Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 132 items
Ancient Dynasties: The Families that Ruled the Classical World, circa 1000 BC to AD 750
By John D. Grainger. 2019
A guide to the over 150 families that ruled the Classical world, from the 10th century BC to the 8th…
century AD, from western Europe to central Asia. Ancient Dynasties is a unique study of the ruling families of the ancient world known to the Greeks and Romans. The book is in two parts. The first offers analysis and discussion of various features of the ruling dynasties (including the leading families of republican Rome). It examines patterns, similarities and contrasts, categorizes types of dynasty and explores common themes such as how they were founded and maintained, the role of women, and the various reasons for their decline. The second part is a catalog of all the dynasties (over 150 of them) known to have existed between approximately 1000 BC and AD 750 from the Atlantic Ocean to Baktria (roughly modern Afghanistan). It provides genealogical tables as well as information on where and when they held power. Altogether, Ancient Dynasties offers an invaluable reference to ancient history buffs interested in the families that wielded power in the Classical world.Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown: The Kings and Queens Who Never Were
By J. F. Andrews. 2019
&“A fascinating study of the also-rans and almost-made-its of medieval history . . . Beautifully written and well researched, it…
is an engaging read.&” —History . . . The Interesting Bits! When William the Conqueror died in 1087, he left the throne of England to William Rufus . . . his second son. The result was an immediate war as Rufus&’s elder brother Robert fought to gain the crown he saw as rightfully his; this conflict marked the start of 400 years of bloody disputes as the English monarchy&’s line of hereditary succession was bent, twisted and finally broken when the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, fell at Bosworth in 1485. The Anglo-Norman and Plantagenet dynasties were renowned for their internecine strife, and in Lost Heirs we will unearth the hidden stories of fratricidal brothers, usurping cousins and murderous uncles; the many kings—and the occasional queen—who should have been but never were. History is written by the winners, but every game of thrones has its losers too, and their fascinating stories bring richness and depth to what is a colorful period of history. King John would not have gained the crown had he not murdered his young nephew, who was in line to become England&’s first King Arthur; Henry V would never have been at Agincourt had his father not seized the throne by usurping and killing his cousin; and as the rival houses of York and Lancaster fought bloodily over the crown during the Wars of the Roses, life suddenly became very dangerous indeed for a young boy named Edmund. &“A journey through the minefield of opposing factions fighting for the crown of England.&” —Books MonthlyThe Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
By Kirsten Claiden-Yardley. 2020
“Shed[s] some light on a rather remarkable man who was really behind the curtain during the reigns of quite a…
few English kings.” —Adventures of a Tudor NerdThomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk, lived a remarkable life spanning eighty years and the reigns of six kings. Amongst his descendants are his granddaughters, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and his great-granddaughter, Elizabeth I. The foundations of this dramatic and influential dynasty rest on Thomas’ shoulders, and it was his career that placed the Howard family in a prominent position in English society and at the Tudor royal court.Thomas was born into a fairly ordinary gentry family, albeit distantly related to the Mowbray dukes of Norfolk. During the course of the fifteenth century, he and his father would rise through the political and social ranks as a result of their loyal service to Edward IV and Richard III. In a tragic turn of events, all their hard work was undone at the Battle of Bosworth and his father was killed fighting for King Richard. Imprisoned for treason and stripped of his lands and titles, Thomas had to start from the beginning to gain the trust of a new king. He spent the next thirty-five years devoting his administrative, military and diplomatic skills to the Tudors whilst rebuilding his family fortunes and ensuring that his numerous children were well-placed to prosper.“The Howards are one of the most intriguing families of the 16th century and this book opens up a chapter that hasn’t been much written about.” —The Tudor BloggerEdward II's Nieces, The Clare Sisters: Powerful Pawns of the Crown
By Kathryn Warner. 2020
“A great book to introduce you to three fascinating sisters whose marriages during the reign of the infamous Edward II…
transformed England.” —Adventures of a Tudor NerdThe de Clare sisters Eleanor, Margaret and Elizabeth were born in the 1290s as the eldest granddaughters of King Edward I of England and his Spanish queen Eleanor of Castile, and were the daughters of the greatest nobleman in England, Gilbert “the Red” de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. They grew to adulthood during the turbulent reign of their uncle Edward II, and all three of them were married to men involved in intense, probably romantic or sexual, relationships with their uncle.When their elder brother Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, was killed during their uncle’s catastrophic defeat at the battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, the three sisters inherited and shared his vast wealth and lands in three countries, but their inheritance proved a poisoned chalice. Eleanor and Elizabeth, and Margaret’s daughter and heir, were all abducted and forcibly married by men desperate for a share of their riches, and all three sisters were imprisoned at some point either by their uncle Edward II or his queen Isabella of France during the tumultuous decade of the 1320s. Elizabeth was widowed for the third time at twenty-six, lived as a widow for just under forty years, and founded Clare College at the University of Cambridge.“Another enjoyable read on women in history that don’t always get the limelight that they deserve. Kathryn Warner has done it once again by providing a well-written, well-researched, informative and engaging read.” —Where There’s Ink There’s PaperA History of the Dukes of Bolton, 1600–1815: Love Loyalty
By Joanne Major, Sarah Murden. 2020
A first-ever account of one of the United Kingdom’s foremost ducal families and a history of the times in which…
they lived.Discover over two hundred years of fascinating history relating to one of Great Britain’s foremost aristocratic dynasties, the (Orde-) Powletts, for several generations the Dukes of Bolton. The family motto, Love Loyalty, references their devotion to the monarchy, but it applies equally to their hearts. Willing to risk all in the pursuit of love, this is the previously untold story of the Dukes of Bolton and their ancestors—the men and women who shaped the dynasty, their romances, triumphs, foibles, and tragedies.The Imprisoned Princess: The Scandalous Life of Sophia Dorothea of Celle
By Catherine Curzon. 2020
This royal biography of the 17th century princess and mother of King George II recounts an epic tale of privilege,…
passion, scandal, and disgrace.When Sophia Dorothea of Celle married her first cousin, the future King George I, she was an unhappy bride. Filled with dreams of romance and privilege, she hated the groom she called “pig snout” and wept at news of her engagement. When she arrived in the austere court of Hanover, the vibrant young princess found herself ignored and unwanted—while her husband openly gallivanted with his mistress.Then Sophia Dorothea plunged into a dangerous affair with the dashing soldier Count Phillip Christoph von Königsmarck, a man as celebrated for his looks as his bravery. When he and Sophia Dorothea fell in love, they were dicing with death. Watched by a scheming countess who had ambitions of her own, it was only a matter of time before scandal gripped the House of Hanover. In the end, Sophia Dorothea was divorced, disgraced, and locked away in a gilded cage for 30 years—whilst her lover faced an even darker fate.&“Informed and informative . . . a meticulous example of outstanding scholarship, and an inherently fascinating read.&” —Midwest Book Review Edward…
II is famously one of England&’s most unsuccessful kings, as utterly different from his warlike father Edward I as any man possibly could be, and the first English king to suffer the fate of deposition. Highly unconventional, even eccentric, he was an intriguing personality, and his reign of nineteen and a half years, from 1307 to 1327, was a turbulent period of endless conflict and the king&’s infatuation with his male favorites, which ended when his own queen led an invasion of his kingdom. Following in the Footsteps of Edward II presents a new take on this most unconventional and puzzling of kings, from the magnificent Caernarfon Castle where he was born in 1284 shortly after his father conquered North Wales, to his favorite residences at King&’s Langley in Hertfordshire and Westminster, to the castle of Berkeley in Gloucestershire where he supposedly met his brutal death in September 1327, to Gloucester Cathedral, where his tomb and alabaster effigy still exist and are among the greatest glories surviving from medieval England.Bad Princess: True Tales from Behind the Tiara
By Kris Waldherr. 2018
From the author of Doomed Queens, an entertaining and informative look at the lives of over 30 princesses from the…
past and present. Welcome to Bad Princess by Kris Waldherr, where you&’ll discover what really happens after &“Happily Ever After.&” From the war-torn Dark Ages of Medieval Europe to America's Gilded Age, and all the way up to Kate Middleton, Bad Princess explores more than 30 true princess stories, going beyond the glitz and glamour to find out what life was really like for young royals throughout history. A mix of royal biography, pop culture, art, style, and pure fun, Bad Princess is a whip-smart, tongue-in-cheek spin on the traditional princess narrative, proving that it takes more than a pretty crown to be a great leader. Praise for Bad PrincessA SELECTION OF THE JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD&“Perfect for tweens . . . This is a great book to recommend to readers who want a taste of history with a side of fairy tale princesses.&” —School Library Journal&“Snarky and sympathetic . . . Power to the princesses, right on!&” —Kirkus Reviews&“Packed with history and context, Waldherr uses an animated, well-rounded approach in this engaging look at princesses in life and lore . . . This absorbing, thought-provoking, and intriguing exploration of a perennially popular topic will both entertain and inform.&” —BooklistTelling the story of their lives from children to modern day, this fascinating and revelatory new book will look at…
the fraught relationship (and fiery rivalry) between King Charles and Prince Andrew.Raised for vastly different futures, one burdened with the responsibility of becoming the future king and the other destined to live in his shadow, Charles and Andrew have spent their lives on different sides of the same coin.War of the Windsors tells, for the first time, the complete story of Charles and Andrew from their diverging childhoods to their current struggles. It looks at the distinct but overlapping stories of the two heirs, from being separated in their early years and the Queen's supposed overindulgence of Andrew to the competition for Lady Diana and finally, Charles' ascension to throne while his brother is stripped of Royal duties. And it explores whether, with the scandals around Andrew still fresh in public memory, Charles will ever let his brother back into the family.With extensive research and expert sourcing, War of the Windsors is the incredible inside story of a family in turmoil. Recounting the highs and lows of a brotherhood then turned into a rivalry, royal author and journalist Nigel Cawthorne looks at the makings of a decades long feud and questions whether, ultimately, the brothers will one day band together again.Telling the story of their lives from children to modern day, this fascinating and revelatory new book will look at…
the fraught relationship (and fiery rivalry) between King Charles and Prince Andrew.Raised for vastly different futures, one burdened with the responsibility of becoming the future king and the other destined to live in his shadow, Charles and Andrew have spent their lives on different sides of the same coin.War of the Windsors tells, for the first time, the complete story of Charles and Andrew from their diverging childhoods to their current struggles. It looks at the distinct but overlapping stories of the two heirs, from being separated in their early years and the Queen's supposed overindulgence of Andrew to the competition for Lady Diana and finally, Charles' ascension to throne while his brother is stripped of Royal duties. And it explores whether, with the scandals around Andrew still fresh in public memory, Charles will ever let his brother back into the family.With extensive research and expert sourcing, War of the Windsors is the incredible inside story of a family in turmoil. Recounting the highs and lows of a brotherhood then turned into a rivalry, royal author and journalist Nigel Cawthorne looks at the makings of a decades long feud and questions whether, ultimately, the brothers will one day band together again.Kings and Queens of England: The Real Lives Of The English Monarchs
By Peter Snow. 2022
Historians and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan tell the real stories of the most powerful men and women in…
British history.Updated for the 2023 coronation, Kings & Queens explores the lives, loves, triumphs and disasters of a monarchy that is the envy of the world. Snow and MacMillan offer a unique insight into those born to rule, whether villains or heroes – from cruel King John and warrior-king Edward III, to our newest monarch, King Charles III.This is the story of modern civilization through the lens of those who have ruled.Kings and Queens of England: The Real Lives Of The English Monarchs
By Peter Snow. 2022
Historians and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan tell the real stories of the most powerful men and women in…
British history.Updated for the 2023 coronation, Kings & Queens explores the lives, loves, triumphs and disasters of a monarchy that is the envy of the world. Snow and MacMillan offer a unique insight into those born to rule, whether villains or heroes – from cruel King John and warrior-king Edward III, to our newest monarch, King Charles III.This is the story of modern civilization through the lens of those who have ruled.The Queen: A Life in Brief
By Robert Lacey. 2012
A short biography of one of the most recognized yet still mysterious women in the world, Queen Elizabeth II, from…
the New York Times bestselling author of The KingdomElizabeth of York was not born to be Queen. She came into the world on April 21st, 1926, the equivalent of the modern Princess Beatrice, first-born daughter of the Duke of York, destined to flutter on the royal fringe. So while Lilibet was brought up with almost religious respect for the crown, there seemed no chance of her inheriting it. Her head was never turned by the personal prospect of grandeur—which is why she would prove so very good at her job. Elizabeth II’s lack of ego was to prove the paradoxical secret of her greatness.For more than thirty years acclaimed author and royal biographer Robert Lacey has been gathering material from members of the Queen’s inner circle—her friends, relatives, private secretaries, and prime ministers. Now, in The Queen, Lacey offers a life of the celebrated monarch, told in four parts that capture the distinctive flavor of passing eras, and reveal how Elizabeth II adapted—or, on occasions, regally declined to adapt—to changing times.Diana: Her Last Love
By Kate Snell. 2021
WITH NEW AFTERWORD FROM THE AUTHOR.When you're the most famous woman in the world, can you really love in secret?When…
Princess Diana flew to Pakistan in May 1997, she went to meet the family of Dr Hasnat Khan, the man she wanted to marry. One of the most well-known and beautiful women in the world, she hoped to persuade Dr Khan's mother that she would make a suitable wife for her son. However, this was not the only hurdle to overcome: the man she called her 'Mr Wonderful' was a dedicated professional who sought to avoid the limelight – a fact that would test their love to the limits. Had their relationship succeeded, the events of that summer might have been very different.Sharing powerful testimony from Diana's closest confidants, and that of Dr Khan's own family, as well as information released during the inquests into the deaths of Diana and Dodi Fayed, this book offers a unique insight into Diana's world and the events central to her last years.This special new edition of an international bestseller, released in the year that would've marked Diana's 60th birthday, features a new afterword from the author reflecting on the legacy of this most extraordinary of women.Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz: Queen Victoria's Eldest Daughter and the German Emperor
By John Van der Kiste. 2002
This work tells the love story of the royal couple against the changing background of 19th-century Germany. It looks at…
the differing political sympathies of the couple, revealed through letters, and re-examines the prevailing view that the domineering Vicky never bothered to conceal her distaste for everything Prussian and flaunting her sense of British superiority. In many ways ahead of her time, she was something of a pioneer feminist, refusing to accept the oft-accepted maxim that women were second-class citizens. Insufficient consideration has been given to her health and the possibility that her judgement and reason may sometimes have been affected, albeit mildly, by the family's inheritance of porphyria that led to the 'madness' of her great-grandfather George III.Plantagenet Princesses: The Daughters of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II
By Douglas Boyd. 2020
A look at the royal women of twelfth-century England—from the empowered to the imprisoned—and their roles in the ruling dynasty.Eleanor…
of Aquitaine and her second husband, Henry II, are commonly considered medieval figures, but their era was really the violent transition from the Dark Ages, when countries’ borders were defined with fire and sword. Henry grabbed the English throne thanks largely to Eleanor’s dowry, because she owned one third of France. But their less famous daughters also lived extraordinary lives. If princes fought for their succession to crowns, the princesses were traded—usually by their mothers—to strangers to gain political power without the usual accompanying bloodshed. Years before what would today be marriageable age, royal girls were dispatched to countries whose speech was unknown to them, and there became the property of unknown men—their duty the bearing of sons to continue a dynasty and daughters who would be traded in their turn. Some became literal prisoners of their spouses; others outwitted would-be rapists and the Church to seize the reins of power when their husbands died. Eleanor’s daughters Marie and Alix were abandoned in Paris when she divorced Louis VII of France. By Henry II, she bore Matilda, Aliénor, and Joanna. Between them, these extraordinary women and their daughters knew the extremes of power and pain. Joanna was imprisoned by William II of Sicily and treated worse by her brutal second husband in Toulouse. Eleanor may have been libeled as a whore, but Aliénor’s descendants include two saints, Louis of France and Fernando of Spain. And then there were the illegitimate daughters, whose lives read like novels. This fascinating volume tells their stories.The story of the first monarch of the House of Tudor, and his dramatic journey to the throne. The…
story of Henry Tudor&’s march to Bosworth and the throne of England began long before the fateful summer of 1485. Pembroke Castle, the gigantic fortress where he was born in 1457 and spent his childhood years, lay some twelve miles inland from the spot where Henry is believed to have landed in Milford Haven when he came to challenge Richard III in August 1485. Henry&’s landing and progress to Bosworth Field were a gamble, but one that had to be taken if the House of Lancaster was to survive. In Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor, we hear of the many fascinating stories from Henry&’s march and the places he visited—a journey that took just over two weeks. It was a time of treachery and double dealing, but it culminated with the establishment of the Tudor dynasty, the end of the Wars of the Roses, and the beginnings of the modern world.Marie Antoinette's Confidante: The Rise and Fall of the Princesse de Lamballe
By Geri Walton. 2016
The true story of the woman who befriended the last queen of France—and the price she paid for her devotion.…
Perhaps no one knew Marie Antoinette better than one of her closest confidantes, Marie Thérèse, the Princess de Lamballe. The princess became superintendent of the queen&’s household in 1774, and through her relationship with Marie Antoinette, she gained a unique perspective of the lavishness and daily intrigue at Versailles. Born into the famous House of Savoy in Turin, Italy, Marie Thérèse was married at the age of seventeen to the Prince de Lamballe, heir to one of the richest fortunes in France. He transported her to the gold-leafed and glittering chandeliered halls of the Château de Versailles, where she soon found herself immersed in the political and sexual scandals that surrounded the royal court. As the plotters and planners of Versailles sought, at all costs, to gain the favor of Louis XVI and his queen, the Princess de Lamballe was there to witness it all. This book reveals the Princess de Lamballe&’s version of these events and is based on a wide variety of historical sources, helping to capture the waning days and grisly demise of the French monarchy. The story immerses you in a world of titillating sexual rumors, bloodthirsty revolutionaries, and hair-raising escape attempts—a must read for anyone interested in Marie Antoinette, the origins of the French Revolution, or life in the late eighteenth century.The Unlikely Duke: Memoirs of an eclectic life - from rock 'n' roll to Badminton House
By Harry Beaufort. 2023
'Beaufort chronicles his unusual and rarified world with flashes of Wodehousian genius'. --- Jools Holland'So funny ... bristling with glamorous…
but eccentric characters'. --- Jilly Cooper'Very funny and touching, gentle, wise and unpretentious. This is a book I absolutely loved.' --- Anne GlenconnerThe 12th Duke of Beaufort, known to his friends as 'Bunter', inherited his Dukedom and Badminton House in 2017, at the age of sixty-five. But he is also a singer and songwriter with the rock group The Listening Device. Now he combines his responsibilities as Duke with his life as a rock performer. In this lively and anecdote-filled memoir, Harry Beaufort takes us behind the scenes of his varied life: from playing poker with politicians, to partying on Ibiza with film stars to people watching with The Queen from a balcony at Windsor Castle. He offers an intimate portrait of aristocratic privilege and a lifetime filled with rock stars, royalty, eccentrics and jaw-droppingly unbelievable stories. But Harry also offers a sensitive and perceptive insight into the worlds he has inhabited and the friendships and laughter that he has experienced along the way. This is the story of an ordinary man facing up to his extraordinary inheritance-the story of The Unlikely Duke.The Unlikely Duke: Memoirs of an eclectic life - from rock 'n' roll to Badminton House
By Harry Beaufort. 2023
'Beaufort chronicles his unusual and rarified world with flashes of Wodehousian genius'. --- Jools Holland'So funny ... bristling with glamorous…
but eccentric characters'. --- Jilly Cooper'Very funny and touching, gentle, wise and unpretentious. This is a book I absolutely loved.' --- Anne GlenconnerThe 12th Duke of Beaufort, known to his friends as 'Bunter', inherited his Dukedom and Badminton House in 2017, at the age of sixty-five. But he is also a singer and songwriter with the rock group The Listening Device. Now he combines his responsibilities as Duke with his life as a rock performer. In this lively and anecdote-filled memoir, Harry Beaufort takes us behind the scenes of his varied life: from playing poker with politicians, to partying on Ibiza with film stars to people watching with The Queen from a balcony at Windsor Castle. He offers an intimate portrait of aristocratic privilege and a lifetime filled with rock stars, royalty, eccentrics and jaw-droppingly unbelievable stories. But Harry also offers a sensitive and perceptive insight into the worlds he has inhabited and the friendships and laughter that he has experienced along the way. This is the story of an ordinary man facing up to his extraordinary inheritance-the story of The Unlikely Duke.