Crown & Sceptre
A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Charles III
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- 6,99 €
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- 6,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
A stunning tour de force and a remarkable achievement.- Alison Weir
This is Our Island Story for the modern age. - Charles Spencer
'Not just a brilliant compendium of biographies, but the biography of an institution: a marvellous read' - Tom Holland
'This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle'
(William Shakespeare, Richard II)
With 1000 years of royal history from 1066 to the present day, Domesday Book to Magna Carta the Field of Cloth of Gold to King Charles' accession, Crown & Sceptre is an unparalleled exploration of the British monarchy. From Sunday Times bestselling author and joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Tracy Borman, comes a fresh, engaging and authoritative account of the crown's tumultuous history - including a chapter on King Charles III.
Impeccably researched, Crown & Sceptre explores in gripping detail how this iconic institution has survived the storms of rebellion, revolution and war that brought most of the world's other monarchies to an abrupt and bloody end. It is a story of ruthless dynastic battles, political and social leadership, usurpation and abdication, all set against a backdrop of dazzling ceremony and pageantry.
"Crown and Sceptre shows an astonishing command of a thousand years of the British monarchy, its traditions, roles and realities beyond the pageantry and romance. Beautifully crafted, insightful, and a genuine pleasure to read, it underscores the royal heritage at the heart of a nation." - Lauren Mackay
"Crown and Sceptre" combines an eminently accessible narrative with a lucid scholarly lens. Tracy Borman skilfully unravels the trials and triumphs of this ever-shifting institution. By charting both the majesty and mechanics of monarchy, we get a vivid understanding of why its glittering gears shifted over time, and by whom the levers of change were pulled. A triumph.' - Owen Emmerson, Curator at Hever Castle
'Tracy Borman's passion for the British monarch and the crown is infectious and compelling!' - Estelle Paranque
'Borman embraces a huge task' - Gerard DeGroot, The Times
Enlightening, gripping and skilfully composed, Tracy Borman navigates the twists and turns of the British monarchy with an expert hand. A pacy narrative that's simply bursting with colour and intrigue, Crown and Sceptre is both powerful and compulsively readable. A masterpiece. - Nicola Tallis
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian and novelist Borman (Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him) delivers an elegant and evenhanded chronicle of the British monarchy. Spanning from the Norman Conquest in the 11th century to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decampment to America in 2020, Borman's capsule histories highlight achievements (e.g., Elizabeth I's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588), as well as scandals (e.g., Prince Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein), and lucidly explain court dynamics and political, religious, and military matters. Documenting the fates of Henry VIII's six wives, Borman eschews sensationalism to track Henry's "transition from carefree kingship to active monarchy" and the effects of his marriages on England as a whole. A brief chapter on "England's shortest-reigning monarch," Lady Jane Grey, who was queen for nine days after the death of Edward VI in July 1553, analyzes the Tudor era's anxieties over female sovereigns, which helped shape the subsequent reigns of Mary I and her half-sister, Elizabeth I. Delving into the mystery of who killed the two sons of Edward IV in 1483, Borman suggests that Richard III may have been framed for the murders by Henry Tudor. Enlightening and accessible, this is a superb introduction to one of the world's most enduring monarchies.
