Monarchy: England and Her Rulers from the Tudors to the Windsors

David Starkey's ‘Monarchy’ 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. David Starkey unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, that lie behind the monarchs that form the backbone of British history. This 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. Queen Victoria, the longest reigning monarch in British history, and, finally, our present day Queen, Elizabeth II, who today reigns over sixteen independent nations make up the book’s latter stages. 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 and the British 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.

About the Author :
David Starkey is the Bye Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the author of ‘Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne’. A winner of the W. H. Smith Prize and the Norton Medlicott Medal for Services to History presented by Britain's Historical Association, Mr. Starkey lives in London.

Review :
Praise for 'Elizabeth' (HB): 'Fresh and lively!vividly told!He sets before us not only the woman behind the throne but the girl behind the woman.' Sunday Times 'Subtle analysis, up-to-date research and balance between speculation and fact. An Elizabeth for our times.' Independent 'What a page turner! A white knuckle ride through history!inspired research, from the clues embedded in the portraits to court ceremonial to the often circumlocutory letters.' Time Out 'I found myself compelled by David Starkey's vivid recreation of the hazardous uncertainty of Elizabeth's early life, her successive exclusions from the centre of power, the studiedly ambiguous answers she offered her interrogators, her inevitable implications in conspiracies and narrow escapes from execution.' Times Literary Supplement 'Combines a relaxed and unfussy style with a thorough knowledge of the period and a sharp eye for detail. Elizabeth's life makes for a compelling story and Starkey tells it well.' Spectator