Edward III: The Flower of Kings Past

There is a sporadic but ongoing debate about who might be England’s greatest king. Some favour Alfred the Great, even though he was not king of England but only of Wessex; some opt for William the Conqueror. The other candidates regularly cited are Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. As any serious commentator is aware, the process is something of a parlour game – a harmless bit of fun that may prove of some value if it provokes some interest in an aspect of the past. But, like lists of ‘the best album of all time’, repeated critical attention means the same few candidates are cited again and again; and tested against the lowest common denominator of general historical knowledge with the result that the tediously repetitive shortlist has more to say about Victorian ideals and current historical assumptions than the actual impact of the individuals.