This Sceptred Isle, Vol. 2: The Making of the Nation 1087-1327

This Sceptred Isle #2

by Christopher Lee

The award-winning story of Britain, from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, specially written for BBC Radio 4 by Christopher Lee, narrated by Anna Massey and featuring extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples read by Paul Eddington.

William the Conqueror famously acquired for himself the throne of England but there were to be many struggles before truly national government would be established.

Henry II, the first of the Plantagenets, did more than any of his predecessors to bring the country together but his reign was overshadowed by the dramatic and tragic murder of Thomas Becket. Eventually, he was succeeded by his sons - first Richard the Lionheart and then King John.

This was the period of the Crusades, of civil wars and of wars between the English and the Scots led by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce; but it also witnessed the setting of some primitive foundations that would eventually form the basis of a modern state: Magna Carter and the calling of the first parliament by Simon de Montfort.

Genres: History, Audiobook, Nonfiction

3 pages, Audio CD

First published March 18, 1996

About the author

Christopher Lee was a British writer, historian, and broadcaster, best known for creating and writing the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 documentary series This Sceptred Isle. His career spanned journalism, academia, military service, and historical writing.
After an early life at sea, he studied history at London University before joining the BBC as a defence and foreign affairs correspondent, with postings in Moscow and the Middle East. He later transitioned into academia, becoming the first Quatercentenary Fellow in Contemporary History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and conducting research at Birkbeck College. He also served in the Royal Navy's Joint Intelligence Reserve Branch, reaching the rank of captain.
Lee’s This Sceptred Isle, originally broadcast in 1995, chronicled British history from Roman times to the 20th century and was expanded with additional series covering the 20th century and the British Empire. His historical works include 1603, Nelson and Napoleon, and Monarchy, Past, Present… and Future?, as well as an abridgment of Winston Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. He was also a prolific radio playwright, penning over 100 plays and series for BBC Radio 4.
Beyond writing, he served as a defence and foreign affairs adviser to the British Forces Broadcasting Service for 30 years and was involved in policy analysis.
He divided his time between Sussex and Florence, Italy, and was married to portrait painter Fiona Graham-Mackay. Lee passed away in 2021 at the age of 79.

Reviews

[Fern A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another whistle stop tour through history in this second volume. As with the first one the more interesting part of this is not the history itself but rather the information about how we know or think we know history.

[Rui · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narration is quite good and the content is fascinating.

[Alethea Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is addictive. Fun and interesting.

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just okay. The narrators saved it for me as it was pretty dry. I was listening to it for a reading challenge which I've now finished. Phew!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but moved really quickly, so you get a nice overview of the historical period, but no real detail. Also, it's not really for historical scholars, it's more of a history "lite" sort of thing. Worth listening to, but not exactly what I personally was looking for.

[Pamela Sweezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll never retain all of the information from this brief summary of England's history but maybe I'll remember the gist of it. Entertaining BBC radio broadcast. I can't wait to get to the next one...