- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; First Edition edition (27 Mar 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224062492
- ISBN-13: 978-0224062497
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 515,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
Mortimer's book roars, races and sings... with a sense of passion and drama and an unrelenting pace. -- Daily Telegraoh
Ian Mortimer's exacting standards of scholarship mean that this book will undoubtedly remain the standard authority on its subject. -- Indipendent on Sunday
A compelling page-turner. -- Sunday Times
Ian Mortimer's exacting standards of scholarship mean that this book will undoubtedly remain the standard authority on its subject. -- Indipendent on Sunday
A compelling page-turner. -- Sunday Times
History Today (Professor Nigel Saul)
‘A superb study of the man who was effective ruler of England from 1327 to 1330...'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Where were history books like this when I was at school?
Mortimer's account of the actions of his namesake is gripping, exciting and at the same time wince-inducing.
There is no doubt that England in the early 1300s was not a green and pleasant land to live in. The behaviour of the noble classes was anything but noble; self-interest was their driving force.
This book traces the story behind the overthrow of King Edward II because he had become a self-absorbed tyrant who flouted his cornation oath and the laws of the land. It is obviously hard to delve deeply into the minds of people who left little in the way of written records. A historian has to rely on tidbits and implications. Nonetheless, I found this book to be absorbing and exciting.
The pace is excellent, and luckily for the reader, there is a reasonable narrative to follow. In addition, the author has avoided the problem of peoples' names changing as they inherit titles, and so on. This latter aspect can make the reading of medieval history very trying.
Another reviewer has accused the author of revisionism. This is the sort of allegation that is always thrown against a proponent of a radical or alternative perspective.
There is NO doubt that the limited scope for free expression and constant pressure applied by the Church would have made the discussion of Edward's sexuality a taboo for many centuries. What the author has done is to look at the king and judge his behaviour, rather than his sexuality. Edward's habit of rewarding his favourites at the expense of others was his undoing, as much as his refysal to listen to wise counsel.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone with a keen interest in the history of England.
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ian Mortimer does a grand job in shining a light on a dark corner of English history. I first came across the notorious Roger Mortimer years ago as a kid when my father took me on a guided trip to 'Mortimer's Hole', Roger's hiding place at Nottingham Castle. There wasn't much said about Roger, just that he murdered King Edward II and ruled the realm before being undone in 1330 by the young Edward III. Ian Mortimer puts flesh on his bones here, with a meticulously researched account of his life with some compelling detail [such as Roger's grandfather keeping Simon de Montfort's head as a souvenir]and well drawn portraits of Roger and his supporting cast - Aymer de Valence, for example, emerges as a fascinating character.
Ian Mortimer convincingly puts Roger's alleged villainy into context and makes us sympathise with him and the actions he took against an incompetent and inadequate ruler. The self-interested and sort-sighted acts of Edward II and the other members of the ruling order remind us that a corrupt political elite is far from a recent phenomenon.
The book is excellent throughout, but perhaps Ian Mortimer overeggs the pudding with his insistent support for the conspiracy theory that Edward II survived his stint in Berkley Castle and lived on for years in exile in Italy. I suppose this does help to put a new angle on the story and there just may be something in it, but I don't think the evidence as displayed here is really convincing. Similar stories have been circulated about a number of historical figures [Richard II during his usurper Henry IV's reign and Richard Duke of York during Henry VII's time], but all make more sense as opportunist political plots. Edward II's alleged survival doesn't seem to me any more likely. But whether you buy the revisionism or not, this a well-written and fascinating book.
Ian Mortimer convincingly puts Roger's alleged villainy into context and makes us sympathise with him and the actions he took against an incompetent and inadequate ruler. The self-interested and sort-sighted acts of Edward II and the other members of the ruling order remind us that a corrupt political elite is far from a recent phenomenon.
The book is excellent throughout, but perhaps Ian Mortimer overeggs the pudding with his insistent support for the conspiracy theory that Edward II survived his stint in Berkley Castle and lived on for years in exile in Italy. I suppose this does help to put a new angle on the story and there just may be something in it, but I don't think the evidence as displayed here is really convincing. Similar stories have been circulated about a number of historical figures [Richard II during his usurper Henry IV's reign and Richard Duke of York during Henry VII's time], but all make more sense as opportunist political plots. Edward II's alleged survival doesn't seem to me any more likely. But whether you buy the revisionism or not, this a well-written and fascinating book.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Greatest Traitor by Ian Mortimer is a really spectacular book. It really takes us back to the the years 1287-1330, the period that Roger Mortimer lived in. In the first and best biography of him, Mortimer protrys Roger as the famous military commander turned brutal dictator. And in doing this, he protrayed a great medieval adventure.
This book is the first biography of Roger Mortimer and his importance in English and British history. He was the first man to depose a king, sleep with that king's wife, and bringing England under the rule of a dictator. He was sort of a Lancelot go wrong. He was indeed a chivalrous knight and a effective military commander in Ireland and Scotland. Above all, he presided over the first great revolution since th Conquest. And he succeed to rule England for three years, a king in all but name until Edward III and his friends got rid of him-a good move for the survival of the kingship. And Mortimer showed us all of this in a book that read like a adventure novel.
One great feature of this book is the reavaluation of Roger's character and importance in English history. Mortimer says that yes Roger had all of the characteristics of a king, but in the end he betrayed them. What a condemenation. And the important thing that it is truw.
The Greatest Traitor was a fantastic book of medieval power, war, love, passion, friendship, betrayel, and revenge. A very creative and inspiring book by Dr. Mortimer.
This book is the first biography of Roger Mortimer and his importance in English and British history. He was the first man to depose a king, sleep with that king's wife, and bringing England under the rule of a dictator. He was sort of a Lancelot go wrong. He was indeed a chivalrous knight and a effective military commander in Ireland and Scotland. Above all, he presided over the first great revolution since th Conquest. And he succeed to rule England for three years, a king in all but name until Edward III and his friends got rid of him-a good move for the survival of the kingship. And Mortimer showed us all of this in a book that read like a adventure novel.
One great feature of this book is the reavaluation of Roger's character and importance in English history. Mortimer says that yes Roger had all of the characteristics of a king, but in the end he betrayed them. What a condemenation. And the important thing that it is truw.
The Greatest Traitor was a fantastic book of medieval power, war, love, passion, friendship, betrayel, and revenge. A very creative and inspiring book by Dr. Mortimer.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of the best and most interesting history books ever
This book is interesting alone for the character that it is discussing. There is much about Isabella and Edward II, but very little about the man that become the lover of one and... Read more
Published 19 days ago by sld339
oh be still my heart, a real biography!
Mortimer has done what is almost impossible today: a truly well researched and engaging biography with the blood still pumping madly in the body. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Beth E. Williams
Political Life In Britain
O.K. so we've given up the disembowellings, beheadings and even hangings,but what else has fundamentally changed about the ways in which human nature expresses itself in politics... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Greenwell
Dispels the traditional view
Having grown up in the sixties and seventies, and heard the traditional story of Edward the Second's demise whilst visiting Berkeley Castle a long time ago, this account came as a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. D. Busby
Biography of Rogeeeer Mortimer
This interesting book has proved to be a treasure trove of information about an era of which i previously knew very little,and I find that what I had been given to understand,in... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. S. A. Charlewood
an interesting character
I've just finished this book and found it quite enjoyable. The author has written an exciting, engaging narrative and throws some light onto the life of Sir Roger Mortimer, a... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mrs. TK Ellis
Farewell fair queen, weep not for Mortimer
Immersing yourself in history is one way of getting a perspective on the dreary politics of one's own time - the shock at what people will get up to is almost the same, different... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Eileen Shaw
Warrior, Diplomat, Hero, Rebel and Traitor
A traitor, perhaps. But to whom?
Where, indeed, were history books like this when I was at school? Read more
Where, indeed, were history books like this when I was at school? Read more
Published 15 months ago by Steven T. Jarvis
Not to be confused with a historical novel
I did not know quite what to expect when I ordered this book.A novel or a reference book. More a reference book than an easy read. Read more
Published 20 months ago by InMyOpinion.....
the king breaker
an interesting and very readable history of the life of Roger Mortimer, the infamous lover of Isabella, queen of Edward II. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Juanita
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