Edward II (Penguin Monarchs) : The Terrors of Kingship

Author: Given-Wilson, Christopher

England

Published on 25 April 2019 by Penguin Books Ltd in the United Kingdom as part of 'the Penguin Monarchs' series.

'He seems to have laboured under an almost child-like misapprehension about the size of his world. Had greatness not been thrust upon him, he might have lived a life of great harmlessness'The reign of Edward II was a succession of disasters. Inept in war, and in thrall to favourites, most notably the young nobleman Piers Gaveston, he preferred drinking, driving carts and rowing boats to the tedium of government. After twenty ruinous years, he was imprisoned and murdered. This remarkable book gives a glimpse into the abyss: the terrors of kingship.