The History Book Club discussion

Jill wrote: " by William Shawcross (no ophoto)

The official biography of Queen Elizabeth, (lovingly known as the Queen Mum), the conso..."

A very good choice indeed Jill.

Geevee....I remember once when I was in England while the Queen Mum was still living and I asked a friend from Dover what she thought of her. She looked at me as if I were daft and said "We love her, why would you ask?" I certainly got that impression from others.....would you agree?

Jill...Yes I would. I think our present queen owes much to her mother's outlook and sense of duty. As with any age of royalty, especially one where both have been a part of the establishment for so many years, they may have had some errors in judgement over the periods they influence/d but both the Queen Mum and the present Queen have served GB very well - as can be seen whenever jubilees, anniversaries, weddings and dare I say funerals happen.

by Linda Porter

Here is an interesting book about "Bloody Mary", daughter of Henry VIII, half-sister of Elizabeth I and the first queen to rule England in her own right. After 450 years she remains the least understood monarch in English history. The author cuts through the myths to reveal the true woman behind history's perceptions.

Good recommendation Jill, I found it a very good and balanced account of 'Bloody Mary'. I've got this book still to read that may interest others as well:

by Jasper Ridley
Description:
In this chronicle of a Catholic monarch's heartless rage, a nation's fear, and the unimaginable courage of the Protestants who died for their faith, the award-winning historical biographer Jasper Ridley explores the dark years of Mary Tudor's reign and the most extreme persecution ever to occur in England -- more than three hundred victims in less than three years. Within months of her ascension to the English throne in 1553, Mary restored Roman Catholicism to the nation, reinstated papal supremacy, wedded the Spanish prince Philip, and sealed an alliance with Catholic Spain. Her marriage failed to produce an heir, however. That failure -- a sign, in Mary's view, of God's displeasure with the practice of "heretic" religion in England -- prompted the childless queen to initiate her purge. Thus began the fires at Smithfield, and hundreds of Protestants -- among them the Anglican bishop Hugh Latimer and Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, as well as many prominent members of the nobility -- met their death at the stake. In an absorbing narrative, this meticulously researched history relates their tragic, brutal, and often inspiring tale.

Review:
"By the standards of 20th-century terrors, the numbers of men and women who fell victim to reactionary Catholic oppression during the reign of Queen Mary (1554-58) were modest: fewer than 300 were executed for their Protestant faith. But the experience cast a long shadow over English history. Oppression bred new ideologies of civil resistance, and as Linda Colley has shown in Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837 (1992), the later association of Catholicism with bigotry and tyranny was central to the development of quasi-democratic nationhood. In his footnote-free description of the persecution, deeply indebted to John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Ridley (biographer of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, as well as Mussolini) recites a "litany" of moving stories: an eight-year-old boy dies after being beaten during a visit to his incarcerated father; a woman gives birth while being burned alive, and her baby is thrown back into the flames. There is little here that is new; after a concise account of usual suspects and events preceding and during Mary's rule (Sir Thomas More "was a particularly nasty sadomasochistic pervert" who "enjoyed being flogged by his favourite daughter"), Ridley concentrates on the witch hunts and their victims. One wishes for a deeper explanation of the culture and psyche of intolerance which was, after all, the hallmark of the age (more so, perhaps, in the 16th century than in the much maligned medieval past), and Mary's reign provides useful case material. But to his credit, Ridley recognizes that tyranny was by no means a monopoly of the Catholic Church it's hard to ignore the next "400 years of persecution and discrimination" suffered by the Catholics and concludes with a more general clarion call for present-day tolerance." - Publishers Weekly

Thanks Aussie Rick and Jill - more for my TBR.

One more for the TBR list....this book looks at the lives of three young women who were the victims of the vicious Tudor power struggles. If not for those struggles, their heirs might be ruling England today. The author shows a time when a royal marriage could gain a woman a kingdom or cost her everything.

by Leanda de Lisle(no photo)

I finally got a copy of: by Mark Logue. I think everyone I know has read it but me so I need to catch up. I'm sure most of you have read it too so I don't need to say more than it is an interesting and heartwarming story of a King overcoming his speech problems with the help of the author's grandfather.

Jill,
I've yet to see the film or read the book so will be interested in your thoughts. The involvement of Logue and the relationship with the King is well described in this too by Sarah H. Bradford.

Thanks for that tip on the George VI biography, Geevee......of course, it will show up on my TBR list!!!

by Sarah H. Bradford

In time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year this new book from Sarah Bradford will I am sure be good.

by Sarah Bradford

Description:
Elizabeth II has lived through the Abdication, the Blitz and World War Two, the sex and spy scandals of the swinging sixties, the Cold War and the nuclear threat and the Fall of the Berlin Wall. She has known 11 US Presidents including JFK and Ronald Reagan, and other world leaders like President Mandela and Pope John XXII. Her Prime Ministers have ranged from Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron, the last only ten years older than her grandson. Her own family experiences, a mixture of happiness and crisis, weddings and divorces, and, in the case of Diana, violent death, have been lived in the glare of tabloid headlines. More than 2 billion people watched the wedding of her grandson Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2010 shortly before she made the first State Visit to Ireland by a British monarch for 100 years. Our world has changed more in her lifetime than in any of her predecessors': the Queen has remained a calm presence at the centre, earning the respect of monarchists and republicans. How has she done it?

There is currently a spotlight read on the new biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Anyone who is reading or has read this book is welcome to visit that thread and join in the conversation.

by Sally Bedell Smith

Richard III ruled England for a mere twenty-six months, yet few English monarchs remain as compulsively fascinating, and none has been more persistently vilified. In his absorbing and universally praised account, Charles Ross assesses the king within the context of his violent age and explores the critical questions of the reign: why and how Richard Plantagenet usurped the throne; the belief that he ordered the murder of "the Princes in the Tower"; the events leading to the battle of Bosworth in 1485; and the death of the Yorkist dynasty with Richard himself. In a new foreword, Professor Richard A. Griffiths identifies the attributes that have made Ross's account the leading biography in the field, and assesses the impact of the research published since the book first appeared in 1981.

by Charles Ross

Hurray, love this book, Jill, I had it in my library for years, funny. More academic but informative.

by Charles Ross

I think it was used as a text book but even text books can be interesting......well, sometimes.
Richard III fascinates me as there are so many unanswered questions about him......was he as evil as some historians declare or has a legend grown over the years? This book looks at some of this but you still have to wonder.

Mary, Queen of Scots was a fascinating woman......crowned in two countries (France and Scotland) and with a claim to the British throne at the death of Elizabeth I. Her story has intrigued historians for years and her death at the hands of her cousin Elizabeth was tragic. This book gives a pretty detailed description of her life and times, although at times it drags a bit. It is not a quick read but it is an interesting one.

by Antonia Fraser

I found that book to be a great read, I really loved it, so thanks for mentioning it Jill.

The Restoration was an interesting period in the British monarchy. This book looks at the first 10 years of the reign of the "Merry Monarch", Charles II which was a time of risk and glamour as well as the devastation of the population by plague and the great fire of London. The author paints the King as a risk taker and a shrewd political navigator. It is a little different take on the tenor of the times.

by Jenny Uglow

This is the first major biography for a generation of a truly formidable king – a man born to rule England, who believed that it was his right to rule all of Britain. His reign was one of the most dramatic and important of the entire Middle Ages, leading to war and conquest on an unprecedented scale, and leaving a legacy of division between the peoples of Britain that has lasted from his day to our own.

Edward I is familiar to millions as ‘Longshanks’, conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (‘Braveheart’). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king’s astonishingly action-packed life. Earlier Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort in battle; travelled across Europe to the Holy Land on crusade; conquered Wales, extinguishing forever its native rulers, and constructing – at Conwy, Harlech, Beaumaris and Caernarfon – the most magnificent chain of castles ever created. He raised the greatest armies of the English Middle Ages, and summoned the largest parliaments; notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom. The longest-lived of all England’s medieval kings, he fathered no fewer than fifteen children with his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, and after her death he erected the Eleanor Crosses – the grandest funeral monuments ever fashioned for an English monarch.

In this book, Marc Morris examines afresh the forces that drove Edward throughout his relentless career: his character, his Christian faith, and his sense of England’s destiny – a sense shaped in particular by the tales of the legendary King Arthur. He also explores the competing reasons that led Edward’s opponents (including Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Robert Bruce) to resist him, and the very different societies that then existed in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The result is a sweeping story, immaculately researched yet compellingly told, and a vivid picture of medieval Britain at the moment when its future was decided



by Marc Morris

Thank you for these wonderful adds Jill.

The youngest child of the legendary monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was born to marry for dynastic gain. Endowed with English royal blood on her mother's side, she was betrothed in infancy to Arthur, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Henry VII of England, an alliance that greatly benefited both sides. Yet Arthur died weeks after their marriage in 1501, and Catherine found herself remarried to his younger brother, soon to become Henry VIII. The history of England—and indeed of Europe—was forever altered by their union.
Drawing on his deep knowledge of both Spain and England, Giles Tremlett has produced the first full biography in more than four decades of the tenacious woman whose marriage to Henry VIII lasted twice as long (twenty-four years) as his five other marriages combined. Her refusal to divorce him put her at the center of one of history's greatest power struggles, one that has resonated down through the centuries— Henry's break away from the Catholic Church as, bereft of a son, he attempted to annul his marriage to Catherine and wed Anne Boleyn. Catherine's daughter, Mary, would controversially inherit Henry's throne; briefly and bloodily, she returned England to the Catholicism of her mother's native Spain, foreshadowing the Spanish Armada some three decades later.
From Catherine's peripatetic childhood at the glittering court of Ferdinand and Isabella to the battlefield at Flodden, where she, in Henry's absence abroad, led the English forces to victory against Scotland to her determination to remain queen and her last years in almost monastic isolation, Giles Tremlett vividly re-creates the life of a giant figure in the sixteenth century. Catherine of Aragon will take its place among the best of Tudor biography.

by Giles Tremlett

In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming–and fickle.

Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her.

This is #5 in the Tudor Saga and it is interesting because history has not paid much attention to Catherine Howard who also lost her head in Henry's frantic efforts to solidify the Tudor dynasty. She was Queen for a mere two years before the King moved on and she moved to the block.

by Jean Plaidy

The outcry and scandal of the abdication of King Edward VIII has generated myriad books on the subject and the individuals involved. This is a biography of the main player, Wallis Simpson, the "woman he loved".

That Woman

by Anne Sebba




Synopsis
One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified woman of the last century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, by a woman which attempts to understand this fascinating and enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of England. 'That woman', as she was referred to by the Queen Mother, became a hate figure for allegedly ensnaring a British king. Born in 1895 in Baltimore, Bessiewallis Warfield endured an impoverished and comparatively obscure childhood which inflamed a burning desire to rise above her circumstances. Neither beautiful nor brilliant, and no longer young, she nevertheless became one of the most talked about women of her generation, and inspired such deep love and adoration in Edward VIII that even giving up a throne and an empire for her was not enough to prove his total devotion. Wallis lived by her wit and her wits, while both her apparent and alleged moral transgressions added to her aura and dazzle. Accused of Fascist sympathies, having Nazi lovers and learning bizarre sexual techniques in China, she was the subject of widespread gossip and fascination that has only increased with the years. In death, the Duchess became a symbol of empowerment and a style icon, a woman whose unequivocal aim was to win in the game of life. Based on new archives and material recently made available, this scrupulously researched biography re evaluates the role of politicians in the 1930s, sheds new light on the character and motivations of this powerful, charismatic and complex woman, and questions was this really the romantic love story of the century?

I found this book at a library sale and am glad I did. Very informative and enlightening indeed.


Edwardian England 1901-1914

Edwardian England: 1901-1914 by Simon Nowell-Smith (no book cover/author photo available)

Synopsis

This book covers the reign of Edward VII and four years after his death when his influence was still prevalent (the King died in 1910). The author has collected essays from noted historians to provide an in-depth examination of various aspects of the Edwardian age: the King himself, the economy, political parties, science, domestic scene,music, and sport. There are many wonderful pictures/illustrations, many of which are not those with which we are usually familiar. This book is a storehouse of information for the lover of 20th century British history.

A king that does not get as much attention as his father(Edward VII) or his son (Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) but this is a biography that is worth reading.

King George V

King George V (no book cover available) by Kenneth Rose

Synopsis

Kenneth Rose's life of King George V is recognised as one of the great twentieth-century biographies. The grandfather of Elizabeth II embarked on his 25-year reign (1910-1936) in the last confident glow of the Victorian Age. At heart a lover of hearth and home, he sustained the nation throughout the Great War and the political crises of an uneasy peace. It is due to George V's inspired common sense that the House of Windsor survived while other thrones and empires fell like autumn leaves. But then, as his funeral cortege turned into New Palace Yard the Maltese Cross fell from the Crown and landed in the gutter. 'A most terrible omen' wrote Harold Nicolson. And indeed it was. This sensitive portrait of the king is based on unpublished extracts from his diaries and correspondence; the papers of each of his five prime ministers; the confidences of courtiers; and the recollections given to the author by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and other members of the royal family.

Visit the official Diamond Jubilee website to learn what is happening this week-end as the nation celebrates Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne.

http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/

BBC 1 and BBC America are presenting The Diamond Queen the week of June 4-8th. It is a retrospect of the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.

Sharply drawn biographical sketches of Mary, Queen of Scots; James VI/I; Bonnie Prince Charlie and many more of the reigning dynasty of the House of Stuart.

The Royal Stuarts

by Allan Massie

Synopsis

In this fascinating and intimate portrait of the Stuarts, author Allan Massie takes us deep into one of history’s bloodiest and most tumultuous reigns. Exploring the family's lineage from the first Stuart king to the last, The Royal Stuarts is a panoramic history of the family that acted as a major player in the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Union of the Crowns, the English Civil War, the Restoration, and more.

Drawing on the accounts of historians past and present, novels, and plays, this is the complete story of the Stuart family, documenting their path from the salt marshes of Brittany to the thrones of Scotland and England and eventually to exile. The Royal Stuarts brings to life figures like Mary, Queens of Scots, Charles I, and Bonnie Prince Charlie, uncovering a family of strong affections and fierce rivalries. Told with panache, this is the gripping true story of backstabbing, betrayal, and ambition gone awry.

Zara Phillips,the Queen's grandaughter and the daughter of the Princess Royal, wins the Olympic Silver Medal in the Equestrian Team Event.

This book covers the young life of Elizabeth I who beat the odds and became a Queen for the ages.

The Young Elizahbeth

by Alison Plowden

Synopsis

In this, the first volume of her acclaimed Elizabethan quartet, Alison Plowden charts the history of Elizabeth's first twenty five years, telling the tale of Elizabeth's difficult childhood, and her alternate status as princess and bastard, culminating in her coronation and the beginning of the legend.

I found this very interesting footnote in a book that I was reading about World War I which calls to question the legitimate claim of the House of Orange and subsequently Hanover to the throne of England......and of course the House of Saxe Coburg-Gotha (Windsor). Fascinating and one of the great "what-ifs" of history.

WWI divided the inter-married dynasties of the old Europe and produced many tragic ironies, with cousin fighting cousin and even brother fighting brother. But the most extraordinary confrontation lay in the fact that it was Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria who commanded the German Army group against which the British struck some heavy blows.....for the British were attacking the man whom some of their compatriots revered as the rightful King of England. English Legitimists traced the Stuart succession down a clear line which ran through the Houses of Orleans, Savoy, Sardinia and Habsburg-Est to Rupprecht's mother, Queen Marie-Therese of Bavaria. Each year, on the anniversary of the deposing of the last Stuart king by the House of Orange, Jacobites would send white roses to her in Munich as the "the lawful Queen of England"

Marie-Therese of Bavaria



Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria

I am currently reading a book on Elizabeth I, and it is a very good read. There is lot to be told about the monarchs, and it is fascinating.

by

Don't forget the author link, Suburban RD.

Elizabeth I was a fascinating and complex ruler and her rise to the throne was not an easy one since she had the dubious distinction of being the daughter of Ann Boleyn.

News flash.....they have found the bones of Richard III under a parking lot. What a strange story and a fascinating find. See the link below for details.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/03/world/e...

Jill wrote: "News flash.....they have found the bones of Richard III under a parking lot. What a strange story and a fascinating find. See the link below for details.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/03/world/e......"

Wow, super cool. I'm glad they finally found him.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...
This article contains some interesting pictures of the reconstruction of Richard III's face and the bones that were discovered. I'm not sure how they can reconstruct a nose when the skeleton just has a hole there, but the reconstruction does represent a rather benevolent person. The bones definitely show severe scoliosis.

Very cool, Ann.

Ann wrote: "http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...
This article contains some interesting pictures of the reconstruction of Richard III's face and the bones that wer..."

The myth that Richard III was a "hunchback" may be destroyed by the fact that the bones show scoliosis, which is a side to side curvature of the spine. Kyphosis is the condition which results in the "hump" that is typical of a "hunchback". But of course at that time, the term "hunchback" could have been used interchangeably for any deformation of the spine.

Counting One's Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
by William Shawcross

Synopsis
William Shawcross’s official biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, published in September 2009, was a huge critical and commercial success. One of the great revelations of the book was Queen Elizabeth’s insightful, witty private correspondence. Indeed, The Sunday Times described her letters as “wonderful . . . brimful of liveliness and irreverence, steeliness and sweetness.” Now, Shawcross has put together a selection of her letters, drawing on the vast wealth of material in the Royal Archives and at Glamis Castle. Queen Elizabeth was a prolific correspondent from her earliest childhood before the First World War to the very end of her long life at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and her letters offer readers a vivid insight into the real person behind the public face.

Kate Middleton and Prince William Welcome Royal Baby ... It's a Boy!

By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff | Royal Baby Buzz – 1 hour 13 minutes ago



It's a prince!

On Monday, the world welcomed the newest addition to the royal family and the future heir to England's throne. Palace officials confirmed the arrival of His Royal Highness the Prince of Cambridge, born at St. Mary's Hospital at 4:24 PM BST, and weighing 8 lbs 6 oz..

"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight," palace officials stated in an official press release. Prince William was present at the birth of his first child. The name of his firstborn son will be released "in due course."

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news," according to the brief statement emailed to members of the press, many of whom have been camped outside of St. Marys Hospital for days.

Prince Charles expounded on the emotional moment in history, in a statement released through Clarence House. He said he is "enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time."

"Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild," he added. "It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy."

The birth marks a new era for not only the first-time parents but also the extended royal family. As third in line to succeed the throne after his grandfather Prince Charles and his father, Prince William, he's the first baby born under new succession laws.

The modernized bill amends a centuries-old policy, allowing the royal couple's first-born child the right to inherit the throne regardless of gender.

"Historically, this is huge," Victoria Arbiter, CNN's royal expert, told Yahoo! Shine. "In 60 or 70 years, this baby will be a monarch. It's also the first time since Queen Victoria that four generations of monarchs will be alive together."

It's been a long and sometimes rocky journey to the historic due date. Anticipation about the heir to the throne began well before the frenzy over rumored due dates and even before St. James's Palace officially announced the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy in December. From the first day of their marriage over two years ago, Prince William and Kate Middleton have had an audience of clock-watchers.

But they have never let public expectations determine their personal timing. After their 10-year courtship, the couple put off parenthood to enjoy their first year as a married couple. In that time, Middleton flexed her philanthropic muscles and stepped into her late mother-in-law's shoes as an international fashion arbiter. She also weathered a paparazzi scandal, prompting the palace to tighten its reins on the press.

When it came to the big announcement about the couple's first child, there was only so much the royal family could control. (To quote the Duchess herself, "Babies have their own agenda.") Before the official news broke, Middleton suffered acute morning sickness early in her first trimester. During her treatment at a central London hospital, pregnancy rumors reached a boiling point and the palace was forced to confirm what the public had long hoped.

"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," read the official statement from St. James's Palace.

The news rippled immediately through the retail industry. Collectibles marking the anticipated firstborn's arrival began rolling out by early 2013, as maternity designers elbowed for the chance to dress the mom-to-be. All told, economists predict the royal birth could boost the British economy by $400 million.

Tragedy overshadowed the worldwide excitement when two Australian radio hosts pranked Middleton's hospital and the nurse who took the hoax call later committed suicide.

It was a sobering reminder of the impact of royal coverage on human lives. For the future monarch, it's an unfortunate part of the inheritance and part of an unfathomable burden of power.

Perhaps no one better understands this than the new dad, Prince William.

"Royal firstborns may get all the glory, but secondborns enjoy more freedom," Diana, princess of Wales, said after giving birth to her second son, Harry. "My second child will never have quite the same sort of pressure that poor William must face all his life."

That firstborn pressure includes carrying the HRH title and the legacy that goes with it. In the distant future, the newborn is poised to be the supreme governor of the Church of England, head of the U.K. armed forces, and the head of state in 16 countries.

"One day, this baby will be an influence across the globe, a leader, and someone millions of people will look up to," said Arbiter. For now, however, he has two main responsibilities: eating and sleeping, just like any other baby.

Today, they are called the House of Windsor!!

Albert and Victoria: The Rise and Fall of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

by Edgar Feuchtwanger (no photo)

Synopsis;

When Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha married his cousin, the young Queen Victoria, in 1840, it was not only a match whose fertility and personal devotion provided a model for the queen's subjects, it was also a triumph of dynastic politics. It drew the couple deeply into European politics, where their personal and family relationships with many of the rulers often had repercussions at home. Despite the death of Albert in 1861, the marriage of Victoria's children into Europe's royal houses continued the dynastic theme. It was a tragedy for Germany and Europe that Vicky, Victoria's eldest daughter, and her husband, the heir to the German throne were unable to master Bismarck. Albert and Victoria is a portrait of a marriage. It also traces Albert to his unhappy family roots in Coburg and shows how important his attitudes, most of them shared by Victoria, were in their joint dynastic enterprise.

by Dan Jones (no photo)

I just picked this book up from the library because I thought it would great to read about the predecessors of my favorite royal house, The Tudors. Most people say it was the Tudors that made England, but in this book the author suggests that it was actually the Plantagenets that made england. This argument seams very interesting and look forward to reading the authors view on this subject. Has anyone else read this a book and what did you think?

Very interesting book Carly. The Plantagenets sometimes get overlooked since the Tudors were a rather flashy dynasty.

Remember the book citations.....you are almost there.

by Dan Jones (no photo)

King Charles I lost his heart to his wife which in the end caused him to lose his head.

A Royal Passion: The Turbulent Marriage of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France

by William Shakespeare (no photo)

Synopsis

It was, from the start, a dangerous experiment. Charles I of England was a Protestant, the fifteen-year-old French princess a Catholic. The marriage was arranged for political purposes, and it seemed a mismatch of personalities. But against the odds, the reserved king and his naively vivacious bride fell passionately in love, and for ten years England enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity.

When Charles became involved in war with Puritan Scotland, popular hatred of Henrietta’s Catholicism roused Parliament to fury. As the opposition party embraced new values of liberty and republicanism—the blueprint for the American War of Independence and the French Revolution—Charles’s fears for his wife’s safety drove him into a civil war that would cost him his crown and his head.

Rejecting centuries of hostile historical tradition, prize-winning biographer Katie Whitaker uses a host of original sources—including many unpublished manuscripts and letters—to create an intimate portrait of a remarkable marriage.

Biography of the last of England's Stuart dynasty.

Queen Anne

by Edward Gregg (no photo)

Synopsis

The reign of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, was a period of significant progress for the country: Britain became a major military power on land, the union of England and Scotland created a united kingdom of Great Britain, and the economic and political basis for the golden age of the eighteenth century was established. However the queen herself has received little credit for these achievements and has long been depicted as a weak and ineffectual monarch, dominated by her advisers. This biography shatters that image and establishes Anne as a personality of integrity and invincible stubbornness, the central figure of her age. This revised edition includes a new foreword by the author.

It appears that the Queen is slowly moving away from some of her public responsibilities and handing them over to Prince Charles; a true transition to Charles becoming King. There is no indication that the Queen will step down in favor of Charles but at age 87, she must prepare him for the job. Charles is the longest "king in waiting" of the British monarchy.....65 years. More information can be found at the UK Independent link below:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/...

An upcoming book:
Release date: April 28, 2014

Cecily Neville: Mother of Kings

by Amy Licence

Synopsis:

Known to be proud, regal and beautiful, Cecily Neville's life spanned most of the fifteenth century. Born in the year of the great English victory at Agincourt, she lived long enough to witness the arrival of the future Henry VIII. Her marriage to Richard, Duke of York, was successful, even happy, and she travelled with him wherever his career dictated, bearing his children in England, Ireland and France, including the future Edward IV and Richard III. What was the substance behind her claim to be 'queen by right'? Would she indeed have made a good queen during these turbulent times? One of a huge family herself, Cecily would see two of her sons become kings of England but the struggles that tore apart the Houses of Lancaster and York also turned brother against brother. Cecily's life cannot have been easy. Images of her dripping in jewels and holding her own alternative 'court' might belie the terrible heartache of seeing her descendants destroy each other. In attempting to be the family peacemaker, she frequently had to make heart-wrenching choices, yet these did not destroy her. She battled on, outliving her husband, friends, rivals and most of her children, to become one of the era's great survivors.

Another:
Release date: September 15, 2014

The Demon's Brood: A History of the Plantagenet Dynasty

by Desmond Seward (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Plantagenets reigned over England longer than any other family from Henry II to Richard III . Four kings were murdered, two came close to deposition, and another was killed in a battle by rebels. Shakespeare wrote plays about six of them, further entrenching them in the national myth. Based on major contemporary sources and recent research, acclaimed historian Desmond Seward provides the first readable overview of the whole extraordinary dynasty, in one volume.

Thanks, Jerome......good recommendations for future reading.

Happy 88th birthday to HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Have a joyous day.