THE AGE OF CHIVALRY

by Arthur Bryant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 14, 1964

t's just possible Bryant's Story of England series is going to get better and better volume for volume. Certainly one would have thought the first (Masters of the Realm) had reached the limits of felicity. But no, the second is even more lus-rously, more lavishly told; a triumphantly readable account of the 13th and 14th centuries, from the reigns of Edward I to Richard II. As a transitional era it saw many ""firsts"": the evolution of parliament, the legal profession, legislative reforms, and the rise of an overall administration, now usually referred to (somewhat bleakly s ""the establishment."" Though a raw age, full of brawls and battles, it was also one of Arthurian chivalry and of the foundation of the Order of the Garter, brought about in the contest with France over Aquitaine. Drama was never lacking: two kings were deposed, two bit the dust in civil war, and only one successfully withstood the anger of his subjects; class-consciousness erupted in the curious Peasants' Revolt, and the recurrent Black Death halved the population. Out of such disorder emerged (rather amazingly) the constitutional concept- individual rights and centralized authority- paving the way for democratic dominions elsewhere. A fastidious scholar, Bryant ranges well-nigh effortlessly from Church to Crown, from social snippets to the works of Chaucer, Langland, and the world of architecture. He has a talent that can turn musty events into an exciting, quite elegant chronicle; a rare gift indeed.

Pub Date: Aug. 14, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1964

Categories: NONFICTION