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David Starkey′s magisterial new book Monarchy charts the rise of the British crown from the insurgency of the War of the Roses, through the glory and dangers of the Tudors, to the insolvency of the Stuarts and chaos of the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the rule of a commoner who was ′king in all but name′, the importing of a German dynasty, and the coming-to-terms with modernity under the wise guidance of another German, Victoria′s Prince Consort Albert. An epilogue brings to story up to the present and asks questions about the future.
The crown of England is the oldest surviving political institution in Europe. And yet, throughout this book Starkey emphasises the Crown′s endless capacity to reinvent itself to circumstances and reshape national polity whilst he unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, which lie behind the kings and queens of British history.
Each of these monarchs has contributed, in their own way, to the religion, geography, laws, language and government that we currently live with today. In this book, Starkey demonstrates exactly how these states were arrived at, how these monarchs subtly influenced each other, which battles were won and why, whose whim or failure caused religious tradition to wither or flourish, and which monarchs, through their acumen and strength or single minded determination came to enforce the laws of England.
With his customary authority and verve, David Starkey reignites these personalities to produce an entertaining and masterful account of these figures whose many victories and failures are the building blocks upon which Britain today is built. Far more than a biography of kings and queens, Monarchy is a radical reappraisal of British nationhood, culture and politics, shown through the most central institution in British life.
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Henry: Virtuous Prince
Henry VIII was Britain′s most powerful monarch, yet he was not born to rule. Thrust into the limelight after the sudden death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, Henry ascended the throne in 1509, marking the beginning of a reign that altered the course of English history....
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Henry: Virtuous Prince
Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He became heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502. In his youth he was highly intelligent, athletic and musically talented. He went on to write...
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