The Kings and Queens of England

by Ian Crofton

From the reign of Alfred the Great - the first king of Wessex to call himself 'king of England' - in the 9th century, to the shock of Norman invasion in the 11th, and from the brutal vicissitudes of late medieval kingship to the comfortable ceremonial of modern-day constitutional monarchy, the story of England's kings and queens is to a large degree that of England herself. Kings and Queens of England offers readable profiles of 59 English monarchs from Harold II to Henry VIII, and from Ethelred the Unready to Elizabeth II. Each monarch is elegantly profiled and the impact of their rule on wider English history clearly and concisely described and analysed. For every king and queen there is a detailed timeline, and the narrative is further amplified by display quotations, feature boxes, panels of key biographical facts, and - last but not least - by 135 lavish full-colour images. Ian Crofton recounts a 1000-year tale of murder, invasion, usurpation, adultery, divorce, civil war and revolution in a manner that is as entertaining as it is informative. The Kings and Queens of England is the perfect choice for anyone looking for an illustrated account of the English monarchy from the Anglo-Saxon era to the present.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Reference, Historical, Royalty, British Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Orsolya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I live in the United States; I wouldn’t be able to list most of the US Presidents if you paid me. Yet, ask me the monarchs of England and I could list them (in order, mind you) even while half asleep. Ian Crofton provides a similar directory in, “Kings and Queens of England: The Lives and Reigns of the Monarchs of England”.

“Kings and Queens of England” is a small, colorful, glossy-paged book which is fit for a reference shelf (albeit a thin one) or a coffee table. The structure is that of a directory or quick-reference guide while the content is exactly what it claims to be: a listing of English monarchs with brief bios (generally 2-4 pages for each).

The term ‘brief’ is not an exaggeration as the issue with “Kings and Queens of England” is that it is much too summarized and simplified. Although Crofton does mention interesting and/or menial notes and facts; nothing is detailed and therefore the reader is not left with a solid image of any of the monarchs. Basically, “Kings and Queens of England” is somewhat flat and not memorable.

On the other hand, the format is useful as a quick reference with charts depicting the monarch’s coat of arms and listing such facts as birth date, parents, children, succession date, house, death, etc; while the section contain photos, quotes, and small supplemented texts to round the bios. Worth mentioning is that the quoted paragraphs are much too small in font size and will present some trouble for those with eye problems.

An annoying factor is Crofton’s habit of mentioning Shakespeare and the playwright’s depictions of kings. Although this may be used in order to find a common ground with the average reader; it comes off as elementary and far from scholarly.

Sadly, Crofton doesn’t explore any new ground in “Kings and Queens of England” and thus those readers well-read on English royalty will be somewhat bored unless looking for a quick recap. In fact, the text is better suited for young adults versus adults (unless the adult has no previous knowledge on the subject). Crofton also states too many myths and propaganda pieces as though they are factual plus much of “Kings and Queens of England” is dated (such as the section on Richard III). Therefore, it is suggested to take the text with a grain of salt.

On a positive note, Crofton smoothly presents the transition of ultimate monarchism to the ceremonial role it holds today; helping the reader understand the modern-day impact of their role. The conclusion is solid stipulating on the future of the royal family while also offering genealogical charts.

Note: “Kings and Queens of England” focuses on the monarchs regnant versus consort.

Overall, “Kings and Queens of England” is a quick, overly simplified introduction to the monarchs of England. Dated, riding on speculation, and brief; the text sadly won’t make an impact with readers. Those familiar with the topic won’t learn anything new and therefore the book is only strongly suggested for general readers who simply want to be debriefed.

[Gary Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

57th book read in 2018.

Number 519 out of 717 on my all time book list.

Interesting and boring at the same time.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives the reader detailed information about each ruler yet was concise enough to stay interesting. I find it is easier to "connect the dots" from ruler to ruler since reading this one! A great account of the major players and events that shaped the United Kingdom. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered how it all happened without having to delve into too many details.

[Diana Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book compiling the reigns of the British Monarchs. This book was a gift from my son and will be treasured for years to come as a reference book. I think Mr. Crofton's work speaks for itself once you open the cover and start to delve into the historical facts and photos of the people who ruled. The way it is set up with many photos of the monarchs and artifacts, stories, bios, time lines of important events pertaining to their reign and a brief history for each is outstanding. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of England.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this stuff! I told my wife I could recite the names of all of the Kings and Queens of England from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II and she said "yes, but please don't!" LOL
Brief biographies of all of the rulers of England mentioned above with art, pictures, and illustrations.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with which start learning about the British monarchy, particularly the very early Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman Kings.

So many books of this type start with William the Conqueror, when in reality the parade of English kings begins much, much earlier with fifteen men of varying abilities occupying the English throne, beginning with Alfred the Great. The Danish rulers, such as Cnut, were highly influential in the development of what would eventually become England and Britain, and their lives and those of their various family members should not be discounted. They are lively tales - complete with Viking raids, family betrayals and a rich history of Norwegian influences upon the growing country.

Indeed, these stories are no less inspiring than those of Henry II or Elizabeth I. If you’re in need of a great, highly readable introductory pathway to this fascinating subject (complete with lavish illustrations) then Mr. Crofton’s book is a great place to whet your appetite and stimulate further, more detailed study.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good general overview. Would make a good coffee table book. Good color pictures and great timelines. A bit on the fluffy side, but as always for a book like this you wont get a lot of detail on specific monarchs just a good general picture of their reign.

[Skallagrimsen]

Illustrates through a sequence of royal portraits the more than thousand year evolution of England, from a barbaric backwater on the fringe of the known world to the epicenter of the most extensive and advanced global empire the world had ever seen. A decent introduction and contextualization of phases from the Norman Conquest of Anglo Saxon England; to the Hundred years War; to the English Reformation and the Elizabethan era; to the English Civil War and the Restoration; to the British perspective on the American Revolution; to the rise of the British empire to its height under Victoria; to the world wars, the decline of the British empire, and the symbolic monarchy of the 20th century. It's not a deep book, nor does it aspire to be; it is meant rather to be a lavishly illustrated, browser-friendly overview of the British monarchy. At this it succeeds.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

After doing quite a bit of genealogy work this year and discovering some very deeply embedded roots in Great Britain, this book has been an excellent source of historical information. Since the history of England is so broad and deep, it is hard to get a handle on it in its totality . This book serves up bite-sized portions, describing each of the 59 British rulers dating back to Alfred the Great in 871 and continuing on through most of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The author is witty and irreverent and his "tell-it-like-it-was" approach keeps you engaged throughout. The book is ideal for dipping in and out and the photos and paintings are top-notch. If you have any interest in a fascinating look at some very dysfunctional, rulers, I highly recommend this compendium.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned this book for what feels like forever. It is my go-to basic reference material for the English monarchy. It isn't quite as in-depth as a Wikipedia article, but it has beautiful illustrations and fantastic quotes alongside of a useful (if not sparse) timeline of events and major highlights of each monarch's reign. My copy has been worn from over a decade of use. I know that there are more detailed works out there, but sometimes a quick bio is all I want or need. I have read this thing a hundred times and will likely read it a hundred more.

[Mary Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love history, this book is for you. England’s monarchs from Alfred the Great to Queen Elizabeth II are presented one per chapter. The chapters are presented with a brief character analysis, a timeline of events, illustrations of people places and events, reflective observations from contemporaries and sections devoted to highlights of the ruler’s life. I read this as a story, but will keep this one for reference and it also makes a great coffee table book.

[Cecelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've thoroughly skimmed through this book, but this year it is my goal to sit down each night and read each chapter (monarch) in its entirety.

I can tell this book is jam-packed with useful and interesting information. Each monarch is so unique and has had interesting life struggles and successes. It's beyond informational and I find this information is useful to know especially if you watch Jeopardy.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been an Anglophile for 50+ years. This book is a treasure. I bought it several years ago and use it each time I read any historical fiction work involving England. I am currently reading Ken Follett's A Column of Fire and have used this gem of a reference several times throughout. A great resource book.

[Nancy Motto]

Well organized, easy to follow history of the British Monarchy. Starting with Alfred the Great and ending with QEII, each royal has about five pages dedicated to them with side bars for interesting or events in British history. I will be keeping this book as a handy reference.

[Emma Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about the history of the british monarchy. I found it very interesting, as I had heard a lot of things about it but never really knew the full history.

[Paul McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely informative and delightfully written. Excellent reference guide

[Kurt Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well-written historical review, which I now use as more of a reference book.

[Jill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical read. Full of information and insider tidbits of the the royalty of England.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of the British monarchs. The author included a little more rumor than I would have liked; especially when some of them are no longer generally accepted.

[Chandler · Rating 1 out of 5]

rough formatting. no idea why i finished it...

[Sam Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m trying to read a lot more straight history and kings and queens of England was a big hole in my knowledge.

This is a great book for the key information on each monarch and gave me a really clear mind map for how this country was formed.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book more tantalizing than anything. It doesn't content itself with being a book of short biographies, but it never quite manages to be anything else. The result was that it was constantly mentioning entire, fascinating issues in passing, as though I already knew everything about them. Moreover, it ignored questions which I consider important in the history of a monarchy. What, exactly was the role of an English monarch in 984? In 1370? Did England make a sudden shift to a completely symbolic monarchy with George I, or was that just the beginning of a more gradual process? When and how did the tension between parliament and the monarchy originate? Surely it wasn't unique to the reigns of the Charleses. What were the respective powers of monarch and parliament during, say the reign of Elizabeth I?

If what you want is a book of short biographies, I think you would be better off to read the (much shorter and less dry) Horrible Histories book Cruel Kings and Mean Kings. If you want a serious look at the history of Britain's monarchy, this is not the book you are looking for.

[Jimyanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent compendium of brief histories of the kings and queens of England; the previous similar book that I had read and reviewed, edited by Antonia Fraser, was also quite good except for the fact that it began with William the Conqueror and gave no indication that there had been any monarchs of England prior to his defeat of Harold. Which is difficult, as there was, in fact, Harold as the defeated king before him. This book does not suffer from that flaw; it begins with Alfred the Great, who reigned from 871-899. This seems a great deal more complete and as such makes this a far better book, even though the individual bios are about equivalent once we get to where there is overlap. Eventually, this edition will be outdated, but as yet there is no lack of completeness; Elizabeth II, who was the current queen when the book was published in 2006/2007, is STILL the current queen.

[Jeffrey Sylvester · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Kings and Queens of England" by Ian Crofton is a fun book. I bought it as a bedside read and because the book is divided into easy-to-chew sections for that purpose. Another reason was that it includes a section on the Anglo-Saxon and Norse kings that preceded 1066, which for me, the order and significance of which have always been murky. It was also nice review of the subsequent dynasties and the links between them.

Information-wise, the book is sufficient, but readers who already have a base familiarity with British monarchial history may be disappointed. The writing is also a bit tabloid at times but this may appeal to the broader audience at which this book is aimed.

A nice introduction with several classic illustrations.

3 stars for Crofton!

[Jennifer]

I bought for a ref book, but ended up reading page by page, cover to cover. A quick read. Each queen & king has a bio. of several pages and a colored box that contains their pertinent facts; Born, Father, Mother, Married, Children & Spouses, Succeeded, Crowned, Royal House, Style, Died & Buried.

As with many of theses types of over-view books, there are biases of the the author. One thing that always bothers me, is that the spouses are rarely mentioned. Their stories deserve a book to themselves.

[Tiago "Salvador" Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a list of kings & queens, this is a rather nice book. The visuals are good, the reading pleasant and the timelines are helpful, with some quick tidbits here and there. Now history wise, it is rather dull, oversimplified at times, with a lot of the author's personal opinions sometimes being presented in the same tone as the other "facts". The lack of references for further research is another point where this book falls short.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a bargain book and found myself pouring over the pages. This all-encompassing history of England’s monarchs is perfectly outlined, both in its chronology and its definition of separate family lines. I found the side-bar timelines helpful and the illustrations and pictures beautiful. This is a great reference book for any fan of English history.

[Jillianne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many have said already, this book gives a brief but comprehensive general outline of each ruler's background, challenges and reign. As someone who knows about one historical era, it was great for connecting the dots. Also includes some amusing historical anecdotes that keep the book entertaining.
Love, love, love this one!

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I found the section on Charles I rather biased against him, and the relationship of William & Mary oversimplified, I must commend the writer for acknowledging that the homosexual claims about William III are 'without evidence' - which is the case. This is a gorgeous book, and I think it's a great addition to any history lover's bookshelf.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin brought this book home for me from his trip to London. I have this thing about English Historical fiction, and this book makes it easy to keep all the different kings straight! I have thoroughly enjoyed this book!