The Story of Medieval England: From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest

By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton

Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

These 36 lectures tell the remarkable story of a tumultuous thousand-year period in the history of England. Dominated by war, conquest, and the struggle to balance the stability brought by royal power with the rights of the governed, it was a period that put into place the foundation of much of the world we know today. As you journey through this largely chronological narrative - occasionally interrupted for lecture-long explorations of specific topics - you'll see key themes emerge, including the assimilation of successive waves of invaders, the tense relationship between kings and the nobility, and the constant battles over money and taxation. And because so much of history is driven by specific individuals and not just historical circumstance, each lecture is rich in intimate portraits that reveal those individuals at the key moments of their historical destiny, including Alfred the Great, William the Conqueror, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and John Wycliffe.The result is a lecture series that winds up being not only informative but deeply entertaining, with each lecture drawing you in with its own particular fascinations, including a probing look at the scope of the Black Death, a realistic examination of the legends of both King Arthur and Robin Hood, a riveting description of the Battle of Bosworth Field, and a discussion of the surprisingly nuanced penalties of the early Germanic law codes.

These lectures consistently deliver a fresh level of understanding about medieval England, its rulers and subjects, and their significance for the world we live in today. The chain of theme and event that links our world to theirs will never be clearer, rewarding every moment you spend with this series.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses

Supper

I just finished listening for the 2nd time and I plant to do it again in a couple of years.!

Almost Perfect

Very thorough. Only issue was the added applause. No need to have that between each lecture.

Great information

This has wonderful historically accurate information. It is presented very well and covers the most significant time period where the landscape of the world was beginning to change!

A wonderful series of lectures

Professor Paxton gives a great series of lectures with plenty of enthusiasm and detail. Enjoyed it from the very beginning.

Excellent

Jennifer Paxton is great!! Structured very well & i learned a-lot in this course. Highly recommend !

I was happily surprised!

Where does The Story of Medieval England: From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This lecture series is hard to compare to other audiobooks, but I've greatly enjoyed listening to it. The story is fascinating, and Professor Paxton delivers a very intelligently crafted story that ties in all the major historical events in England. It provides a real sense of depth while still being quickly paced and simply stated.

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed how this story lays out the events and people so it is easy to follow as you move from beginning to end. Sometimes it felt like there was a lot of trivial information, but it usually came back around to play a larger role. Because of how the story was organized it never got boring or too dry.

What does Professor Jennifer Paxton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Reading something like this can sometimes seem like something that should be reserved for academics, but having Professor Paxton narrate the story brought energy to an otherwise dry tale. There is very little indication that she's actually reading anything at all, so the overall sense is like you're just being told a story by someone who knows A LOT about this stuff. I would have never been able (or even wanted) to get through all of this information without an energetic voice to guide me through it.

Any additional comments?

I was initially concerned when I downloaded the audiobook that I wouldn't be able to sit and listen to someone drone on and on about ancient history. I didn't want to be buried in all the names of lords and kings and various locations of interest. I was pleasantly surprised that the delivery of the information was so lively compared to what I was expecting.

There are obviously going to be a lot of names and places in a story like this, but they are only mentioned as far as their relevance will allow. Trying to fit the whole history of Medieval England into one volume is a daunting task, and this book does a great job of trimming the fat.

Very good info

I loved the content. Absolutely hated her voice. Sounds like she's reading a story book to kindergartners with her inflections and pitch changes. Yikes. Didn't totally ruin it though.

fascinating history!

So well told, I looked forward to each successive chapter. I will replay this lecture series again.

Wonderful history course!

This course is a great overview of the Middle Ages in Britain. I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Riveting

I tore through this in a week. Its incredible. Jennifer never loses you through the complexity.