Biography & Memoir

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • An enduring account of joy and sorrow from one of the great writers of our time, The New Yorker’s Kathryn Schulz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.“I...

King John ruled England for seventeen and a half years, yet his entire reign is usually reduced to one image: of the villainous monarch outmanoeuvred by rebellious barons into agreeing to Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. Ever since, John has come to be...

'AEthelred's reign of nearly thirty-eight years was the longest of any Anglo-Saxon ruler. If he had died in AD 1000, history would have remembered him more kindly'Few monarchs of the Middle Ages have had a worse popular reputation than AEthelred II, 'the...

"A reputation as a ruthless ruler was sealed that would last beyond his lifetime. In that respect, at least, Cnut had succeeded..."Cnut, or Canute, is one of the great 'what ifs' of English history. The Dane who became King of England after a long period...

Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible formatQueen Victoria inherited the throne at 18 and went on to become the longest-reigning female monarch in history, in a time of intense industrial,...

(Available after 3-20 days)The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackThe formation of England happened against the odds - the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of...

'After my death,' George V said of his eldest son and heir, 'the boy will ruin himself within twelve months.'The forecast proved uncannily accurate. Edward VIII came to the throne in January 1936, provoked a constitutional crisis by his determination to...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback   Edward VI, the only son of Henry VIII, became king at the age of nine and died wholly unexpectedly at the age of fifteen. All around him...

Foremost medieval historian Anne Curry offers a new reinterpretation of Henry V and the battle that defined his kingship: AgincourtHenry V's invasion of France, in August 1415, represented a huge gamble. As heir to the throne, he had been a failure, cast...

On Christmas Day 1066, William, duke of Normandy was crowned in Westminster, the first Norman king of England. It was a disaster: soldiers outside, thinking shouts of acclamation were treachery, torched the surrounding buildings. To later chroniclers, it...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackEdward I (1272-1307) is one of the most commanding of all English rulers. He fought in southwest France, in Wales, In Scotland and in northern...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackEdward III ruled England for fifty years. He was a paragon of kingship in the eyes of his contemporaries, the perfect king in those of later...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackAlthough he styled himself 'His Highness', adopted the court ritual of his royal predecessors, and lived in the former royal palaces of Whitehall...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackWilliam III (1689-1702) & Mary II (1689-94) (Britain's only ever 'joint monarchs') changed the course of the entire country's history, coming...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback   For a man with such conventional tastes and views, George V had a revolutionary impact. Almost despite himself he marked a decisive break with...

James's reign marked one of the very rare major breaks in England's monarchy. Already James VI of Scotland and a highly experienced ruler who had established his authority over the Scottish Kirk, he marched south on Elizabeth I's death to become James I...

Richard I's reign is both controversial and seemingly contradictory. One of England's most famous medieval monarchs and a potent symbol of national identity, he barely spent six months on English soil during a ten-year reign and spoke French as his first...

Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible format   In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. The Virgin Queen ruled over a Golden Age: the...

Henry III was a medieval king whose long reign continues to have a profound impact on us today. He was on the throne for 56 years and during this time England was transformed from being the private play-thing of a French speaking dynasty into a medieval...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackHenry VIII's reign transformed the physical and spiritual landscape of England. Magnificent, tyrannical, a strong ruler, a 'pillager of the...