The White Ship
Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream
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The White Ship
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Narrated by:
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Richard Trinder
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By:
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Charles Spencer
About this listen
THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘As gripping as any thriller. History doesn't get any better than this’ BILL BRYSON ’A brilliant read … Game of Thrones but in the real world’ ANTHONY HOROWITZPICKED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 BY THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN, THE DAILY MAIL AND THE DAILY EXPRESS.
The sinking of the White Ship in 1120 is one of the greatest disasters England has ever suffered. In one catastrophic night, the king’s heir and the flower of Anglo-Norman society were drowned and the future of the crown was thrown violently off course.
In a riveting narrative, Charles Spencer follows the story from the Norman Conquest through to the decades that would become known as the Anarchy: a civil war of untold violence that saw families turn in on each other with English and Norman barons, rebellious Welsh princes and the Scottish king all playing a part in a desperate game of thrones. All because of the loss of one vessel – the White Ship – the medieval Titanic.
‘Highly enjoyable’ Simon Heffer
‘Brilliant’ Dan Jones
‘Fascinating’ Tom Bower
The #2 Sunday Times bestseller on Sunday 18 June 2021
©2020 Charles Spencer (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedCritic Reviews
‘How a drunk teenager shipwrecked the monarchy … As colourful and racy narrative history goes, this absolutely gallops … Whips through a hundred years of complex history from the Norman Conquest to Henry II’ Daily Mail
“Vividly conjures up this half-forgotten medieval tragedy and its consequences”Daily Mail, Books of the Year
“An epic, gripping history of hubris, piety, treachery, happenstance, rebellion and slaughter.” Catholic Herald
‘Rooted in the medieval chronicles, but crafted like a Hollywood thriller. Spencer is one of the finest narrative historians around’
Mail on Sunday
‘Charles Spencer is a gifted storyteller … Pivoted on one single, tragic winter evening. It is an event and a period of history that should be better known, and now it will be’
The Times
'Spencer proves himself more than a match for the story. He guides the reader well through the dramatic twists and turns of these years, which first placed Henry on the throne, then seemed set to deny the succession of his progeny. Spencer has a particularly good eye for detail, enriching his account with vivid pen-portraits of the main players … Fast-paced and immensely enjoyable'
Literary Review
‘Neglected by popular historians, [Henry I] … has found a master storyteller in Charles Spencer … rooted in excellent historical research … a lyrical, vivid and compelling portrait. He succeeds in bringing to life huge characters from nearly a millennium ago’
Spectator
‘An exhilarating narrative full of incident and insight. Here is the story, marvellously told, of the post-Conquest kings – and one almost-queen – of England: unpredictable, violently dramatic, and never less than compelling’
Helen Castor
'Told with verve and an exceptional eye for detail, this is the story of how a single catastrophe changed the course of British history forever. Dramatic, compelling and utterly addictive’
Tracy Borman
What listeners say about The White Ship
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-12-2022
Great Book
A great book covering an obscure yet seismic event in English history which ultimately extinguished the Norman ruling line in England and presaged the coming of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Spencer is a masterful storyteller, weaving an entertaining yet always informative narrative. Trinder also provides an excellent performance. A must read for anyone interested in Medieval English history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- robert head
- 27-06-2022
A récit of staggering detail and colour
Before hearing this book I had no idea of this historical period .
That so much is known of the aristocracy and governance of England is testament to the scribes of that era. The density of detail in facts, descriptions of character, depiction of scenes that it is impossible to absorb all.
I allowed it wash over me as I marvelled at the propensity for battles, sieges, changed alliances, betrayals and aspirations of legitimate and illegitimate potential royal heirs.
Henry 1sts masterly attempt to stabilise a kingdom was ruined merely by the excessive drinking of a ship’s crew, such are the fragile turns of history and by comparison , also our own lives.
This book profoundly altered my previous over-simplistic view of history. I recommend it to those with the stamina to hear it out!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-02-2024
A thoroughly enjoyable read about an often overlooked part of history
Often, at least in my experience, we overlook the anarchy when writing and reading history books. I’ve read a fair few which discuss British monarchy and it’s sort of like ‘William the conqueror was great, Henry I was also great, white ship was bad, there was a 18/19 year war and then Henry II was good!’.
This book doesn’t just not do that, it’s ENTIRELY about that often overlooked, or, at most, summarily described in a chapter or two part of history.
I didn’t even know Charles Spencer was a writer, but this is a good book to reflect his good education. It’s a very easy read if you’re new to this period of history, and also very interesting and teeming with information about important nobles around this time period.
I do disagree with critics who state the title is misleading as, despite how he does not thoroughly detail every single little nitpick about the white ship, it’s a book centred around how that disaster shaped England and the monarchy. It essentially details the whole Norman rule of England from the conqueror to Stephen, and described the disaster in the middle. The context really adds to the purpose of this book - to explain WHY this disaster was so destructive. It hammers home how important this was and, even now, how it was the most game-changing shipwreck in history. The final minutes of the book suggest my assessment of this to be correct as it then summarises the importance of the white ship disaster in the context of all we’ve read.
I’d suggest this book strongly for history lovers, especially if you’ve been a big fan of the Plantagenets and want to a little more about the turmoil leading to them :).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aitch
- 14-03-2021
Great Revelations
A wonderful telling of a amazing story lost in the annuls of time. How history would certainly have been quite different if it were not for a particular rock unseen by those on board the White Ship. There is revealed a large secondary story of family connections across Europe. Loved the book Thank you very much Charles Spencer. Heather Herbert
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joanne
- 22-03-2024
Amazing detail
Enjoyed this audio book a lot, it was full of interesting details and stories from so long ago.
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