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The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England, Revised and Updated

Antonia Fraser (Editor)

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 1,788 ratings · 104 reviews

This essential reference is a concise, accessible guide to the great dynasties of English royalty. A collection of biographical sketches that encompasses the period from the establishment of monarchical power by the early Norman kings through the reign of Elizabeth II, The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England tells the stories of many monarchs and their colorful lives— ...more

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published November 25th 1998 by University of California Press (first published January 1st 1975)

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Jan 30, 2012 Trevor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Amusingly, and hardly surprisingly, this became much more conservative as it got closer to the current day. One author even goes so far as to look back longingly at the golden age of the past when people didn’t get divorced and newspapers didn’t print stories about the love lives of the royals. I guess this book knows its audience – I mean, you are probably most likely to read a book by this title if you think the monarchy is a good thing and are a conservative old fool in a nursing home (or a c Amusingly, and hardly surprisingly, this became much more conservative as it got closer to the current day. One author even goes so far as to look back longingly at the golden age of the past when people didn’t get divorced and newspapers didn’t print stories about the love lives of the royals. I guess this book knows its audience – I mean, you are probably most likely to read a book by this title if you think the monarchy is a good thing and are a conservative old fool in a nursing home (or a conservative old fool in waiting to go to a nursing home), whereas I was mostly reading it for amusing anecdotes. All the same, for every ten people cheering and waving flags there is always one like myself sniggering behind their hand and this I take as my role in writing this review.

I thought the person who wrote on the House of Windsor at the end got somewhat carried away. Not just with the nonsense that the current Queen has set up the royal family to make its way into the third millennium (can anyone really imagine England still being ruled by a King in a thousand years – what a particularly depressing thought that is), but also for the stuff about the Queen never having made a faux pas (a rather interesting observation to make about a woman who married Prince Phillip, I’d have thought). However, William or no William and whatever his thin wife is called, it is hard to see the Windsors plodding on for another thousand years. They are a particularly dim and dull-witted lot – and rather too proud in their low-brow tastes. But then again, just how could you convince someone that it would be a good idea to spend a life doing whatever it is that Charles has been doing, without them being dumb as dog's shit?

I wanted to read this to see what might be said about those Shakespearian characters from Richard II through to Richard III. I was surprised that Shakespeare seems to have kept quite well to the overall story.

I was also surprised at how many of these monarchs had their last words recorded. Often these were almost meaningless in terms of their lives, one (can’t remember which now – probably one of the Georges) died talking about the Church – not really one of his key interests while he was alive. It is even recorded that George II died on the toilet, a victim to constipation – well and the stodgy English diet, I assume - or presume.

I have read some of the longer versions of these, particularly for James I and Charles I. The longer versions are much more interesting and, obviously enough, contain much more detail. I've always found the homosexual antics of James I particularly amusing, especially given he gave his name to the ever popular version of the Bible – or is it just me who sees this as being somewhat amusingly ironic?

But this is a rogues’ gallery of people who other then through winning the lottery of birth would never have been remembered for anything of consequence. They have been, despite all advantage, remarkably consistent in their bovine intelligence.

All the same, hard to imagine a tabloid being able to eke out an existence without the constant stream of stories this particularly dysfunctional family provides.
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Sep 16, 2010 Nadine rated it liked it

Shelves: british-history

I'm still trying to find a very good reference guide for British monarchs - this isn't it. Though on line reviews of the book are usually favorable one person said this just doesn't work for someone who reads a lot on the subject and they we're right. They did avoid a lot of controversy and tried to see both good and bad in some reigns which I think is just too unbiased. Some reigns were utter failures. I don't know who wrote the section on the Tudors, but it was pretty bad. Especially the secti ...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Abrahamus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history-culture, biography

This was a really informative and enjoyable read. Story being the essence of history (of good history, at any rate), this collection of biographical essays chronicling the lives of each of England's rulers (post 1066 - pre Norman monarchs are not dealt with here) makes for a very engaging and illuminating tour of English history as a whole. I got this volume at a used library sale a number of years ago and have frequently skimmed various parts. But after watching The King’s Speech and being also This was a really informative and enjoyable read. Story being the essence of history (of good history, at any rate), this collection of biographical essays chronicling the lives of each of England's rulers (post 1066 - pre Norman monarchs are not dealt with here) makes for a very engaging and illuminating tour of English history as a whole. I got this volume at a used library sale a number of years ago and have frequently skimmed various parts. But after watching The King’s Speech and being also in the midst of working my way through Shakespeare's historical plays (to which this makes an excellent companion), I decided to dive in and read it cover to cover.

The big names are of course especially fascinating subjects, of whom there are too many among such a lineage to even begin commenting upon. But as with any drama, the minor players often manage to steal the show: Robert Curthose, The Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Edward the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, and Warwick “The Kingmaker,” to name a few standouts.

Being essentially the chronicle of a family over the course of a thousand years, the dramatical effect is heightened and thought-provoking lessons and examples (a few positive, but many negative) abound. Poor husband-wife and parent-child relations sure do explain a lot that goes on in history. Among the many sad examples in this lineage, those that are chronicled regarding the Hanoverians are perhaps most horrific. A thoughtful parent also shouldn’t fail to note, how often strong (to the point of overbearing) fathers produce weak, and at times even effeminate sons (William II from William I, Edward II from Edward I, Edward VIII and George VI from George V), some of whom manage to rise above their oppressive legacy (George VI, most famously), while others of course do not. Conversely, the unexpected arising of strong, capable, and even morally upright offspring from less than promising parentage testifies to the often surprising goodness of God’s providence, and should provide encouragement to historical pessimists (Edward III from Edward II, Edward VI and Elizabeth I from Henry VIII, George V from Edward VII). In other words, we can take heart, as well as be warned, that DNA is not conclusive in determining one’s destiny. If one takes the long view, and learns to think generationally, he should expect the Lord to orchestrate surprising changes of fortune, both for weal and for woe.

The other thing that I was especially struck by in the course of this reading was the realization of how deeply embedded within the English tradition is respect for the rule of law, which has obvious bearing upon a solid understanding of American history as an extension of English history. English monarchs who have flouted such regard and arrogantly sought to place themselves above the law as having absolute authority have never been tolerated, as per the examples of King John (of Magna Carta fame), Richard II, the middle Stuarts, and (from the American point of view, at least) George III (though in that last case more blame probably rests upon his advisers and upon Parliament than upon the King personally, who was essentially a good man, though a rather unstable one).

I also picked up this volume recently, which is a great supplement to the subject. The biographical information on each monarch is much less detailed than in the book reviewed here, but it does include some additional tidbits that these authors overlooked, and overall it is more extensive in its presentation: pre-Norman history all the way back to ancient times, the Scottish royal house, notable castles, palaces and residences, etc. ...more

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Dec 10, 2020 Denise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2020

Condensing the lives of more than nine centuries' worth of monarchs into one single volume of under 400 pages is no small task. What this collection of concise portraits of every single English king and queen regnant from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II by various authors lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth. The authors try to convey a balanced account of both the most celebrated and the most maligned among their subjects and generally succeed in this venture. An informative, short ...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Ob-jonny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's very entertaining to learn about the highlights of the lives of every king and queen in England as written by a modern writer with a modern sense of humor. It also makes me feel really smart to be able to talk about the accomplishments made by random kings and queens like Edward III (Reign: 1327-1377) or Queen Anne (Reign: 1702-1714). There were gradual advances toward the establishment and reliance on parliament and a prime minister. It's also amazing how many gay kings there were. Within ...more

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Aug 21, 2007 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anglophiles

Shelves: bio-and-memoir, audiobook, history

Profiles of the personalities of each monarch from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. Historical details themselves, such as the American Revolution, are mentioned briefly in context of the overall reign (Cromwell is omitted entirely, for those wondering). I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned; never did I find the material dry or boring - definitely recommended!

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Oct 25, 2020 Bailee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really good primer of British royal history and arcs across the different Houses (Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, Windsor, etc.). Written 20 years ago but I think the last two decades (with the exception of a number of royal weddings and births) have been relatively placid compared to the dramas and calamities witnesses by this longstanding “firm.” Enjoyable read!

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Sep 08, 2019 Tara Lynn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I learned very much from this book about the monarchs that I was less familiar with. A great overall brief exposure to the whole history of the British monarchy. I'm glad I read it. ...more

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Mar 30, 2021 Nanette Williamson rated it really liked it

A really interesting collection of essays about the British royal dynasties, part history, and partly just gossip. I enjoyed it and listened to it in part because it's read y one of my favorite narrators, Donada Peters. ...more

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Apr 03, 2016 Michael rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: england, history, non-fiction

A sort of Cliff Notes for history of the British monarchy. Each king and queen is subject to a profile of main accomplishments and personality, usually with a choice quote. My ignorance was only mildly assuaged, but there was a nice sense of continuity over the centuries (with only gap the effective rule of Oliver Cromwell). The noble ones who loved their subjects interspersed with the ones who were power mad, or just mad, and other who only wanted to make and spend their money on luxury or sin. ...more

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Feb 13, 2016 Clare rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, non-fiction, royal-research, biography, mary-queen-of-scots, tudor-research, owned, research, book, 3-stars

This was a little more in depth than The Tudor Treasury, which was good but sometimes it was a bit dense, but maybe that's just me! Also I liked that it went beyond just the Tudor Monarchs because I wanted to read about James I and VI too as he's Mary, Queen of Scots' son, so that was pretty interesting. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking to read up on British Monarchs, as it goes from 1066 right up to Elizabeth II. ...more

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Jul 17, 2015 Ashley Birk rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book is not written by Antonia Fraser, merely edited by her. It is not anywhere close to her usual standards of writing. If you're an Antonia Fraser fan, I suggest skipping this one. ...more

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Jan 08, 2018 Behrooz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Good reference book.

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May 01, 2022 Andrew Canfield rated it liked it

The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England provides brief biographical sketches of nine centuries worth of English monarchs. The book starts with William the Conqueror's 1066 invasion and briskly move through the ongoing reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Readers looking for reference material on the island's Anglo-Saxon days do be aware that they will need to look elsewhere.

There is as much, if not more, attention paid to the familial and personal aspects of England's kings and queens as there is t ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: history-royal

In the Introduction, Antonia Fraser quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying, "There is no history, only biography," which sums up this book nicely, as it is concerned just with the biographies of the monarchs of England, not with the history around them, and the quote does make a good point that human history is simply made up of biographies of people. But this book is just about the people who worn the British crown from William I to Queen Elizabeth II.

I loved the section on the Plantagenets, the Tu
In the Introduction, Antonia Fraser quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying, "There is no history, only biography," which sums up this book nicely, as it is concerned just with the biographies of the monarchs of England, not with the history around them, and the quote does make a good point that human history is simply made up of biographies of people. But this book is just about the people who worn the British crown from William I to Queen Elizabeth II.

I loved the section on the Plantagenets, the Tudors are always a favorite, but already knowing so much, I spotted what was glossed over, and then we get to the Stuarts, which somehow gets boring, which it shouldn't be, due to all the death and pomp - but no indication from this book that the monarchy might have been in real trouble there for a minute thanks to Cromwell. Nope, all is fine, and due to Anne I's tragedy of all 17 children dying at birth or shortly before, we get the Georges.

I don't think the book meant to be funny here, but I fond it quite humorous how several generations of fathers and sons spent all their time bickering with each other, fathers calling their sons feckless, sons calling their fathers old and out of touch, then growing up and being called out of touch by the son that they in turn called feckless.

Luckily, the last round of sons have a real problem with producing living legitimate heirs, and we get Victoria. Again the book focuses on just her rather than spending too much time on world events, but, whereas earlier the book criticized monarchs, here we start to see a do-no-wrong attitude, with no comment on how bad she was at parenting and how that ended up having a real impact on the world stage.

Then we get to the 20th century - and - oh good lord - according to this text, the monarchy did no wrong ever, all the common people loved them, the press are just big old meanies with their modern attitudes of demanding transparency, and Elizabeth II is a goddess on earth.

So, all the monarchs are here if you need to consult a who's who of when different monarchs reigned, but the text is just a wee bit biased in their favor. Entertaining - but not the most reliable or thorough of source material.
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Jan 12, 2022 Vivienne rated it really liked it

There really is no wonder that so many works of historical fiction have been based around the lives of various Kings and Queens of England! (For example, the wonderful Wolf Hall trilogy) I had thought that perhaps these non fiction accounts of the English monarchy from the Normans through to the current Elizabeth II might be a bit dry . . . but far from it! Nearly every individual biography is filled with drama of one sort or another! There is intrigue, greed, arrogance, defection, conspiracy, a ...more

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Oct 11, 2021 Gal Amir rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, biography, history

Extremely bad history book. It is composed of short biographies of English monarchs. One may think they lived and operated in a vacuum. There is not the slightest consideration of technological, economical, societal and other factors. The industrial revolution is not mentioned. The black plague is briefly mentioned. Dynasties, battles and religious differences are discussed in some detail, but these discussions are pointless without any mention of the societies in which the dynasties quarraled, ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Tori Douglass rated it it was amazing

I’m obsessed with this book. I love history but the blood, gore, and torture of the Dark Ages has always been a little hard to stomach. This book doesn’t focus on those specific aspects at all, giving only a fun and fascinating run down of each monarch. Mainly it focuses on dates, conflicts (because English royalty lol), marriages, births, along side some very intriguing bits of palace gossip. I’ll definitely read this again.

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Feb 22, 2022 Kevin rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I have never been overly interested in the kings and queens of England but thought this was a gap in my knowledge of history, so this book was a great overview of each potentate starting with William the Conqueror (1066) up to Elizabeth II. Antonia gives a fair overview of any strengths and weaknesses in each ruler. Unfortunately when it comes to the current queen she refuses to identify any weaknesses other than that of her children. Perhaps time will give perspective.

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Jan 23, 2018 David Parker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this book. I re-read it all the time, usually when I'm trying to get to sleep. I know that sounds like the opposite of a good recommendation, but there's something restful and comforting about reading a short but excellently written and edited biographical sketch of some British monarch. If you're interested in the subject it's a great handy reference. And good for insomnia. ...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Nena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wow! A lot of stuff in here that I did not know.

Books like this are what make me love History so much. Antonia Fraser knows how to write a fact based book without having it sound like some text book the teacher is pushing on you in junior high school.

If you are a history lover like me and are curious to know how Great Britain became Great Britain, this is a great place to start!

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Dec 15, 2020 Lisa Hall rated it it was amazing

A compendium of the rulers of England beginning with William the Conqueror. Compendium may not quite be the right word. There isn't a lot of depth, but you're given enough of each ruler in order to get a general grasp of who they were and what they did to pin them to memory. Great if you're just starting out with British history. ...more

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Sep 02, 2021 Karen Terney rated it really liked it

This was very interesting. I didn’t know much about the English dynasties. Is it sad that there is comfort knowing the world has survived really terrible rulers many times? And, people have given their lives for really awful rulers who used them for their own purposes without guilt. History does repeat itself.

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Mar 03, 2022 Alexandra rated it liked it

Enjoyable enough though it does contain some historical inaccuracies which some of my fellow reviewers have already remarked upon.

I felt that it was to quick in describing some of the monarchs but that is probably because I can never get enough of Henry VIII (and more specifically, connected with Henry, Anne Boleyn), Elizabeth I, the Four Georges etc

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Mar 29, 2018 Alayne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a book that I have had for a long time (1977), and which I have read and also dipped into at different times when I want a history of a time in England. I have found it to be a good resource, although limited as all these short histories are.

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Feb 08, 2019 Michael P. rated it it was amazing

Written by experts on their subjects, this is a great introduction to the sweep on the English monarchy. I was flabbergasted at how few degrees separate George III, who lost America, and Queen Victoria. Well, she did live a very long time.

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Jun 13, 2021 Stuart added it

Shelves: history, euopean-history

I listened to this book. The writing was solid throughout and I felt it did a good job including sufficient detail within such a broad swath of history. It was good to be reminded of the reigns about which I had read before and to have an introduction to the eras I need to learn more about.

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Aug 21, 2021 Tom Schulte rated it liked it · review of another edition

With a few pages on each sovereign arranged chronologically, this feels a bit like I image those books generated from Wikipedia content. I doubt if I will ever be able to separate the Williams, Henrys, Georges, and Edwards in my mind...

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Nov 03, 2017 Liam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Given to me by my grandparents, I remember reading it from cover to cover. Before essays were a part of my life. Ahh... Those were the days!

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Feb 11, 2018 Andi Towner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you like history and enjoy learning about British royal family this is the book for you.

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About Antonia Fraser

Antonia Fraser

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Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's ...more