a good orientation to the era. I sought out and read this book after starting "1066" by Frank McLynn. I was bogged down in the details of McLynn and I wanted some general background on this time in history before continuing on. Reading "William the Conquer" first made "1066" a more enjoyable read.
Get the rest of this book, including illustrations and page numbers (for those of you doing reports) FOR FREE from Project Gutenberg. Had I known this was just a printed knock off of the public domain book, I would not have ordered it for my son. I would have printed *all* of it myself as well as having a machine searchable version, and a text to speech version for him to work with. Show some effort next time you "write" something. Yup, you got me. I'll be on the lookout next time.
I read William the Conqueror during a time when I was exploring a computer game called Crusader Kings II. The game focuses on medieval European dynastic intrigue. The connection, for me, was that the game begins in 1066 and William is one of the historical figures whose identity a player may assume.
I'm no student of the medieval period, but could not help encountering tedious renditions of the genealogy of noble families whenever I read about the era. It always struck me as hopelessly complicated, and I often skipped ahead to the great battles. After reading Abbott's account of William's life, I have a much clearer understanding of how battles such as Hastings were the direct outcome of such genealogical intrigue.
I love the clarity and directness of Abbott's writing. His style seems amazingly contemporary for a book written in 1877. This is a quick and enjoyable read that will not require frequent reference to a dictionary to decode archaic language. There is plenty of detail, and Abbot frequently explains why and how William and his foes may have made their decisions.
One minor quibble I have is that Abbott did not cite primary sources in the text, or use quotations to any great extent, so I was sometimes left with the impression that he was presenting speculation as fact. The other is that he devotes only a few short pages to the Battle of Hastings itself, and implies that William's victory was a foregone conclusion. Other accounts I have read suggest the outcome was not decided until the day was nearly done. Perhaps these are the result of more modern scholarship not available to Abbot in his time.
I recommend this book to anyone who has a casual interest in William the Conqueror in particular or in medieval history in general.
Good! I really enjoyed the book. It is a very concise history of William and the events surrounding his life. This book provided some good history to round out my understanding of his importance - especially with respect to the significance of the battle of Hastings. I appreciated the length of the book (it was a quick read) and that it provided "quick" answers to my immediate questions regarding William and his historical context.
This book is an example of an all-too-rare phenomenon when it comes to the writing of biographies. It is a well-researched and well-argued book (although, in the convention of the late 19th century, it is not filled with textual notes in the fashion of contemporary books) but a book that does not either have in mind hero worship of its subject or a great deal of personal hatred. Rather, it is a book that takes seriously its task of writing about a very important historical figure in a way that is nuanced and fair-minded. Perhaps such books were once more common–they do not appear that common these days, as most people today seem to write mainly because of personal reasons and not because of larger personal axes to grind. This book appears to be a companion volume to an earlier book the author wrote (which I have not read) about the Norman conquest of England, that apparently inspired him to write about its leading character, William, the Duke of Normandy.
This particular book is organized in a mostly chronological fashion, with a bit of thematic organization as well mixed in. The book discusses the brutal childhood of William (which in many ways is similar to that of James I/VI of England and Scotland), with similar results, in that William became extremely subtle, legalistic, focused on his authority of office, and with a well-deserved reputation for having a twisty mind as a result of a violent childhood and doubtful legitimacy. The book continues through William’s early ducal career, marriage drama involving a papal dispensation, making a claim to the County of Maine in France as well as England as a result of fortuitous circumstances, and his conquest of England and his rule in both the continent and England. The author is a patriotic Englishman, but he is a broad-minded enough one to appreciate the fact that as a conqueror William was restrained in his conduct and respectful of legal norms in such a way that it allowed the native constitutional strength of the realm of England to reassert itself, with the changes that resulted from William’s rule.
Although this book is about a remote historical figure, it has some clear relevance for right now. William the Conqueror is portrayed as a lawful neutral/evil sort of ruler who is restrained but despotic in his ways, refusing to act in ways that would provoke open rebellion but acting in ways that lead to massive oppression and changes, albeit gradually. William is cautious but relentless, full of guile and trickery but not desiring in any way to behave in directly evil or dishonest ways. Above all, William is portrayed (perhaps ironically) as a legalist, seeking to overwhelm others with lawyer-like arguments, seeking justification for that which he does, rather than seeking to behave in a proper way, his ambition colored by a desire to preserve legal forms while changing the reality behind them. Even if William was a man of almost a millennium ago, he is close enough to our contemporary political leaders to be a fit model to study. Also of interest is the way in which William’s search for power ended up increasing the power of the papacy by giving them a legal argument to set up kings similar to that of their support of Pippen the Short in France.
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