What do you think?
Rate this book
King George V
A brilliant, immensely readable biography of King George V of England. A work of great insight and thoroughness that has been hailed by The Times of London as "one of the most fair-minded biographies and one of the most enthralling of out time....historical biography as it should be written."
George V was born while his grandmother Queen Victoria still reigned, and as the second son of Edward VII, he had no immediate prospects of reaching the throne, and no expectations that those prospects would ever change. Acquiring only the limited education of a nineteenth-century naval officer, he grew up indifferent to science and politics, history and the arts, his views staunchly conservative, and his favorite--and principal--occupations partridge shooting and stamp collecting. But at the age of twenty-six, with the death of his older brother, he found himself in direct line of succession to the throne--a role for which he felt "ill-equipped both by temperament and training." Nor was he able to hide the feelings of inadequacy from the populace: public ceremony visibly affected his nerves, and it was widely rumored that participation in social occasions adversely affected his digestion. When he was crowned in 1910 at the age of forty-five, he evoked little affection or enthusiasm in his people, and England's leaders found little in him to inspire their confidence. Yet by the time he died in 1936, he had become one of the most popular and generally loved of British sovereigns.
George V's life spanned seventy years, during which Britain underwent enormous change, and his reign encompassed a time of unparalleled political unrest. He saw England survive one world war and watched the approach of another. He saw the downfall of the empires of Russia (during which he made the controversial decision to deny his cousin the Tsar political asylum in Britain), Germany, and Austria-Hungary; and he was embroiled in struggles--for Irish Home Rule and for Indian self-government--that presaged the dissolution of the British Empire itself. He presided over the decline of the House of Lords and the rise of the Labour Party. He involved himself in the bitter dispute that culminated in the General Strike of 1926, and he was instrumental in the formation of the National Government in 1931. Yet, during his 25-year reign, much to the surprise of his countrymen, he brought to each problem that confronted him inspired common sense and kindliness, principled wisdom, and sensibility. Considered, at first, dull and commonplace, George V quickly gained the respect of his government and the devoted loyalty of his people.
Just as this excellent biography examines in detail and sheds new light on George's years as King, so it also illuminates the years before his ascension: his childhood, his service in the Royal Navy, the effects on him and his family of the death of his older brother Prince "Eddy," and his betrothal and marriage to Princess Mary of Teck, who had originally been engaged to marry Eddy. We see George during the years of his father's reign, when he undertook--always with appropriate decorum, but often unhappily--the rigorous duties expected of him as Prince of Wales. We see, too, King George's idyllic private life: his relationship with his children (the was the typical "Victorian Papa"), with his grandchildren, and especially with Queen Mary, whose unflagging devotion to him masked her great personal sacrifices.
Kenneth Rose combines a biographer's absolute candor and objectivity with a deep respect for his subject to give us the most convincing, insightful, and vivid portrait we have had of this complex and often maligned ruler. Culling the details of George's life and reign from a variety of sources (including previously unpublished extracts of his diaries and the recollections of members of the Royal Family), Rose goes far beyond the scope of previous biographers in his revelation of George V both as a man and as a king. A superbly conceived and written biography, and a work of major historical importance.
George V was born while his grandmother Queen Victoria still reigned, and as the second son of Edward VII, he had no immediate prospects of reaching the throne, and no expectations that those prospects would ever change. Acquiring only the limited education of a nineteenth-century naval officer, he grew up indifferent to science and politics, history and the arts, his views staunchly conservative, and his favorite--and principal--occupations partridge shooting and stamp collecting. But at the age of twenty-six, with the death of his older brother, he found himself in direct line of succession to the throne--a role for which he felt "ill-equipped both by temperament and training." Nor was he able to hide the feelings of inadequacy from the populace: public ceremony visibly affected his nerves, and it was widely rumored that participation in social occasions adversely affected his digestion. When he was crowned in 1910 at the age of forty-five, he evoked little affection or enthusiasm in his people, and England's leaders found little in him to inspire their confidence. Yet by the time he died in 1936, he had become one of the most popular and generally loved of British sovereigns.
George V's life spanned seventy years, during which Britain underwent enormous change, and his reign encompassed a time of unparalleled political unrest. He saw England survive one world war and watched the approach of another. He saw the downfall of the empires of Russia (during which he made the controversial decision to deny his cousin the Tsar political asylum in Britain), Germany, and Austria-Hungary; and he was embroiled in struggles--for Irish Home Rule and for Indian self-government--that presaged the dissolution of the British Empire itself. He presided over the decline of the House of Lords and the rise of the Labour Party. He involved himself in the bitter dispute that culminated in the General Strike of 1926, and he was instrumental in the formation of the National Government in 1931. Yet, during his 25-year reign, much to the surprise of his countrymen, he brought to each problem that confronted him inspired common sense and kindliness, principled wisdom, and sensibility. Considered, at first, dull and commonplace, George V quickly gained the respect of his government and the devoted loyalty of his people.
Just as this excellent biography examines in detail and sheds new light on George's years as King, so it also illuminates the years before his ascension: his childhood, his service in the Royal Navy, the effects on him and his family of the death of his older brother Prince "Eddy," and his betrothal and marriage to Princess Mary of Teck, who had originally been engaged to marry Eddy. We see George during the years of his father's reign, when he undertook--always with appropriate decorum, but often unhappily--the rigorous duties expected of him as Prince of Wales. We see, too, King George's idyllic private life: his relationship with his children (the was the typical "Victorian Papa"), with his grandchildren, and especially with Queen Mary, whose unflagging devotion to him masked her great personal sacrifices.
Kenneth Rose combines a biographer's absolute candor and objectivity with a deep respect for his subject to give us the most convincing, insightful, and vivid portrait we have had of this complex and often maligned ruler. Culling the details of George's life and reign from a variety of sources (including previously unpublished extracts of his diaries and the recollections of members of the Royal Family), Rose goes far beyond the scope of previous biographers in his revelation of George V both as a man and as a king. A superbly conceived and written biography, and a work of major historical importance.
514 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 1983
4 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Rose
12 books11 followersKenneth Vivian Rose was a longtime biographer and newspaper columnist. Growing up in Yorkshire, he was educated at New College Oxford, with his time there interrupted by service in the Welsh Guards during the Second World War. After a period teaching history at Eton, he began writing for the Daily Telegraph in 1952 and started his longstanding "Albany at Large" column in 1961. He also wrote several works of nonfiction, most notably an award-winning biography of King George V that was published in 1983.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 19, 2018
Wonderfully readable biography of George V. Rose's writing style is a little old-fashioned, and his handling of some of the less positive aspects of the English monarchy and class system is a little more accepting than I would be. Still, Rose does a great job of capturing his subjects strengths as well as weaknesses.
June 19, 2020
As with most biographies, I enjoyed reading Kenneth Rose's "King George V" very much. It brought to life a historical figure that because of his standing in life, is generally shrouded not so much in secrecy, but in reverence. Mr. Rose gave the reader a glimpse of the Sovereign as an actual person, conveying his personality and human feelings and dare I say, his human shortcomings.
November 9, 2018
A quick biography on a very good king. Led the Empire through WWI and was the first British monarch to speak to his subjects through the latest technology of his day...the radio. He comes off as a very serious man, obsessed with punctuality, hunting and stamp collecting.
Fun fact #1 - at birth, he was not expected to become the King since he was the Prince of Wales' second son. His older brother (expected heir) passed away unexpectedly at the age of 28 from pneumonia which put Prince George (as he was known at the time) directly in line for the throne.
Fun fact #2 - he was a very avid stamp collector. His donated collection is one of the most extensive and valuable in the world.
Fun fact #3 - changed the family name to Windsor because his grandfather's last name Saxe-Corburg and Gotha was considered too German sounding and the UK was at war with Germany at the time.
Fun fact #1 - at birth, he was not expected to become the King since he was the Prince of Wales' second son. His older brother (expected heir) passed away unexpectedly at the age of 28 from pneumonia which put Prince George (as he was known at the time) directly in line for the throne.
Fun fact #2 - he was a very avid stamp collector. His donated collection is one of the most extensive and valuable in the world.
Fun fact #3 - changed the family name to Windsor because his grandfather's last name Saxe-Corburg and Gotha was considered too German sounding and the UK was at war with Germany at the time.
April 6, 2018
Pretty tall order to write a biography of someone who spent his entire professional life as a figurehead, but Kenneth Rose not only pulled it off, he did so in a clever and witty manner. The secret to these bios is to put the spotlight on the supporting characters, of which there are several worth reading about in the life of George V.
May 7, 2017
A fascinating book containing SO much information. A few topics include: childhood, family dynamic, proper attire at court, politics, royal residences, the change of the family name to Windsor, WWI, King Georges' cousins: Tsar Nicholas of all the Russias (who was ultimately killed with his entire family) and William II emperor of Germany (the dynamic between these three during WWI is fascinating), and an explanation of a Constitutional Monarchy.
I must admit the political aspect was confusing to me since I am not at all familiar with anything concerning politics in the UK, but there were many quoted personal notes throughout that I found especially interesting. Similar to reading the diaries of all those involved. Also the duties of the monarchy, especially during a time when travel took such a long time because it was mostly by ship, was phenomenally tedious to complete keeping a mother and father away from their children for months or even a year or two at a time.
I began reading this book because I was in a group which was reviewing the movie "The Kings Speech" within a lenten bible study. The study group in general found "Bertie's" father, King George V, to be a horrible father. I wanted to find out if this was true by reading this book, which is considered one of the most fairly written histories of King George V. I was glad to find out that he actually had a good relationship with his children and often was the brunt of the childrens' jokes on him.
Another thing which I found very interesting was King George V was the second son of King Edward VII. King George VI (of The Kings Speech) was also the second son. KG V knew what it was like to not have received the proper training for the job he ultimately held. The movies portrayal of KG V made more sense after reading this book. KG V knew his 1st born son couldn't handle the job when the time came so he had to make sure Bertie could, in spite of his speech impediment. So he pushed him as a man with only a Naval education knew how.
I must admit the political aspect was confusing to me since I am not at all familiar with anything concerning politics in the UK, but there were many quoted personal notes throughout that I found especially interesting. Similar to reading the diaries of all those involved. Also the duties of the monarchy, especially during a time when travel took such a long time because it was mostly by ship, was phenomenally tedious to complete keeping a mother and father away from their children for months or even a year or two at a time.
I began reading this book because I was in a group which was reviewing the movie "The Kings Speech" within a lenten bible study. The study group in general found "Bertie's" father, King George V, to be a horrible father. I wanted to find out if this was true by reading this book, which is considered one of the most fairly written histories of King George V. I was glad to find out that he actually had a good relationship with his children and often was the brunt of the childrens' jokes on him.
Another thing which I found very interesting was King George V was the second son of King Edward VII. King George VI (of The Kings Speech) was also the second son. KG V knew what it was like to not have received the proper training for the job he ultimately held. The movies portrayal of KG V made more sense after reading this book. KG V knew his 1st born son couldn't handle the job when the time came so he had to make sure Bertie could, in spite of his speech impediment. So he pushed him as a man with only a Naval education knew how.
April 20, 2022
I love history. I love non fiction. I am not a royalist, quite the contrary; so I was not reading this biography loving royalty. George V didn't interest me either, pre-reading, I was given the book. It covered a period of history that I hadn't really looked at. Not keen on modern history. Give me the Tudors and Plantagenets! I found this absolutely fascinating and so well written. Not a dry sentence but was also very detailed. Most excellent!
April 14, 2020
Well researched.
August 8, 2021
Overall , a very interesting read but some of the political stuff was a bit heavy going at times.
July 12, 2012
King George V by Kenneth Rose is a fantastically written biography that really takes the reader deep into the public and personal life of King George V. The author provides great and well-written information regarding every aspect of the King's life, relationships, and reign.
June 21, 2014
A much better book than I thought it would be. Learned alot about the turn of the century that I was not aware. Getting closer to wanting a book on Victoria, and this book only feeds that desire. Like this book more for being about him and not so much his times, although that is covered as well.
August 1, 2013
Fascinating, well-written and sometimes surprising. Highly recommended for anglophiles and history buffs.
April 6, 2016
Love this kind of history!!
September 24, 2018
Хороший біографічний роман про короля та імператора Георга V, який правив Британською імперією у важкі часи Першої світової війни та кризовий післявоєнний період.
Read
December 9, 2017gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews