Dimensions
141 x 223 x 32mm
Who was cursed as a corrupt and sleazy fat cat, but may well have been the father of modern liberty? What were the random terror attacks being carried out in the name of religion? How did a petty street criminal become a benevolent folk hero? When were you allowed to urinate in public?
All these questions and more spring from one year - a year of confrontation between King John and the state, Crusades, "barbarian attacks" and of course the Magna Carta, the foundation of our civil liberties.
The year 1215 saw a time of global upheaval from which the ripples can still be felt today - but it was also an age of domestic changes and the development of a way of life not entirely different to our own.
From the oddest detail to the grandest political struggle, Danny Danziger and John Gillingham paint an extraordinary picture of this fascinating age, featuring a cast of some of the most enduring names in history - "Bad" King John, Genghis Khan, St Francis of Assissi - as well as the thousands of ordinary people whose lives, just as they are today, were affected by the historical events happening around them.
The power struggles are balanced with the social issues of the day - fashion, communications, education, medicine, religion, sex - as the authors explore the attitudes and habits of a nation in flux, and the ways in which they sculpted the modern world.
Broad in scope and rich in detail, '1215: The Year Of Magna Carta' is a vivid exploration of what may have been the most important year of our lives.
