Monarchy

From the Middle Ages to Modernity

By: David Starkey

Narrated by: David Starkey

The crown of England is the oldest surviving political institution in Europe. Throughout this audiobook Dr David Starkey emphasises the Crown's endless capacity to adapt to circumstances and reshape national policy, whilst he unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, which lie behind the kings and queens of British history. Each of these monarchs has contributed to the religion, geography, laws, language, and government which we live with today. Monarchy demonstrates exactly how these states were arrived at, how these monarchs subtly influenced each other, which battles were won and why, whose whim or failure caused religious tradition to wither or flourish, and which monarchs, through their acumen, strength and single minded determination, came to enforce the laws of England.©2006 David Starkey (P)2007 W F Howes Ltd.

An interesting book!

An interesting book that travels through Monarchical history from the Wars of the Roses to Victoria. Enlightening and offers a new look on the Monarchy

Mr. Starkey once again delivers an epic!

I have grown up watching Mr. Starkey’s documentaries and reading his books on English monarchy. This story is another well written and pragmatic depiction of the English monarchy through the death throes of the Plantagenet dynasty to the current incumbent. Heart felt yet real, Mr. Starkey manages to humanize the key figures without a loss to their majesty as King/Queen. Even better that it’s narrated by the man himself. Highly recommend!!

Awesome

If you could sum up Monarchy in three words, what would they be?

You'll be hooked

Which scene was your favorite?

This is a lot of history and it would be easy to forget who is who. Starkey keeps the players sharp in the memory. I think the book is amazing.

Any additional comments?

Definitely makes me want to learn more about English History.

A fantastic overview of the British monarchy

Where does Monarchy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
A wonderful history of the British monarchy, very comprehensive and detailed. A lot of surprising information on lesser known kings and the stories that go with them

What did you like best about this story?
David Starkey narrating is own book! Having watched the video series, which I enjoyed immensely. I was delighted to find David reading the book. It adds great touch and really ties it all together with his video series.

What does David Starkey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His Oxford accent and his way with words bring a regal touch to the listening experience.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I really learned a lot! I do plan on listening to it again, since there is so much to take in.

Any additional comments?
Would love to hear David narrate more of his books! Thank you for the experience.

Seminal history of the British monarchy

Not so much a history of the lives of individual monarchs, as a history of the institution of monarchy itself. Covering the period from Henry VII to Victoria, this book shows how the British monarchy has been instrumental in shaping the modern world.

Some of the individual kings and queens receive rather brief biographical sketches, but this is more a story of their most notable successes - and spectacular failures - than of the minutiae of their daily lives. An interesting theme is the way in which even the spectacular failures (eg. much of James II's reign) are extremely important - because they provided the impetus for many of the social and political changes which led to our modern forms of democracy.

I always enjoy hearing the author read his or her own work, and Starkey's characteristic narration is definitely no exception - he has an obvious passion for his field of study, and the way his tone rises with excitement and descends into an almost reverent hush is very well-suited to the weighty topics he discusses.

This book was one of my first and still one of my very favourite Audible audiobooks, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history.