A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present
by Mike Ashley
On This Page
Description
Here is the whole of recorded British royal history, from the legendary King Alfred the Great onwards, including the monarchies of England, Scotland, Wales and the United Kingdom for over a thousand years. Fascinating portraits are expertly woven into a history of division and eventual union of the British Isles - even royals we think most familiar are revealed in a new and sometimes surprising light. This revised and shortened edition of The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens includes show more biographies of the royals of recorded British history, plus an overview of the semi-legendary figures of pre-history and the Dark Ages - an accessible source for students and general readers. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I get there are many people who won't like this book. They don't care about history, or Kings and Queens or even the British.
This book covers rulers before Kings existed to present on all the nations that make up the United Kingdom. Ashley describes his original book as a tome, so he came back and created a "brief history". Each King, Queen, or consort is given a brief history covering their ascension to the throne, personality, family, achievements, failures, and more but its not boring. Not to me anyway.
I thought he seamlessly moves from one lineage and connects it to one of the other nations lineage. Example, he ends with Queen Elizabeth of England, then switches and covers the Scottish Kings and Queen, then intertwines King James show more VI of Scotland succeeding Elizabeth and becoming King James I of England.
I loved it. The 1500s-1600s, King Henry the VIII all the way to King Charles II is the most exciting time for me, but also the most tumultuous. show less
This book covers rulers before Kings existed to present on all the nations that make up the United Kingdom. Ashley describes his original book as a tome, so he came back and created a "brief history". Each King, Queen, or consort is given a brief history covering their ascension to the throne, personality, family, achievements, failures, and more but its not boring. Not to me anyway.
I thought he seamlessly moves from one lineage and connects it to one of the other nations lineage. Example, he ends with Queen Elizabeth of England, then switches and covers the Scottish Kings and Queen, then intertwines King James show more VI of Scotland succeeding Elizabeth and becoming King James I of England.
I loved it. The 1500s-1600s, King Henry the VIII all the way to King Charles II is the most exciting time for me, but also the most tumultuous. show less
quite good
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
168+ Works 12,606 Members
Mike Ashley has specialized in the history of science fiction and fantasy for more than 30 years. He is the author and editor of over a hundred books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide.
Work Relationships
Is an abridged version of
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present
- Original publication date
- 2002-12-23
- Important places
- Great Britain
- First words
- The islands that form Great Britain have been occupied bt man since the end of the last Ice Age, when a social structure began to emerge that brought with it the need for more powerful and organized leaders.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The challenge at the start of the twenty-first century, ias Britain becomes more deeply integrated with Europe, is for the monarchy to find a new place in the affections and confidence of the people.
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- The title in the Publisher's Series A Brief History of is an abridgment of an earlier work, British Monarchs (also titledThe Mammoth book of British Kings & Queens).
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 941.0099 — History & geography History of Europe British Isles Historical periods of British Isles Geographic treatment, biography Collected persons
- LCC
- DA28.1 .A85 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England History General
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 366
- Popularity
- 85,663
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.64)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 6
