Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
16 used & new from £5.96

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty (The Medieval World)
 
 

The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty (The Medieval World) (Paperback)

by Frank Barlow (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
Price: £9.89 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.10 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
12 new from £5.96 4 used from £13.50
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 10 used & new from £12.00

Frequently Bought Together

The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty (The Medieval World) + Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman Who Shaped the Events of 1066 + 1066: The Year of The Three Battles
Price For All Three: £27.37

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman Who Shaped the Events of 1066

Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman Who Shaped the Events of 1066

by Harriet O'Brien
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.99
Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King

Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King

by Ian W. Walker
Hereward: The Last Englishman

Hereward: The Last Englishman

by Peter Rex
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £9.09
1066: The Year of The Three Battles

1066: The Year of The Three Battles

by F.J. McLynn
4.1 out of 5 stars (10)  £10.49
The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans

The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans

by Peter Rex
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 216 pages
  • Publisher: Longman (11 Sep 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0582784409
  • ISBN-13: 978-0582784406
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 137,454 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #99 in  Books > Biography > Social & Health Issues > Teaching & Learning
    #100 in  Books > Biography > British Royalty
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Product Description

'[for] those who like their early Middle Ages replete with murder and mayhem... Frank Barlow has an epic tale to tell' History Today

The family of Earl Godwin of Wessex stands among the most famous in English history, whose most famous son was King Harold.

Frank Barlow charts the family through to Harold – the last Anglo-Saxon king – and finally the crowning of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest. Set against the backdrop of Viking raids and ultimately the Norman Conquest of 1066, Frank Barlow unravels the gripping history of a feuding family that nevertheless determined the course and fortunes of all the English.



From the Back Cover
The Godwins is the fascinating story of the meteoric rise and fall of the powerful Godwin dynasty, one of the grandest and most powerful families of Anglo-Saxon England, whose most famous son was King Harold. Set against the backdrop of Viking raids and ultimately the Norman Conquest of 1066, Frank Barlow unravels the the gripping history of a feuding family that nevertheless determined the course and fortunes of all the English.
The family of Earl Godwin of Wessex stands among the most famous in English history. Owing their rise to Godwin’s outstandingly successful career during the reign of the Danish King Cnut (1016-35), they became even more prominent in the time of Edward the Confessor (1042-66). Godwin’s daughter, Edith, became King Edward’s wife, his son Harold inherited his father’s earldom of Wessex, his son Tostig acquired Northumbria and other sons also became earls. Over the century they accumulated great wealth and established enormous influence.
However, Edith and Edward could not have children and ultimately this destabilised the monarchy, exposing the problem of the royal succession after Edward’s death. Harold took the throne soon after but was defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; Queen Edith lived in England until her death in 1075, and other survivors of Godwin’s family faded into obscurity.
Frank Barlow places the Godwins at the centre of this unstable world, charting the family through to Harold – the last Anglo-Saxon king – and finally the crowning of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest. [This violent upheaval in English history virtually destroyed the existing Anglo-Danish nobility, together with powerful standing of the Godwin dynasty in England.]
Frank Barlow is the author of many books including the bestselling ‘The Feudal Kingdom of England’. He is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter and Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford; CBE, FBA, FRSL. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty (The Medieval World)
67% buy the item featured on this page:
The Godwins: The Rise and Fall of a Noble Dynasty (The Medieval World) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£9.89
Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman Who Shaped the Events of 1066
12% buy
Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman Who Shaped the Events of 1066 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)
£6.99
Aethelred: King of the English
7% buy
Aethelred: King of the English 4.6 out of 5 stars (11)
£11.69
The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans
7% buy
The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£6.99

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and highly readable - a brilliant introduction to the period, 7 Mar 2007
By J. Aitcheson (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
"The Godwins" by Frank Barlow is an excellent account of the turbulent history of England in the half-century leading up to the Norman Conquest, charting the rise and fall in fortunes of the dynasty established by Earl Godwin and which reached its zenith with the succession of his son, Harold, as king in 1066.

Though the book is less than 200 pages long, Barlow nevertheless is able to write in great depth about his period, evoking a sense of the turbulent politics and the rapidly shifting fortunes of his subjects. He describes the rapid rise of Godwin and his family, from relative obscurity in the reign of Aethelred 'the Unready' (978-1016) to power and wealth under Edward the Confessor (1042-66), and then finally to the kingship itself with Harold's succession in 1066. His account of the events leading up to the Norman invasion, as well as of the Battle of Hastings itself, is thorough and detailed in every respect.

The sources available to the historian for the 11th century are fuller than for earlier periods, but nevertheless remain somewhat fragmentary. Barlow, however, does an excellent job of drawing them all together in a scholarly yet readable manner. Indeed these sources are constantly referenced throughout the book, with a list of notes at the end of every chapter. Moreover, where there are uncertainties or discrepancies in the material, he is careful to highlight them. To help the reader keep track of the various players, there are four family trees, depicting both the Anglo-Saxon and the Danish royal lines, as well as Godwin's own family. Also included are 12 pages of black and white plates, reproducing images of the coinage of the age in addition to key scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry.

All in all, "The Godwins" is a truly excellent book; indeed, one of the best on the subject of King Harold and the Norman Conquest. Also highly useful for understanding the social history of eleventh-century England is Richard Fletcher's "Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England", while at the same time a useful counterpart to Barlow is David C. Douglas's "William the Conqueror", which deals with the same period but from the Norman perspective.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not so much a good read as an enlightening study, 2 Dec 2002
By Chas Jones (England) - See all my reviews
This is an authoratative study of the Godwins and their role in the events leading to the Norman Conquest. There is precious little source material for a historian to work with and Prof Barlow analyses the provenance of each item. This is both the strength and the weakness of the book.
It is a careful study, rather than a good read. It does an excellent job at making the limited material formerly available to scholars acccessible to the interested reader. The book avoids the temptation at speculate on the moods and motives of that period but provides an excellent foundation for future speculations.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written story, 24 Aug 2006
By "Smith" Reader (West Midlands United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This is a well written book which tells it's readers the family history of the last Anglo Saxon King Harold. His Father, Brothers and their actions up the Battle of Hastings (not fought at Hastings of course but at 'Battle'!).

Great read assumes some back ground knowlege.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

More info on Wish Lists

 

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

Shop now

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates