All too often British history means English history and the histories of Wales, Scotland and Ireland are left to scholars of the 'Celtic Fringe'. In this clear and authoritative introduction to the medieval history of the British Isles, the four countries are viewed together, revealing the similarities and contrasts between the different regions.

During the period 1100-1400 the British Isles formed a political sphere of great complexity, and were closely integrated with continental Europe. The most dynamic power was that represented by the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, church and monarchy, and their successor, the Plantagenet state. Robin Frame traces the expansion of this power, which by 1300 had embraced the whole of Wales and much of Ireland. He examines how the Scottish kings alone sustained and extended rival orbit, and how the prolonged clash between the two monarchies eventually loosened the control of each other over its Gaelic fringes.

For this Clarendon Paperback edition, Professor Frame has added a new bibliographical essay, surveying recent work in what is becoming a thriving area of study.