The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth

by Anna Keay

A brilliant history of Britain from the Civil War to the Glorious Revolution, told through the extraordinarily dramatic life and violent death of the Duke of Monmouth - reformer, romantic, rebel....

From the Duff Cooper Prize-winning author of The Restless Republic , a remarkable biography of one of the most intriguing figures of the Restoration era.


'Brilliant and revelatory
... a superb biography, which paints a vivid picture of the times and of her subject' Daily Telegraph


'Fascinating, compelling, outrageous and ultimately tragic' Simon Sebag Montefiore


'Written with the flair of a novelist and the punctilious skill of a forensic historian
... It is the best royal biography I have read in years' A.N. Wilson

James, Duke of Monmouth, the favoured illegitimate son of Charles II, was born in exile the year his grandfather Charles I was executed and the English monarchy abolished. Abducted from his mother on his father's orders, he emerged from a childhood in the backstreets of Rotterdam to command the ballrooms of Paris, the brothels of Covent Garden and the battlefields of Flanders.

Such was his appeal that when the monarchy itself came under threat, the cry was for Monmouth to succeed Charles II as king. He inspired both delight and disgust, adulation and abhorrence and, in time, love and loyalty. Louis XIV was his mentor, Nell Gwyn his protector, D'Artagnan his lieutenant, William of Orange his confidant, John Dryden his censor and John Locke his comrade.

In The Last Royal Rebel , Anna Keay matches rigorous scholarship with a storyteller's gift to enrapturing effect. She paints a vivid portrait of the warm, courageous and handsome Duke of Monmouth, a man who by his own admission 'lived a very dissolute and irregular life', but who was ultimately prepared to risk everything for honour and justice.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, 17th Century

496 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this via Goodreads FirstReads (Thanks!) in exchange for an honest review.
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This is something I wouldn't picked up on my own, I love history but I don't read as much of it and non-fiction in general as I would like. When I saw this listed for giveaway, it sounded really interesting so I figured why not?:)

They don't teach you the good stuff in history class, or if they did cover the Duke of Monmouth I don't remember (Considering my school, I would say the former).

He certainly lead an interesting life... it was fascinating to 'watch' him over the course of the book, interacting with everyone and seeing the life of the court.
Glad I didn't live back then, I would've gotten myself killed by insulting the King or something haha ;-).

Some of the court politics/attitudes/intrigue had me fascinated yet shaking my head... different time and all that but it still baffles me and had me wanting to shake some sense into them.

Still, I wouldn't mind going back in time to meet Monmouth and pick his brain (along with Lincoln and my ancestors but I digress).

The writing: it was hard to get into in the beginning but it didn't take long for me to be sucked in. Deliberately drew out reading this sometimes so it would last longer:)

Definitely interested in reading more about these people one day, hunt down other biographies/books of some of the other players. Not sure when that will be (blame Mount TBR haha) but it will be fun.

[Orsolya · Rating 2 out of 5]

King Charles (Stuart) II fathered several illegitimate children via his numerous mistresses and amours. Not one to shun parental responsibility (modern-day parents not paying child support should take note); one child, his first, stood out the most in the political and personal arenas: James, the Duke of Monmouth (son of Lucy Walter). Anna Keay looks at the life of this royal offspring in, “The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth”.

Although one would naturally expect “The Last Royal Rebel” to read like a biography and unpeel James on all levels; Keay’s work sadly does not. “The Last Royal Rebel” is immediately heavy on the historical detail bringing to light the Stuart period of the reign of Charles II but this is all it seemingly does. Instead of truly focusing on James, Keay observes the political environment and merely ‘tells’ what events occurred which thereby effected James or he personally partook in. This only gives a tiny insight into his character and therefore James doesn’t come alive at all resulting in a weak manuscript.

Keay’s prose is somewhat academic but also dapples into the world of speculative statements with assumptions made regarding feelings and thoughts without any credible proof. These phrases compound the already meager information provided on James. “The Last Royal Rebel” isn’t terrible; it just doesn’t highlight James as it aims and provides a more macro view of the setting.

There are moments when Monmouth is more of a focus and Keay’s writing is much more compelling throughout these parts. Unfortunately, these are few and far between so they don’t carry “The Last Royal Rebel”. Plus, Keay continues to ‘tell’ versus ‘show’ the history which slows the pace and doesn’t leave an impact.

The progression of “The Last Royal Rebel” doesn’t guarantee to open up James more and still tends to stray on tangents. If all of the information was removed that simply explains James’s environment; “The Last Royal Rebel” would be about quarter of its current length.

Keay’s writing style also flows into a style that is too flowery for NF history and is better suited for a fictional narrative. Such lines as, “…his handsome face was swollen and his cheeks stained with tears” and “… his heart ached with loss and his mood turned black and bitter” are reflective of Keay’s writing but have no place in a supposed scholarly piece and should be firmly kept in the fictional realm.

The ‘climax’ of “The Last Royal Rebel” is certainly Keay’s discussion of Monmouth’s alleged rebellion against his father, the King. Keay’s writing is the first time that this has been questioned and explained versus simply condemning James. This opens a new viewpoint and allows the reader to truly think about and consider the possibilities of events. This is definitely where the strength in “The Last Royal Rebel” lays.

Unfortunately, this highlight is fleeting in the sense that the next topic (uprising against King James II) is choppy and Keay doesn’t thoroughly explain why Monmouth decided to get involved. This leads to a rushed ending that doesn’t fully encompass “The Last Royal Rebel”. However, the ‘Epilogue’ is better-toned and leaves memorable notes.

Keay provides the reader with notes (although not that annotated) and a bibliography with the inclusion of various styles of sources. “The Last Royal Rebel” also includes two sections of color plates.

“The Last Royal Rebel” sadly is not what one expects. Keay attempted a momentous feat by presenting a full biography on James, the Duke of Monmouth. Unfortunately, there is a reason these don’t already exist in a large number (lack of information?). Keay’s writing is more about the surrounding environment than on James and much of the text is speculation written in a narrative form.

“The Last Royal Rebel” doesn’t debunk myths nor does it leave the reader with new information and thus, many questions are unanswered. On the other hand, though, it is a good introductory course to those not as familiar with James or the reign of Charles II. “The Last Royal Rebel” is suggested for these aforementioned readers or those who must read all books on Stuart England. Otherwise, “The Last Royal Rebel” isn’t that crucial to experience.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the few books I’ve read on reign of Charles II, The Duke of Monmouth gets a mention here and there. Not much was memorable other than his birth in the Netherlands and his ill-fated rebellion. The image I had was murky and slightly negative. Anna Keay lifts him out of obscurity and her take has him a principled hero.

James, Charles II’s first “natural son”, had a highly unstable childhood. His mother, the beautiful Lucy Walter, disinherited by her own mother, is in constant search for a man to support her. Charles, mourning his beheaded father and other family losses, was dependent on the hospitality of other royal houses.

As Lucy went from man to man with their son, Charles made several kidnapping attempts, finally with success when James was 9. Lucy Walter died shortly after. There was some tutoring, and then with the Restoration a move to England, an opulent life, a ducal title, a wealthy bride and an environment ideal for a playboy youth. As he matured, Keay shows him a brave soldier and military leader and a very able administrator as Master of the Horse and Chancellor of Cambridge University.

From the photos he appears to resemble his father and Charles seems to favor him over all his natural children none of whom seem to have so many positions and titles. There are many instances that show the intimacy of father and son.

Keay shows his uncle James who once, like his father doted on him, change as his namesake matured into a respected member of the court. Uncle James knows that his Catholic faith (and wife) will not make for a smooth succession and begins to see his titled and achieving nephew as a threat. (It appears that all the Duke needs is legitimacy, and he’s a shoe in.) You see the uncle’s scornful acts in and his nephew as naive about the lengths his uncle will go to secure the crown.

We know today that Charles received payments from the French who certainly favored a Catholic succession. Perhaps this is why his son must be sent away. The reasons are not clear to his son and he is stunned and hurt. Charles loves this son, keeps in touch and keeps paying him his pension. At times it seems he might be working behind the scenes on his son’s behalf. There is some unusual correspondence during his second exile, just before his father’s untimely death. A case can be made that with Nephew James out of the country, Uncle James saw an opportunity and took his shot.

The story of the sad rebellion where James fights the army he once led, shows him to be knowledgeable about warfare, considerate of his men but trapped, betrayed. He died making important statements on behalf of Protestant England, but not so much as to jeopardize his wife and surviving children.

John Locke and his treatises have a cameo, since they form the foundation the limitations on monarchs that follow the abdication of (uncle) James II.

I wonder what would have been in store for the Duke had he just bided his time in the Netherlands with his cousins.

Keay bring James to life. It she clearly presents and documents the complex issues that surround the Duke of Monmouth. If you like history through an engrossing story of the players, this is for you.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always think it the mark of a fine biography when you find your reading slowing down on approaching the final pages rather than speeding up, reluctant to part company and come to the end of the life in question. In which case, this is a very fine biography indeed, because I found myself reading the last few chapters with a real sense of impending doom, knowing the fate Monmouth was heading towards and dreading every moment of it. For a man whom I'd known very little about when starting this book, other than there was a rebellion and he was at the head of it and it didn't end well, I found myself becoming very fond of the Duke of Monmouth.

In Anna Keay's accomplished hands he is a very sympathetic figure - a man kidnapped from his mother at a tender age by his father King Charles II, raised in regal splendour at the heart of the royal family, always aware of his illegitimate status but never disadvantaged by it as a result of the devotion of his father the King, a man who had many illegitimate children sprinkled about but always particularly doted on Monmouth. Coming of age in the dissolute court of Charles II, Monmouth grew out of an early rakish youth to become a man of real stature, maturity and integrity, a brave and daring soldier, an accomplished politician, and a figure of genuine influence in Restoration England.

It was both his own and his father's tragedy that he was illegitimate - Charles' lack of a legitimate heir meant his brother James, Duke of York, was next in line to the throne, and James' decision to convert to Catholicism set in motion the whole tragic chain of events that led to Monmouth's rebellion and execution, and James' eventual deposition by his daughters and nephew William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution. it is a mark of Monmouth's character that Anne, William and Mary all cherished genuine affection for Monmouth, even after his rebellion against James II.

This is author Anna Keay's first biography, and on this evidence I eagerly await whatever she next turns her hand to. It is a truly excellent book, written with sympathy and insight, and despite knowing very little of Restoration or Jacobean history I was never once lost or confused by the complexities of the issues and characters involved. She has taken a man I knew almost nothing about, a man who features very little in histories of the period - indeed, I recently read an entire biography of Charles II that scarcely mentioned Monmouth at all, despite the quite obvious love and devotion Charles felt for him, and the importance he played in Charles' reign - and brought him to vibrant and colourful life. I feel quite the Monmouth partisan now.

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific read, a masterpiece of a biography -- given the title 'The Last Royal Rebel' the author's name is unintentionally a glorious play on words (Anna Keay...anarchy) which zips along at great pace and is a fascinating insight into the politics of the Restoration which I have rarely read about, rather losing interest at the time Charles I lost his head. But this shows me how wrong I was. On a one dimensional basis being a Catholic I always felt James II was hard done by to be unseated by his son-in-law King Billy. This sets me right on that façade....if anything the man who would have provided a seamless transition would have been Monmouth, who rare for a bastard son was honoured and doted upon by his father Charles II. And justifiably so for he had everything James lacked save perhaps a share in courage on the battlefield. Monmouth comes across as loveable, elegant glamorous and charming traits his father had in spades. However, Monmouth's sense of justice, loyalty and naivete are his downfall. I learnt a lot from this book, the origin of the meaning of Tories 'Irish vagabonds'..ironic given their unionist credentials. We even get a dose of Dumas as the ageing old musketeer D'Artagnan fights beside him in his greatest military victory Maastricht. Wonderful insights into the Sun King's court and King Billy's to boot. Monmouth could have been a great king and it is ironic that William copied a lot of his strategy for invading England three years later but much better prepared. There is also the unappetising entrance of Hanging Judge Jeffreys...as bad a man as one could imagine whose hectoring and bullying has only ever been replicated by Hitler's judge Freisler. This is quite simply a joyous reading experience.

[Sophie (RedheadReading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brb i have to go and weep over Monmouth for a while...

[Gareth Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating account of Charles II’s bastard son. The Duke of Monmouth’s wealth, charm, good looks and prominence at his father’s court are profiled, along with his evolving career from playboy (de facto) prince to concerned general to rebel. I’ve just finished “The Last Royal Rebel” and it is a must for anybody interested in the seventeenth century.

[Michael Bully · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Duke of Monmouth is most known for leading the doomed West Country rebellion against James II ascending the throne in February 1685, an illegitimate son of King Charles II, who as the Protestant Duke , became a possible rival to the throne for those who could not accept a Roman Catholic king. Of course it was all to go terribly wrong for Monmouth, defeated at Sedgemoor , near Bridgewater, he was captured and beheaded at Tower Hill.
This biography says little about 1685 . The writer seems on a mission to stress Monmouth's role in the royal court and the turbulent, often sectarian, politics of the day. Born in exile in 1649 to Charles mistress' Lucy Walter then abducted as agents working for Charles in Brussels in 1657, the writer creates a stunning picture of the Duke. Showing how Charles II gave him all the wealth and honours of a son, apart from the right to succeed him. Monmouth is portrayed as a brave soldier when fighting at the siege of Maastricht in 1673, keen to avoid bloodshed and harsh retribution whilst helping to put down a rebellion in Scotland in 1679 . But unable to resist being caught in the political plots and conspiracy of the day, Monmouth became associated with the Whig factions led by the likes of Lord Shaftesbury and more strident Protestantism. This led to two spells in exile ,the second ensured that he was abroad when Charles II died.
Anna Keay describes Monmouth as a 'reluctant rebel' in 1685. Grieving for his father Charles II death and manipulated by cunning Whig politicians to believe that Charles was in fact murdered and that it was duty to take the throne. Monmouth is shown as being able to inspire the ordinary men and women of the West Country in 1685, and shown as caring for his supporters. His pathetic pleading for his life at the end is depicted as that of a man who could not bear the thought that he would never see his mistress again.
To me the whole book reads like a novel. A well written one at that. And an enjoyable read. But at times misses the point. Charles II's skill was that he could ride and survive the political intrigues of the day. Monmouth let himself be used by politicians . For someone who wanted to seize the throne, Monmouth seemed to have a lack of vision as a commander in 1685, listening to rumours about reinforcements that never came rather than taking initiative. Not grasping the fact that the more he dallied, the less appealing he became. There is little explanation why the artisans of the cloth making towns followed Monmouth and the gentry largely didn't, the writer is good at showing why 4-5,000 men followed him, but unable to explain why the majority of people avoided taking his side.
Anna Keay gives us absolutely no hint of what sort of regime Monmouth was going to construct if successful apart from calling regular parliaments. She feels that history hasn't been kind to Monmouth but doesn't offer evidence that he really had any success in 1685. The population outside of the West Country seemed justified in being unconvinced by him.
The strength of the book is that it shows Monmouth played a very crucial part in the politics of Charles IIs reign . The weakness is that the writer is too much on a quest to boost Monmouth's reputation that more awkward issues are not raised.

[Drinkinwookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. this person had an extremely interesting and dramatic life. i loved this shit. the author did a great job of making the politics of the day make sense, which is something i really struggled with reading other books about the period. why was england making aliances and war with england and france like a game of ping pong? i've always wondered about that until i read this. royal arranged marriages were really explained both in purpose and effect- i always struggled to understand that. the author really had a gift for delivering the emotional and dramatic moments as they would effect James.

At times I questioned the character's motivation as portrayed by the writer. It wasn't incredibly clear why James tried to usurp the crown when the author spent so much time insisting he had no ambition towards it throughout his life. His religious beliefs, of critical importance to the narrative, weren't examined.

Lastly

I read this because i loved the diary of samuel pepys. i thought that the excellent biography of samuel pepys would be the sequel i wanted. in a way it was. what happened after the diary? the biography answered that as best it could. but what it failed to capture was the thing the diary obsessed about- the fate of charles' reign,

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb bio of Charles II of England's first illegitimate son. I know a fair amount about this period, and learned a great deal more. Well written, not too pedantic.

James, Duke of Monmouth was conceived when Charles II was an exile from England, during the period of Cromwell. When he was 9, his father kidnapped him from his mother, and raised him. When Charles II went back to England in 1660, James came with him, was married to an heiress, and became an integral part of the lavish Restoration court.

In his late teens and early 20s he was as wild and lavish a rake as anyone in the court, but as he started leading troops in the French/Dutch wars he became a responsible and concerned leader. Still extravagant, but dedicated to the welfare of his troops.

In this book, the story is told about how this man, well beloved both by his father and the English people eventually rebelled against his uncle after his father died. (Hint: religion) . Well told, with compelling detail.

[Stephenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent biography of such an honourable man. I had read about James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth many times before, yet he was always cast in a very one-dimensional, narrow-sighted way. He was always depicted as arrogant and weak. Yet my opinion of him has completely changed due to this book. He had such courage, a profound sense of honour and justice, and a hatred of all cruelty. He changed the course of British history. He is a likeable, relatable character. I finished the book quite bereft that his invasion failed, and wished so much that he had succeeded. I recommend this book to other history lovers and those who want to read more about the Stuart era. I look forward to seeing his portrait again at the NPG in London, and visiting his grave at the Tower of London. I can understand why he was popular hero during his lifetime. He remains charismatic throughout the passage of four centuries.

[Shona_reads_in_Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hugely enjoyable biography. Keay knows how to spin a narrative. I'm left somewhat perplexed that while she tries to rescue dear Monmouth from the gutters of history, she rather throws his poor mother under the bus. It's disappointing to see Keay regurgitating the opinions of the men of the period without unpicking or questioning it, aside from some platitudes about the difficulties Lucy Walter must have faced. We're still holding seventeenth century women to a higher moral standard than their male counterparts it seems.

This aside, she does a rather good job of rehabilitating poor old Monmouth. I mean, he comes across as rather stupid at times, and block headedly idealistic but the gift of hindsight and 300 odd years is a wonderful thing.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book. The politics and court intrigue was interesting, as was the relationship between Charles II, King James and the Duke. It was a highly sympathetic portrait of the Duke of Monmouth and pretty critical of King James. The last 1/3 of the book was not as enjoyable, to me, perhaps because I knew the outcome and there were less merry distractions then.

Overall, interesting and informative!

[Matthew Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. When I was a kid I always wanted the underdog to win, The Indians over the Cowboys, The Rebs over the Yankees. Yet the Monmouth Rebellion saw me thinking- what if this bloke had won? In many ways he was unlucky, because he was as it were the blow that didn't quite bring the house down. But four years later, James was gone and the Protestant succession guaranteed. Had it not we would not have had Elizabeth II, or her dutiful father and grandfather. But then again, had we stuck with Cromwell we would have been spared Prince Andrew. Just sayin'

[Charles M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keay over several books has shown a mastery of the post Civil War period in England . This book, which takes a strong positive view of Charles II ‘s first bastard son, presents him as naive politically but possessed of positive virtues like loyalty and courage , rather than as the cynical lightweight fop that has imbued many previous views . It is thoroughly enjoyable and a serious re-evaluation . His life and activities embrace a pivotal period of English and Western European history .

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting perspective on The Duke of Monmouth and not what you would think and would believe!

[Duncan M Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography and history from the closing phases of the unification of Britain, written with a novelistic flair.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

[2016] An excellent well written biography on James, Duke of Monmouth. The illegitimate son of Charles II and a women of ill-repute. It gives a detailed, well researched and interesting account of his life and his supposed thoughts and actions. It is relatively neutral in style and allows you to draw your own conclusions. There are times where the obvious emotionally abusive experiences are defined, but not explored. For instance, as a child, for some inexplicable reason Charles II has him snatched from his mother - never to see her again. Then he lavished with care and privilege and is given a sense of specialness that leads him eventually to assume that he could be King. All the time you see (to modern eyes) the irrelevance of their convoluted traumas about whether someone is a Catholic or not and you see the tragedy unfolding in slow-motion. Until inevitably Monmouth heads to his doom.

A well written book, a joy to read, which gives you the facts, including some, but not too much, context and allows you to draw your own conclusions. If you want to understand the last convolutions of the preoccupation of religion in politics, the glorious revolution and the life and times of an important figure in British History than this is the book for you.

[Graham Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, lucid portrait of the subject and his times.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely readable (despite its encyclopaedic detail) and engaging chronological account of the life of Monmouth which explicitly aims to resurrect his reputation and legacy.

A clear focus for Keay is the relationship between Monmouth and his father King Charles - one that she says was stronger on both sides to the abduction of Monmouth from his dissolute mother and her subsequent early death. This meant that Charles felt a particular attachment to and responsibility for Monmouth over his other bastards and that Monmouth relied almost entirely on his father's approval. The first lead to Charles looking for ways to downplay Monmouth's bastardy - simply to ensure his financial security (for example to ensure no dispute over his right to the fortune of his wife an unusual female inheritance) at least until such attempts threatened to upset the natural succession to James Duke of York. The second meant that when some of this favour was withdrawn at that time Monmouth reacted with hurt and bewilderment thus tormenting his eventual rebellion.

Keay while admitting that Monmouth was a fairly uneducated wastrel as a youth looks for formative experiences in his life: his first battle alongside Louis at Maastricht which created his military prowess and ability to organise soldiers and lead to a string of further successful appointments which boosted both his reputation and fortune and abilities; a political involvement in Scotland where he actively campaigned for justice and opposition and thus gained a new political awareness; his battles alongside William in Flanders which created a life long bond between them cemented by Mary. She also traces his relationship with James - initially very strong but eventually turning to jealousy on James part which lead to actions such as attempts to ensure Monmouth's bastardy was in official papers and titles which Monmouth in turn saw as betrayal. This as well as his growing realisation that the people would not accept a Catholic marriage caused his alignment with the new Whig opposition and unwitting involvement in a series of political manoeuvrings against the newly formed Tories, related more or less imaginary assassination plots and series of banishments and exiles of both Monmouth and James. Keay clearly believes that he never sought the throne and largely supported the case for William and Mary to govern.

Keay claims Charles and Monmouth were close to a reconciliation when Charles died unexpectedly and that Monmouth's devastation at the news, his suspicion that James could have been involved made him susceptible to reluctantly lead a rebellion which due to the failure of his partners was hugely undermanned and guaranteed to fail. His famous recantation and unsuccessful please for his life before his execution she ascribes simply to him wanting to protect his mistress and now true love. She ends by arguing that it was Monmouth's reputation and charisma that succeeded in turning the Whiggish notion that the people were sovereign and could intervene in the royal succession into a national cause.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very readable biography even-handedly presents the positive and negative qualities of the eldest (and illegitimate) son of Charles II. James, Duke of Monmouth, potentially had it all almost: intelligence, charm, good looks, and a loving, even doting, father. Despite his illegitimacy, he was welcomed by the other members of the royal family and the French king, his mentor, William of Orange, his confidante, and many of nobles of various countries. James had a high standard of loyalty and honor, once he matured during his first military command and indeed became that rare thing of the time, a commander that understood the need to keep his men fed, clothed, availed of medical care, and trained. While the book does also focus on Charles II, Keay maintains her main attention on this young man, tracing his development from quasi-orphan to rake to talented general to moral politician. Alas, that morality and his sense of honor blinded him to the deceptions of his "friends" and led him into a chancy revolt against King James. Even at his execution, however, Monmouth's prime concern was his family, his "wife/mistress", and followers, for whom he conducted himself in such a way as to better position themselves against James' reprisals.

[Lezley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I always had a pretty negative view of the Duke of Monmouth and this book does for him what Kendall's book did for Richard III. I new Monmouth was going to be executed but I really couldn't bear to read those final chapters. I did get through them and felt very sad. If only he had e-mail, he would have had a much better grasp of the reality of his situation. Keay is a wonderful writer. I enjoy Alison Weir's writing because she very often relates to modern day places or where artifacts mentioned in her writings can be seen today. Keay also does this which really pleases me. I am eagerly looking forward to reading more books by Anna Keay.

[Liviu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Duke of Monmouth appears as a secondary fictional personage in two of my all time favorite novels (Captain Blood and The Baroque trilogy) either as a misguided or vain, overconfident pretender so when seeing this book recently on the shelves I took a look and become absorbed as it presents not only a biography of the duke, but an overview of Charles II's England (with a bit before and after); however after a very entertaining beginning the book bogs down a little and while I finished it fairly soon and it was an worthwhile read for sure, I felt that it didn't really come close to the best popular history books around in terms of narrative power and engaging the reader, while as mentioned above the subject was only partially interesting to me to make up for that

overall good but not that good as writing goes, and then it really depends on how much one is interested in the subject matter (somewhat only in my case)

[J.G. Harlond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid and beguiling biography of a complex victim of history and circumstance. Anne Keay presents the reader with all the contradictions of the young man's birth - 'natural son' of Charles II and his subsequent search for a place in the royal court. He was a spendthrift, a gambler, a brave soldier and an astute politician. But Monmouth was also too eager to please, too kind, and too honourable a man to survive the intrigues of the Stuart Restoration period.

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book - I'm just not super interested in the history of English monarchs in the 16th and 17th centuries. That being said, it was much better than I thought it would be. I received this book through a goodreads giveaway.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for years on a book on this gentleman and I can say 100% it delivered and it was fairly accurate in history. This should go into every restoration collection of an English historian