Henry the Second

Alice Stopford GreenProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 367K words
Chapters: 37

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Henry the Second by Alice Stopford GreenAuthor: Green, Alice Stopford, 1848-1929,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Dec 1, 2003

Editor's review

This book is a biography of Henry II written by the British historian Alice Stopford Green, an early example of systematic popular history writing. Green is known for clear narrative, linking Henry II's political career from Count of Anjou to King of England, his struggles with the Church and the nobility, and the evolution of English law and administration in the twelfth century, making it suitable as an introductory read for the early Plantagenet period. As a public-domain ebook, it preserves the language style and historiographical perspective of early twentieth-century history writing, so readers can gain both the basic outline of figures and events and a sense of how historians' concerns differ across eras. Note that some views and choices of sources reflect the limitations of the period in which it was written and should not be taken as the latest research. It is suitable as supplementary reading before or after reading a main account of medieval English history, or as a sample for comparing historiographical styles.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in medieval English history, especially the Plantagenet dynasty
Students who need to understand the life of Henry II and the political landscape of twelfth-century England
Readers who want to practice reading historical English through public-domain English sources
Readers interested in early popular history writing and historiography

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers who need to cite the latest academic conclusions and research reviews
Casual readers looking for light, novelistic narrative
Readers with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and opening chapters first, sketch a timeline of Henry II's life, then move on to specific events.
While reading, consult a map of medieval England and mark relevant places in Anjou, Normandy, and England.
Take brief notes on institutional and ecclesiastical terms, and review them after finishing to form an overall framework.
Read it alongside contemporary historical works and note the era-specific differences in perspective and sources.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

This is the original English edition, a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg. The main text is in English with no Chinese translation included. It suits readers with some English reading ability or can be used as English historical reading material.

Can I read it without a background in medieval history?

Yes, but it is advisable to first learn the basic outline of England after the Norman Conquest and the background of Henry II's conflict with Becket. The narrative is fairly clear, but there are many personal names, place names, and institutional terms, so readers starting from zero will need to look things up as they go and will read more slowly.

Are the historical views in this book authoritative?

The author, Green, wrote in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the book carries the historiographical perspective and language style of that era. It is suitable for learning basic facts and traditional narratives, but some views and choices of sources are no longer at the forefront of current research; for professional citation, check modern academic works.

What reading pace is suitable?

It is best to proceed chapter by chapter, reading one or two chapters at a time and taking brief timeline notes. The book interweaves personal and political-institutional narrative, so reading continuously at speed can make relationships between figures confusing; organizing people and events chapter by chapter and then connecting them works better.

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About the author

Alice Stopford Green Author · Irish · 1847–1929

Alice Stopford Green (1847–1929) was an Irish historian and nationalist. Born in Kells, County Meath, she married the historian John Richard Green. After her husband's death she turned to independent writing, publishing Henry the Second in 1888 and later works including Town Life in the Fifteenth Century, Irish Nationality and The Old Irish World, which deal mainly with medieval urban history and Irish history. Her writing attends closely to the concrete texture of social life and is clear in style, combining scholarship with readability. In her later years she was active in the Irish national cause and in 1922 became a member of the first Irish Senate. Five of her works are included in this collection.