The Perfect King

The Life of Edward III

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The Perfect King

By: Ian Mortimer

Narrated by: Alex Wyndham

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About this listen

From the best-selling author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England comes the story of King Edward III, who - like Elizabeth and Victoria after him - embodied the values of his age, forged a nation out of war and remade England.

Edward’s life is one of the most extraordinary in all English history. He ordered his uncle to be beheaded, he usurped his father’s throne and he started a war which lasted for more than a hundred years. He took the crown when it was at its lowest point and raised it to new heights, presenting himself as a new King Arthur, victorious across Europe. He was the architect of many English icons - from parliamentary rule to the adoption of English as the official language and even the building of a great clock tower at Westminster. Yet behind the strong warrior king was a compassionate, conscientious and often merciful man - resolute yet devoted to his wife, friends and family, and the father of both the English nation and the English people.

Europe

Great Britain

Medieval

Royalty

England

Middle Ages

War

Tudor

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Critic reviews

"An excellent biography; entertaining as well as informative." (Daily Telegraph)

"A fascinating portrait. At times, the reader seems almost able to reach across time and touch this man." (The Economist)

"In producing this fine biography, Mortimer has succeeded magnificently, and has gone a long, long way towards restoring Edward III to his proper place as one of the great makers of this nation." (Daily Mail)

Most relevant

I was enthralled by this book,such an exciting and important life. Why hasn't anyone made a film of this.
The narrator unfortunately lost a star for his lack of research on how to pronounce common English place names