One of the things that I have come to appreciate through this project is how certain biographies can dominate the study of English monarchs. Though this is not true for all of them, for some monarchs one work ends up becoming the go-to source for students and scholars seeking to learn about the king. It’s probably more than a coincidence, too, that these books tend more often than not to be the volumes on the subject for the English Monarchs series. Whether it’s Frank Barlow’s book on Edward the Confessor or David Douglas’s on William the Conqueror, the depth of their examination and the quality of their scholarship ensured that they defined our understanding of that monarch for decades after they were first published.
Such is the case with Wilfred Lewis Warren’s biography of Henry II. Though first published a half-century ago, judging from the footnotes that I’ve seen in other places it remains the go-to source on his life and reign. And after reading it for myself it’s easy to see why it enjoys this status. It’s a formidable tome of a book, one that offers an account of Henrys life situated within the context of six decades of English history. Henry himself is virtually absent from the first chapter-and-a-half of the book, as Warren recounts the events that made it possible for Henry to become king, from William Adelin’s death on the White Ship through the key events of the Anarchy. It’s a good an overview of the events of the latter as any that I’ve read so far, and it argues effectively for the motivations and consequences of the players involved.
After situating Henry on the English throne Warren then provides a chronological survey of Henry’s first three decades as king. Not only does this offer a good synopsis of the key developments that defined much of his reign, it serves as a springboard into Warren’s analytical examination of Henry’s rule. While focused on England and its associated realms, unlike many of the other biographers of Norman and Plantagenet monarchs he incorporates coverage of Henry’s Angevin territories into his analysis. This was particularly welcome after its virtual absence from Barber’s books, as to cover a monarch’s rule over only part of his realm is to distort the understanding of the king’s concerns and how he addressed them. Warren’s more comprehensive approach also meant that he does a far better job of explaining how Henry restored stable government to England after the violence of the Anarchy, even if he credits the king more for reviving and expanding his grandfather’s innovations in government rather than devising whole new systems on his own.
But perhaps the most intriguing part of the book for me was his coverage of Henry’s quarrel with Thomas Becket. This was one of those subjects that, thanks to its cultural presence, shaped much of what I knew about Henry prior to starting this project. Yet while giving it due attention Warren makes an interesting case that its role in burdening Henry’s reign has been greatly overstated, as he notes that it was only in the final stages that it consumed Henry’s attention and led him to his fatal expression of frustration. Though Becket was well suited for the mantle of martyrdom, Warren also argues that it proved less beneficial for his cause, as Henry’s contrition plus the reluctance of other bishops to identify with Becket limited the extent of the concessions he was forced to make afterwards to restore peace between Church and crown.
This fits with his generally positive portrayal of Henry, one that ends with a tone of sorrow over his subject’s troubled relationship with his ambitious sons and their quarrels over the succession. Warren never lets his sympathy for Henry sympathy color his analysis of the king, however, as he offers acute judgments that are all the more persuasive for the clear prose in which they’re offered. The author’s gift for delivering perceptive points in a direct and coherent way helps to explain why the book has become such an influential study of the king and his era. Though its size may deter some, for those who persevere they are likely to finish it with as clear and as thorough an understanding of Henry and his reign as is possible to find between the covers of a single book. It is a hard act for the others to follow.
"Kama nilivyoona katika makala hii, ""Utawala wa Uingereza"" ni moja ya vitabu vya kihistoria vya kihistoria vya kifalme vya Uingereza." Ingawa hii si kweli kwa wote, kwa baadhi ya watawala kazi moja mwishowe inakuwa chanzo cha kwenda kwa wanafunzi na wasomi wanaotafuta kujifunza kuhusu mfalme. Ni pengine zaidi ya bahati mbaya, pia, kwamba vitabu hivi huwa mara nyingi kuliko si kuwa mabuku juu ya mada kwa ajili ya Kiingereza Monarchs mfululizo. Kama ni kitabu cha Frank Barlow juu ya Edward the Confessor au David Douglas juu ya William the Conqueror, kina cha uchunguzi wao na ubora wa udhamini wao ulihakikisha kwamba walifafanua uelewa wetu wa mfalme huyo kwa miongo kadhaa baada ya kuchapishwa kwa mara ya kwanza. Ndivyo ilivyo na wasifu wa Wilfred Lewis Warren wa Henry wa Pili. Ingawa ilichapishwa kwa mara ya kwanza nusu karne iliyopita, kuhukumu kutoka maelezo ya chini ambayo nimeona katika maeneo mengine bado ni chanzo cha kwenda kwenye maisha yake na utawala. Na baada ya kusoma kwa ajili yangu mwenyewe ni rahisi kuona kwa nini inafurahia hadhi hii. Ni kitabu chenye kuvutia sana, ambacho kinatoa simulizi la maisha ya Henry katika muktadha wa miongo sita ya historia ya Uingereza. Henry mwenyewe haonekani katika sura ya kwanza na nusu ya kitabu hicho, kwani Warren anasimulia matukio ambayo yalifanya iwezekane kwa Henry kuwa mfalme, kutoka kifo cha William Adelin kwenye Meli Nyeupe hadi matukio muhimu ya Anarchy. Ni muhtasari mzuri wa matukio ya mwisho kama yoyote ambayo nimesoma hadi sasa, na inadai kwa ufanisi kwa motisha na matokeo ya wachezaji wanaohusika. Baada ya kumweka Henry kwenye kiti cha ufalme cha Uingereza, Warren hutoa uchunguzi wa muda wa miongo mitatu ya kwanza ya Henry akiwa mfalme. Si tu kwamba hii inatoa muhtasari mzuri wa maendeleo muhimu ambayo yalifafanua mengi ya utawala wake, inatumika kama hatua ya kuanza katika uchunguzi wa uchambuzi wa Warren wa utawala wa Henry. Ingawa alizingatia Uingereza na milki zake zinazohusiana, tofauti na waandishi wengine wengi wa wasifu wa watawala wa Norman na Plantagenet anajumuisha chanjo ya maeneo ya Henry's Angevin katika uchambuzi wake. Hii ilikuwa hasa kukaribishwa baada ya kutokuwepo kwake katika vitabu vya Barber, kama kufunika utawala wa mfalme juu ya sehemu tu ya ufalme wake ni kupotosha uelewa wa wasiwasi wa mfalme na jinsi alivyozungumzia. "Warren pia alitoa maelezo ya kina kuhusu jinsi Henry alivyorudisha serikali imara Uingereza baada ya vurugu za Anarchy, hata kama alimwona mfalme kuwa ""mwenye nguvu zaidi"" kwa kuamsha na kupanua ubunifu wa babu yake katika serikali badala ya kubuni mifumo mpya kabisa." Lakini labda sehemu yenye kuvutia zaidi ya kitabu hicho kwangu ilikuwa habari yake ya ugomvi wa Henry na Thomas Becket. Hii ilikuwa moja ya mada hizo ambazo, shukrani kwa uwepo wake wa kitamaduni, ziliunda mengi ya kile nilichojua juu ya Henry kabla ya kuanza mradi huu. Hata hivyo, wakati akitoa tahadhari inayostahili, Warren anafanya kesi ya kuvutia kwamba jukumu lake katika kuzidisha utawala wa Henry limekuwa limepinduliwa sana, kama anavyoona kuwa ilikuwa tu katika hatua za mwisho kwamba ilitumia tahadhari ya Henry na kumwongoza kwa usemi wake mbaya wa kukata tamaa. Ingawa Becket alikuwa na sifa nzuri ya kuwa shahidi, Warren pia anadai kwamba haikuwa na manufaa kwa sababu yake, kama vile ujasiri wa Henry pamoja na kutotaka kwa maaskofu wengine kutambua Becket, ilipunguza kiasi cha makubaliano alilazimika kufanya baadaye ili kurudisha amani kati ya Kanisa na taji. Hii inafaa na picha yake ya kawaida ya Henry, moja ambayo inaisha na sauti ya huzuni juu ya uhusiano wake wa shida na wanawe wenye tamaa na mabishano yao juu ya urithi. Warren kamwe hawaruhusu huruma yake kwa Henry rangi uchambuzi wake wa mfalme, hata hivyo, kama yeye inatoa hukumu kali ambayo ni wote zaidi ya kushawishi kwa prose wazi ambayo wao ni zinazotolewa. Zawadi ya mwandishi wa kitabu hicho ya kutoa mambo yenye kuvutia kwa njia ya moja kwa moja na yenye upatano husaidia kueleza kwa nini kitabu hicho kimekuwa kitabu chenye uvutano mkubwa sana juu ya mfalme huyo na enzi yake. Ingawa ukubwa wake unaweza kuwazuia baadhi, kwa wale ambao kustahimili wao ni uwezekano wa kumaliza na kama wazi na kama kina uelewa wa Henry na utawala wake kama inawezekana kupata kati ya vifuniko vya kitabu kimoja. Ni jambo gumu kwa wengine kufuata.