Showing 121–132 of 134 resultsSorted by latest
Queen Victoria inherited the throne at 18 and went on to become the longest-reigning female monarch in history, in a time of intense industrial, cultural, political, scientific and military change within the United Kingdom and great imperial expansion outside of it (she was made Empress of India in 1876). Overturning the established picture of the dour old lady, this is a fresh and engaging portrait from one of our most talented royal biographers.
William III (1689-1702) and Mary II (1689-94) were Britain’s only ever joint monarchs. They changed the course of the entire country’s history, coming to power through a coup (which involved Mary betraying her own father), reestablishing parliament on a new footing and, through commiting Britain to fighting France, initiating an immensely long period of warfare and colonial expansion. Jonathan Keates’ book makes both monarchs vivid, the cold, shrewd ‘Dutch’ William and the shortlived Mary, whose life and death inspired Purcell to write some of his greatest music.
Through a series of astonishing dynastic coups, Henry II (1154-89) became the ruler of an enormous European empire. One of the most dynamic, restless and clever men ever to rule England, he was brought down both by his catastrophic relationship with his archbishop Thomas Becket and his debilitating arguments with his sons, most importantly the future Richard I and King John. His empire may have ultimately collapsed, but in Richard Barber’s vivid and sympathetic account the reader can see why Henry II left such a compelling impression on his contemporaries.
He has lived his whole life in the public eye, yet he remains an enigma. He was born to be king, but he aims much higher. This book reveals Prince Charles in all his complexity: the passionate views that mean he will never be as remote and impartial as his mother; the compulsion to make a difference and the many and startling ways in which the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom and fifteen other realms has already made his mark.
If Ethelred was notoriously ‘Unready’ and Alfred ‘Great’, King George VI should bear the designation of ‘George the Dutiful’. Throughout his life he dedicated himself to the pursuit of what he thought he ought to be doing rather than what he wanted to do. Inarticulate and loathing any sort of public appearances, he accepted that it was his destiny to figure regularly and conspicuously in the public eye, gritted his teeth, largely conquered his crippling stammer and got on with it. He was not born to be king, but he made an admirable one, and was the figurehead of the nation at the time of its greatest trial, during the Second World War. This is an enjoyable book about him.
Henry VIII’s reign transformed the physical and spiritual landscape of England. Magnificent, tyrannical, a strong ruler, a ‘pillager of the commonwealth’, this most notorious of kings remains a figure of extreme contradictions: a devout traditionalist who oversaw a cataclysmic rupture with the church in Rome; a talented, charismatic, imposing figure who nevertheless could not bear to meet people’s eyes when he talked to them. In this revealing new account, John Guy explores how Henry himself understood the world and his place in it – from his sheltered and increasingly isolated upbringing and the blazing glory of his accession; to his desperate quest for recognition, fame and an heir, and the terrifying paranoia of his last, agonising, 54-inch-waisted years – and in doing so casts new light on his choice of wives and ministers, his impact on the European stage, and his extraordinary legacy.
The tragedy of Charles I dominates one of the most strange and painful periods in British history as the whole island tore itself apart over a deadly, entangled series of religious and political disputes. In Mark Kishlansky’s account it is never in doubt that Charles created his own catastrophe, but he was nonetheless opposed by men with far fewer scruples and less consistency who for often quite contradictory reasons conspired to destroy him. This is a portrait of one of the most talented, thoughtful, loyal, moral, artistically alert and yet, somehow, disastrous of all this country’s rulers.
For a man with such conventional tastes and views, George V had a revolutionary impact. Almost despite himself he marked a decisive break with his flamboyant predecessor Edward VII, inventing the modern monarchy, with its emphasis on frequent public appearances, family values and duty. George V was an effective war-leader and inventor of ‘the House of Windsor’. In an era of ever greater media coverage – frequently filmed and initiating the British Empire Christmas broadcast – George became for 25 years a universally recognised figure. He was also the only British monarch to take his role as Emperor of India seriously.
Dickie Arbiter was the Press Officer for Buckingham Palace for 12 years, and before that a royal reporter for a tabloid newspaper. This personal and witty memoir conveys what life was like behind the scenes at the Palace.
The biography of Edward VII and his playboy lifestyle. Despite fierce opposition from his mother, Queen Victoria, Edward VII was always passionately in love with France. He had affairs with the most famous Parisian actresses, courtesans and can-can dancers. He spoke French more elegantly than English. He was the first ever guest to climb the Eiffel Tower with Gustave Eiffel, in defiance of an official English ban on his visit. He turned his French seduction skills into the diplomatic prowess that sealed the Entente Cordiale. A quintessentially English king? Pas du tout! Stephen Clarke argues that as ‘Dirty Bertie’, Edward learned all the essentials in life from the French.
The secrets of Queen Victoria’s sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain forever hidden. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumour and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.
This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets – their story is the story of Britain.
No products in the basket.
Notifications