Henry I

This is a superb biography on an unjustly forgotten king. King Henry I was king during an interesting time. The son of William the Conqueror, he was a very different ruler than his father and brother. Professor Hollister writes an extremely readable book that makes clear how just how much changed during Henry's reign. Henry was an educated king for starters. Or at least he was educated when compared to the previous Norman kings. It was even said that he could read. This book is divided into sections. The first 300 pages are basically a straight narrative of his reign while the last few hundred are dedicated to specific topics such as Kings and Magnates, Law and Governance, and King and Church. Unfortunately Hollister died before the book was completed and the last sections had to be completed by his assistant Amanda Frost Clark. These last sections are rather more stilted than the first but then the narrative was bound to be more interesting anyways. If you're interested in this little-known king then this book is for you. If you've never heard of him then pick this up now. It's that good.

In my book, "Astronomical Symbols on Ancient and Medieval Coins", I devote an entire chapter to the astronomical symbols that were depicted on medieval English coinage as signs of divine right to sovereignty. As part of my research, I read numerous books on medieval English history, and I found that Hollister's book, "Henry I," was especially useful. Not only were there many items of interest that added to my understanding of the history of his reign, but of all the books about Henry I that I read, Hollister's book was one of the most interesting reads. He really brought together an amazing amount of information. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in English history. Marshall Faintich

I will admit right up front that I was a student of Warren Hollister and loved him dearly. That being said, this is a grand book that has come to light in the face of great adversity. Despite the destruction of many of his initial notes in a fire and despite his own untimely death, both his own research, his love of detail, and the kindness of his friends have surfaced in this volume.The best book to compare this to is W.L. Warren's "Henry II". Like that book, this is an attempt to get down in concrete fashion all the hard facts of an incredible monarch; in some ways Hollister is arguing against Warren in that Hollister is showing that many of the significant legal changes generally credited to Henry II, such as the expansion of circuit courts, actually had their origins during the reign of Henry I. This is a methodical work; it is not light reading nor is it meant to be. It is, literally, the work of a lifetime, one historian's ode to a great figure from history. Yet it is not truly a panagaeic either; Hollister shows Henry's warts as well as his glories. The point is that in many ways this is Old School History. It is about kings, courts, wars, laws, and all the rest. It is not a stylish book with a lot of witty turns of phrase (though there are some). First and foremost this is a book of careful argumentation, a book that pushes even more strongly than in the past C. Warren Hollister's unflagging belief in the 12th Century Renaissance.Warren was a great and charming man, endlessly hospitable, always kind, and a man who had a true care for his students. In each of them he planted a respect for documents -- how much can be inferred, more importantly how much cannot, how to honestly show what you have learned, and how to both back that up and prove it. I know he would have wanted to clean up passages of this book, tighten his arguments here and there, add several more footnotes. But it is because of the respect and love that Warren showed his many students, his family, that this book is here today. May this work serve as a fitting epitath to a great and generous heart, as well as to a fine historian.

This biography follows the typical outline of books in theEnglish Monarch series, namely a set of chapters describingthe life chronologically, followed by a set of chaptersdiscussing key topics (in this case, on topics such asadministrative reforms, and relationships with the church),followed by a concluding chapter which discusses the end of themonarch's life and sums up contributions.What makes this biography outstanding is the tone: Hollisterkept the tone slightly informal and and active -- as a resultthe chronological sections are lively and the topical sectionsfeel like an informed but informal seminar.

THIS MONUMENTAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE KING WAS MR HOLLISTER'S DREAM AND IT WAS WELL WORTH THE WAIT. HE DELVES INTO EVERY ASPECT OF THE KING'S LIFE AND USES MEDIEVAL SOURCES AS WELL AS NEW RESEARCH. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE