My Latest King

At the beginning of this year I became interested in the Kings of England and started off by reading about Edward I (AKA Longshanks) as I have a particular interest in medieval history. During the year I have moved forward reading about: Edward II (son of Edward I), Roger Mortimer (1st Earl of March), who along with Isabella of France, wife of Edward II, forced the abdication of Edward II, and Edward III (son of Edward II).

I then went backwards to read about William the Conqueror, his succeeding sons, William II and Henry I, and the period known as The Anarchy which covers King Stephen (nephew of Henry I) and leads to the coronation of Henry II (grandson of Henry I).

It has been a fascinating time for me and I have found that I have little patience for fiction and an insatiable thirst for more historical knowledge!

It does make for complicated reading and I find it hard to retain as much detail as I would like, which has lead me to ask Mr Dancin if I can start drawing a huge, royal family tree on our bedroom wall to help me keep track of all related people of importance, and the lines of succession!

Anyway, I have now moved forward in time to the beginning of the War of the Roses which leaves a gap between Henry II and Edward I where King Richard, King John and Henry III reign (this period to be revisited) but a recent trip to Warwick Castle has inspired me to get to the bottom of the aforementioned civil war and find out whether I am a Lancastrian or Yorkist!

What I have found out so far is that the War of the Roses spans a greater period of time than I first thought and involves several Kings of England. I am at the beginning with King Henry IV, pictured here. (Image Credit: Medieval Life and Times)

In my present reading Henry is not yet King. That title is currently held by Richard II, grandson of Edward III and son of The Black Prince (Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III).

Richard is at present making a bit of a mess of things although he has earned some sympathies from me given his sheltered upbringing, predominantly in France. He is however already being compared to Edward II, a man who in my opinion should never have been King, or at least not without considerably more guidance at an earlier age.

Through my reading I am learning what it means or meant to be King. In medieval times the role carried considerably more power than I believe it does today and the responsibility was immense. The men who I have read about who appeared to excel in their roles seem almost super human and I cannot help but sympathise for men of lesser or different character who fail at this monumental task.

Henry on the other hand seems well suited for his future role and I look forward to reading about what happens next!