R. H. C. Davis - Böcker

William of Poitiers began his career as a knight before studying in the schools of Poitiers and entering the Church. He became a chaplain in the household of William the Conqueror, and was able to give a first-hand account of the events of 1066-7. The Gesta Guillelmi, his unfinished biography of the king, is particularly important for its detailed description of William's campaigns in Normandy, the careful preparations he made for the invasion of England, the battle of Hastings and the establishment of Norman power after the Conquest. It is a mine of information of military tactics and the conduct of war in the eleventh century. Though written from the point of view of the Norman court, it gives what is probably the most authentic account of these momentous events. This edition, by the late R. H. C. Davis and Marjorie Chibnall, with facing-page English translation of the Latin text, provides the first complete English translation, as well as a full historical introduction and detailed notes.

King Stephen: 1135–1154 by R.H.C. Davis offers a groundbreaking reexamination of King Stephen’s tumultuous reign, challenging the conclusions of J.H. Round's seminal Geoffrey de Mandeville. Drawing on newly available sources, including the final portion of the Gesta Stephani and recently discovered charters, Davis revises the chronology and interpretation of key events, providing fresh insights into the political and administrative complexities of Stephen’s rule. The book benefits from Davis’s collaboration on the Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum and his integration of extensive historical scholarship, resulting in a nuanced account of a monarchy tested by civil war and shifting loyalties. An essential work for understanding 12th-century England, it sheds new light on the challenges of legitimacy and governance during one of the most fraught periods in English history.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.

King Stephen: 1135–1154 by R.H.C. Davis offers a groundbreaking reexamination of King Stephen’s tumultuous reign, challenging the conclusions of J.H. Round's seminal Geoffrey de Mandeville. Drawing on newly available sources, including the final portion of the Gesta Stephani and recently discovered charters, Davis revises the chronology and interpretation of key events, providing fresh insights into the political and administrative complexities of Stephen’s rule. The book benefits from Davis’s collaboration on the Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum and his integration of extensive historical scholarship, resulting in a nuanced account of a monarchy tested by civil war and shifting loyalties. An essential work for understanding 12th-century England, it sheds new light on the challenges of legitimacy and governance during one of the most fraught periods in English history.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.