A History of the English Monarchy: from Boadicea to Elizabeth I

by Gareth Russell

In A History of the English Monarchy, historian Gareth Russell traces the story of the English monarchy and the interactions between popular belief, religious faith and brutal political reality that helped shape the extraordinary journey of one of history’s most important institutions. From the birth of the nation to the dazzling court of Elizabeth I, A History of the English Monarchy charts the fascinating path of the English monarchy from the uprising of 'Warrior Queen' Boadicea in AD60 through each king and queen up to the 'Golden Age' of Elizabeth I. Russell offers a fresh take on a fascinating subject as old as the nation itself. Legends, tales and, above all, hard facts tell an incredible story... a history of the English Monarchy.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2015

About the author

Gareth Russell is an historian and broadcaster. He is the author of "The Six Loves of James I," (a BBC History Book of the Year, a Waterstones Best Book 2025; published as "Queen James" in the UK, Ireland and Australia), "The Palace" (Amazon Editor's Pick for Best New History, A Waterstones Best Book of 2023, BBC History Book of the Year, Town and Country Must-Read, an Aspects of History Best Book of 2023), "Do Let's Have Another Drink" (A Times Book of the Year, 2022), "The Ship of Dreams" (A Daily Telegraph Best History Book, 2019), and "Young and Damned and Fair."

He is the host of the podcast Single Malt History and divides his time between Belfast and London.

Reviews

[David Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s no small feat to cover sixteen hundred years of history in 324 (Kindle) pages, and so my hat (or crown, if I were a king) is off to Gareth Russell for a fine survey of a millennia and a half of the history of the English Monarchy. In his well-written and animated narrative, kings and queens, princes, and dukes pass before the reader in glaringly honest detail. There are intrigues, scandals, secret plots, assassinations, jealousy, immorality, and every imaginable human weakness or temptation. And, yes, you will also find moments of sublime and noble leadership and grace.

This book is both informative and entertaining, beginning with the uprising of the lady warrior Boadicea in 60AD, and ending with the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 1603. Along the way are some notable characters, in particular Edward I (Longshanks) and the notorious Henry VIII. Because this is a survey of many years, contained in a relatively short book, I had to work occasionally to keep the names and events straight; but it was well worth the read, and always fascinating to see the many ways that vast power can impact the human psyche.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific for what it is: short and sweet. Great read for understanding the broad contours, the “houses”/lineages, and the two or three things a monarch’s reign was known for.

Spoilers below…

Roman times
- Cleopatra suicide 30 BC; Caesar her 2nd husband; Octavian —> Augustus their son. Caesar first conquered Britannia then Augustus consolidated.
- 410 w/ Roman Empire weakening, Honorius pulls legions out of Britannia; Saxon (Germanic) invasion ensued. ‘Angles’ one Germanic tribe - leads to ‘Aengla Land’

Following three centuries were dominated by unification of England and second coming of Christianity.
- Seven kingdoms: Wessex, Sussex, Kent, East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria
- King Offa of Mercia dies; Prince Egbert of Wessex takes advantage and conquers Mercia by 829. His line consolidates power with help of Viking invaders against whom English tribes unite.
- King Alfred the Great defeats Vikings late 9th century
- His lineage (AEthrlelred the Unready) eventually loses to resurgent Vikings and flee to Normandy; Canute (Dane) ascends to throne
- Queen Emma (previously of Alfred’s line w/ sons now exiled to Normandy) marries Canute
- Emma’s son by Canute, Harthacanute (ruling in Denmark), and Canute’s bastard son Harold Harefoot - convoluted proposal for shared rule
- Emma’s sons from AEthrlelred the Unready - Edward and Alfred - try to come back. Edward encounters bad weather crossing the channel. Alfred makes it and Harold Harefoot’s men gouge out his eyes, accidentally killing him. Emma flees to modern-day Belgium.
- Harefoot dies 4 years later, Emma returns with Harthacanute now on the throne and is first ‘queen mother’; lobbies Harthacanute to reinstate his half-brother Edward to succession upon his death should he not have an heir.
- 1042 Harthacanute dies 23 years y/o. Some suspect poison, author suspects he was unwell most of his life. Edward succeeds. Wessex line back in.

Norman Conquest 1066, Battle of Hastings, and the lineage of William the Conqueror of Normandy
- Edward “the Confessor” pious sexless/childless marriage leads to succession crisis. Dies Jan 1066. Succession down to brother-in-law Harold or distant kinsman William, Duke of Normandy.
- 1064 Harold had been shipwrecked then taken prisoner but William rescued him, extracted promise to defer to William in succession.
- When Edward dies, Harold breaks promise to William and succeeds to throne;
- Rest is History Pod take: English rally to Harold because he’s a known strong general, they don’t want the Normans; he’ll keep England “English”
- William crosses channel later that year and Battle of Hastings ensues. Harold dies famous “arrow through the eye” death; William succeeds.
- Rest is History Pod note: it’s not too simplistic to say Normans build first castles in England and this significantly hardens the State to attack. England was ahead of Europe in nation-state building w/ taxation but behind technologically in defenses. Consequences of island nature.
- Note also - Normans eventually define themselves against the French as English.
- William dies 1087, hands off to son William II/William Rufus; first born Robert got Normandy - they were on the outs.
- William II feuds with the church. Anselm and Gregorian Reforms (independence of church in England)
- 1089 William II invades Normandy, Robert cedes half its territory. Youngest brother Henry rises in William II’s court, as the latter (who’s gay) has no children.
- 1100 William II dies from hunting accident. Younger brother Henry I succeeds.
- Henry I no legitimate kids with two wives; daughter Maud was set to succeed but was pregnant in Normandy; nephew Stephen of Blois (son of Adela, daughter of William the Conqueror) succeeds in bloodless coup.
- 1141 Battle of Lincoln - Maud cauptures Stephen and rules as domina Anglorum (lady of the English). She’s vindictive and overbearing, though, and Londoners rise up against her. Stephen released 1142 in prisoner exchange; takes throne again.
- 1153 Winchester Agreement - Stephen regards coincident death of his son Eustace and birth of Maud’s son Henry as omen. Makes deal that he keeps throne but upon his death Henry will succeed him.

House of Anjou, House of Plantagenet or the Angevins

- 1154 Stephen dies; Henry II of (alternatively named) House of Anjou, House of Plantagenet or the Angevins succeeds
- Henry II dust ups in Ireland (ununified as England was when Romans conquered, Henry took control of part) and over his knights murdering Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Beckett, whom he’d installed as a toady but who later found loyalty to the church.
- Henry’s wife Eleanor and sons failed rebellion against him. Son and heir Henry dies of dysentery; Henry II died 1189 succeeded by second son Richard.
- Richard I (‘Richard the Lionheart’) - crusader king. Suspected gay but loose use of “sodomy” in those days leaves debate. Held for ransom by Leopold of Austria. Betrayed by his brother John. Ruled 1189-1199; killed by an arrow on the battlefield in France.
- Richard’s younger brother John, Henry II’s youngest son and widely regarded as incompetent, succeeds; imprisons the supposedly kills his nephew, Arthur.
- John marries second cousin Isobel of Gloucester in gambit for her family’s lands, later denotes her to ward on account of incestuous marriage. Kidnaps and marries Isabelle, daughter of Count of Angouleme, to prevent her marrying into an alliance of rebellious French land owners.
- Upset at abduction of Isabelle, French and Brittany take most of Normandy; five years into his reign, John has lost 1/3 of the empire.
- Feud with Pope Innocent III over Archbishop of Canterbury, ends up excommunicated and having to cave; aristocracy turns against him and, in 1215, imposes Magna Carta with the Church. John dies 1216, son Henry III succeeds.
- Henry III signs Provisions of Oxford establishing Parliament. First Battle of the Barons Henry is captured. Queen Eleanor gets help for Second Battle of the Barons and puts down rebellion at Battle of Evesham. de Montfort, who’d led rebellion and expansion of Parliament to include wider representation, is killed. But Parliament too popular to get rid of.
- Henry III loses Wales around this time, too.
- Henry III dies 1272, son Edward Longshanks succeeds; upon coronation removes crown and says he’ll not put it on again until he’s retaken the land his father lost to the Barons
- Edward Longshanks retakes Wales; also exploits invitation to administer search for successor regent in Scotland after Alexander III and several heirs die within span of a year; places puppet king there. Unpopular ruler of both Wales and Scotland.
- Edward Longshanks dies 1307 on his way to put down a rebellion in Scotland; Edward II succeeds
- Queen Isabella, Edward II’s wife who’d resented his homosexual relationships, orchestrates deposition of the unpopular Edward II and accession of their son, Edward III in 1326-27. In the end Edward II is pressured to willingly abdicate, subsequently mysteriously disappears; may have chosen exile but is thought to have been murdered by Isabella’s new husband Roger Mortimer.
- Roger Mortimer usurps power from the young King Edward III, who eventually has Mortimer executed for treason.
- Edward III scores victories in Scotland, enters England into the Hundred Years’ War pursuing French crown he deems his right via his mother, Isabella.
- Plague hits 1348; within 2 yrs 1/3 of Europe dies
- Sumptuary Laws (mainly concerning dress) were passed to reinforce social hierarchy in post plague societal disruption.

War of Roses / Houses of Lancaster and York
- Edward III dies 1377; son Edward had died, so grandson Richard II (of Shakespeare’s first political play) succeeds at 9 y/o w/ uncle John of Gaunt (descendents are house of Lancaster) acting as regent. Peasant Revolt after imposition of poll tax kills many; 14 y/o Richard II acts decisively and harshly.
- Richard II and wife Anne of Bohemia, granddaughter of Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor, bring real style and pageantry to their court but Richard is very unpopular.
- Richard’s cousin (son of John of Gaunt) Henry is in background gathering political power as heir-apparent.
- Henry V (of Shakespeare fame) deposes Richard 1413 with help of noblemen sick of Richard. Battle of Agincourt 1415 is famous English victory on way to bringing France under English crown. Treaty of Troyes keeps Charles VI on throne in France but to be succeeded by Henry’s heir by Charles’ granddaughter and Henry’s new wife, Princess Catherine de Valois.
- Henry V also literary - does much to bolster use of English language (over French) in literature.
- Henry V dies 1422, likely of complications from diabetes. Henry VI succeeds at 9 months. Crowned 1429 at 7 y/o.
- Henry VI’s mother Catherine de Valois remarries Welsh guy Owen Tudor and has two sons, Edmund and Jasper. Edmund married Lady Margaret Beaufort, great granddaughter of John of Gaunt and has son Henry. Seemed unlikely then with so many Plantagenet cousins in line of succession but this becomes Tudor dynasty.
- Henry VI very devout like Edward the Confessor in 11th century; resists sexuality but is thought to have fathered son Edward with wife Marguerite.
- Henry VI founded Eton College and Kings College, Cambridge.
- Joan of Arc 1430
- Henry inherited madness (modern analysis suggests something like catatonic schizophrenia) from maternal grandfather Charles VI of France.
- Feuding and battling with Richard of York (fellow grandson with King of Edmund III, via Edward’s daughter whereas Henry is via a younger son), who argues he is rightful heir under Plantagenet line.
- Richard is killed in battle, son Edward inherits duchy of York, beats Henry at next battle and is crowned Edward IV in 1461. Henry seeks asylum in Scotland.
- 1469 two members of the nobility, Warwick and King Edward IV’s brother, the Duke of Clarence, rebelled and captured and killed the Queen’s father and brother. They fled to France, where they link up with Henry VI’s wife, Marguerite, also there for asylum.
- July 1470 Warwick and Clarence invade England; “Readeption” - Henry VI briefly restored as King. But Edward IV arrives the next spring w/ army from Burgundy: Warwick and Marguerite are killed, and he orders Henry VI’s murder.
- Edward IV’s court very elaborate as Renaissance kicks off; he indulges and gets fat, dies at 40 in 1483. Son Edward V succeeds at twelve years old with mother the queen Elizabeth Woodville and paternal uncle Richard somewhat contentiously co-parenting/administering.
- But Richard usurps, becomes Richard III; is a terrible king. Author thinks he had Henry V killed, it’s known he killed several of Elizabeth’s (Lancastrian) family; nobility find this disgusting and have no loyalty to him. He lasts 2 years.

Tudors
- Henry Tudor/Henry VII succeeds (via Henry VI’s mother Catherine de Valois-Owen Tudor —> whose son Edmund married great granddaughter of John of Gaunt.)
- from Lipscombe: Henry VII set about dividing and undermining the nobility, leading to decline of feudalism.
- Henry VII marries Edward IV’s daughter Elizabeth of York to unite the clans. Welsh, the Irish and Scots hated him. He was unpopular at home, too. Died of tuberculosis in 1509. Eldest son Arthur had predeceased him, though, so Henry VIII succeeds.
- Henry VIII’s coronation first undisputed since Henry V nearly a century earlier.
- from Lipscombe: Henry VIII’s break with Catholic Church was nail in the coffin for feudalism; Dissolution of the Monasteries 1536 leads to mass transfer of wealth and land from Church to laity, creation of a far larger and wealthier class of gentry.
- First wife Katherine of Aragon produces one surviving child, Princess Mary born 1516.
- Mistress Elizabeth Blount has bastard son Henry FitzRoy, whom Henry VIII acknowledges and elevates to Duke of Richmond
- Anne Boleyn married 1532 - Protestant Reformation - break with Roman Catholic Church over annulment of marriage to Katherine; first child, a daughter, Elizabeth, 1533. Henry has her executed on trumped up adultery charges after second miscarriage 1536.
- Quick succession of remaining 4 wives:
- Jane Seymour dies after giving birth to son Edward VI who will succeed Henry.
- Political pressure at this point to marry internationally/strategically but most Hapsburg and French brides demure, quipping about execution of Anne Boleyn.
- Anne of Cleves, sister of Wilhelm, Duke of Cleves, head of Schmalkaldic League, a federation of Lutheran German princes. Idea is to distract Hapsburgs if they ever decide to invade England. But Henry is repulsed by Anne, divorces amicably after six months.
- Catherine Howard, orphaned niece of Duke of Norfolk. Executed 1542 for allegations of adultery after old love letters are leaked.
- Katherine Parr, widow of Lord Latimer is sixth and final. Henry dies 1547, Edward VI succeeds but dies before his 16th birthday.
- Before his death Edward maneuvers to slot in his Protestant second cousin Lady Jane Grey, fellow grandchild of Henry VII on her mother’s side, to avoid his Catholic half-sister Mary (Katherine of Aragon’s daughter). But Jane only rules 9 days before Mary usurps and restores papal supremacy, heresy laws and sends 300 Protestants to their deaths, earning nickname “Bloody Mary”. Jane refuses to convert and is beheaded 1554.
- Mary I marries second cousin Prince Philip of Spain, who becomes King of Spain 1556 after father’s abdication. Joint war against France results in embarrassing loss of Calais, the last piece of Plantagenet continental empire. Mary I dies 1558. Half sister Elizabeth I (daughter of Anne Boleyn) succeeds
- Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, is swept off the throne by scandal, refugees to England. Elizabeth I feels threatened by her and effectively imprisons her in a palace, eventually has her executed 1587 for plotting against her.
- 1588 King Philip II of Spain (Elizabeth I’s former brother in law) launched the Spanish Armada at England but was defeated by England and a storm. Elizabeth’s stature grows in victory.
- Irish rebellion marked her reign, and she was brutal to them and to Catholics.
- Elizabeth I died 1603, supposedly a virgin, and refused to name an heir (understandably given how people flocked to her when her sister was on her deathbed). She was almost 70 years old and had reigned for 45 years. Thus ended the Tudor’s reign.
- James I (James VI of Scotland and son of Mary Queen of Scots) succeeds 1603, first of the House of Stewart (or Stuart to the English) which would reign until 1714. James’ great granddaughter saw the Act of Union in 1707 uniting England and Scotland to form Great Britain and British, rather than English, monarchy.

[W William Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a retired professor/dean in the medical sciences, and more importantly one who did not excel in world history, including English history, in the 60’s, this was a superb read. Gareth Russell kept my attention with his detailed and engaging writing style, and yes his writing vocabulary had me “clicking” on words never encountered in scientific literature—we’re all ignorant, just in different areas.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A windshield tour of Great Britain's history

Having read a number of deep dive tomes on various monarchs and conflicts legendary to the present UK, I can say this book misses a great deal of important detail. However, it's an expansive yet also quick read that covers a lot of ground and connects countless dots. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of the English monarchy

An excellent read of the English monarchy. Hope the author writes a second book from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II. Will recommend and read more books from this author.

[Ryan McDermott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I Read It

As expected for a book with its scope, it was brief in dealing with each monarch. Definitely a good high-level look at the history of the monarchy though.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating!!

It was a great read!! Nice transition between each monarch. Nice to see another point of view in the tell if the British throne.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I actually enjoyed this book, easy to read and understand, Author clearly has a love of Middle Ages history, well worth reading.

[Gail Jo Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily digestible and comprehensive book on a huge topic.