Hammer of the Scots

I think we've all seen or heard of the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson and if you've seen it then you know of Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks. In the film he's seen as being mean, evil and downright unpleasant. But it's a pro-Scottish film so that would be the right treatment and understandable. This book would be told about him and what his point of view would be on not just the Scottish issue, but the Welsh one as well. I didn't know that Edward had participated in a Crusade and that his wife, Eleanor of Castile, went with him. I didn't know that he had lost so many sons before having Edward II, and I didn't know that he was even slightly funny. Yes, this book has some humour in it. It's up to you to find it. I loved this book because it just wasn't a tale of one battle to another, but of a man who strove to make the country he loved great. You can't fault a man for that. Plaidy delves into his family life and you can really feel the love that he feels for his first wife Eleanor. I wish that she would have gone into his second marriage a bit more. I felt there she kind of dropped the ball. I mean suddenly there were just children from Margurite of France and very little said on their relationship. But that's a very small complaint to an otherwise great book.

In the past when I thought of Edward I, I saw the horrific old man who ruled England as a cold, black-hearted man whose only goal was to drive out the Scots (as depicted in Braveheart). How Jean Plaidy made that all vanish! In The Hammer of the Scots, Jean Plaidy gives the reader a fascinating picture of Edward I as a strong and just ruler, who dearly loved his family-especially his dear daughters-and desperately wanted Scotland, Wales and England to be united as one-under his rule of course. Plaidy also describes William Wallace in a completely different light than what I had previously seen-from Mel Gibson's Braveheart. Wallace was a man who sought to rid the English from Scotland-understandably so-and would fight till his death to see it happen. The Hammer of the Scots is beautifully written, opening up the doors to the wondrous world of the late 13th century. I was in awe of Edward's patience and kindness and at the same time his harshness when necessary. I admired William Wallace's bravery and his need for vengeance. I found Wallace to be equally intriguing as the King-two men struggling for the love of their countries. Jean Plaidy was such a wonderful author of historical fiction and I've never been disappointed when I give myself to one of her books. A work of art!

Jean Plaidy, a prolific writer of historical fiction who is also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of fans, weaves an intriguing tapestry of historical fact and fiction that will hold the reader in its thrall. This is the story of a king who desired nothing more than to be a just and wise ruler. That King is Edward I of England. Edward I, happily married to Eleanor of Castile, would inherit an unhappy and nearly bankrupt kingdom upon the death of his father, Henry III, whose profligate wife, Eleanor of Provence, Edward's mother, had incurred the emnity of the people for her lavish spending and the ensuing heavy taxation. Edward's fervent wish was to put to right all that was wrong. His was to be a reign which saw prosperity for his people. It was also a reign in which war was a constant. With William Wallace rallying the Scots and Llewellyn rallying the Welsh under their respective banners, Edward was to have his hands full. Yet, vanquish them he did, as his desire for unity would ultimately become a reality, with Scotland and Wales under his banner. Edward I would declare his son, Edward II, the first Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, he would grow up to disappoint his father. Edward I viewed his son as a dissolute weakling, and he disdained his son's relationship with Piers Gaveston, who was rumored to be his son's lover. He feared for England, as he felt that his son and heir had little judgment. Edward I died, leaving England in the very hands of the son that would prove himself unfit to rule. This is an interesting work of historical fiction that will keep the reader turning its pages. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller with a talent for making history come alive. This is a stirring look into the past. It reveals the bitterweet origin of Charing Cross. The book is one that all those who love well written historical fiction will enjoy.

Jean Plaidy, a prolific writer of historical fiction who is also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of fans, weaves an intriguing tapestry of historical fact and fiction that will hold the reader in its thrall. This is the story of a king who desired nothing more than to be a just and wise ruler. That King is Edward I of England. Edward I, happily married to Eleanor of Castile, would inherit an unhappy and nearly bankrupt kingdom upon the death of his father, Henry III, whose profligate wife, Eleanor of Provence, Edward's mother, had incurred the emnity of the people for her lavish spending and the ensuing heavy taxation. Edward's fervent wish was to put to right all that was wrong. His was to be a reign which saw prosperity for his people. It was also a reign in which war was a constant. With William Wallace rallying the Scots and Llewellyn rallying the Welsh under their respective banners, Edward was to have his hands full. Yet, vanquish them he did, as his desire for unity would ultimately become a reality, with Scotland and Wales under his banner. Edward I would declare his son, Edward II, the first Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, he would grow up to disappoint his father. Edward I viewed his son as a dissolute weakling, and he disdained his son's relationship with Piers Gaveston, who was rumored to be his son's lover. He feared for England, as he felt that his son and heir had little judgment. Edward I died, leaving England in the very hands of the son that would prove himself unfit to rule. This is an interesting work of historical fiction that will keep the reader turning its pages. Ms. Plaidy is a master storyteller with a talent for making history come alive. This is a stirring look into the past. It reveals the bitterweet origin of Charing Cross. The book is one that all those who love well written historical fiction will enjoy.