Robert B. Patterson’s The Earl, the Kings and the Chronicler represents the first monograph-length study of Robert, earl of Gloucester, the twelfth-century Anglo-Norman magnate and illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. Based upon Patterson’s doctoral thesis (completed at Johns Hopkins University in 1962), this study synthesises a career’s-worth of scholarship and research into the earls and the earldom of Gloucester, and in particular the individual in question and his influence upon a tumultuous period of European history, to bridge a significant gap within the current historiography.

Robert of Gloucester was one of the most powerful and influential Anglo-Norman magnates during the first half of the twelfth century. The eldest of Henry I’s illegitimate offspring, Robert was unable to succeed his father to the throne of England. Nevertheless, he remained a key figure in the major political and dynastic developments of the period. Robert’s marriage to the heiress Mabel FitzHamon and his creation as earl of Gloucester in 1121 enhanced his burgeoning curial status and provided him with a transmarine conglomeration of lordships centred in the main upon south-west England and southern Wales. Following his father’s death in 1135, Robert’s support was essential to the regnal claims of both the Empress Matilda and the future Henry II against Stephen. Robert was not only a significant political figure: he was also a cultural devotee and patron of the literary arts (a "twelfth-century renaissance man", as Patterson puts it). William of Malmesbury’s Historia Novella was commissioned at Robert’s behest; Geoffrey of Monmouth also dedicated his Historia Regum Britanniae to the earl. Yet the considerable influence Robert exerted upon the politics, governance and culture of the Anglo-Norman regnum has not (until now) led to an in-depth study of his person.

Patterson’s study of Earl Robert is divided into an analysis of what he views to be the three major phases (or "careers") of his subject’s life. The book commences by discussing Robert’s early life and education, paying particular attention to his status as the illegitimate son of Henry I and the extent to which his fortunes ebbed and flowed alongside those of his father. Thereafter, the book charts Robert’s rise to baronial rank and his role as a favoured royal servant following the White Ship disaster and the death of William Ætheling in 1120. Finally, Patterson outlines Earl Robert’s role in the Anarchy that followed his father’s death, and more specifically his support for the Empress Matilda and her son Henry through military assistance and his commissioning of the Historia Novella, which sought to advance both their claims to the throne and explain Robert’s change of allegiances.

Some of the book’s most important contributions are contained within chapters three and four, namely his treatment of Robert’s second "career" as a great magnate of the Anglo-Norman regnum. Patterson outlines in detail the numerous tenurial relationships cultivated by Robert and the construction of his significant trans-Channel lordships in England, Wales and Normandy. The minutiae of Robert’s territorial gains may appear dense and perhaps of less interest, especially to the general reader, but the process of expansion they describe was of great significance to the next century or so of British and Irish history. The power base established by Robert in south-west England and southern Wales was undoubtedly vital to the claims of the Empress Matilda and the future Henry II. This is, of course, far from a novel perspective, although the degree of granularity provided by Patterson sets his book apart from previous studies.

Robert’s tenurial and territorial exploits were also of enduring significance. One cannot view the extent of the earl’s landed holdings in England, Wales and Normandy and fail to see the potential threat presented by Robert’s son, Earl William of Gloucester, to Henry II. So too can we understand why Henry would seek to insert his youngest son John into the earldom, a move that both served to expand the Angevin’s dynastic "federation" and counteract the growing power of the earls of Chester in the Irish Sea (thereby laying the groundwork for his son’s assumption of the Lordship of Ireland in the 1180s, and by extension the process by which England and Ireland were brought consciously in line). Bristol (Robert’s caput and the frequent beneficiary of his patronage) and its citizens (such as Robert FitzHarding) would also play an important role in financing and facilitating the conquest and colonisation of Ireland during the late-twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

In sum, this book represents a much-needed addition to the existing historiography. In some respects, Patterson’s portrayal of Robert’s role in the Anarchy is not entirely convincing. Indeed, Patterson’s treatment of the earl’s motives for switching allegiances from Stephen to the Empress Matilda at points reads, rather ironically, like the Robertian propaganda he discusses in the book’s final chapter. Furthermore, certain choices of phrase and metaphor when explaining important events or concepts read awkwardly, such as the particularly uncomfortable "AA-class super magnate" (p. 57), or the comparison of charter diplomatic with court photography (p. 22), leading to the obfuscation rather than explanation of the author’s points. The reader would also have benefited from the incorporation of a proper conclusion to the study. These criticisms aside, the fact remains that this book encapsulates a wealth of important research and scholarship that will be of direct interest and great benefit to many readers. Though it should by no means be considered the final word on the subject, and should be viewed in concert with the wider historiographical corpus, The Earl, the Kings and the Chronicler certainly represents a significant contribution to the field and a springboard for further research.