What makes a man marry six times? Was Henry VIII a voracious philanderer? On the contrary, says Dr David Starkey, the King was seeking happiness -- as well as hoping for a son. The first of his wives was Catherine of Aragon, the pious Catholic princess who suffered years of miscarriages and still births and yet failed to produce a male heir. As Henry VIII's interest shifted from her powerful Hapsburg relations and drifted towards France, so began his obsession with the pretty Lutheran Anne Boleyn. Jane Seymour's submissiveness was in contrast to Anne's vampish style -- and Henry married her on the day of Anne's execution. Jane died soon after giving birth to the longed-for son. There followed a farcical 'beauty contest' which ended in the short marriage of the now grossly overweight Henry to 'the mare of Flanders', Anne of Cleves. The final part of Six Wives contrasts the two Catherines -- Catherine Howard, the flirty child whose adulteries made a fool of the ageing King, and Catherine Parr, the shrewd, religiously radical bluestocking.

Six Wives : The Queens of Henry VIII

History

Starkey, David

World

HarperCollins Audio

Elizabeth

Reference

Harper Collins Audio

Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII

Monarchy: From the Middle Ages to Modernity

Harpercollins

David Starkey's thrilling new paperback charts the rise of the British monarchy from the War of the Roses, the English Civil War and the Georgians, right up until the present day monarchs of the 20th Century. With both authority and verve, David Starkey unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, that lie behind the monarchs that form the backbone of British history. This magisterial study begins with the Tudors -- five monarchs who ruled over England and Ireland until the reformation of the 1530s -- and continues with the Stuarts who followed them. It includes Oliver Cromwell, a non monarch, who ruled as Lord Protector, a 'king in all but name', and the Georgians, a dynasty that began with the accession of George I and ended with the death of George IV. In a new, final chapter Starkey brings his study to the present day, examining the iconic role of Victoria and her controversial successors; concluding with Elizabeth II and questions of what we have gained, or indeed lost, through the monarchy, and considering the troubled status of their future. More important than this, 'Monarchy' encompasses the greatest and most notorious events in our history. From the War of the Roses to the infamous Gunpowder Plot, the bloody battles of the English Civil War to the madness of King George III, the Napoleonic Era to the heyday of Empire under Victoria, and finally to our present day Queen Elizabeth II,'Monarchy' offers a radical reappraisal of English nationhood, culture and politics, shown through the most central institution in English life. With characteristic insight and perceptiveness, Starkey gives new life to these figures, producing an entertaining and masterful picture of the building blocks upon which the England of today is built on.

Europe

Harper-perennial

Bestselling royal historian David Starkey's captivating biography is a radical re-evaluation of Henry VIII, the British monarchy's most enduring icon. Larger than life in every sense, Henry VIII was Britain's most absolute monarch - but he was not born to rule. In this brilliantly readable history, David Starkey follows the promising young prince - a Renaissance man of exceptional musical and athletic talent - as he is thrust into the limelight after the death of his elder brother. His subsequent quest for fame was as obsessive as that of any modern celebrity, and his yearning for a male heir drove him into dangerous territory. The culmination of a lifetime's research, David Starkey's biography is an unforgettable portrait of the man behind the controversies, the prince turned tyrant who continues to tower over history.

Henry: Virtuous Prince

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

HarperPress

Untitled David Starkey

From one of our finest historians comes an outstanding exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.
The monarchy is one of Britain’s most revered institutions – but also one of its most tumultuous. In Crown and Country, David Starkey charts its rollercoaster history from earliest times to the present; from the courtly love of the Middle Ages, through the turbulent reign of the Tudors, to the chaos of the Civil War.
Starkey brings this tempestuous story up to date in this complete history, guiding us through the Abdication Crisis to the dissolution of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. He draws upon rank and romance in light of the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William and brings to life a cast of colourful characters and some riveting stories. Crown and Country is both a brilliant overview of the monarchy and a vividly iconoclastic portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood.

Crown and Country: A History of England through the Monarchy

Arts & Literature

From one of our finest historians comes an outstanding exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. With a new chapter on Royal Weddings - this is essential reading for those who want to understand more about how monarchy has shaped the British nation. The monarchy is one of Britain’s most venerable and revered institutions – but also one of its most tumultuous. In this substantially revised, updated and expanded compendium of two earlier volumes, David Starkey charts its roller-coaster history, starting with the warring tribal kings who continued to exercise their sway under the Romans. New material on the late Middle Ages and the Wars of the Roses brings the story to the turbulent reign of the Tudors and on through the chaos of the Civil War that first unseated and then beheaded a king. The Republic that followed Charles I’s execution smashed the Imperial Crown and attempted to eradicate the word ‘king’ from the language. For a time, it seemed the throne itself had died with its most recent occupant. And yet, vulnerable though it had been shown to be, the monarchy also proved surprisingly resilient, rebuilding itself alongside Britain’s burgeoning Empire. Starkey brings the tempestuous story up to the present, guiding us through the abdication of Edward VIII and the dissolution of the marriage between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, with a new chapter on the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, royal weddings and the future of monarchy. Throughout, Starkey highlights both the strength and the terrible fragility of an institution that has seemed, at times, perilously close to extinction. Bringing to life a cast of colourful characters, this brilliant overview of the history of Britain through her kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of the monarchy, as well as a vidid and iconoclastic portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood, embodied in an institution that has defined the realm for nearly two thousand years.

Crown and Country: The Kings & Queens of England: A History

Historical

The monarchy is one of Britain's longest surviving institutions-as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I, and Cromwell's emergence as Lord Protector-all the way up until the Victorian era when Britain's monarchs came face-to-face with modernity.This brilliant collection of biographies of Britain's kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of what the British monarchy has meant, what it means now, and what it will continue to mean. Bringing to life a cast of colorful characters, Starkey's trademark energy and authority make him the perfect guide on this epic, accessible, and compelling journey, as he offers us a vivid portrait of British culture, politics, and nationhood through an institution that has defined the realm for nearly two thousand years.

Crown and Country Lib/E: A History of England Through the Monarchy

William The 4th

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