I've read several of Matthew Lewis' books at this point and, after reading this one, I'll definitely want to read more.

Get "in the know" with the low down on all the ups and downs of the Middle Ages. Matthew Lewis has provided an excellent look inside the many different rebellions and uprisings that occurred and lays it out in an easy-to-follow format.

I have never been disappointed with Matthew Lewis's books, and this was no exception. From William the Conquerer to the Wars of the Roses, the cousins, war. and so much more - you are going to dive into a time of history that was as fascinating as it was deadly.

Get lost in history (and survive) with this exciting book.

Mr. Lewis traces the history of revolt amongst the common man of Great Britain. The Magna Carta to Wat Tylers Rebellion. Mr. Lewis tells us of the major commoner uprisings of the Middle Ages and analyzes the causes and courses of the uprisings. This is a good overall introduction to the rise of representative democracy in Great Britain.

This was a rather fascinating tale on various uprisings in the Middle Ages. As someone who reads this history as a pure hobby, it was interesting to see this topic covered. I would recommend this to anyone looking to explore this topic as well.

If you took all the wars and conflicts and rebellions and smoothed them into one solid book this is it for you. The book is well researched however the material is dry. I would say if you were a history buff this is your coffee table book.

I've never read from Matthew Lewis in the past, but after reading this I am absolutely picking up more of his work. This book was incredibly well researched and packed with a lot of information without the dry feeling of a textbook.

Starting with the William the Conquerer and the Norman invasion, Lewis moves through the major rebellions in England during the Middle Ages. He looks at the reasons for the rebellion and how the fallout impacted events later down the line. Throughout the book we see rebellions led by all sorts, from the nobility to the Church to peasants and we are able to see how their reasoning for rebellion differs or remains the same despite class or time.

While each of these rebellions has a number of tomes dedicated to them individually, I loved the comprehensive overview delivered here. As an American who didn't grow up learning this in school, I thought it was great for anyone who is starting to learn about this era or someone who knows a little but wants to learn more.

In human history, when citizens have disagreed with a new law or those in charge, they often stage a protest to show their frustration. When their voices are not heard, people often turn to rebellions and revolts to make sure their opinions matter. We might think that revolution and rebellion as a form of protest are modern ideas, but they go back for centuries. Revolutions and rebellions shaped history, no more so than in the middle ages. In his latest book, “Rebellion in the Middle Ages: Fight Against the Crown,” Matthew Lewis examines the origins of the most famous rebellions in medieval England and how they transformed the course of history.

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have been a fan of Matthew Lewis’ books for years now, and I wanted to read his latest book. The topic appealed to me, and I wanted to see something new about these rebellions.

Lewis begins with the Norman invasion and those who resisted William the Conqueror as king to understand the vast history of rebellions in middle ages England. The most famous of these rebels was a man named Hereward the Wake. We then move to the Anarchy, a battle between cousins, Empress Matilda, the rightful heir, and Stephen de Blois, her cousin and the one who would inevitably be King of England. Empress Matilda’s son Henry II would become King Stephen’s heir, but the first Plantagenet king had to endure numerous rebellions from his friend Thomas Becket and his sons.

Moving into the halfway point of the middle ages, Lewis explores how the first and second Barons’ Wars were fought over the rights of the average citizen kings like John were put in their place with the Magna Carta. Some rebellions had other goals, like the deposition of Edward II in favor of his son Edward III and Henry of Bolingbroke’s revolt against his cousin Richard II, and of course, the Wars of the Roses with the deposition of Henry VI. It was not just the nobility that decided to rebel against the monarchy, as we see with the Peasants’ Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, and the Jack Cade Rebellion. The cost for rebellions could be extremely high, as men like Simon de Montfort, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and Richard Duke of York would find out.

Individually, every one of these rebellions would have numerous books dedicated to deciphering the intricacies of why the rebels did what they did. However, Lewis has taken on the mammoth task of combining these tales into one comprehensive nonfiction book easy to read for novices and experts alike. This book is another triumph for Matthew Lewis. If you want an excellent book that examines the origins of medieval rebellions and how they impacted English history, “Rebellion in the Middle Ages: Fight Against the Crown” by Matthew Lewis is the ideal book for your collection.