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Quotes from Edward III: A Heroic Failure — Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption

born 1948 United Kingdom

← All quotes by Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption

7 quotes

Success is admirable in a king, but failure is compelling and usually better recorded.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

Edward III had always greatly overestimated the help that conspirators and malcontents could bring him.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

In chess, the capture of the king marks the end of the game. In politics, it may be only the beginning.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

Charles understood better than his father or his adversary that the chief material of war was money.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

It is one of the paradoxes of England’s medieval history that in spite of its strong central institutions it was known mainly for its chronic political instability.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

The government of Mortimer and Isabella was intensely hated. It proved to be just as vindictive, despotic and unstable as that of the Despensers but a great deal less competent.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

Finance was always Edwards III’s weak point. He had little understanding of the problems of taxation or credit and was bored by administration. He tended to fund his enterprises on a hand-to-mouth basis, without budgets or forecasts.

Edward III: A Heroic Failure (2016)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.