The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England 1327-1330

by Ian Mortimer

Book Overview

One night in August 1323, a captive rebel baron, Sir Roger Mortimer, drugged his guards and escaped from the Tower of London. With the king's men-at-arms in pursuit he fled to the south coast and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312349416
• ISBN13: 9780312349417
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent.

I read this book while on holiday in England. It was the perfect companion. If you enjoy history, especially history that is alive and vibrant, you will like this book. Mortimer takes us back 700 years to become engaged with Sir Roger and his world. We come to understand what a familial dynasty and legacy meant to a medieval knight/baron. We come to fully understand the failures of Edward II, and how those failures drove Mortimer and others to do the unthinkable - overthrow their king. The scholarship and research that went into this account are top notch and the authors theory (I won't give it away) is quite compelling. Great book!

Of course Edward lived out his life in Italy...

This year's reading has included three of my all-time favorite histories. The Princes in the Tower was lucid and reasoned in its indictment of Richard III, with the kindness to provide sufficient context in the reigns of both Richard's predecessor (Edward IV) and successor (Henry VII). The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry was an engaging recounting of the physical tapestry's own amazing story, and a critical exegesis of the tapestry's tale. Better than both is Ian Mortimer's The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England: 1327--1330. Like Bridgeford's illumination of Eustace II of Boulogne, Ian Mortimer brings light to Roger Mortimer's upbringing and exploits, mitigating his rebellions against Edward II and his domination of Edward III while exposing Mortimer's descent into the same arrogant tyranny that brought down Edward II's favorites Gaveston and Despenser. He also brings compelling documentary evidence to substantiate what chroniclers of the time considered wild rumors. In short, nothing but a gripping tale wrapped in conscientious scholarship. And you can complain about Mortimer's (and Alison Weir's) assertions that Ed. II lived out his life in Ireland and then Italy all you want. Mortimer makes a compelling case from documentary evidence. So there.

The Real Roger Revealed

Although Roger Mortimer is one of my great-grandfathers, and Isabella of Angouleme, Queen of England, is one of my great-grandmothers, I was determined to read this book with an open mind. Not only did I do that, the book also opened my mind and showed me a few things I was unaware of. This book delves deep into the lives and minds of Roger and Isabella and helps us to better understand their mind and their feelings as well as their actions. This book is fully charged and with more information that you would hope to find and I highly recommend it to all who have any interest in Royalty and medieval history! Lady Shirley

Adventure! Knights in armor! Combat! Intrigue! Fair damsels in distress!

A ripping yarn indeed. Though ultimately based on circumstantial evidence, the scholarship seems indisputable. Non-stop action a la Dumas pere. If this book doesn't swash your buckle, nothing will. The only question is, will it be a 12-part voice-over history documentary visiting actual sites with re-enactments sprinkled in, or a full-blown Peter Jackson $500-million summer blockbuster?

Fantastic read!

Mortimer's book is well written and very interesting. He does a great job of weaving in enough anecdotes to make the historical figures come to life and, unlike some historical authors, saves the discussions of source material for the footnoes. He also does a convincing job of putting forth his theory about Edward II's life.