King and Baronage

"King and Baronage (A.D. 1135-1327)" by William H. Hutton traces how English kingship was continually tested and reshaped by the power, ambitions, and strategies of the baronage across two centuries. Rather than portraying royal authority as steady and absolute, the book shows a political world of negotiation, rivalry, and shifting alliances, where great nobles could bargain, resist, or even challenge the crown when it suited their interests. Through key moments of conflict and reform, Hutton highlights how governance depended on personal relationships, patronage, and the management of local and national power. The result is a vivid account of medieval rule as a dynamic contest. King and Baronage - A.D. 1135-1327 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1895.