Eat your veg

Book Review: The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England by Dan Jones

    

…so the story about how I picked up this meaty history book is one you have all heard before (I’m naively assuming you all read my first post about the book “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young”). I scooped it up amongst the dross of a Lake District charity shop for the lowly sum of £1. Despite its price, this book played a pivotal role in an impressive trio, a grouping which I can’t help but think came from the same conservative elderly gentlemen. A book on England’s greatest royal dynasty, another on the Vietnam War, and then Bravo Two Zero (the quintessential British bloke book of an SAS patrol trapped behind enemy lines in Iraq). This collection screams of someone who is going to chew your ear off about the geopolitical factors leading to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, or give you a deep historical background of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Interesting in a purely informational and academic sense, but not someone you’d really want to have a beer with or see more than that forced double date with your missus’s mate or that cornered lunch with a colleague. So with that lies my feelings about this Dan Jones book. The content of the book was incredibly interesting; I felt that I learnt a huge amount through its 600-odd pages of tightly packed text, yet that was all I really gained from the read. I know I say that as if it were nothing (which is entirely not the case, as I will get into later; there are many hugely noteworthy events, narratives, and figures in this book), but the interest and engagement presented itself more in a history classroom type of way more than anything else. More specifically, a class that you’re not entirely bored with as the teacher is talking about wars and fighting for once, but by the end, you start to stare out the window a little bit more and wonder what mum is cooking for tea. I didn’t have to shove myself through the lines in this book as I have with previous lesser historical non-fiction, yet a weighty nudge was certainly needed to finish certain sections. Perhaps I have been reading too much fiction from which I expect to be whisked away through a glorious narrative. Or maybe medieval history doesn’t really stir my drink. Either way, the Plantagenets left me a more informed and educated man, but one in need of a splash of cold water to the face.

No separation of preamble and review today. It doesn’t feel necessary to switch tone or even really my train of thought. To pick up where I left off…in need of an elbow to the ribs to jolt me into posture. For me, the book lay plumb between forcing me into an early sleep and pinning my eyes open with toothpicks to read through the night. I wasn’t struggling through 4 pages before checking my alarm was set and then turning the light off, nor was I sitting bolt upright ripping through pages. I was interested and engaged for the most part, but at no point did I feel as if I couldn’t put the book down for the evening or even for a day. Now I know this sounds a lot more negative than positive, so I will share some of the more captivating elements of this book (of which there were many).

The book is littered with incredibly fascinating and modern world-altering events, along with some quite brutal historical figures. From tyrannical Kings to great and honourable leaders, the Plantagenet family line really does have them all. However, one of the most intriguing components of the Plantagenet story was the emergence of governmental organisation and the beginnings of the modern-day constitutional relationship between monarch and parliament. During the several hundred years covered by the book, huge advances occurred in this area. English Kings and Queens went from answering to no man under God to being held accountable and under incredible scrutiny for their actions by the infant parliament. The political thought which occurred during this period was fascinating. New ideas of law, due process, and regulation of power were all developed during the Plantagenet reign. It is all very good and interesting when you consider that the emergence of such thought happened in a time when people were still hanged, drawn, and quartered. This now brings me to my next point, the reason such thought had to be developed. Don’t be mistaken in thinking that the Plantagenets were the ones conjuring up such revolutionary thought. Oh no, this thought and social development were mostly in avoidance of their oppressive and violent rule. Pushing on from the grey but significant aspect of political development, the Plantagenet Kings provide us with more than enough tabloid juiciness. From petulant revenge to dramatic man hunts, and gruesome murders, these rulers were genuinely…. pretty fucking nuts. Endless double-crossing, fits of rage, and pettiness do create some great stories. I’d be lying if I said these parts didn’t grip me more than the moaning from an Archbishop about the King violating the Magna Carta, but you can’t have one without the other, so.

Paired with these dramatics was another compelling aspect of the Plantagenet story. The relationship with our neighbours (yes, all of them). To learn more about the very roots of our relations with not only Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but also the tumultuous connection with the French was hugely valuable. During this time (or at least at the beginning of the Plantagenets' Reign), the English Monarchy owned and ruled over a relatively large amount of France (at its peak, almost the entire country west of Paris, made up of numerous territories and dukedoms) and with this a large portion of the English identity (particularly for the monarch and the ruling barons) was tied with these lands across the channel. An integral part of the Plantagenet story is that of conquest, loss, and reconquest of French territory. Additionally, the development of English as the overruling language occurred through this jagged relationship with France. In the first half or so of the Plantagenet reign (~12th and 13th century), French was the chosen language of the ruling elite, paired with Latin for Church and educational purposes. During this time, only common people spoke and utilised English on a day-to-day basis. It was not until the mid-to-late 1300s that English started to become increasingly popular. Mainly due to conflicts with the French Crown and losses of English-owned French land, those in power, along with the rest of the country, began to see themselves as less and less French. As the English withdrew from France physically, so did their identity. Alongside this turbulent connection with France, the basis for other foundational conflicts arose. It was during these times that English monarchs began the perpetual attempts to dominate the countries of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Through occupation, intimidation, and outright murder, the Plantagenets were the ones who first desired and attempted to hold the entire Isles under their rule. It was most interesting to read and learn about the beginnings of these complex dynamics, which are still so deeply tied to the social fabrics and physical geography of all 4 nations.

Honestly, as I’ve written this review several weeks after finishing the book and am flipping back through to check facts, I’m surprised at the sheer amount of information covered in this book (or perhaps more impressed by the amount I’ve actually been able to retain). Was it the most thrilling or gripping read? No. But it was far from a total bore either. It required a slight helping hand at times to get through, yet it read much better and more fluidly than a lot of other history books I have had to grit my teeth through. The density of information was certainly a contributing factor to this ease. For even if you felt yourself getting drowsy at the bickering of medieval politics, the intrigue of its implications and greater impact was enough to get you through until someone’s head was stuffed on a spike on London Bridge. Overall, I’m glad I read it. For me, it was a bit like eating your vegetables. They’re good for you, you know they’ll benefit you in the long run, and you feel better for doing it. But chocolate tastes nicer. Worth a read if you’re into history or want to learn more about the foundations and development of England as a nation; however, don’t go in expecting a thriller. A very good, well-written history lesson. I like veg.

3/5