Royal Favourites of Medieval England is my first work by Taylor and something that I feel compelled to point out is that I absolutely love this writer’s sense of humor. As I started reading, I must admit that I was expecting something a bit drier, but the author manages to work in some amusing observations and subtle sarcasm that gives the text a little bit of extra flavor, which I found to be a nice thing. Taylor’s style is straightforward, and a lot of information is thrown at the reader, but in a very digestible way. Through the period covered, the author provides a biography of each monarch highlighting memorable moments of their reigns followed by shorter biographies of those courtiers to whom they gave their trust and favor.

This volume is an excellent overview of English history during the medieval period and offers great, quick insights into each king from William the Conqueror to Richard III. A lot of interesting and figures emerge in the book, including familiar names like William Marshal, and those that I’m less well-versed about like William Longespée (the rat!) and Nicholaa de lay Haye (probably my favorite among the lot!) Definitely a great read and I really appreciated the moments where the author suggested further reading on certain topics that might be of interest to the reader (this book necessarily glosses over quite a bit, but succeeds at providing a general overview of four hundred years of history and influential figures as intended.)