Edward III (Penguin Monarchs): A Heroic Failure

The Penguin Monarchs series offers short, fresh, and expert accounts of England's rulers, including Edward III, who was a paragon of kingship but was ultimately condemned to see his conquests reversed.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 28 June 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series presents concise and insightful narratives of England's rulers, now available in paperback format. Spanning fifty years of rule, Edward III, hailed as a paragon of kingship during his time and revered as the perfect king by subsequent generations, holds a revered place in English history. His triumphs over Sluys and Crécy, as well as his establishment of the Order of the Garter, earned him immense admiration and awe even among his adversaries. However, his reign was tragically cut short, resulting in a dramatic reversal of thirty years of conquests within a mere five years. In this captivating new account of Edward III's ascent and downfall, Jonathan Sumption introduces us to a celebrated king who ultimately met a heroic failure in his final days.

Jonathan Sumption, a former history fellow at Magdalen College Oxford, is a renowned historian known for his works such as "Pilgrimage," "The Albigensian Crusade," the first four volumes of his renowned history of the Hundred Years War, "Trial by Battle," "Trial by Fire," "Divided Houses," and "Cursed Kings." He received the prestigious 2009 Wolfson History Prize for his book "Divided Houses."

Weight: 90g
Dimension: 112 x 256 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780141988672