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irenep19's review against another edition
5.0
Focused on the time leading up to the creation of Magna Carta and its subsequent impact on the Plantagenet lands, this fascinating book is quite easy to read and provides ample information about not only the actions of the royal court during the civil war crisis, but also sheds light on its consequences for ordinary people. The book is filled with interesting tidbits about clothes, food, education and other fields concerning everyday life in the early thirteenth century during King John's reign.
Despite the atrocities committed as a result of John's feud with the barons, Dan Jones transports us back to a time when people were just as human and bursting with life. Magna Carta might have been a document designed by the barons to pressure the king into realising their demands and establish an environment of collaborating government, but we should not forget that it also included clauses regarding the freedoms of the people. As years went by, Magna Carta lost its binding nature and people left behind the chaos and violence that led to its development, but it steadily became the basis to the world as we know it today.
Despite the atrocities committed as a result of John's feud with the barons, Dan Jones transports us back to a time when people were just as human and bursting with life. Magna Carta might have been a document designed by the barons to pressure the king into realising their demands and establish an environment of collaborating government, but we should not forget that it also included clauses regarding the freedoms of the people. As years went by, Magna Carta lost its binding nature and people left behind the chaos and violence that led to its development, but it steadily became the basis to the world as we know it today.
kitschbitsch's review against another edition
4.0
A vivid and exciting portrait not only of the Magna Carta but of the times and experiences of living in England at the time the treaty was passed.
So much of the history of this document has passed into myth and legend that it’s really refreshing and fascinating to have some of those anachronisms dispelled by this book.
So much of the history of this document has passed into myth and legend that it’s really refreshing and fascinating to have some of those anachronisms dispelled by this book.
sarah2696's review against another edition
4.0
The history of Magna Carta is largely the history of kings failing to stick to their terms.
This isn't just a book about King John or Magna Carta. It's about 1215 in general too, and whilst Dan Jones does go through the more famous events of the year, he also pays attention to how the ordinary folk in the fields would have been affected. He also includes shorter essays after each chapter exploring aspects of medieval life, such as what they would have been eating, wearing, and doing. It's a combination of social history, political history and royal history, all condensed into 247 pages (and the bonus is Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest printed at the end).
What I find most interesting about Magna Carta, and what is talked about in the epilogue, is its legacy. It was only in effect for a matter of weeks after all, and yet it has gone on to be a powerful symbol of democracy. It created all sorts of complicated questions about kingship and laid the foundations for the two depositions of the fourteenth century, and yet it was hardly the most significant event of 1215 in the eyes of contemporaries. This book gets that point across - how the legacy of the charter has changed and been used for different purposes by different people, but that it is by the far the be-all and end-all of 1215.
This isn't just a book about King John or Magna Carta. It's about 1215 in general too, and whilst Dan Jones does go through the more famous events of the year, he also pays attention to how the ordinary folk in the fields would have been affected. He also includes shorter essays after each chapter exploring aspects of medieval life, such as what they would have been eating, wearing, and doing. It's a combination of social history, political history and royal history, all condensed into 247 pages (and the bonus is Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest printed at the end).
What I find most interesting about Magna Carta, and what is talked about in the epilogue, is its legacy. It was only in effect for a matter of weeks after all, and yet it has gone on to be a powerful symbol of democracy. It created all sorts of complicated questions about kingship and laid the foundations for the two depositions of the fourteenth century, and yet it was hardly the most significant event of 1215 in the eyes of contemporaries. This book gets that point across - how the legacy of the charter has changed and been used for different purposes by different people, but that it is by the far the be-all and end-all of 1215.
stephend81d5's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
detailed and illustrated edition of a year in the life or the final year of the reign of King John and Magna Carta insightful and interesting.
harrietolivia456's review against another edition
4.0
Really sorry to have to give it 4 stars because once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The book covered so many aspects of medieval society from just 1 year from knights to women and castles to animals. It only lost a star from the structure of the chapters. I found it hard to concentrate on what I was reading when I was only reading it a chapter at a time with the essay at the end. Also because Dan Jones kind of backtracks in the chapters for deeper understanding I lost what the point of the chapters were and so I restarted the book three times in total finally finding it easier to read the chapters over 2 sittings and then the essays afterwards. Once I got over the structure it was a brilliant read and only took 2 days to finish!