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Queen Mother
Par Anthony Holden. 1985
Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince
Par Lisa Hilton. 2015
A definitive portrait of one of the most compelling monarchs England has ever had: Elizabeth I.'We are a prince from…
a line of princes.'Lisa Hilton's majestic biography of Elizabeth I, 'The Virgin Queen', uses new research to present a fresh interpretation of Elizabeth as a queen who saw herself primarily as a Renaissance prince, delivering a very different perspective on her emotional and sexual life, and upon her attempts to mould England into a European state. Elizabeth was not an exceptional woman but an exceptional ruler, and this book challenges readers to reassess her reign, and the colourful drama, scandal and intrigue to which it is always linked.Mary Queen Of Scots
Par Antonia Fraser. 1969
'Ground-breaking ... One of the greatest international bestsellers of the post-war period' Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph'Reads like an engrossing novel'…
Sunday TimesAn infant queen. A teenage widow. Beautiful, flamboyant Mary Queen of Scots had a formidable intellect but her political sense - formed at the absolute court of France - plunged her country into a maelstrom of intrigue, marriage and murder. Upon fleeing to England she was held captive by her cousin Elizabeth I. In this classic biography, reissued for the fiftieth anniversary of its publication, acclaimed historian Antonia Fraser relates the enthralling story of Mary's life and untimely end.Catherine the Great and Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair
Par Simon Sebag Montefiore. 2000
'One of the great love stories of history, in a league with Napoleon and Josephine, and Antony and Cleopatra ...…
Excellent, with dazzling mastery of detail and literary flair' EconomistIt was history's most successful political partnership - as sensual and fiery as it was creative and visionary. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition. Prince Potemkin - wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented - was the love of her life and her co-ruler.Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea, defining the Russian empire to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous that they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving Potemkin free to love his beautiful nieces, and Catherine her young male favourites. But these 'twin souls' never stopped loving each other.Drawing on their intimate letters and vast research, Simon Sebag Montefiore's enthralling, widely acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII
Par Robert Hutchinson. 2011
Compelling account of the first 35 years of a magnificent and ruthless monarch.Henry became the unexpected heir to the precarious…
Tudor throne in 1502, after his elder brother Arthur died. He also inherited both his brother's wardrobe and his wife, the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon. He became king in April 1509 with many personality traits inherited from his father - the love of magnificence, the rituals of kingship, the excitement of hunting and gambling and the construction of grand new palaces. After those early glory days of feasting, fun and frolic, the continuing lack of a male Tudor heir runs like a thin line of poison through Henry's reign. After he fell in love with Anne Boleyn, he gambled everything on her providing him with a son and heir. From that day forward everything changed.Based on contemporary accounts, Young Henry provides a compelling vision of the splendours, intrigues and tragedies of the royal court, presided over by the ruthless and insecure Henry VIII. With his customary scholarship and narrative verve, Robert Hutchinson provides fresh insights into what drove England's most famous monarch, and how this happy, playful Renaissance prince was transformed into the tyrant of his later years.Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens
Par Lisa Hilton. 2008
England from the perspective of its consort queens - a distaff history of the nation from 1066 to 1503.England's medieval…
queens were elemental in shaping the history of the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics, dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very centre of power - the king's bed. From Matilda of Flanders, the Conqueror's queen, to Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor consort, England's queens fashioned the nature of monarchy and influenced the direction of the state. Occupying a unique position in the mercurial, often violent world of medieval state-craft, English queens had to negotiate a role that combined tremendous influence with terrifying vulnerability.Lisa Hilton's meticulously researched new book explores the lives of the twenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 and 1503, reconsidering the fictions surrounding well-known figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine and illuminating the lives of forgotten figures such as Adeliza of Louvain. War, adultery, witchcraft, child abuse, murder - and occassionally even love - formed English queenship, but so too did patronage, learning and fashion. Lisa Hilton considers the evolution of the queenly office alongside intimate portraits of the individual women, dispelling the myth that medieval brides were no more than diplomatic pawns.Kings and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs
Par Iain Dale. 2023
An essay on every individual who sat on the British and English throne, compiled and edited by Iain Dale.'We all…
know about Queen Victoria, Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth II, but how much do we really know about other monarchs? Yes, we know William the Conqueror beat King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. We know George III was mad, but what else do we know about his 60 year long reign? We know Henry VIII famously had six wives, but do we know much more about him, other than he was very fat?'The British monarchy is one of the oldest in the world - dating so far back that even its origins are the subject of debate. Was William the Conqueror the first king of England, or was it Alfred the Great? In this third instalment of the series that began with The Prime Ministers and The Presidents, Iain Dale charts this long history of the English and British monarchy, with 64 essays by journalists, historians and politicians on every individual to have sat on the throne, as well as some who didn't.From Alfred the Great to Charles III, each essay examines the monarch, their role and what they tell us about British history. Why has the British monarchy, unlike so many others, endured? Kings and Queens will attempt to answer this question, and many others, providing valuable insight into British history and how Britain is ruled today.(P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedDefenders of the Norman Crown: Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey
Par Sharon Bennett Connolly. 2021
A history of one of medieval England’s most powerful families, from its origins in Normandy to its demise during the…
reign of Edward III.In the reign of Edward I, when asked Quo Warranto—by what warrant he held his lands—John de Warenne, the 6th earl of Surrey, is said to have drawn a rusty sword, claiming “My ancestors came with William the Bastard, and conquered their lands with the sword, and I will defend them with the sword against anyone wishing to seize them.”John’s ancestor, William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, fought for William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was rewarded with enough land to make him one of the richest men of all time. In his search for a royal bride, the 2nd earl kidnapped the wife of a fellow baron. The 3rd earl died on crusade, fighting for his royal cousin, Louis VII of France . . . For three centuries, the Warennes were at the heart of English politics at the highest level, until one unhappy marriage brought an end to the dynasty. The family moved in the highest circles, married into royalty and were not immune to scandal.Defenders of the Norman Crown tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, of the successes and failures of one of the most powerful families in England, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III.Praise for Defenders of the Norman Crown“In this book Sharon not only provides the reader with a deep insight into the whole Warenne dynasty, but also opens a window into a turbulent period of English history.” —Aspects of History“A riveting insight into the rise and fall of the most influential family you’d otherwise never have heard of. . . . 5/5.” —HistoriaMag“Sharon Bennett Connolly’s detailed, meticulous research brings together a wealth of sources to give the reader a fascinating view of one of the powerful families on which the Crown depended for centuries. Politics and power, Marriages and mistresses, Lordship and land, Defenders of the Norman Crown has it all. [Connolly] has written a very fine book indeed—I loved it.” —Elizabeth Chadwick, bestselling author of historical fiction“A vivid portrayal of a powerful aristocratic family. . . . A highly readable and well-illustrated survey.” —Michael Jones, author of The Black PrinceScottish Queens, 1034–1714: The Queens and Consorts Who Shaped a Nation
Par Rosalind K. Marshall. 2019
An &“enlightening and fascinating&” exploration of Scotland&’s royal women, from Lady Macbeth to Mary Queen of Scots and beyond (Booklist).…
The lives of the Scottish queens, both those who ruled in their own right and the consorts, have largely been neglected in conventional history books. One of the earliest known Scottish queens was none other than the notorious Lady Macbeth. Was she really the wicked woman depicted in Shakespeare&’s famous play? Was St Margaret a demure and obedient wife? Why did Margaret Logie exercise such an influence over her husband, David II, and have we underestimated James VI&’s consort, Anne of Denmark, frequently written off as a stupid and willful woman? Rosalind K. Marshall delves into these questions and more in this entertaining, impeccably researched book. &“A broad, impressive historical work and solid introduction to Scottish history from an oft-ignored perspective: that of the queens who exercised power whenever and wherever they could find it.&” —Foreword Reviews Includes illustrations and genealogical tablesMary, Queen of Scots: Now A Major New Film (The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland #8)
Par Jenny Wormald. 2017
The acclaimed Scottish historian offers a provocative reassessment of one of British royalty&’s most famous figures in this authoritative biography.…
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, has long been portrayed as one of history&’s romantically tragic figures. Devious, naive, beautiful and sexually voracious, often highly principled, she secured the Scottish throne and bolstered the position of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Her plotting, including probable involvement in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley, led to her flight from Scotland and imprisonment by her equally ambitious cousin and fellow queen, Elizabeth of England. Yet when Elizabeth ordered Mary&’s execution in 1587 it was an act of exasperated frustration rather than political wrath. Unlike previous biographies of Mary, this masterly study eschews her romantic persona in order to shine a light on her role as a renaissance monarch. A leading historian of the period, Jenny Wormald traces the roots of Mary&’s downfall to her way of dealing, or failing to deal, with the problems facing her as a ruler. She was tragic because she was born to supreme power yet wholly incapable of coping with its responsibilities.Máel Coluim III, 'Canmore': An Eleventh-Century Scottish King
Par Neil McGuigan. 2021
A study of the life and times of the great king known for his role in Macbeth&’s downfall, his marriage…
to St. Margaret, and his dealings with the Normans. The legendary Scottish king Máel Coluim III, also known as &“Malcolm Canmore,&” is often held to epitomize Scotland&’s &“ancient Gaelic kings.&” But Máel Coluim and his dynasty were in fact newcomers, and their legitimacy and status were far from secure at the beginning of his rule. Máel Coluim&’s long reign from 1058 until 1093 coincided with the Norman Conquest of England, a revolutionary event that presented great opportunities and terrible dangers. Although his interventions in post-Conquest England eventually cost him his life, the book argues that they were crucial to his success as both king and dynasty-builder, creating internal stability and facilitating the takeover of Strathclyde and Lothian. As a result, Máel Coluim left to his successors a territory that stretched far to the south of the kingship&’s heartland north of the Forth, like the Scotland we know today. This book explores the wider political and cultural world in which Máel Coluim lived, guiding the reader through the pitfalls and possibilities offered by the sources that mediate access to that world. Our reliance on so few texts means that the eleventh century poses problems that historians of later eras can avoid. Nevertheless, Scotland in Máel Coluim&’s time generated unprecedented levels of attention abroad and more vernacular literary output than at any time prior to the Stewart era.Æthelflæd: Lady of the Mercians
Par Tim Clarkson. 2019
This Dark Ages biography chronicles the life of one of the period&’s most famous women: the ruler of Mercia who…
took England back from the Vikings. At the end of the 9th century, a large part of what is now England was controlled by the Vikings—warlike Scandinavians who had been attacking the British Isles for more than a hundred years. Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, was determined to regain the conquered lands. But when he died in 899 A.D., the task passed to his son Edward. In the early 900s, Edward led a great fight against the Viking armies, assisted by the English rulers of Mercia: Lord Æthelred and his wife Æthelflæd, who was also Edward&’s sister. After her husband&’s death, Æthelflæd ruled Mercia on her own, leading the army to war and working with her brother to achieve their father&’s aims. Known to history as the Lady of the Mercians, she earned a reputation as a capable general who was feared by her enemies. In this authoritative biography, Tim Clarkson tells her remarkable life story from childhood to her vital role in saving England from the Vikings.Cleopatra (I Am #10)
Par Grace Norwich. 2014
Learn about the legendary queen who ruled ancient Egypt for nineteen years.As the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, I ruled…
alone without the help of my husband. I was a powerful and courageous leader, and I passionately loved my people. Much has been written of my beauty, but I was also known for my composure, wit, and strength. I was a queen who was worshipped as a god. I am Cleopatra. To this day, Cleopatra remains a popular figure in Western culture, with books, plays, and movies devoted to her story. This biography follows her journey from its illustrious beginning to its tragic end, with:illustrations throughouta timelinean introduction to the other people you’ll meet in the book, such as Julius Caesar and Alexander the Greatmapssidebarsa top ten list of important things to know, and moreThe Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family: The Despensers
Par Kathryn Warner. 2020
A historian’s fascinating account of two centuries in the lives of the powerful Despensers, famed for tragedy and scandal in…
medieval England.The Despensers were a baronial English family who rose to great prominence in the reign of Edward II (1307-27) when Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king’s chamberlain, favorite, and perhaps, lover. He and his father Hugh the Elder wielded great influence, and Hugh the Younger’s greed and tyranny brought down a king for the first time in English history and almost destroyed his own family.The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family tells the story of the ups and downs of this fascinating family from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, when three Despenser lords were beheaded and two fell in battle. We begin with Hugh, Chief Justiciar of England, who died rebelling against King Henry III and his son in 1265, and end with Thomas Despenser, summarily beheaded in 1400 after attempting to free a deposed Richard II, and Thomas’s posthumous daughter Isabella, a countess twice over and the grandmother of Richard III’s queen.From the medieval version of Prime Ministers to the (possible) lovers of monarchs, the aristocratic Despenser family wielded great power in medieval England. Drawing on the popular intrigue and infamy of the Despenser clan, Kathryn Warner’s book traces the lives of the most notorious, powerful, and influential members of this patrician family over a two-hundred-year span.The Mighty Warrior Kings: From the Ashes of the Roman Empire to the New Ruling Order
Par Philip J. Potter. 2020
The epic victories and struggles of nine kings—from the restoration of the western Roman empire by Charlemagne to the battles…
of Robert the Bruce.The Mighty Warrior Kings traces the history of early Europe through the biographies of nine kings, who had the courage, determination and martial might to establish their dominance over the fragmented remnants of the Roman Empire. The book begins with Charlemagne, who united large regions of current-day France, Germany and Italy into the Holy Roman Empire and ends with Robert the Bruce, who gallantry defended Scotland against the attempted usurpation of England. There are many famous warrior kings in the book, including Alfred the Great of Wessex, whose victories over the Vikings led to the unification of England under a single ruler, William I of Normandy, whose triumph at Hastings in 1066 changed the course of English history, while Frederick I Barbarossa led his army to victory in Germany and Italy solidifying and expanding the lands under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Emperor. Among the lesser known monarchs discussed in the work are Cnut, whose victory at the battle of Ashingdon won the English crown and resulted in the creation of the North Sea Empire, which ruled over the kingdoms of England, Denmark and Norway, while during the reign of Louis IX of France the knights of Europe answered his call for the Seven Crusade to expel the Muslims from the Holy City of Jerusalem. From Charlemagne to Robert the Bruce, the warrior kings created a new Europe with a centralized power base and set the stage for the following Age of Absolutism.“A most fascinating account.” —FiretrenchPhilip, Prince of Greece: The Duke of Edinburgh's Early Life and the Greek Succession
Par John Carr, Constantinos Lagos. 2021
Many books have been written about the life of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, yet there always seem to…
be corners of his long life that have remained unexplored. In this long look back into his early years, Constantinos Lagos and John Carr uncover hitherto unknown aspects of Philip's life as a Greek prince and his gradual transformation from a mere appendage of the troubled Greek royal family to an enduring pillar of the British monarchy. For the first time, Lagos and Carr delve into neglected Greek archives for a fascinating picture of Philip's early Greek life and the constant insecurity that dogged his steps as his father Prince Andrew of Greece and mother Princess Alice struggled to order their own lives in the maelstrom of unstable and often violent Greek politics in a Europe sliding towards world war. The Greek royal family, in which Philip has his roots, is dealt with at length, to bring out the particular family history and circumstances that played no small part in shaping his personality. Anyone curious about how Prince Philip actually grew up will find in this book a wealth of eye-opening, often startling details that will add more brush strokes to the portrait of the often-elusive but real Prince Philip.A Right Royal Scandal: Two Marriages That Changed History
Par Joanne Major, Sarah Murden. 2016
From the authors of An Infamous Mistress: &“The tale of two juicy 19th-century scandals, both concerning the aristocratic Cavendish-Bentinck family&”…
(Cheshire Life). Almost two books in one, A Right Royal Scandal recounts the fascinating history of the irregular love matches contracted by two successive generations of the Cavendish-Bentinck family, ancestors of the British royal family. The first part of this intriguing book looks at the scandal that erupted in Regency London, just months after the Battle of Waterloo, when the widowed Lord Charles Bentinck eloped with the Duke of Wellington&’s married niece. Over two decades later and while at Oxford University, Lord Charles&’ eldest son fell in love with a beautiful Romany girl, and secretly married her. When his alliance was discovered, he was cast adrift by his family—with devastating consequences. A love story as well as a brilliantly researched historical biography, this is a continuation of Joanne Major and Sarah Murden&’s first biography, An Infamous Mistress, about the eighteenth-century courtesan Grace Dalrymple Elliott, whose daughter was the first wife of Lord Charles Bentinck. The book ends by showing how, if not for a young gypsy and her tragic life, the British monarchy would look very different today. &“An easy read of a subject that keeps you engrossed from start to finish. This book is brilliant for those who enjoy the scandals of historical television, with the added authenticity of historical fact.&” —History of Royals &“The plots may seem to come straight out of the world of Regency Romance but they are all true, and carefully annotated and verified by Major and Murden.&” —Naomi Clifford, author of The Murder of Mary AshfordKing Arthur: Man or Myth
Par Tony Sullivan. 2020
An investigation of the evidence for King Arthur based on the earliest written sources rather than later myths and legends.This…
book differs from the usual Arthur theories in that it favors no particular conjecture simply analyses and clarifies the evidence presenting it all in chronological order. Starting from Roman Britain, the evidence shows how the legend evolved and at what point concepts such as Camelot, Excalibur and Merlin were added.It covers the historical records from the end of Roman Britain using contemporary sources such as they are, from 400-800, including Gallic Chronicles, Gildas and Bede. It details the first written reference to Arthur in the Historia Brittonum c.800 and the later Annales Cambriae in the tenth century showing the evolution of the legend in later Welsh and French stories.While not starting from or aiming at a specific person, the book compares the possibility of Arthur being purely fictional with a historical figure alongside a list of possible suspects. The evidence is presented and the reader is invited to make up their own mind before a discussion of the author&’s own assessment.&“What impressed me about this book is Sullivan&’s passion for this subject and his willingness to go the extra mile to show both sides of the argument . . . It was extremely fascinating to see how he treated this book like a criminal investigation, using different fields of study to figure out the origins of the legend, how it evolved, and whether or not there was a king named Arthur.&” —Adventures of a Tudor NerdHugh Despenser the Younger and Edward II: Downfall of a King's Favourite
Par Kathryn Warner. 2019
Hugh Despenser the Younger and Edward II tells the story of the greatest villain of the fourteenth century, his dazzling…
rise as favorite to the king and his disastrous fall.Born in the late 1280s, Hugh married King Edward I of Englands eldest granddaughter when he was a teenager. Ambitious and greedy to an astonishing degree, Hugh chose a startling route to power: he seduced his wifes uncle, the young King Edward II, and became the richest and most powerful man in the country in the 1320s. For years he dominated the English government and foreign policy, and took whatever lands he felt like by both quasi-legal and illegal methods, with the kings connivance. His actions were to bring both himself and Edward II down, and Hugh was directly responsible for the first forced abdication of a king in English history; he had made the horrible mistake of alienating and insulting Edwards queen Isabella of France, who loathed him, and who had him slowly and grotesquely executed in her presence in November 1326.Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen
Par Laura Brennan. 2020
A look at the people and events that shaped the life and reign of the last Tudor monarch. Elizabeth…
I is arguably one of the greatest monarchs and women of English history. Against an uncertain political and religious backdrop of post-reformation Europe, she ruled at the conception of social modernization, living in the shadow of the infamy of her parents&’ reputations and striving to prove herself an equal to the monarchs who had gone before her. This book seeks to explore some of the key events of her life both before and after she ascended to the English throne in late 1558. By looking at the history of these selected events, as well as investigating the influence of various people in her life, this book sets out to explain Elizabeth&’s decisions, both as a queen and as a woman. Among the events examined are the death of her mother; the role and fates of her subsequent stepmothers; the fate of Lady Jane Grey and the subsequent behavior and reign of her half sister Mary Tudor, along with the death of Amy Dudley, the return of Mary Queen of Scots to Scotland, the Papal Bull, and the Spanish Amanda.