Each volume is an independent book, but the whole series forms a continuous history of England from the Roman period to the present century.

The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1272 is a masterly overview to this eventful and fascinating period of history. It analyses the three Kings of very different qualities and reputations: the confident and masterful Edward I who conquered Wales; Edward II who was defeated by the Scots in battle and was humiliated and deposed; and Edward III whose reign saw great triumphs against the French, but also the terrible ravages of plague. The second edition of this highly acclaimed book updates the picture throughout, in the light of recent research.

Brought together by an impressive, international array of contributors this book presents a representative study of some of the many misinterpretations that have evolved concerning the medieval period.

"England of the Plantagenet kings was a turbulent place. In politics it saw Simon de Montfort's challenge to the crown in Henry III's reign and it witnessed the deposition of Edward II. By contrast, and as relief, it also experienced the highly successful rules of Edward I and his grandson, Edward III. Political institutions were transformed with the development of parliament, and war, the stimulus for some of that change, was never far away. Wales was conquered and the Scottish Wars of Independence started in Edward I's reign, while Crecy and Poitiers were English triumphs under Edward III." "Beyond politics, the structure of English society was developing, from the great magnates at the top to the peasantry at the bottom. Economic changes were also significant, from the expansionary period of the thirteenth century to years of difficulty in the fourteenth, culminating in the greatest demographic disaster of historical times, the Black Death." "Embracing politics and government, kingship, the structure of society, France, Scotland, and Wales, as well as areas such as the environment, the management of the land, crime and punishment, Michael Prestwich's survey casts the Plantagenet past in a new and revealing light."--BOOK JACKET.