Clash of Crowns (eBook)

William the Conqueror, Richard Lionheart, and Eleanor of Aquitaine-A Story of Bloodshed, Betrayal, and Revenge

Mary McAuliffe (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2012
280 Seiten
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Verlag)
978-1-4422-1473-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Conflict between England and France was a fact of life for centuries, but few realize that this conflict originated with the Vikings and their settlement of what would become Normandy. In this compelling and entertaining history, Mary McAuliffe takes the reader back to those dark and turbulent times when Viking descendant William the Conqueror became king of England, yet as duke of Normandy remained an unwilling subject to the French crown. This led to ongoing hostility between his descendants and generations of French monarchs, culminating in the clash between young Philip Augustus of France and his royal English rivals, most notably Richard Lionheart. Mary McAuliffe colorfully provides the background and context for this “clash of crowns,” whose outcome would shape the course of English and French history throughout the centuries that followed.

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Conflict between England and France was a fact of life for centuries, but few realize that its origins date from the time of the Vikings, when a Norse chieftain named Rollo established himself and his progeny in Normandy. In this compelling and entertaining history, Mary McAuliffe takes the reader back to those dark and turbulent times when Rollo's descendants, the dukes of Normandy, asserted their dominance over the weak French monarchya dominance that became especially threatening after Duke William conquered England in 1066, giving him a royal crown.Despite this crown, William the Conqueror and his royal successors remained dukes of Normandy, with feudal obligations to their overlord, the king of France. This naturally fostered an ongoing hostility between the French and English crowns that, as McAuliffe convincingly shows, became ever more explosive as the strength and territorial holdings of the English monarchs grew. Conflict erupted regularly over the years, and Eleanor of Aquitaine's desertion of one camp for the other only added fuel to the long-simmering feud. McAuliffe takes the reader back to this dramatic era, providing the fascinating background and context for this ';clash of crowns.' She offers colorful insights into Richard Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine as well as lesser-known French and English monarchs, especially Philip II of France. Philip proved a determined opponent of Richard Lionheart, and their cutthroat rivalry not only created fatal divisions within the Third Crusade but also culminated in an incendiary faceoff at Richard's newly built Chteau-Gaillard, the seemingly impregnable gateway to empire. The outcome would shape the course of English and French history throughout the centuries that followed.

Autor

Mary McAuliffe received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Maryland and has taught at several universities and lectured at the Smithsonian Institution. For many years she was a regular contributor to Paris Notes. She has traveled extensively in France and recently published Dawn of theBelle Epoque: The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends. She is also the author of Paris Discovered: Explorations in the City of Light. She lives in New York City with her husband.

Inhalt

IntroductionPart IChapter 1: Merlin's ProphesyChapter 2: Turning PointPart IIChapter 3: Rollo the VikingChapter 4: Fathers and SonsChapter 5: The Virgin and the QueenPart IIIChapter 6: The Golden Table of SicilyChapter 7: To Jerusalem!Chapter 8: The Lion at BayChapter 9: A World of EnemiesPart IVChapter 10: Lionheart’s ReturnChapter 11: The Rock of AndelyChapter 12: The Treasure of ChâlusPart VChapter 13: Philip and JohnChapter 14: Lionheart’s Proud DaughterEpilogue

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 16.3.2012
• Zusatzinfo: 12 Illustrations including: - 10 Halftones, Black & White including Black & White Photographs; - 2 Maps.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Mittelalter
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Mittelalter
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Schlagworte: European Studies
• ISBN-10: 1-4422-1473-2 / 1442214732
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4422-1473-6 / 9781442214736