Gruffudd ap Cynan

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Nick Aitchison

"Macbeth: Man and Myth is the first book to study Macbeth in all his manifestations: historical, mythological and dramatic. Bringing together much widely scattered material, it begins by placing Macbeth in the context of the turbulent politics of eleventh-century Scotland, before examining the evidence for the historical Macbeth and his reign. The book then traces the origins and development of the myths surrounding the king through a range of medieval source material to the culmination of this process in Shakespeare's Macbeth, as well as later adaptations and interpretations of the play. The author skilfully disentangles the real from the mythical Macbeth and puts into focus a blurring of fact and fiction that is as old as Macbeth himself. The concluding chapter goes in search of Macbeth, travelling from the 'blasted heath', where Shakespeare's Macbeth met the witches, to Dunsinane where he met his death at the hands of Macduff. The archaeology, architecture, topography and folklore of Macbeth's Scotland are here brought together for the first time. Book jacket."--Jacket.

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Nigel Saul

Nigel Saul paints a picture of Richard as a highly assertive and determined ruler, one whose key aim was to exalt and dignify the crown. In Richard's view, the crown was threatened by the factiousness of the nobility and the assertiveness of the common people. The king met these challenges by exacting obedience, encouraging lofty new forms of address and constructing an elaborate system of rule by bonds and oaths. Saul traces the sources of Richard's political ideas and. Finds that he was influenced by a deeply felt orthodox piety and by the ideas of the civil lawyers. He shows that, although Richard's kingship resembled that of other rulers of the period, unlike theirs, his reign ended in failure because of tactical errors and contradictions in his policies. For all that he promoted the image of a distant, all-powerful monarch, Richard II's rule was in practice characterised by faction and feud. The king was obsessed by the search for. Personal security: in his subjects, however, he bred only insecurity and fear.

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Miriam Greenblatt

Provides an overview of the lives of Charlemagne and his subjects in the Frankish empire of the late eighth and early ninth centuries, and includes excerpts from poems, letters, laws, and diaries of the time.

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Philip J. Potter

"This biographical history tells the story of 30 Gothic monarchs who fought in the crusades, enforced their feudal rights throughout the kingdom, sponsored the growth of representative government through the parliament, and ultimately created a military power that would dominate European affairs"--Provided by publisher.