Edward III lived through bloody and turbulent times. His father was deposed by his mother and her lover when he was still a teenager; a third of England's population was killed by the Black Death midway through his reign; and the intractable Hundred Years War with France began under his leadership. Yet he managed to rule England for 50 years, and was viewed as a paragon of kingship in the eyes of both his contemporaries and later generations. Venerated as the victor of Sluys and Crécy and the founder of the Order of the Garter, he was regarded with awe even by his enemies. But he lived too long, and ultimately saw 30 years of conquests reversed in less than five. In this gripping account of his rise and fall, Jonathan Sumption introduces us to a fêted king who was nevertheless condemned to end his life a heroic failure.
