Edward I: A Great and Terrible King (Marc Morris)

In Edward I: A Great and Terrible King, noted historian Marc Morris produces a biography of Edward "Long Shanks" (he was tall), also known as "Hammer of the Scots."  Edward did a lot of notable things with government, and his policies and exploits in many ways forged Britain.  Just some of his achievements:

- he fought in the Crusades,
- killed Simon de Montfort in battle,
- reburied the (alleged) remains of King Arthur and Guinevere at Glastonbury Abbey,
- defeated the Welsh,
- constructed a chain of impressive, extant castles in North Wales (Conwy, Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernarfon)
- created a Round Table* (now hanging in Winchester Great Hall- reviewed here), and
- erected the "Eleanor Crosses" to memorialize his first wife

It's not often that I put down a good book, but such was the case here.  Morris writes well: he's succinct, does his homework, and the prose is good.  I just realized that I don't care much for biographies- I don't need that much detail on any one person.  I prefer broader historical works on vast time periods or major events.  So, though I read only 20% of this, I would recommend it for those interested in the man.

Rating: A-

*like many in his time, Edward was a fan of all things Arthurian, and created the table to mimic the mythical monarch.  As an aside, Morris does a great job succinctly explaining his take on the Arthur legend in this book (pp 162-6).