John Lackland, Edward the Third and Richard the Second through the Eyes of Shakespeare

The histories of three famous kings under one cover. Each of them reached the edge in their own way… and some even crossed it. JOHN (1167-1216), nicknamed Lackland. He was a failure whom no one loved, especially after the reign of his noble brother Richard the Lionheart. He completely lost two major wars: against the French – he lost half of his possessions; against his own subjects – he lost almost half of his royal power. The same king who signed the precursor of modern constitutions – the Magna Carta. EDWARD (1312-1377), a hero and lucky one, nicknamed the Third. He started the Hundred Years' War with France, slaughtered the flower of the French nobility in several glorious battles, and his reign was called the "golden age" of English history. RICHARD (1367-1400) could probably have received the nickname Danish Prince if Hamlet had been written two hundred years earlier. He lost his father early, was initially dependent on his mother and old advisors, and then relied on peer friends who betrayed him, overthrew him, and starved him in prison. It is said he was an impulsive and irritable handsome man, but not such a neurasthenic as the genius playwright painted him. Following Shakespeare, Alexander Marina tried to figure out the biographies and psychological portraits of these rulers. And with what words does she end her book? "Truly royal hypocrisy!" Why? This can be learned from the fascinating and witty historical essays.