David Carpenter, sometimes published as D. A. Carpenter, is an English historian and Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London. He is a leading authority on thirteenth-century England, particularly the reigns of King John and Henry III, and his research examines medieval kingship, government, politics, society and the development of Magna Carta. He has also directed major research projects on the fine rolls of Henry III and the surviving copies and later reception of Magna Carta.
Carpenter’s major works include The Struggle for Mastery: Britain 1066–1284, a wide-ranging history of Britain after the Norman Conquest, and Magna Carta, his detailed study and commentary on the charter’s creation, meaning and subsequent influence. He has also written an extensive two-volume biography of Henry III, covering the king’s rise to power, personal rule, confrontation with Simon de Montfort, civil war and final political settlement. His work combines close study of medieval records with an accessible account of the personalities, institutions and conflicts that shaped thirteenth-century Britain.
