I enjoy history and this era is not one in super familiar with. I like all things royalty related too. Much info I was not aware of.

In ‘Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown’, JF Andrews distills what could have been insanely complicated political and genealogical history into easy-to-follow stories of British royalty who came very close to sitting on England’s throne, but were denied by rival royals, sexist standards of the day, unfortunate mishaps, outright misadventure, or disease. These tales are highly entertaining even as they illicit a cringe—both because these unfortunates (some of whom were highly capable and compelling candidates) were real people, and because it’s achingly relatable to see someone put everything on the line for a high stakes opportunity, only to fall short. In some cases, these poor souls didn’t even seek power, but were thwarted again and again in their efforts to just live a nice life because being born with royal relatives was (quite literally) a double-edged sword.

What I appreciated most was JF Andrews’ ability to, as I said earlier, distill these histories down to their relative points, and keep them succinct so I never felt I was being bogged down by data, nor given too little. I walked away feeling I knew as much as I needed about each individual royal, but also had avenues of research to pursue if I wanted to delve further into a particular generation’s shenanigans. Not once did I feel bored, the narratives never dragged, and I left each chapter eager to read about the next generation of royal unfortunates.

People who habitually consume media about Britain’s royalty will recognize some of the names in this book—like Edward V and Richard, the Princes in the Tower. But I was pleased to see that there were other royals that I was less familiar with being brought out of obscurity—such as Empress Matilda and Edward of Woodstock (known primarily as “the Black” by historians and touted not so much as an almost-king but as one of Britain’s greatest knights). Furthermore, showing the succession in terms of who didn’t get the throne and why helped to show angles of history that made me question who I would have really supported in some of these conflicts.

All-in-all, a quick and highly satisfying read for anyone who enjoys stories about England’s outrageous and tumultuous royal history.

This was quite interesting. I enjoyed delving deeper into the possibilities of others who could have reigned over England.

If you love history then you'll love this book. For those people who know a little about history but need some gaps filling in then it's ideal, for those people who know their Kings and Queens of the medieval period but know little about how and why they ended up on the throne it's ideal. For all those people who turn to the internet to find out more about a historical character they've read about in a fiction book and want to know more it's ideal. It's a book I'll be going back to time and time again.

A fascinating look at those people who narrowly missed out on the throne. Highly recommended to anyone interested in British history.

First sentence: William the Conqueror died on 9 September 1087. He had held England in his iron grip for almost twenty-one years, wiping out the old aristocracy and causing untold misery and suffering across large parts of the realm as he went. He had seized the throne by violence in 1066, but he did not want his own death to result in another Hastings, or in a revival of any Anglo-Saxon claims; no, he would create his own AngloNorman dynasty, which would rule England by blood right. With this in mind, he made it clear that the English crown should pass to his son … his second son. Naturally, his eldest son had a few thoughts of his own on the subject, and thus began four centuries of bloody disputes as the English monarchy’s line of hereditary succession was bent, twisted out of shape and finally broken when the last Plantagenet king fell in battle in 1485.

Premise/plot: This book focuses on the "lost" heirs that never reigned or ruled England. (The book begins with the death of William the Conqueror and ends with Henry VII on the throne.) The reasons WHY the "lost" heir never got the crown vary from person to person--as you'd expect. The author states the premise quite clearly, "This book will tell the stories of all of these people and more; the many medieval kings–and the occasional queen–who could have been but never were. It features a very distinct group of people: it does not include illegitimate children who had no expectation of ruling; nor those who sought to invade and claim the throne by conquest...Instead it focuses on those who were genuinely considered to be next in line to the throne and who expected to be crowned but who–for a number of different reasons–never made it to the top. Very few of them reached old age; those who did went to their graves disappointed or imprisoned, and those who did not were in many cases the victims of violence or murder."

My thoughts: Does this book have an audience? YES. Is it probably a SMALL audience? YES. But that small audience I'm guessing is ENTHUSIASTIC and a bit OBSESSED. I did a little squeal when I read the description of this one. Why? Because not only did I know it would appeal to ME as a reader and lover of history and all things royal. BUT because I know it would make my MOM super-happy. I'm hoping that the library will order a copy. Mom reads and rereads books about the medieval royals ALL THE TIME. She almost always has a book checked out on the subject.

So I loved how each chapter started with a family tree. I loved how clearly it was written and organized. The genealogy of the royal family COULD be a super-tangled mess, but, the author was great in keeping the flow going and explaining how all the pieces fit together. I loved the stories.

One of my favorite time-wasting daydreams is imagining the PERFECT book that I'd love to read. It would be a series of novellas or short-stories possibly. Each would be set in an alternate world with a different what-if question answered. It would span the centuries. Each what-if would be based on a matter of succession/rule. I've been imagining this book for years now--probably five or more. So when I saw this book, it was like HALF a dream at least had been realized.

If the book has a flaw, it would be that the author believes Richard III guilty. (He so wasn't!)

Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown was a thorough look into historical queens. I have a bit of an obsession with reading/learning all I can about medieval people and historical figures. This book was a great insight into the lives of the queens who ruled after William the Conquerer. Very educational.

While the writing is often rather dull and sometimes the syntax makes the meaning confusing, this book is an excellent overview of the "might have been" rulers of England from the time of William the Conqueror to Henry VII. The characters portrayed suffer different fates, it's a very interesting way to look at English history of this period.

A really interesting look at the other members of the monarchy through the Middle Ages. A great start to see them and the family dynamic through war, politics, debt and more. A good read for those who like the history of kings and queens or English history between 1060 and 1400s.

This is is a good overview of several potential heirs to the English crown and what happened to them .I liked the detail in the book and would recommend it

I had never heard of most of these "almost-rulers" -- with the exception of the Princes in the Tower and the Black Prince -- and it was interesting to read how the vicissitudes of fate led some people with royal blood to lose the crown, and sometimes their life!

Good survey of the also-rans of the medieval English succession--the heirs displaced by civil war, who died before their royal fathers, the incidents of matrilineal descent (no Salic law in England), legitimized bastards and the overall theme that if one could seize the throne and hold it, the church and the law would come up with ways to justify it and legalize it.

Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown is an engaging study of exactly that. Taking the reader from the years after the Norman Conquest until the beginning of the Tudor era, there is much to learn about those who should have been king or queen had happenstance been a little different.
The author has an engaging writing style, and if, every so often, the opinions offered are purely based on the author's personal preference, it can be overlooked, as most historians will always have a personal favourite, or enemy from the time period that they study, and the author does make it clear when offering a personal opinion.
It is a very readable book, and I particularly enjoyed reading about Lady Constance at the beginning of the 1400's (as I've just read a fiction book about her). Neither does the author shy away from such difficult topics as the murder of the lost heirs, and is aseven handed when recounting the lives of the Black Prince, as those who suffered at the hands of over-mighty uncles.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This will make a nice little addition to anyone's history shelf. It is, as I mentioned, a very readable narrative on those who came so close and yet lost it all .... "there are very few happy endings ...".

" .... every game of thrones has its losers too .." and they are here in spades. The author is quite upfront when stating that the focus is on "genuine contenders not imposters" - so this means those, who in different circumstances, could have legitimately inherited the English throne.

We begin with the reign of the Normans in England, and the battle for the throne between the sons of William the Conqueror, and finish up with the tragic sons of the York brothers. Each chapter begins with the family tree - so you know who is who in the scheme of things - followed by a history of events. Then we conclude with a brief exploration and analysis of how and why they failed, and an assessment of each claimant's potential as a ruler based on what is known about each.

The chapters are easy to read and the narrative not overly cumbersome or dry. There are extensive notes for those who wish to read further - I have quite a few of these resources myself!

Even though I was familiar with all of the stories, I was happy to revisit them again.

note: whilst I took over a week to read, had I not been distracted by life, I could quite easily have read this in one day.

Neue Einblicke in alte Geschichte oder: warum Familie immer und überall spannend ist. Es gibt viele neue Blickwinkel und interessante Informationen über die "nicht so wichtigen" Personen in Englands Thronfolge. Hochinteressant, gerade für "Ausländer", denen diese Seite der Geschichte weitgehend unzugänglich ist.

I've read the stories of the royals who were "bypassed," but only as an aside as the monarchs who took power in their places were the focus of the stories. I stumbled upon this book and thought it would provide a different perspective, and it certainly did succeed at that. They're no longer just names in a history book - they're actually the focus of one for a change. I definitely learned a lot and it was an enjoyable read as well.