An 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. 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 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.

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Hardcover : 488 pages
ISBN-10 : 0007307705
ISBN-13 : 978-0007307708
Product Dimensions : 15.9 x 3.6 x 24 cm
Publisher : HarperPress (30 Sept. 2010)
Language: : English

Best-sellers rank 498,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
459 in British Royalty Biographies
1,941 in Royal Historical Biographies
2,235 in History of England

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225 ratings

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‘Eminently readable…Starkey is particularly good at explaining the shifting tone of monarchical power…“Crown and Country” is a masterpiece of accessible history, underscored with profound scholarship…the author’s passion for his subject, the royal tale of England, which is the backbone of this nation’s story explodes from every page. I defy anybody not to enjoy this book.’ Guardian

‘Entertaining…Starkey writes with the snappy zest of an unrepentant telly-don…he has a lovely eye for a good story…he also has a nice line in snarky humour…Starkey’s great skill is to weave big themes quietly into a rollicking narrative so that you absorb them almost without noticing they are there.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Excellent…the really crucial events in the history of the British Monarchy…are assessed with authority, wisdom and wit…This is Starkey at his fluent and entertaining best.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘This book…is vivid, lucid and engaging…his judgements delivered with quasi-Pontifical assurance are often acute…a very enjoyable book.’ Daily Telegraph

‘David Starkey tours England's monarchical horizon with gusto.’ Sunday Times

‘Starkey brings the past to vivid life.’ Daily Express

‘Combines compelling narrative and lucid analysis to guide us with a sure hand…Starkey’s book will undoubtedly make him and his publishers a tidy profit.’ Spectator

About the Author

David Starkey is Honorary Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the author of many books including ‘Elizabeth’, ‘Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII’ and ‘Henry: Virtuous Prince’. He is a winner of the W.H. Smith Prize and the Norton Medlicott Medal for Services to History presented by Britain’s Historical Association. He is a well-known TV and radio personality. He was made a CBE in 2007. He lives in London and Kent.

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Gargantua Pantaloon

KIngs Queens and their bickering parasites

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2020

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Taking on this 500 page doorstop is not to be approached lightly. I came to it wanting to refresh my wasted education of fifty years ago and to unravel my mental mish mash of Henrys, Edwards, James and Georges (royalty has been remarkably unimaginative in naming its' offspring). It surprised me just how much I remembered. It was all there in the background from Boudicca to Elizabeth the second. This book was ideal as a comprehensive one stop reminder putting just enough historical flesh on the bones and including just enough of the characters rough edges to hold my attention and pad out the skeletons of my history lessons. Anything deeper would have needed unlimited extra volumes.
I don't think you would take away enough detail from this book to be more than 'well informed' but what more do you need anyway. If you are a hard core historian you wouldn't be reading this in the first place. It's not a text book for exam preparation after all but with that in mind it's a hugely useful piece of work.
Apart from getting the royal chronology sorted out you are left however with the feeling that humanity has been cursed with the fallout through the ages of bloodthirsty psychopaths and their gangs of self seeking parasites. You have to wonder if there couldn't be a different way and if we still need our reverent obsession with aristocratic dinosaurs and their hangers on. David Starkey does neatly finish off with his own view of the scope for a more relevant recast role for a monarchy and you get the impression that he was similarly exhausted by all the catastrophic territorial bickering and mad religious intolerance down the centuries.
Be warned by the way that reading history is as addictive as researching Greek mythology-one thing leads to another, and another, there's always more to learn and deeper recesses for an inquiring mind to explore. It's a curse!

6 people found this helpful

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Irene Laker

An informative and well written book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2019

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I have read extensively about various periods of the monarchy, but my aged brain struggles to remember who followed whom. This book has gone a long way in resolving the issue, while also being an informative, easy read.

7 people found this helpful

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John Bennett

Detailed, incisive, stimulating...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2017

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...and at times witty. So, I enjoyed what Starkey had to say.

But as well as a general read I was looking for the complex relationships between Monarchy and Church: to misquote the popular song "...horse and carriage... you can't have one without the other..." I found the often difficult symbiotic relationships very well described by Starkey.

So this is a very good read - with plenty to stimulate the little grey cells.

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A royal gallop.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2019

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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.

4 people found this helpful

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mcdowella

Interesting and entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2020

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I bought this on a whim when Starkey got himself cancelled yet again, to see what line he was pushing in print. There is a line that runs through this, but it seems sane enough - he describes a tradition of bargains (sometimes even written down) between monarch and country, both before and after the Magna Carta. Based on this, a Monarch works best when they are stronger than any single challenger, but not stronger than all challengers combined.

I suspect that a really knowledgeable reader would be more interested in why Starkey has selected what he has from the vast storehouse of English history than in any particular new nugget that he presents, but I found it interesting and readable.

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Alan Robert Alexander

Never judge a book by it's cover..

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2017

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For some reason , the cover of this book did not appeal to me. But the words very definitely do. It is beautifully written in a style which gripped me from start to finish. And it is true. ( I have given up on fiction at the moment , because after reading all the works of Charles Dickens , nothing compares.) Crown&Country has made me fall in love with reading again.

5 people found this helpful

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M. James

The history is fascinating, Starkey's book is fine

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2015

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There's plenty of material to make a fascinating narrative in English history, and this book mainly tells it well. There are a few areas that Starkey has glossed over, notably Henry VIII's later wives, and a few areas where his own opinion intrudes. I enjoyed this, but would have to say that I preferred Simon Jenkins' Short History of England (which is, in truth, no shorter, no more Anglo-centric nor less informative about the Monarchy than Crown & Country).

8 people found this helpful

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My opinion regarding this book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2017

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This book suits what I wanted re the monarchy. It is written in the style which the author speaks on his tv programmes. As I read it I can almost picture him saying the words. I have not completed reading it yet and indeed I am only half way through the book so have arrived at about 1300AD. I would highly recommend the book for giving much more information than any tv series can give.

2 people found this helpful

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anne

A great read. It's a treasure trove for serious students ...

Reviewed in Canada on 4 February 2016

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A great read.It's a treasure trove for serious students of English history and government. I bought this first on my Kindle; I enjoyed it but found myself frequently wanting to refer back to previous discussions, not possible on a Kindle. Also, although I rarely underline or make margin notes, this was the kind of book where you want to do so; I ended up buying a hard copy. David Starkey writes, for me anyway, with the perfect balance of copious information and wry historical & personal wit. He writes in the same style that he uses in his documentaries--entertaining, educational and very satisfying.

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Paolo Antognoli

Ottimo

Reviewed in Italy on 24 May 2017

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Se state cercando un buon libro di storia inglese che tratti specificamente dei monarchi, questo è quello che dovete acquistare. Si legge bene.

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John Eldridge

A WELL RESEARCH TOME

Reviewed in Australia on 17 August 2020

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Very well written - good price, although I would have paid a little more for a larger print copy

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Stu

then this is a great book for you

Reviewed in Canada on 29 January 2017

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If you are into the reign of the kings and queens, then this is a great book for you. I really learned a lot from it.

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Christine

Good book

Reviewed in Germany on 2 December 2013

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A lot of interesting facts about the history of Great Britain written in an easy manner, good to read. I recommend it.

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Welderswife

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on 31 January 2017

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David Starkey wrote this book, what more do I need to say! Amazing

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Carola

War ein Geschenk

Reviewed in Germany on 23 July 2014

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Das Buch war ein Geschenk und ich kann über den Inhalt leider nichts sagen.Wurde vom Empfänger sehr gelobt.-daher 5 Sterne.

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lina tutt

Great

Reviewed in Canada on 12 June 2016

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Great

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johnkenrick

Delightful and fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on 27 August 2019

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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!

5 people found this helpful

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T. S.

Excellent Presentation of Facts & Chronology of English Monarchy

Reviewed in the United States on 3 September 2019

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The author masterfully combines his prior three separate historical works covering the English monarchy in three progressing eras into this very readable tome. If you like historical facts and consistent drawing from contemporaneous writers, this book may please you as much as it has pleased me.

2 people found this helpful

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Felix

Thorough but wordy.

Reviewed in the United States on 26 January 2018

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Reads like a history textbook. Would have been very beneficial if it had a family tree to better track the evolution of the "Royal Family". Also graphics that would depict the extent of the British Empire perhaps by century. Very thorough, perhaps too thorough.

3 people found this helpful

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B.R.

If you think History is boring, read this book and you may just change your mind!

Reviewed in the United States on 4 February 2018

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I am not finished reading this book, but I have totally enjoyed the first 1/3 of it. History is usually a boring subject to me, but this book is making me think there are writing forms that make it interesting. David Starkey has found the key to the door.

3 people found this helpful

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J. Ferguson

A Well-Written Summary of the Monarchy

Reviewed in the United States on 16 August 2013

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As an American, I remember learning about the kings and queens of England with a somewhat detached attitude. Living now in a Commonwealth country, the history of the monarchy seemed more important for me. Mr. Starkey's book was a great introduction for me to the world of the British monarchy.

If you are looking for a book of British History, this is not your book. The book covers major issues such as WWII in just a few paragraphs. But this is not a book claiming to be about British History, but rather the history of the monarchy. The book spends its time discussing the coronations, family disputes, building projects, and battles fought by the kings and queens. There were even some surprises for my American educated sense of history.

7 people found this helpful

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Michael McLaughlin

Scholarly Work!

Reviewed in the United States on 29 November 2013

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Dr. Starkey is undoubtedly one of the most noted and accomplished historians on the British monarchy of this generation and, arguably, of the past couple. His scholarship is evident in the detail of his writing and the wealth of sources from which he draws. I enjoyed reading the book concurrent with his documentary on the Monarchy and, at times, could hear Dr. Starkey's voice in my head as I read his witty turns of phrase. When I taught my semester-long high school course on the British monarchy, I required the students to purchase this tome as the central text of our course, but the students found the book to be a bit long - much instead preferring to watch or listen to Starkey and to instead read Lacey's compilation of stories from British history. For someone who has a scholarly interest in the Crown, Starkey's book is a great read.

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Jennifer Anne McCracken

A worthwhile, well written account.

Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2016

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David Starkey is always worth reading, this book gives a convincing history of the formation & development of the monarchy in Great Britain. A very useful, entertaining, clear history. For a general reader or even a moderately knowledgeable one this is a book to enjoy & refer to.

5 people found this helpful

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Crown and Country: A History of England through the Monarchy Hardcover – 30 Sept. 2010

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