Books by John Gillingham

War, rebellion and castle-building in Normandy and Poitou, charters and writs, dedications of churches in England, Jews, attitudes to kindred - the regular stimulating mix.

Beginning with the Norman Conquest of England, these tumultuous centuries and their invasions shaped the languages and political geography of present-day Britain and Ireland. Tracing the political, religious and material cultures of the period, the author seeks to define the ways in which lives changed during these turbulent times.

At its greatest extent, the Angevin Empire stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees. For fifty years it was the dominant political entity and "English" and "French" history were inextricably joined. This study looks at how these disparate territories came together, how they were ruled, and whether they truly constituted an empire.