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Crown and Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy
From one of our finest historians comes an outstanding exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.The monarchy is one of Britain’s longest surviving institutions – as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I and Cromwell's emergence as Lord Protector – all the way up until the Victorian era when Britain’s monarchs came face-to-face with modernity.This brilliant collection of biographies of Britain’s kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of what the British monarchy has meant, what it means now and what it will continue to mean. Bringing to life a cast of colourful characters, Starkey’s trademark energy and authority make him the perfect guide on this epic, accessible and compelling journey, as he offers us a vivid portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood through an institution that has defined the realm for nearly two thousand years.
500 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
David Starkey
99 books439 followersDavid Robert Starkey, CBE, FSA is a British historian, a television and radio presenter, and a specialist in the Tudor period.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 18, 2015
The book describes itself as a history of England through the monarchy and it did that job admirably. Starkey takes us right back to the origins of the monarchy at the fall of the Roman Empire right through all the early warlords and kings, through the Battle of Hastings and the struggle of various monarchs to obtain and hold power, right up to the present day.
The chances are that if you want to read this book you will have some knowledge on some areas of the history it covers. But equally likely is the fact that you probably don't know much about other periods of history- I suspect many people knew almost nothing about the pre-1066 monarchs before reading this book. Starkey manages to write the book in a clever way, telling the basics of the story without going too deep into it. This way you learn loads about periods you knew nothing about but don't get bored by the periods you do know about.
The book is not too bad at doing proper history. It would be totally wrong if Starkey simply told the story with no consideration for where the story came from. He regularly uses contemporary sources, or the nearest there is, and quotes from them, especially in the earlier portions of the book. Where there are several conflicting stories he discusses which seems more likely and happily questions things that are probably not true. There are plenty of little stories which are believed to be true but simply aren't and Starkey addresses this throughout the book.
If I had any criticisms, it would be the way the chapters are set out. The chapters are long and usually focus on a few monarchs at a time. Personally I would have preferred if the author had given every monarch it's own chapter. That way there would still be a few longer chapters but there would be lots of shorter ones too which would make the book a bit more readable. Although enjoyable, at 500 pages it's a long slog with the enormous chapters it has. Don't be put off by the length though because when you consider the book contains 2000 years worth of history you're lucky that it is only 500 pages.
An enjoyable history book which tells the story of the monarchy at a fairly basic level. I really felt it got the balance of detail and storytelling spot-on so I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to expand their historical knowledge.
The chances are that if you want to read this book you will have some knowledge on some areas of the history it covers. But equally likely is the fact that you probably don't know much about other periods of history- I suspect many people knew almost nothing about the pre-1066 monarchs before reading this book. Starkey manages to write the book in a clever way, telling the basics of the story without going too deep into it. This way you learn loads about periods you knew nothing about but don't get bored by the periods you do know about.
The book is not too bad at doing proper history. It would be totally wrong if Starkey simply told the story with no consideration for where the story came from. He regularly uses contemporary sources, or the nearest there is, and quotes from them, especially in the earlier portions of the book. Where there are several conflicting stories he discusses which seems more likely and happily questions things that are probably not true. There are plenty of little stories which are believed to be true but simply aren't and Starkey addresses this throughout the book.
If I had any criticisms, it would be the way the chapters are set out. The chapters are long and usually focus on a few monarchs at a time. Personally I would have preferred if the author had given every monarch it's own chapter. That way there would still be a few longer chapters but there would be lots of shorter ones too which would make the book a bit more readable. Although enjoyable, at 500 pages it's a long slog with the enormous chapters it has. Don't be put off by the length though because when you consider the book contains 2000 years worth of history you're lucky that it is only 500 pages.
An enjoyable history book which tells the story of the monarchy at a fairly basic level. I really felt it got the balance of detail and storytelling spot-on so I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to expand their historical knowledge.
April 21, 2024
Rating: 4.5/5
Crown and Country is a history of the English monarchy through the ages from the earliest Roman times to the present day. It is essentially a collection of small biographies on all of the queens and kings of England throughout time and in chronological order. At 500 pages, it is a lengthy volume, but still feels quite breezy and entertaining, as well as informative. I read it as I was interested in how the monarchy evolved over time.
I appreciated how the author immediately got to the point at the start. The work overall feels very focused and centered upon its main subject, without veering too much away from that. There is so much Game of Thrones style drama throughout the ages when it comes to the English monarchy that I was fascinated throughout. I never once questioned the historicity of how the author describes events. It seems well researched and scholarly but again, isn’t written with an extreme amount of mundane details. It tells the most fascinating or important parts of each monarch’s reign and quickly moves to the next.
Typically, the author remains unbiased towards events, or at least doesn’t overtly judge them, and instead simply reports on them. If they do ask questions or criticize something that happened, it is mostly written in such a way that it shows both sides of an argument. Sometimes, however, the author does get a little personal with their comments, such as how critical they are of Princess Diana (calling her an “actress”, etc.). During the portion about the American Revolution, there was some subtle praise but also critical commentary on the American notion of freedom, for example. Again, this wasn’t enough to make me feel too negative about the book though.
I’m glad I read this book. It’s a fascinating read for anyone into this sort of history. I would say this is a good primer on the subject, but not a completely exhaustive look at all one could learn if they were very interested in it. This was published in 2010 so the author ends it quite hopeful about Charles’ reign. Now that his reign has started in England, we shall see how the monarchy evolves from here.
Crown and Country is a history of the English monarchy through the ages from the earliest Roman times to the present day. It is essentially a collection of small biographies on all of the queens and kings of England throughout time and in chronological order. At 500 pages, it is a lengthy volume, but still feels quite breezy and entertaining, as well as informative. I read it as I was interested in how the monarchy evolved over time.
I appreciated how the author immediately got to the point at the start. The work overall feels very focused and centered upon its main subject, without veering too much away from that. There is so much Game of Thrones style drama throughout the ages when it comes to the English monarchy that I was fascinated throughout. I never once questioned the historicity of how the author describes events. It seems well researched and scholarly but again, isn’t written with an extreme amount of mundane details. It tells the most fascinating or important parts of each monarch’s reign and quickly moves to the next.
Typically, the author remains unbiased towards events, or at least doesn’t overtly judge them, and instead simply reports on them. If they do ask questions or criticize something that happened, it is mostly written in such a way that it shows both sides of an argument. Sometimes, however, the author does get a little personal with their comments, such as how critical they are of Princess Diana (calling her an “actress”, etc.). During the portion about the American Revolution, there was some subtle praise but also critical commentary on the American notion of freedom, for example. Again, this wasn’t enough to make me feel too negative about the book though.
I’m glad I read this book. It’s a fascinating read for anyone into this sort of history. I would say this is a good primer on the subject, but not a completely exhaustive look at all one could learn if they were very interested in it. This was published in 2010 so the author ends it quite hopeful about Charles’ reign. Now that his reign has started in England, we shall see how the monarchy evolves from here.
Read
September 19, 2022Of necessity it is quite shallow, but interesting nonetheless.
January 24, 2012
I have to confess to being a little bit disappointed with this, although I suspect that probably comes from having more than the usual familiarity with the history of the British monarchy. As a primer or an introduction to the subject, I have no doubt it would be very good. But I found it a little too lacking in depth. Its scope is admirable, and I was pleased for once to find a book that traces the history of the monarchy beyond 1066 and William the Conqueror. But the flipside of tracing such a lengthy period of history is that it only really scratches the surface.
Added to that is the fact that it is essentially serving a dual purpose - a history of the monarchy as an institution and a history of the monarchs themselves. Being very familiar with the history of Britain's monarchs, I was hoping for more of an analysis of what makes Britain's monarchy unique, how it survived and evolved, where it is heading. I found this book didn't focus enough on that aspect for me. Perhaps it could almost have been separated in two volumes?
Added to that is the fact that it is essentially serving a dual purpose - a history of the monarchy as an institution and a history of the monarchs themselves. Being very familiar with the history of Britain's monarchs, I was hoping for more of an analysis of what makes Britain's monarchy unique, how it survived and evolved, where it is heading. I found this book didn't focus enough on that aspect for me. Perhaps it could almost have been separated in two volumes?
January 18, 2018
I have long been a fan of the monarchy. The Queen has served Britain excellently, remained politically impartial and has been a fine representation of the best of the UK on the world stage. When I wrote to her aged 7, it was amazing to receive a response. Fond memories of celebrating the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (as she was then known) entered my mind: a day of school, family dressed up, processions all over the country. The following year, it was an honour to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and say a huge thank you to her for all she has done. Therefore, I was looking forward to reading this book to learn about how the monarchy has become what it is. I was aware the monarchy used to involve itself far more in politics (and all the better it now doesn't) but didn't really have a solid understanding of where it all begun! I'll admit, the book began at a slow pace. Until the Battle of Hastings, I was rather bored reading it, seeing it as a struggle rather than a great delight. The miniscule font didn't help. Unsurprisingly, there were many names to keep up with and some were utterly bizarre. Anglo-Saxon England was not for me. I think the most interested I've ever got about the Saxons was when an Apprentice team accidently filmed a shoot promoting a modern car in a medieval village. Honest. Things gradually begun to improve, the War of the Roses firmly holding my attention. I remember watching 'The White Queen' on the BBC based around the events and was taken straight back. Lancaster, then York, followed by Lancaster! The two warring tribes made for great reading. I knew the War of the Roses meant I was near to Tudor England, probably my favourite time period to study. The monarchy then were powerful characters, though hugely dangerous, yet captivating to read. For most amateur historians, there is a murky area of the monarchy in-between Elizabeth the first and Queen Victoria, so I was pleased to learn about that time period. I was especially surprised to learn England went a decade without an monarch, as that would seem so unreal today. Starkey carefully documented the work, with clever titles. I felt relived to be living when I am, as the monarchy seem to have evolved into a institution of which nearly everyone can be proud.
August 7, 2022
Stunning, complete, meticulous and very impressive. This is a history book in its finest form. Starkey has done an excellent job in describing the rise of kings and queens of old, the development of the royal house throughout the ages and the changing of England itself.
At some points the story was a bit too detailed for my taste, but I got through! In spite of this slightly annoying aspect, I was very much impressed and learned so much about Englands history and royalty. Especially for someone interested in Englands crown and country, and enjoy books like the ones written by e.g. Dan Jones and Lucy Worsley, this is very much worth your while.
At some points the story was a bit too detailed for my taste, but I got through! In spite of this slightly annoying aspect, I was very much impressed and learned so much about Englands history and royalty. Especially for someone interested in Englands crown and country, and enjoy books like the ones written by e.g. Dan Jones and Lucy Worsley, this is very much worth your while.
May 11, 2020
This was perfectly fine as some background to get me thinking about a project I've been working on. There was some sexist bullshit at times, though it was hard to tell how much was the author's personal bias and how much was the fact that all the Queens of England lived through a lot of sexist bullshit.
January 16, 2020
A witty, easy to follow history of all the English/British kings and queens. Now I can follow the progress of English history well enough to keep up with my sons’ classes.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand this confusing hoard of grasping, erstwhile leaders, and British history in general.
Spoiler: Queen Elizabeth, keeping the Protestants and Catholics away from each other’s throats, is still the best, though Queen Anne, keeping the Tories in check, comes in a close second.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand this confusing hoard of grasping, erstwhile leaders, and British history in general.
Spoiler: Queen Elizabeth, keeping the Protestants and Catholics away from each other’s throats, is still the best, though Queen Anne, keeping the Tories in check, comes in a close second.
January 23, 2019
A royal gallop.
It’s a very well written book which, as my header says, is a gallop through the English and latterly British monarchy from the earliest times. The author’s depth of learning, lightly worn, is obvious and with many interesting asides, he traces the kings and queens from Anglo Saxon times to the present day. You will learn much from the book although naturally it is focused on the monarch and not the general history of the ages. I enjoyed it greatly.
It’s a very well written book which, as my header says, is a gallop through the English and latterly British monarchy from the earliest times. The author’s depth of learning, lightly worn, is obvious and with many interesting asides, he traces the kings and queens from Anglo Saxon times to the present day. You will learn much from the book although naturally it is focused on the monarch and not the general history of the ages. I enjoyed it greatly.
January 29, 2012
I think you have to be interested in the topic to get through this book, it's quite long. But then it would be as it covers around 2,000 years of English history up to the modern day. It's an informative guide to each of the monarchs of England (and the Anglo Saxon kings before England officially existed). I really like David Starkey's impeccable writing style, it's not too dry and there's some caustic wit thrown in here and there. Each monarch can only be covered briefly because of the scope of the book, I felt there were some areas David Starkey dwelt more on than others, eg there seemed to be a vast amount on the Stuarts and I would have liked to have read much more on Elizabeth I's reign (although I think Starkey has written a separate book focusing on her). It's impossible to read a wholly objective historical view but it felt there was a huge amount of work, knowledge and reference behind this book (well there would be I guess). Starkey also has a go at predicting where the monarchy will go from here which is good to speculate on. I enjoyed this as it provides a useful context to British, and world, history. Recommended for armchair historians like me.
April 4, 2016
Apparently, at one time this was two (much smaller) books that have been published as one. It's a lot to digest, but luckily Starkey is a rapid fire scribe who can (mostly successfully) condense years of material in pithy chunks of well-written prose. Whole books could be written on each and every king and queen, not to mention the multitude of lesser figures that dance across these pages; Starkey succeeds at a daunting task. I particularly liked his chapters on the Anglo-Saxon kings, and the Georgians (not a time period I tend to enjoy reading about, actually, which as least to me shows how well-written these chapters were). The last hundred or so years of the monarchy are squeezed together; I think he's overall less impressed from Victoria onwards (he calls Albert, later George VI, "second rate") but seems to have high hopes for a new kind of monarchy that Prince Charles may usher in. Great fun for those (like myself) who like reading about kings and queens.
September 20, 2016
informative book about all the kings and queens of england, the kind of book you sometimes pick up if you need to refresh your memory on a particular ruler.
kinda disappointed that starkey basically never mentions the consorts, except for albert of saxe-coburg gotha, who is the main character in victoria's subchapter (is it because he's a man???? we'll never know)
anyway, this book confirmed my love for anne of great britain (why is she so underrated??? someone should totally make a movie/series about her), and i've found out that i actually really like victoria's son edward vii, especially because he refused to be called albert on his accession <3
kinda disappointed that starkey basically never mentions the consorts, except for albert of saxe-coburg gotha, who is the main character in victoria's subchapter (is it because he's a man???? we'll never know)
anyway, this book confirmed my love for anne of great britain (why is she so underrated??? someone should totally make a movie/series about her), and i've found out that i actually really like victoria's son edward vii, especially because he refused to be called albert on his accession <3
September 20, 2012
Probably going to echo a lot of the comments on this thread, but here goes:
Molar: Good overview written in a clear and strongly narrative fasion.
Molecular: Sometimes seemed over-simplistic in the handling of some of the people and periods. At other times (I'm thinking mainly the span of James I to James II) we are given loads of detail and the chronology becomes less than linear.
Overall: Great overview for someone like me (American ex-pat living in the UK) who is planning to learn more about the history of the English monarchy and needs a jumping off point.
Molar: Good overview written in a clear and strongly narrative fasion.
Molecular: Sometimes seemed over-simplistic in the handling of some of the people and periods. At other times (I'm thinking mainly the span of James I to James II) we are given loads of detail and the chronology becomes less than linear.
Overall: Great overview for someone like me (American ex-pat living in the UK) who is planning to learn more about the history of the English monarchy and needs a jumping off point.
July 8, 2015
Personal note: THIS TOOK ME THREE YEARS TO FINISH AND I'M DONE.
This book provides a great summary of the English-turned-British monarchy. Beware that this isn't a history of England per say, rather it focuses intensely on the royal dynasties.
With that said, each time period and reign is uniquely framed with the overarching themes of empire-building, modernity and so on. It's by no means comprehensive (after all, that would deserve several volumes) but it is a succinct read before bedtime.
After all, who wouldn't want to dream of starving princes in towers and anti-Catholic parliaments?
This book provides a great summary of the English-turned-British monarchy. Beware that this isn't a history of England per say, rather it focuses intensely on the royal dynasties.
With that said, each time period and reign is uniquely framed with the overarching themes of empire-building, modernity and so on. It's by no means comprehensive (after all, that would deserve several volumes) but it is a succinct read before bedtime.
After all, who wouldn't want to dream of starving princes in towers and anti-Catholic parliaments?
May 14, 2020
David Starkey shows why he's one of the greatest historian and storytellers of our generation. He is straightforward and entertaining in a way that makes history easy for anyone to understand without dumbing things down for the general audience. Plus, there book is heavy with details that make it more enjoyable.
May 25, 2020
A romp through the entire timeline of monarchy from Romans to Prince Charles. Thorough and easy to read but let down by repetition and a formulaic pattern of writing: almost every monarch was described as ‘overreaching themselves’. Also read some political commentary into the narrative, which I don’t necessary agree with.
May 9, 2012
The actual title of the book I read was: "Crown and Country: The Kings and Queens of England." At the moment, I've this stupid advertisement on my page, which I can't close. It's preventing me from seeing what I'm typing. Anyway, I thought the book excellent.
February 17, 2012
As concise and potted a history as you could ask for. I was both informed and entertained when read Starkey's book. Now If only someone would write about Irish history in a similar fashion...
June 13, 2022
General Overview
Providing an overview to remind anyone of their days in history class, whilst also adding dashes of new detail, Crown and Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy, is a great read for the amateur historian like me.
Style
Written in an uncomplicated fashion, David Starkey has a very approachable style. This further adds to my conviction that this is a book anyone to enjoy. The author writes openly, in simple and easy to understand sentences. This style does not take away from the well-researched content of this piece, but only opens it to a wider audience.
Mr Starkey’s greatest skill for this piece is taking all his knowledge, his detail expertise and keeping what is going to be of interest to the common reader. The details, some stuff I never even thought to think of, really add touches of well-placed depth to this book.
Substance
From the Petty Kingdoms of Proto-England, to our current monarch and beyond, this book, rightly, covers it all. Giving equal time to each monarch this book is well paced. It takes moments to step away from the direct account of monarchs to focus on important events in history, though, as you’d expect, the Kings and Queens of England are at the centre of many of them.
Final Thoughts
A book I am glad to having finally gotten around too. It has really sparked my interest once more in history. Thank you Mr Starkey.
Providing an overview to remind anyone of their days in history class, whilst also adding dashes of new detail, Crown and Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy, is a great read for the amateur historian like me.
Style
Written in an uncomplicated fashion, David Starkey has a very approachable style. This further adds to my conviction that this is a book anyone to enjoy. The author writes openly, in simple and easy to understand sentences. This style does not take away from the well-researched content of this piece, but only opens it to a wider audience.
Mr Starkey’s greatest skill for this piece is taking all his knowledge, his detail expertise and keeping what is going to be of interest to the common reader. The details, some stuff I never even thought to think of, really add touches of well-placed depth to this book.
Substance
From the Petty Kingdoms of Proto-England, to our current monarch and beyond, this book, rightly, covers it all. Giving equal time to each monarch this book is well paced. It takes moments to step away from the direct account of monarchs to focus on important events in history, though, as you’d expect, the Kings and Queens of England are at the centre of many of them.
Final Thoughts
A book I am glad to having finally gotten around too. It has really sparked my interest once more in history. Thank you Mr Starkey.
Currently reading
October 21, 2020I am currently reading this as a norwegian history student who is very interested in the british monarchy. I have to say that I am a little confused over some details I've read so far:
1. When the "great viking army" starts terrorizing the land, they capture and kill the kings of east anglia and northumbria. Then Starkey writes: "their kings were offered as sacrifices to Odin. This is very strange since there exists no sources for danes or norsemen using humans for ritual sacrifices.
My professors (who are specialists in medieval norway) say that it simply isn't true.
2. Calling danes/norsemen "vikings". There is no such thing as "vikings". Its a made up word created by popular media. "Viking" in old norrøn meant "a merchant or seafarer", but was also a verb as "to viking" was to travel by sea to plunder. It is more historically correct to say "danes/norsemen" when referring to the people from the north.
3. There is a lot of mention of "the great army" being savage and brutal (which they were), but no mention of how all the "great" kings paid them off not to plunder them. Even the greatest of the great Alfred himself paid them a lot of money to keep away. I have a feeling that the kings are being portrayed a bit too... "holier than thou"?
Hope the book improves, because I am quite annoyed with how a well known historian could write these things.
1. When the "great viking army" starts terrorizing the land, they capture and kill the kings of east anglia and northumbria. Then Starkey writes: "their kings were offered as sacrifices to Odin. This is very strange since there exists no sources for danes or norsemen using humans for ritual sacrifices.
My professors (who are specialists in medieval norway) say that it simply isn't true.
2. Calling danes/norsemen "vikings". There is no such thing as "vikings". Its a made up word created by popular media. "Viking" in old norrøn meant "a merchant or seafarer", but was also a verb as "to viking" was to travel by sea to plunder. It is more historically correct to say "danes/norsemen" when referring to the people from the north.
3. There is a lot of mention of "the great army" being savage and brutal (which they were), but no mention of how all the "great" kings paid them off not to plunder them. Even the greatest of the great Alfred himself paid them a lot of money to keep away. I have a feeling that the kings are being portrayed a bit too... "holier than thou"?
Hope the book improves, because I am quite annoyed with how a well known historian could write these things.
February 26, 2024
This was one of my favourite books I've read as it really gives you an idea of the history of England from the Romans.
I guess the highlights for me were understanding the relationship between parliament and the King and how this power varied across the years ending up with the constitutional monarchy we have today.
Another one was the extent religion was a massive piece in the monarchy. From the closeness to the pope to the battles between protestant and Catholic, really interesting especially what will happen now as we turn to a secular society.
Thirdly, the fact that for so long it was England and Normandy/buts of France were a combined region and that it wasn't untill Henry 6th that England became England itself. Also wild.it.wasnt until 20th century we had a king who could only speak English.
Finally the personal lives of Kings and Queens was fascinating and definitely effected history. From the pious to the oat sowers, to the women who gained power (Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Woodville) through the crown. There was also a surprising amount of kings who almost lost their crown over forbidden love.
I guess the highlights for me were understanding the relationship between parliament and the King and how this power varied across the years ending up with the constitutional monarchy we have today.
Another one was the extent religion was a massive piece in the monarchy. From the closeness to the pope to the battles between protestant and Catholic, really interesting especially what will happen now as we turn to a secular society.
Thirdly, the fact that for so long it was England and Normandy/buts of France were a combined region and that it wasn't untill Henry 6th that England became England itself. Also wild.it.wasnt until 20th century we had a king who could only speak English.
Finally the personal lives of Kings and Queens was fascinating and definitely effected history. From the pious to the oat sowers, to the women who gained power (Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Woodville) through the crown. There was also a surprising amount of kings who almost lost their crown over forbidden love.
January 11, 2017
por fin entendí todo lo que alguna vez quise entender de la monarquía británica, así que agradezco eso. si bien siento que el libro pasó por encima de algunos eventos históricos muy importantes, entiendo que esto es un libro de la historia de la monarquía, no necesariamente del imperio inglés.
una vez más tengo que mencionar que me choquea leer el comportamiento medieval de la gente, pero eso es obvio.
en comparación con lo que transmitió el libro de los Romanov, la monarquía inglesa es mucho más moderada y normal, a pesar de todo. y francamente me aburrí con la cantidad de siglos que los británicos se pasaron peleando por razones religiosas, no tenía idea, y lo encuentro bastante insípido. no sabía que fue tanto tiempo. creo que desde Enrique VIII los británicos no pararon de pelear por qué religión debiera seguir el país, y después de un tiempo la cosa se puso monótona. especialmente sabiendo el clima religioso del siglo 21.
buena decisión haber leído el libro, pero ojalá no me den ganas de aprender de más monarquías por un largo rato.
una vez más tengo que mencionar que me choquea leer el comportamiento medieval de la gente, pero eso es obvio.
en comparación con lo que transmitió el libro de los Romanov, la monarquía inglesa es mucho más moderada y normal, a pesar de todo. y francamente me aburrí con la cantidad de siglos que los británicos se pasaron peleando por razones religiosas, no tenía idea, y lo encuentro bastante insípido. no sabía que fue tanto tiempo. creo que desde Enrique VIII los británicos no pararon de pelear por qué religión debiera seguir el país, y después de un tiempo la cosa se puso monótona. especialmente sabiendo el clima religioso del siglo 21.
buena decisión haber leído el libro, pero ojalá no me den ganas de aprender de más monarquías por un largo rato.
February 13, 2018
As good as this history of England is, I wasn't as absorbed by it as expected. With it being written by David Starkey, presenter of many good history documentaries, I expected more depth.
To be fair, though, he does cover a huge span of time. I expected him to start with Alfred the Great, who set the foundations for his grandson Athelstan to become the first King of England. Instead, the author goes right back before Roman occupation, covering what’s known of Britain’s tribal kings. This was interesting, but it takes up a lot of space, therefore detracting from the actual kings of the whole country, making for some scant coverage on monarchs who did a lot more than is shown here.
I was really surprised and disappointed that King Athelstan was little more than a footnote. Before reading this book, I expected Athelstan to be the first main focus after a preface-like approach to his famous grandfather and then his father. Athelstan's reign isn't covered at all. He's skipped over.
This is a work that would most likely appeal to readers largely unfamiliar with the history of England’s monarchy. I’m more knowledgeable in certain periods than others, so for those familiar periods it felt like reading a recap, as opposed to seeing things from a new or different perspective, which I’d hoped for from this historian author for whom I have a lot of respect.
In short, this is a good read that I feel would’ve been better if it started from Alfred’s time in the 800s, rather than pre-Roman Britain, and therefore been more in-depth on the actual rulers of the whole of England from Athelstan onwards.
To be fair, though, he does cover a huge span of time. I expected him to start with Alfred the Great, who set the foundations for his grandson Athelstan to become the first King of England. Instead, the author goes right back before Roman occupation, covering what’s known of Britain’s tribal kings. This was interesting, but it takes up a lot of space, therefore detracting from the actual kings of the whole country, making for some scant coverage on monarchs who did a lot more than is shown here.
I was really surprised and disappointed that King Athelstan was little more than a footnote. Before reading this book, I expected Athelstan to be the first main focus after a preface-like approach to his famous grandfather and then his father. Athelstan's reign isn't covered at all. He's skipped over.
This is a work that would most likely appeal to readers largely unfamiliar with the history of England’s monarchy. I’m more knowledgeable in certain periods than others, so for those familiar periods it felt like reading a recap, as opposed to seeing things from a new or different perspective, which I’d hoped for from this historian author for whom I have a lot of respect.
In short, this is a good read that I feel would’ve been better if it started from Alfred’s time in the 800s, rather than pre-Roman Britain, and therefore been more in-depth on the actual rulers of the whole of England from Athelstan onwards.
January 22, 2018
David Starkey's "Crown and Country" is exactly what its subtitle suggests, a history of England through the Monarchy. Starkey explores the role of the various conquests, from the Roman conquest to the Norman conquest, in shaping the long history of the country. In an epic story that spans two millenia, Starkey highlights how each monarch added or detracted from the country. He expertly weaves together the roles of Monarchy, the Parliament, and the Church in creating the nation that we know today. In a story like this, it would be easy for the author to get bogged down in the details, but Starkey does an excellent job in taking the middle road, providing enough details to support the broad trends of history, but not enough details as to lose the reader. This is a job well done, and definitely a book I would recommend for those interested in English history.
February 5, 2018
After reading a lot about the Tudors recently I wanted to go all the way back to the beginning of the English monarchy and learn bits about all of them, so I read this book. Political matters seem to just go straight over my head, but mostly I found this interesting. I feel as though I've learned quite a bit about the history of the English monarchy, and that was my intention with reading this, it's just I found the matters of politics hard to understand and a little boring. Loved the biographies of each reigning King and Queen though.
January 12, 2020
This could have been a boring read after all it is a chronological journey through a list of kings and queens. However it was certainly more than that. The author made it interesting and at times witty. Each chapter starts with a potted version of where we are going to end up by the end of the chapter and then explains how we got there. The amount of detail is just right, just enough to pull out the major incidents but did not feel that we were getting bogged down. Makes you want to explore further sources to get deeper into some parts. Thoroughly enjoyed the read.
April 25, 2021
A streamlined version of the English monarchy over two thousand years in 500 pages. That's pretty impressive and a lot to process but Mr Starkey kept it simple and interesting throughout.
Proportionally more of the book seemed to focus on monarchs before the Tudors (who I'm unsure about/and some just uninterested in) but clearly lives were shorter and there was a lot more change going on in those days! I'm using the book as a tasting menu for different periods/monarchs, so now I can go off and investigate further.
Proportionally more of the book seemed to focus on monarchs before the Tudors (who I'm unsure about/and some just uninterested in) but clearly lives were shorter and there was a lot more change going on in those days! I'm using the book as a tasting menu for different periods/monarchs, so now I can go off and investigate further.
March 20, 2017
I read this book because I'm very familiar with the medieval monarchy, but very hazy on what came after it. This book is a good overview. It necessarily glosses over a lot of detail, but provides a useful general sense of how the British monarchy has evolved over the last 1000+ years.
The author is obviously a fan of the monarchy, and apparently voted for Brexit, so it's worth keeping those two things in mind when reading the last few chapters.
The author is obviously a fan of the monarchy, and apparently voted for Brexit, so it's worth keeping those two things in mind when reading the last few chapters.
August 13, 2018
A fantastic history of monarchy in the UK from its beginnings right up to the present day. Starkey has a very readable writing style with a good command of the English language and good grammar (for some reason, improper use of commas really irritates me). It was fascinating to read about all the different monarchs - I didn't realise we'd had so many Williams, for example - and how our royal family are interlinked with the other European royals. Highly recommended.
August 27, 2019
Delightful and fascinating
This text is word for word the narration David Starkey delivers in the documentary series The Monarchy. That is not a complaint, seeing as Starkey is one of the most eloquent, dependable and insightful experts on British history and the monarchy. His narrative is a joy with or without the visuals -- and I'm happy to have this book. A must read for angliophiles and British history buffs!
This text is word for word the narration David Starkey delivers in the documentary series The Monarchy. That is not a complaint, seeing as Starkey is one of the most eloquent, dependable and insightful experts on British history and the monarchy. His narrative is a joy with or without the visuals -- and I'm happy to have this book. A must read for angliophiles and British history buffs!
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