The Wobbly Kings Of England

England’s history has been as exciting as it has been unstable. The poshies who ruled back in medieval times were a pretty wobbly bunch, and didn’t give a monkey’s whotsit for the sweaty peasants. With war, assassinations, plots and some shady characters, British history sure is chaotic! p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Helvetica; color: #515151; -webkit-text-stroke: #515151} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} If you want to know who did what, when and why in English history, but don’t reckon much on the heavy, academic stuff, then this is the book for you! It’ll give you a pretty detailed account of the reigns of a lot of English monarchs. There’s a bit of information, too, about the actions of the less important guys, the earls and posh people like that, who frequently claimed that they could do a better job of running the show than the bloke on the throne. Read it all in this accessible and digestible account of the wobbly British bunch!

"Consorts of the British monarchs have sometimes been regarded as dangerously influential on their husbands. Mark Hichens's book surveys the wives of the English kings since the Hanoverian succession. Some played a major role in preserving the monarchy, while others faced a harder road, one being imprisoned for life, another arraigned before the House of Lords, while a third has been described as the most wronged wife in Europe. From George III's imposed-upon wife Charlotte, to Mrs. Simpson, to Elizabeth the Queen Mother." --Publisher's description.

Who invented the 'House of Windsor' as a royal name? Who founded Westminster Abbey? Which king had twenty-one illegitimate children? David Hilliam answers all of these questions and more. Here is a continuous history of the English monarchy, showing how the nine dynasties rose and fell. The book describes the most memorable features of the life and times of each king and queen - from Egbert, crowned in 802 and considered the first king of England, to Queen Elizabeth II - as well as recording the extraordinary lives of their queens, consorts, mistresses and bastard children. It also tells the story of the Saxons, describes what has happened to the monarchs' mortal remains, and relates many lively incidents of royal history that rarely appear in the text books. Read of the saintly Edward the Confessor, who is believed to have refused to consummate his marriage; of teh rumbustious Henry VIII, given to beheading those who displeased him; of the 'little gentleman in black velvet', who caused the death of William III; and of Queen Victoria's strangest servant, the 'Munshi', Queen Emma, who endured a trial by ordeal; and Anne Boleyn, widely suspected of being a witch. A complete list of the monarchs' reigns and a genealogical table showing the royal descent down thirty-seven generations from Egbert to Elizabeth II adds to the volume's reference value.

Betsy Burton, one of the owners of The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, shares anecdotes from throughout the history of the store, discussing employees, author visits, and the joys and challenges of running an independent bookstore, and including reading lists in a range of subject areas.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

They walked us through the foggy, dreary and dank centuries of the Dark Ages where they fought their bloody dynastic wars right up and into the artistic enlightenment of the Renaissance with their courts of finery and pageantry. They rode atop their mighty steeds adorned in shiny shimmering armor and endangered their lives for the sake of a lady's colors at the tiltyard tournament Jousts. They waltzed us through the more delicate Victorian era of refinement into the sophisticated Edwardian period with their lavish living and carefree lifestyles. They rose above the ashes and destruction of the World Wars and moved bravely forward, becoming a part of the fast modern age of technology. All through time since the days of Camelot they played their own separate roles that contributed to the molding and creating of their island kingdom. They were tall, they were short, they were mean, and they were kind. Some were considered to be great, some not so great. Some were powerful leaders while others were weak. Some were greedy not caring about the people, yet there were those who accomplished good deeds for the people and the country. Some died peaceful deaths and then there were those that died violent deaths either by sword in battle, an executioner's axe or even other more horrific ways of demise. Now it is for us to take the time and tear away those dusty shrouds of history and become better acquainted with those faces that stare back at us from their immortal portraits that hang high upon their castle and palace walls. To do so we bring all these Monarchs back alive within our imaginations where we can relive their lives better appreciating all the wonderful beauty, splendor and legends theyleft behind for us to share, those immortal "Kings and Queens of England."