This volume investigates the administrative and political framework of the Plantagenet realm through the primary source evidence of King Henry II's royal correspondence and legal charters. Nicholas Vincent, a distinguished historian of the Angevin period, compiles and annotates a massive corpus of documents to reconstruct the governance of the twelfth-century English monarchy. By providing access to thousands of previously unpublished Latin texts, the work establishes a foundational evidentiary base for understanding the expansion and consolidation of Henry II's power across England, Wales, France, and Ireland.

Scholars and historians regard this edition as the definitive reference for the study of twelfth-century English governance and royal administration. The text is noted for its immense academic density and serves as a primary resource for researchers specializing in the Plantagenet era.