Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Eagle and the Hart:
Richard II sucked. (The actual dude, not the play.)
Quick synopsis:
A look at what made Henry IV overthrow Richard II of England.
Fact for Non-History People:
The bill for the candle wax alone to celebrate the birth of Richard’s older brother was 400 pounds which was more than even some knights made yearly.
Fact for History Nerds:
Helen Castor herself has approved of my juvenile joke below.
My Take on The Eagle and the Hart:
I plan on going on quite a bit of diatribes in this review. So, before you say, “Brendan can you get to the point, please?” I will summarize it with this. Helen Castor’s The Eagle and the Hart is magnificent, and you should read it. It is long and in-depth but never boring; it is a dual character study while also putting its time period in perspective; it is definitely going on my list of best books of 2024. Okay, now on to the diatribes! If you want to exit now, I thank you for your time.
Still with me? Great! Now that the impatient and rude people have left, let me tell you something. I believe Richard II might be the reason men named Richard are nicknamed Dick. (My apologies to all Richards who do not deserve it.) Do I have any scholarly source on this? Absolutely not. Will I look it up? Definitely no. Was this all to elicit a cheap laugh from those people who share my sophomoric sense of humor? Not entirely! Castor’s narrative did make me believe he is one of the worst English kings in history. Yes, the gold standard of bad is someone like King John. However, John TRIED to do something even if he failed at all of it.
Richard II was neither scholarly nor military minded. He wanted the trappings of being king, the deference of being king, but did not want to do anything requiring real work. Don’t worry, Castor does a much better job than me (please hold your shock) in remaining neutral and putting Richard fairly into his time and place. I feel like it may have been the hardest part of writing this book, though.
As for Henry IV, I feel like the “tragedy” of the title truly lies with him. As the son of one of the most important men in England who was not king, Henry IV was constantly in motion. Often, he was in motion to keep from being killed or dragged into a political cesspit. If I had to pick out what I find most superlative about Castor’s book, it’s that when Henry IV’s body breaks down towards the end of his life while being relatively young, I could totally understand why. Castor makes the reader feel the weight of his life and how his experiences could crush even the strongest of his time. He is not a shameless usurper, but a man driven by circumstances beyond his control. He met those challenges but at a high cost.
In summary, for you wonderfully patient readers, this book is exceptional. Yes, it is long because it needs to be, and it is absolutely worth your time.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.)
Verdict:
One of the best books of 2024. Buy it here!
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