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The Final Curtsey: A Royal Memoir by the Queen's Cousin
By Margaret Rhodes. 2011
The bestselling behind-the-scenes memoir of the royal family by a cousin who served in MI5—and as one of the Queen&’s…
bridesmaids. Includes photos! A Sunday Times number one bestseller in the United Kingdom, this is the intimate and revealing autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into the Scottish aristocracy, into a now almost vanished world of privilege. Royalty often came to stay, and her house was run in the style of Downton Abbey. During the Second World War, she &“lodged&” at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI5. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Elizabeth, to Prince Philip. Three years later, the King and Queen attended her own wedding, in which Princess Margaret was a bridesmaid. In 1990, she was appointed as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother, acting also as her companion, which she describes in touching detail. In the early months of 2002, she spent as much time as possible with her ailing aunt and was at her bedside when she died. The next morning, she went to Queen Elizabeth&’s bedroom to pray, and in farewell dropped her a final curtsey. The Queen Mother regarded Margaret Rhodes as her &“third daughter,&” and she has been extremely close to her cousins, the Queen and Princess Margaret, throughout their lives. Full of charming anecdotes, fascinating characters, and personal photographs, this is an unparalleled insight into the private life of the British monarchy. &“Surprisingly addictive.&” —New Zealand Herald
Alexander II: King of Scots, 1214–1249 (The northern World Ser. #No. 16)
By Richard Oram. 2012
An account of the triumphs and tragedies, personal and political, of the controversial thirteenth-century Scottish king from the medieval historian…
and author. In equal measure state-builder, political unifier, ruthless opportunist, and bloody-handed aggressor, Alexander II has been praised or vilified by past historians but has rarely been viewed in the round. This book explores the king&’s successes and failures, presenting a fresh assessment of his contribution to the making of Scotland as a nation. It lifts the focus from an introspective national history to look at the man and his kingdom in wider British and European history, examining his international relationships and offering the first detailed analysis of the efforts to work out a lasting diplomatic solution to Anglo-Scottish conflict over his inherited claims to the northern counties of England. More than just a political narrative, the book also seeks to illuminate aspects of the king&’s character and his relationships with those around him, especially his mother, his first wife, Joan Plantagenet, and the great magnates, clerics, and officials who served in his household and administration. The book illustrates the processes by which the mosaic of petty principalities and rival power bases that covered the map of late twelfth-century Scotland had become by the mid-thirteenth century a unified state, hybrid in culture(s) and multilingual but acknowledging a common identity as Scots.
Julian: Rome's Last Pagan Emperor (Ancient Lives)
By Philip Freeman. 2023
The tragic life of Julian, the last non-Christian emperor of Rome, by award-winning author Philip Freeman Flavius Claudius Julianus,…
or Julian the Apostate, ruled Rome as sole emperor for just a year and a half, from 361 to 363, but during that time he turned the world upside down. Although a nephew of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of Rome, Julian fought to return Rome to the old gods who had led his ancestors to build their vast empire. As emperor, Julian set about reforming the administration, conquering new territories, and reviving ancient religions. He was scorned in his time for repudiating Christianity and demonized as an apostate for willfully rejecting Christ. Through the centuries, Julian has been viewed by many as a tragic figure who sought to save Rome from its enemies and the corrupting influence of Christianity. Christian writers and historians have seen Julian much differently: as a traitor to God and violent oppressor of Christians. Had Julian not been killed by a random Persian spear, he might well have changed all of history.
Edward III: The Perfect King
By Ian Mortimer. 2008
A look at the brutal, brilliant fourteenth-century ruler, by the bestselling author of The Time Traveler&’s Guide to Medieval England.…
Holding power for over fifty years starting in 1327, Edward III was one of England&’s most influential kings—and one who shaped the course of English history. Revered as one of the country&’s most illustrious leaders for centuries, he was also a usurper and a warmonger who ordered his uncle beheaded. A brutal man, to be sure, but a brilliant one. Noted historian Ian Mortimer offers the first comprehensive look at the life of Edward III. The Perfect King was often the instigator of his own drama, but he also overthrew tyrannous guardians as a teenager and ushered in a period of chivalric ideals. Mortimer traces how Edward&’s reforms made feudal England a thriving, sophisticated country and one of Europe&’s major military powers. Ideal for anyone fascinated by medieval history, this lively book provides new insight into Edward III&’s lasting influence on the justice system, artistic traditions, language, and architecture of the country. &“The most remarkable medieval historian of our time.&” —The Times (London)
Henry IV: The Righteous King
By Ian Mortimer. 2017
The real life story of the Plantagenet ruler, by &“the most remarkable medieval historian of our time&” (The Times, London).…
The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts. Having broken God&’s law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law—in highly turbulent times. In this book, noted historian Ian Mortimer, bestselling author of The Time Traveler&’s Guide to Medieval England and The Time Traveler&’s Guide to Elizabethan England, goes beyond the legend portrayed in Shakespeare&’s history play, and explores the political and social forces that transformed Henry IV from his nation&’s savior to its scourge.
The Daughters of George III: Sisters & Princesses
By Catherine Curzon. 2020
An in-depth look into the lives of the six daughters of King George III of England.In the dying years of…
the 18th century, the corridors of Windsor echoed to the footsteps of six princesses. They were Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia, the daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Though more than fifteen years divided the births of the eldest sister from the youngest, these princesses all shared a longing for escape. Faced with their father’s illness and their mother’s dominance, for all but one a life away from the seclusion of the royal household seemed like an unobtainable dream.The six daughters of George III were raised to be young ladies and each in her time was one of the most eligible women in the world. Tutored in the arts of royal womanhood, they were trained from infancy in the skills vital to a regal wife but as the king’s illness ravaged him, husbands and opportunities slipped away.Yet even in isolation, the lives of the princesses were filled with incident. From secret romances to dashing equerries, rumors of pregnancy, clandestine marriage and even a run-in with Napoleon, each princess was the leading lady in her own story, whether tragic or inspirational. In The Daughters of GeorgeIII, take a wander through the hallways of the royal palaces, where the king’s endless ravings echo deep into the night and his daughters strive to be recognized not just as princesses, but as women too.Praise for The Daughters of George III“This fascinating look at the lives and times of the six daughters of George III and Queen Charlotte delivers an engaging read for enthusiasts of the royals and British history.” —Library Journal
The Daughters of George III: Sisters & Princesses
By Catherine Curzon. 2020
An in-depth look into the lives of the six daughters of King George III of England.In the dying years of…
the 18th century, the corridors of Windsor echoed to the footsteps of six princesses. They were Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia, the daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Though more than fifteen years divided the births of the eldest sister from the youngest, these princesses all shared a longing for escape. Faced with their father’s illness and their mother’s dominance, for all but one a life away from the seclusion of the royal household seemed like an unobtainable dream.The six daughters of George III were raised to be young ladies and each in her time was one of the most eligible women in the world. Tutored in the arts of royal womanhood, they were trained from infancy in the skills vital to a regal wife but as the king’s illness ravaged him, husbands and opportunities slipped away.Yet even in isolation, the lives of the princesses were filled with incident. From secret romances to dashing equerries, rumors of pregnancy, clandestine marriage and even a run-in with Napoleon, each princess was the leading lady in her own story, whether tragic or inspirational. In The Daughters of GeorgeIII, take a wander through the hallways of the royal palaces, where the king’s endless ravings echo deep into the night and his daughters strive to be recognized not just as princesses, but as women too.Praise for The Daughters of George III“This fascinating look at the lives and times of the six daughters of George III and Queen Charlotte delivers an engaging read for enthusiasts of the royals and British history.” —Library Journal
The Elder Sons of George III: Kings, Princes, and a Grand Old Duke
By Catherine Curzon. 2020
Follow the sensational lives of four Georgian Era royals through scandal, corruption, and coronation in this revealing family biography.For nearly…
sixty years, King George III reigned over a tumultuous kingdom. His health and realm were in turmoil, while family life held challenges of its own. From the corpulent Prinny and the Grand Old Duke of York, to a king who battled the Lords and the disciplinarian Duke of Kent, this is the story of George III’s elder sons.Born during half a decafde of upheaval, George, Frederick, William, and Edward defined an era. Their scandals intrigued the nation and their efforts to build lives outside their parents’ shadow led them down diverse paths. Whether devoting themselves to the military or to pleasure, every moment was captured in the full glare of the spotlight.The sons of George III were prepared from infancy to take their place on the world’s stage, but as the king’s health failed and the country lurched from one drama to the next, they found that duty was easier said than done. With scandalous romances, illegal marriages, rumors of corruption and even the odd kidnapping plot, their lives were luridly dramatic, and never, ever dull.
Kings and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs
By Iain Dale. 2023
'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.
Alexander the Great: Conqueror, Commander, King (Casemate Short History)
By John Sadler, Rosie Serdiville. 2018
An overview of Alexander&’s life—from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after…
his premature death. Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. In a dozen years, Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus. No one in history has equaled his achievement. Much of Alexander&’s success can be traced to the Macedonian phalanx, a close-ordered battle formation of sarissa-wielding infantry that proved itself a war-winning weapon. The army Alexander inherited from his father was the most powerful in Greece—highly disciplined, trained, and loyal only to the king. United in a single purpose, they fought as one. Cavalry was also of crucial importance in the Macedonian army as the driving force to attack the flanks of the enemy in battle. A talented commander able to anticipate how his opponent would think, Alexander understood how to commit his forces to devastating effect and was never defeated in battle. He also developed a corps of engineers that utilized catapults and siege towers against enemy fortifications. Alexander led from the front, fighting with his men, eating with them, refusing water when there was not enough, and his men would quite literally follow him to the ends of the (known) world. None of his successors were able to hold together the empire he had forged. Although he died an early death, his fame and glory persist to this day.
The Lost Queen: The Life and Tragedy of the Prince Regent's Daughter
By Anne M. Stott. 2020
A look at the tragically short life of the only daughter of Britain’s King George IV who won the heart…
of a nation.As the only child of the Prince Regent and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her parents’ marriage had already broken up by the time she was born. She had a difficult childhood and a turbulent adolescence, but she was popular with the public, who looked to her to restore the good name of the monarchy. When she broke off her engagement to a Dutch prince, her father put her under virtual imprisonment, and she endured a period of profound unhappiness. But she held out for the freedom to choose her husband, and when she married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, she finally achieved contentment. Her happiness was cruelly cut short when she died in childbirth at the age of twenty-one, only eighteen months later. A shocked nation went into mourning for its “people’s princess,” the queen who never was.“This perspicacious study of Charlotte’s short life is superb. Anne Stott is an accomplished and highly readable biographer whose earlier subjects have included William Wilberforce and Hannah More. She wears her research lightly—which is not to say that the book is anything less than scholastic (quite the opposite). Highly recommended.” —Naomi Clifford, author of The Murder of Mary Ashford
Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy
By Matthew Lewis. 2020
The story of the twelfth-century rivalry for the throne between the daughter and the nephew of Henry I—a battle that…
tore England apart for over a decade.The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings. When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, his barons had sworn to recognize his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir, and remarried her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. But when she was slow to move to England upon her father’s death, Henry’s favorite nephew, Stephen of Blois, rushed to have himself crowned, much as Henry himself had done on the death of his brother William Rufus.Supported by his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen made a promising start, but Matilda would not give up her birthright and tried to hold the English barons to their oaths. The result was more than a decade of civil war that saw England split apart. Empress Matilda is often remembered as aloof and high-handed, Stephen as ineffective and indecisive. By following both sides of the dispute and seeking to understand their actions and motivations, Matthew Lewis aims to reach a more rounded understanding of this crucial period of English history—and ask to what extent there really was anarchy.
Witness: Stories
By Jamel Brinkley. 2023
What does it mean to really see the world around you—to bear witness? And what does it cost us, both…
to see and not to see? In these ten stories, each set in the changing landscapes of contemporary New York City, a range of characters—from children to grandmothers to ghosts—live through the responsibility of perceiving and the moral challenge of speaking up or taking action. Though they strive to connect with, stand up for, care for, and remember one another, they often fall short, and the structures they build around these ambitions and failures shape their futures as well as the legacies and prospects of their communities and their city. In its portraits of families and friendships lost and found, the paradox of intimacy, the long shadow of grief, and the meaning of home, Witness enacts its own testimony. Here is a world where fortunes can be made and stolen in just a few generations, where strangers might sometimes show kindness while those we trust—doctors, employers, siblings—too often turn away, where joy comes in snatches: flowers on a windowsill, dancing in the street, glimpsing your purpose, change on the horizon. With prose as upendingly beautiful as it is artfully, seamlessly crafted, Jamel Brinkley offers nothing less than the full scope of life and death and change in the great, unending drama of the city
The Emperor Commodus: God and Gladiator
By John S. McHugh. 2015
This historical biography goes beyond popular legend to present a nuanced portrait of the first century Roman emperor.Commodus, who ruled…
over Rome from 177 to 192, is generally remembered as a debaucherous megalomaniac who fought as a gladiator. Ridiculed and maligned by historians since his own time, modern popular culture knows him as the patricidal villain in Ridley Scott’s film Gladiator. Much of his infamy is clearly based on fact, but John McHugh reveals a more complex story in the first full-length biography of Commodus to appear in English. McHugh sets Commodus’s twelve-year reign in its historical context, showing that the ‘kingdom of gold’ he supposedly inherited was actually an empire devastated by plague and war. Openly autocratic, Commodus compromised the privileges and vested interests of the senatorial clique, who therefore plotted to murder him. Surviving repeated conspiracies only convinced Commodus that he was under divine protection, increasingly identifying himself as Hercules reincarnate. This and his antics in the arena allowed his senatorial enemies to present Commodus as a mad tyrant—thereby justifying his eventual murder.
Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen
By 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.
The Rise and Fall of a Medieval Family: The Despensers
By 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.
King Arthur: Man or Myth
By 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 Nerd
Life in the Georgian Court
By Catherine Curzon. 2016
This lively history of Europe&’s royal families through the 18th and early 19th centuries reveals the decadence and danger of…
court life. As the glittering Hanoverian court gives birth to the British Georgian era, a golden age of royalty dawns in Europe. Houses rise and fall, births, marriages and scandals change the course of history. Meanwhile, in France, Revolution stalks the land. Life in the Georgian Court pulls back the curtain on the opulent court of the doomed Bourbons, the absolutist powerhouse of Romanov Russia, and the epoch-defining royal family whose kings gave their name to the era, the House of Hanover. Beneath the powdered wigs and robes of state were real people living lives of romance, tragedy, intrigue and eccentricity. Historian Catherine Curzon reveals the private lives of these very public figures, vividly recounting the arranged marriages that turned to love or hate and the scandals that rocked polite society. Here the former wife of a king spends three decades in lonely captivity, King George IV makes scandalous eyes at the toast of the London stage, and Marie Antoinette begins her final journey through Paris as her son sits alone in a forgotten prison cell.Life in the Georgian Court is a privileged peek into the glamorous, tragic and iconic courts of the Georgian world, where even a king could take nothing for granted.
Empress Alexandra: The Special Relationship Between Russia's Last Tsarina and Queen Victoria
By Melanie Clegg. 2020
This intimate look at the bond between Queen Victoria and her granddaughter is “full of details regarding many European royals . . .…
thoroughly engrossing”(Kathryn J. Atwood, author of Women Heroes of World War II).When Queen Victoria’s second daughter Princess Alice married the Prince Louis of Hesse and Rhine in 1862, even her own mother described the ceremony as “more of a funeral than a wedding,” thanks to the fact that it took place shortly after the death of Alice’s beloved father, Prince Albert. Sadly, the young princess’s misfortunes didn’t end there and when she also died prematurely, her four motherless daughters were taken under the wing of their formidable grandmother, Victoria. Alix, the youngest of Alice’s daughters and allegedly one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, was a special favorite of the elderly queen, who hoped that she would marry her cousin Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and one day reign beside him. However, the spirited and stubborn Alix had other ideas…
Anne Boleyn in London
By Lissa Chapman. 2016
A portrait of the doomed queen&’s image and influence that provides &“a detailed look at real life in Tudor England&”…
(Manhattan Book Review). Romantic victim? Ruthless other woman? Innocent pawn? Religious reformer? Fool, flirt, and adulteress? Politician? Witch? During her life, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII&’s ill-fated second queen, was internationally famous—or notorious. Today, she still attracts passionate adherents and furious detractors. It was in London that most of the drama of Anne Boleyn&’s life and death was played out, most famously in the Tower of London, the scene of her coronation celebrations, her trial, and her execution, and the place where her body lies buried. In her few years as a public figure, Anne Boleyn was influential as a patron of the arts and of French taste, as the center of a religious and intellectual circle, and for her purchasing power, both directly and as a leader of fashion. It was primarily to London, beyond the immediate circle of the court, that her carefully spun image as queen was directed during the public celebrations surrounding her coronation. In the centuries since Anne Boleyn&’s death, her reputation has expanded to give her an almost mythical status in London, inspiring everything from pub names to music hall songs and novels—not to mention merchandise including pincushions with removable heads. Over fifty Twitter accounts use some version of her name. This book looks at both the effect London and its people had on the course of Anne Boleyn&’s life and death—and the effects she had, and continues to have, on them.