But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts. The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. In this book, bestselling author of the time traveler’s guide to medieval england and The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England, goes beyond the legend portrayed in Shakespeare’s history play, noted historian Ian Mortimer, and explores the political and social forces that transformed Henry IV from his nation’s savior to its scourge.

The real life story of the plantagenet ruler, by “the most remarkable medieval historian of our time” The Times, London. Even so, henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law—in highly turbulent times. Having broken god’s law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign.

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Henry V: The Warrior King of 1415

A great english hero, henry v was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. This biography by the bestselling author of the time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England takes an insightful look at the life of Henry V, casting new light on a period in history often held up as legend.

Here, noted historian and biographer ian mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human—and digs up fascinating details about Henry V’s reign that have been lost to history, historically accurate, including the brutal strategies he adopted at the Battle of Agincourt.

The most illuminating exploration of the reality of 15th-century life that I have ever read. The independent “Compelling, exuberant . . . Vivid. Simon sebag montefiore, new york times–bestselling author of The Romanovs: 1613–1918 . From an award-winning historian: “A new and convincing likeness of medieval England’s most iconic king” The Sunday Times.

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Edward III: The Perfect King

The most remarkable medieval historian of our time. The times London. The perfect king was often the instigator of his own drama, but he also overthrew tyrannous guardians as a teenager and ushered in a period of chivalric ideals. Mortimer traces how edward’s reforms made feudal England a thriving, sophisticated country and one of Europe’s major military powers.

Holding power for over fifty years starting in 1327, Edward III was one of England’s most influential kings—and one who shaped the course of English history. A brutal man, to be sure, but a brilliant one. Revered as one of the country’s most illustrious leaders for centuries, he was also a usurper and a warmonger who ordered his uncle beheaded.

A look at the brutal, brilliant fourteenth-century ruler, by the bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England. Ideal for anyone fascinated by medieval history, artistic traditions, language, this lively book provides new insight into Edward III’s lasting influence on the justice system, and architecture of the country.

Noted historian ian mortimer offers the first comprehensive look at the life of Edward III.

The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, Ruler of England: 1327--1330

This first biography, reveals not only mortimer's career as a feudal lord, a governor of Ireland, a rebel leader, and a dictator of England, The Greatest Traitor by Ian Mortimer, but also the truth of what happened that night in Berkeley Castle. He removed edward II in the first deposition of a monarch in British history.

A year later, as lovers, they returned with an invading army: King Edward II's forces crumbled before them and Mortimer took power. But until now no one has appreciated the full evil genius of the man. There he was joined by Isabella, the Queen of England, who threw herself into his arms. Then the ex-king was apparently murdered, some said with a red-hot poker, in Berkeley Castle.

Brutal, imaginative, profligate, and violent, passionate, intelligent, Sir Roger Mortimer was an extraordinary character. It is not surprising that the Queen lost her heart to him. With the king's men-at-arms in pursuit he fled to the south coast and sailed to France. One night in august 1323, a captive rebel baron, Sir Roger Mortimer, drugged his guards and escaped from the Tower of London.

Nor is it surprising that his contemporaries were terrified of him.

Richard II: A True King's Fall

In this book, kathryn warner returns with the first modern biography of Richard II in decades, to paint a portrait of the king with all of his strengths and imperfections left in the picture. An aesthete and patron of the arts as well as a person troubled by a much-maligned ‘personality disorder’, Richard II here emerges from behind the mask of a theatrical character.

History regards his rule either as that of a superhuman monarch or a crazed and vicious ruler. But richard ii was a complex and conflicted man – a person with faults and shortcomings thrust into a role that demanded greatness. Richard ii is a figure famous in england's national myths – the king who went insane, the narcissist, the tyrant of Shakespeare's play.

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The Voyage Out

Aboard her father’s cargo ship, her aunt and uncle, young Rachel Vinrace meets Helen and Ridley Ambrose, who invite her to join them at a South American resort for the winter. Forster. As poignant as anything in modern fiction”: An English girl comes of age on a journey to South America in this debut novel by the author of Mrs.

With an appearance by clarissa dalloway—and a fateful encounter between her husband and Rachel—Virginia Woolf’s debut novel anticipates the groundbreaking brilliance of her later works while displaying all their wit, insight, and heartbreaking sensitivity. Woolf has the diversity of power which makes the great writer of narrative.

New republic this ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices. Dalloway E. M. For all its tragic interest, the voyage Out is not low-keyed; it even has a slight buoyancy of tone, as if clear perception itself brought a continual zest to its writer. Shy and introspective, rachel tentatively agrees, and soon finds herself on a voyage of liberation and self-discovery as she experiences the excitement and calamity of young love.

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Edward II: The Unconventional King

His life reads like an elizabethan tragedy, hatred, full of passionate doomed love, bloody revenge, jealousy, vindictiveness and obsession. He led a great army to the most ignominious military defeat in English history. Popular legend has it that he died screaming impaled on a red-hot poker, but in fact the time and place of his death are shrouded in mystery.

He allowed his male lovers to rule the kingdom. Using almost exclusively fourteenth-century sources and Edward s own letters and speeches wherever possible, Kathryn Warner strips away the myths which have been created about him over the centuries, and provides a far more accurate and vivid picture of him than has previously been seen.

He is one of the most reviled English kings in history. He drove his kingdom to the brink of civil war a dozen times in less than twenty years. The focus here is on his relationships with his male 'favourites' and his disaffected wife, on his unorthodox lifestyle and hobbies, and on the mystery surrounding his death.

He was edward II, and this book tells his story. His wife took a lover and invaded his kingdom, and he ended his reign wandering around Wales with a handful of followers, pursued by an army. He was the first king of England forced to abdicate his throne.

Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe

With remarkable erudition, john julius norwich offers “an important history, masterfully written, ” indelibly depicting four dynamic characters and how their incredible achievements—and obsessions with one another—changed Europe forever The Washington Times. Bad behavior makes for entertaining history” in this bold history of Europe, the Middle East, and the men who ruled them in the early sixteenth century Kirkus Reviews.

Henry viii, who was not expected to inherit the throne but embraced the role with gusto, broke with the Roman Catholic Church and appointed himself head of the Church of England. Francis i of france was the personification of the Renaissance, and a highly influential patron of the arts and education. John julius norwich—“the very model of a popular historian”—is acclaimed for his distinctive ability to weave together a fascinating narrative through vivid detail, colorful anecdotes, and captivating characters.

And suleiman the magnificent—who stood apart as a Muslim—brought the Ottoman Empire to its apogee of political, military, and economic power. Here, francis i, he explores four leaders—henry VIII, Charles V, and Suleiman—who led their countries during the Renaissance The Wall Street Journal. These men collectively shaped the culture, religion, and politics of their respective domains.

. Charles v was the most powerful man of the time, and unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor.

Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses

Indisputably the most effective general of the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV died in his bed, undefeated in battle. But, as david santiuste shows in this perceptive and highly readable new study, Edward was a formidable military leader whose strengths and subtlety have not been fully recognized. Yet edward has not achieved the martial reputation of other warrior kings such as Henry V - perhaps because he fought battles against his own people in a civil war.

Based on contemporary sources and the latest scholarly research, Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses brings to life an extraordinary period of English history. It has also been suggested that he lacked the personal discipline expected of a truly great commander. This reassessment of edward's military role, and of the Wars of the Roses in which he played such a vital part, gives a fascinating insight into Edward the man as well as the politics and the fighting.

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Kings of Georgian Britain

For over one hundred years of turmoil, and scandal, upheaval, Great Britain was a Georgian land. Kings of georgian britain offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns. A chronological series of amusing anecdotes. Curzon is often whimsical, has a good sense of pace and you can imagine her stifling a smirk while writing this unusual biography.

History of Royals. This royal historian’s “lively study of the four Georges who sat on the English throne for over a century is a joy” Jane Austen’s Regency World. From the day the german-speaking george i stepped off the boat from Hanover to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.

After all, being a king isn’t always about grand parties and jaw-dropping jewels, and sometimes following in a father’s footsteps can be the hardest job around. Take a step back in time and meet the wives, friends, and foes of these remarkable kings who shaped the nation, mistresses, and find out what really went on behind closed palace doors.

Whether dodging assassins, marrying for money, or sparking domestic disputes that echoed down the generations, digging up their ancestors, the kings of Georgian Britain were never short on drama. From love affairs to family feuds, political wrangling, and beyond, it is a chance to peer behind the pomp and follow these iconic figures from cradle to grave.

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The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson: The Story of the Barbary Corsair Raid on Iceland in 1627

The travels is the first-ever English translation of the Icelandic text. Among those taken was Lutheran minister Olafur Egilsson. Reverend olafur—born in the same year as william shakespeare and Galileo Galilei—wrote The Travels to chronicle his experiences both as a captive and as a traveler across Europe as he journeyed alone from Algiers to Copenhagen in an attempt to raise funds to ransom the Icelandic captives that remained behind.

To give a clearer sense of the extraordinary events connected with that raid, this edition of The Travels includes not only Reverend Olafur’s first-person narrative but also a collection of contemporary letters describing both the events of the raid itself and the conditions under which the enslaved Icelanders lived.

A seventeenth-century minister tells his story of abduction by pirates, and a solo journey from Algiers to Copenhagen, in this remarkable historical text. It is also a moving story on the human level: We witness a man enduring great personal tragedy and struggling to reconcile such calamity with his understanding of God.

Until now, the corsair raid on Iceland has remained largely unknown in the English-speaking world. In summer 1627, barbary corsairs raided Iceland, killing dozens and abducting almost four hundred people to sell into slavery in Algiers. He was a keen observer, economic, political, and the narrative is filled with a wealth of detail―social, religious―about both the Maghreb and Europe.

Also included are appendices containing background information on the cities of Algiers and Salé in the seventeenth century, on Iceland in the seventeenth century, on the manuscripts accessed for the translation, and on the book’s early modern European context.