The Four Gothic Kings: The Turbulent History of Medieval England and the Plantagenet Kings (1216-1377 Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III Se)

Rating:
Summary: A coffee table book of the best kind
Review: In a sequel to her _Plantagenet Chronicles,_ Hallam follows the same style and layout and indulges in the same lavishness of illustration. In addition to the four generations of monarchs in the title, one finds featured many of the other influential figures of the time, including St. Louis IX, William Wallace, Dante and Chaucer, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, and even Jenghiz Khan. From the birth of the Age of Chivalry to the Black Death that killed almost half of Europe (and precipitated the decline of Norman-Angevin feudalism), these were what the old Chinese curse might regard as "interesting times."