My husband is very knowledgeable about British history, but often points out the black hole in his knowledge around the 1100s and the next couple of hundred years after.
What are the most interesting / accessible / enjoyable books covering that period?
I’ve tried Googling but none of the popular results seem to fit the bill (most seem to be fictionalised accounts which isn’t really what he’s into).
Any suggestions hugely welcome and appreciated!
Based on the context of your question I am going to assume that you are primarily interested in books written for a popular audience, as opposed to books intended for academics. The good news is there are a lot of books, the bad news is that a lot of them are not great form a historical perspective. As a rule, look for newer works as they will take into account a lot of the more recent scholarship on the topic. Medieval England is a heavily studied period with a lot of good historical literature going back a long time, as a result older works tend to be more reliable than in other fields. However, there have still been a number of major changes in the way we understand and present that period, especially in terms of its perception in the popular imagination.
Some less academic books that I have found very enjoyable to read
This is a biography of king Edward I “longshanks” of brave heart infamy. It’s a good thorough look at the king and his impacts on British history. It’s a fairly easily read and the author explains things clearly. It’s a good intro level text for Edward I and the period of his reign, 1272-1307.
This author has a series of biographies on Medieval English Kings. I have enjoyed his work on Edward III (the perfect king) and Henry IV (the Righteous King) I have not read the others, but those two were good, thorough introductions to the period and reigns of their subjects.
This book is hugely popular and has spawned several “sequels” from the author on other periods of English medieval history, including a book on the wars of the roses. It covers the whole of the Plantagenet dynasty (England’s primary medieval dynasty) from the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) through the reign of Richard II (1367-1400). Its an overview of the period and is intended for a popular audience. While it has its issues, it’s not a bad introduction to the period.
This work primarily concerns itself with the role of knights and knighthood in English medieval society. It’s an interesting read and the author has published academic works on the topic as well. It covers how English knighthood evolved its distinct character in the medieval period and the role it played in English society.
If your husband wants to dip is toe into serious academic history some excellent books are
As the title suggests this book covers Edward I’s military campaigns in Wales. It also addresses wider trends and changes that were occurring in military practice during the same period. It is an older work, published in 1901 I believe, so it can be a bit hard to read in places. It is a great example of older works of scholarship that remain relevant in the field.
This book concerns itself with Edward III’s military campigns, including his wars in Scotland and the early stages of the Hundred Years War. Rogers is a great historian and the work is very well done.
Andrew Ayton is one of the leading scholars in 14th century English military society. This book is concerned with aristocratic military service and provides the reader an in depth study of that subject.
A more general history of the reigns of Edward I-III. It’s main subject is war and finance in the period of 1272-1369.
Those are just a few I could think of off the top of my head. There are many many more, but hope this helps!
Marc Morris has written a lot set in this period, all good.
The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge is an excellent bio of William Marshal whose career spanned five kings starting with Stephen. Very good as an overview of the period as well as being as illuminating as possible about Marshal at this distance.