A history of England through the monarchy is the book’s sub-title, which accurately describes the content of this jaunty march from the end of Roman rule to the golden jubilee of Elizabeth II.
Covering twelve hundred years in five hundred pages makes for a relatively whistle stop journey. While sacrificing detail and complexity it gains in the coherence and visibility of broad themes and key points when the nature of monarchy and governance change.
The emergence of the first Saxon kings; the Norman conquest and its aftermath; the power struggle with the barons and the great charters; Henry VIII’s break with Rome; religious conflict, leading to the interregnum and, later, the installation of Dutch and German princes as kings as Parliamentary power grew; all feature large.
In the early and middle centuries, the centrality of the monarchy to the political life of the country is evident, as (mainly) kings take taxes and make war as they please, so much is covered. In the later centuries, as Parliament takes control of finance and policy, important political events are less central to the narrative and the account inevitably become more personal.
But that is fine,
other histories fill that gap. This book does what it says on the cover and
does it well in a relaxed and readable style.
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