by Tracy Borman
First published 2021
Tracy Borman examines the forty-one kings and queens who have occupied Britain's throne since William the Conqueror defeated Harold II in 1066. Her chronicle spans 955 years of royal history, revealing how few monarchs have actually been English by birth. The Norman French, Welsh Tudors, Scottish Stuarts, and German Hanoverians all claimed the crown. Borman distinguishes between rulers who held real power and those who reigned ceremonially after 1660, explaining how this evolution helped the monarchy survive while other European royal houses fell to revolution. She profiles both exemplary leaders and weak or corrupt rulers, from Richard II and Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, George III, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. The book explores royal palaces, artistic portrayals, coinage, and ceremonial pageantry that define the monarchy's visual culture. Borman argues that the institution's ability to adapt to public opinion and social change accounts for its remarkable persistence across nearly a millennium.
Genres: biography, history, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, power-dynamics
Setting: Britain, Europe
Period: 1066, 1660, 955 Years
556 pages · Hardcover · Hodder & Stoughton