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History of England: A Captivating Guide to English History, Starting from Antiquity through the Rule of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, and Tudors ... of World War 2
If you want to discover the captivating history of England, then keep reading... Free History BONUS Inside! There are few places that entice the imagination quite like England. Just a little island off the western coast of continental Europe, it boasts a rich history that stretches all the way back to the first modern humans. Since then, entire societies have risen and fallen as people learned to make flint and bone tools, bury their dead, and fortify their cities against foreign raiders. From the fearsome Celtic warriors of prehistory to the clever inventors and statesmen of the modern era, England’s story is one bursting with magnificent castles, complex kings and queens, rebellious peasants, and horrifying plagues. Throughout history, more people have called England home than perhaps most of us have ever realized. In History of A Captivating Guide to English History, Starting from Antiquity through the Rule of the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, and Tudors to the End of World War 2, you will discover topics such as The People of PrehistoryThe Roman ConquestBritanniaThe Dark AgesAlfred the GreatDanelawThe Norman ConquestMagna CartaThe Black DeathThe Tudor DynastyEngland’s DiasporaThe House of StuartCivil WarThe ProtectorateThe Glorious RevolutionThe Scientific RevolutionGreat Britain EmergesThe Victorian EraWorld War IThe Irish Rebellions20th-Century EnglandEdward VIIIWorld War IIAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the history of England, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2019
287 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 9, 2020
I loved this book which is a concise history of England. I’ve been reading bits and pieces of English history but have not attempted to tackle a book per say, so this was just perfect for me. Well written fun and engaging. I love this series.
December 31, 2019
Over the past year, I've read dozens of Captivating History's very fine history lessons offered in bite-sized pieces. However, this one seemed to be too large a bite to go from pre-history to the end of World War II (even of a single country). I prefer reading an in-depth study of a specific period or event. I think they glossed over a great deal of history to hit the high points.
However, what is offered is great. I was impressed with the prehistory of the Britons. Usually, books don't go back that far and their ancient history is fascinating. The studies by Great Britain archaeologists must be amazing reading.
One thing that I noticed in this book was the fact that the author gave the why of things. For example, Henry VIII wanted to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled, based on the fact that she'd been married to Henry's brother. This book sets the scene so that the pieces fit. I'd heard why Henry wanted to shed himself of Catherine, but this showed just how the original marriage took place and how young Henry VIII married his widowed sister-in-law -- and lived to regret it (after 20 years).
I think this book is accurate about Queen Elizabeth I; she avoided marrying because she knew that she would be moved to the fringes of leadership when a King of England arrived. I think she was her father's daughter and knew she could do as well as anyone else. And she did.
It was interesting to see that there were many English colonies that failed before Jamestown. While Elizabeth tried her hand at English colonies in the New World, she hedged her bets by giving a charter to English trade to establish the East India Company. When her successor, James I sent ship fulls of immigrants to the New World, I did not know that this action alleviated some of the poverty in England. Before reading this, I did not realize what an important contingent of Protestants the Puritans were.
One of the great things Captivating History does is share fascinating snippets of history. In Chapter 17, we learn where the Union Jack came from -- don't miss it. The large number of Americans with Scottish blood in their veins is not so surprising after reading about the Seven Ill Years in Scotland. No wonder so many people emigrated to the New World.
This book also does a great job of explaining Sinn Fein; I'd heard of it many times but not how it got started. The division of Ireland is also explained. In 1918, men over the age of 21 got to vote for the first time; women got the vote if they were 30, or older. I guess that's progress.
From what I've read about Edward VIII in other places (particularly his politics), England was fortunate that he fell in love with Wallis Simpson. He abdicated to his brother, George VI, and eventually became governor of the Bahamas.
However, what is offered is great. I was impressed with the prehistory of the Britons. Usually, books don't go back that far and their ancient history is fascinating. The studies by Great Britain archaeologists must be amazing reading.
One thing that I noticed in this book was the fact that the author gave the why of things. For example, Henry VIII wanted to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled, based on the fact that she'd been married to Henry's brother. This book sets the scene so that the pieces fit. I'd heard why Henry wanted to shed himself of Catherine, but this showed just how the original marriage took place and how young Henry VIII married his widowed sister-in-law -- and lived to regret it (after 20 years).
I think this book is accurate about Queen Elizabeth I; she avoided marrying because she knew that she would be moved to the fringes of leadership when a King of England arrived. I think she was her father's daughter and knew she could do as well as anyone else. And she did.
It was interesting to see that there were many English colonies that failed before Jamestown. While Elizabeth tried her hand at English colonies in the New World, she hedged her bets by giving a charter to English trade to establish the East India Company. When her successor, James I sent ship fulls of immigrants to the New World, I did not know that this action alleviated some of the poverty in England. Before reading this, I did not realize what an important contingent of Protestants the Puritans were.
One of the great things Captivating History does is share fascinating snippets of history. In Chapter 17, we learn where the Union Jack came from -- don't miss it. The large number of Americans with Scottish blood in their veins is not so surprising after reading about the Seven Ill Years in Scotland. No wonder so many people emigrated to the New World.
This book also does a great job of explaining Sinn Fein; I'd heard of it many times but not how it got started. The division of Ireland is also explained. In 1918, men over the age of 21 got to vote for the first time; women got the vote if they were 30, or older. I guess that's progress.
From what I've read about Edward VIII in other places (particularly his politics), England was fortunate that he fell in love with Wallis Simpson. He abdicated to his brother, George VI, and eventually became governor of the Bahamas.
May 9, 2022
A very brief history of England from the beginning to now, but I really appreciated it for this reason. I just wanted a quick brush up on English history without feeling bogged down by to many details. The citation of sources was fantastic, and I did double check some of them for accuracy, and they were legit. We live in a world where accuracy... well yeah... so it's nice to see the citations so well done for a change.
This is really a 4.5 rating... it could have been a perfect 5 stars from me if it had just been maybe 1-2 hours longer and gave some more detail here and there... but on the same hand not get to that "overly bloated" level of history where you just feel overwhelmed. I really appreciate the shortness of this book and compacted amount of information.
This is really a 4.5 rating... it could have been a perfect 5 stars from me if it had just been maybe 1-2 hours longer and gave some more detail here and there... but on the same hand not get to that "overly bloated" level of history where you just feel overwhelmed. I really appreciate the shortness of this book and compacted amount of information.
February 14, 2020
Interesting but incomplete
This book is not meant to be an in-depth account of the history of England, and it does a good job with what it does cover. However, it leaves out great chunks of events that should have been included. There is practically no mention of the Wars of the Roses which should have been covered in some detail considering how greatly the conflicts affected England and shaped the future of England. Also omitted are the reigns of George I through IV, which also greatly affected the history of England and Scotland. A good book, but it could have been better.
This book is not meant to be an in-depth account of the history of England, and it does a good job with what it does cover. However, it leaves out great chunks of events that should have been included. There is practically no mention of the Wars of the Roses which should have been covered in some detail considering how greatly the conflicts affected England and shaped the future of England. Also omitted are the reigns of George I through IV, which also greatly affected the history of England and Scotland. A good book, but it could have been better.
August 26, 2023
Spoilers ahead.
Surprisingly good and easy to read. A short and fairly brief history of England from Neolithic times to the end of WW2. Not detailed but gives a good introduction to anyone interested in the history of England.
Amongst other things, I learned that trial by a jury of peers and separation of church and state was from the Magna Carta. The first was so that King John couldn't just execute or charge people according to his whim and the second to limit his power over the church.
I finished this in a day and highly recommend this to anyone interested in a short history of England.
Surprisingly good and easy to read. A short and fairly brief history of England from Neolithic times to the end of WW2. Not detailed but gives a good introduction to anyone interested in the history of England.
Amongst other things, I learned that trial by a jury of peers and separation of church and state was from the Magna Carta. The first was so that King John couldn't just execute or charge people according to his whim and the second to limit his power over the church.
I finished this in a day and highly recommend this to anyone interested in a short history of England.
November 18, 2023
This book was exactly what it advertised itself to be: a brief overview of the history of England from its very beginnings through the end of World War II. I got this book because there were gaps in my understanding of English history and it filled in these gaps. My big disappointment was that I was trying to understand how England was able to take over India and I never got any understanding as to how that happened. I realize that an overview book spanning thousands of years would not be able to include a lot of details. However, this particular topic should not have been glossed over.
December 30, 2019
Perfect for Anglophiles!
This book was surprisingly thorough, considering that it covers 2,000 years in Just 109 pages. I had learned things about Boudica that weren't mentioned in other texts! This also did a good condensed version of the War of the Roses! It also covered the abdication of King Edward the 8th! It's a very good composition to wet the appetites of British history.
This book was surprisingly thorough, considering that it covers 2,000 years in Just 109 pages. I had learned things about Boudica that weren't mentioned in other texts! This also did a good condensed version of the War of the Roses! It also covered the abdication of King Edward the 8th! It's a very good composition to wet the appetites of British history.
June 1, 2021
England has a large history that started from the Early Roman Empire and is still going on. Captivating History provides the brief facts that got Britain into power. The book didn't give information about the building of the monuments, Vikings, and the rule of kings. The book is kind of incomplete, but still interesting.
February 4, 2020
History of England review
Reasonably concise review of the history of England touching briefly on a number of topics. A decent review if you want to refresh your memory or begin to learn new pieces of England’s history.
Reasonably concise review of the history of England touching briefly on a number of topics. A decent review if you want to refresh your memory or begin to learn new pieces of England’s history.
February 15, 2020
Hardly captivating. Light on details.
Like reading Cliff notes. I was looking for more substance. The information presented was relevant to the subject, however, some of the more interesting facts and people should have been explored in greater depth.
Like reading Cliff notes. I was looking for more substance. The information presented was relevant to the subject, however, some of the more interesting facts and people should have been explored in greater depth.
December 28, 2020
A thumbnail sketch of English history.
Terse and sketchy. Left may gaps to be filled in. Not sufficiently detailed to provide a working knowledge of such a long, rich, and storied history.
Terse and sketchy. Left may gaps to be filled in. Not sufficiently detailed to provide a working knowledge of such a long, rich, and storied history.
November 1, 2022
overall good but notable omissions
Well organized and largely the level of detail was what I was looking for.
Colonies in America and that revolutionary war not much more than a mention and unless I missed it the war of 1812 was not even mentioned.
Well organized and largely the level of detail was what I was looking for.
Colonies in America and that revolutionary war not much more than a mention and unless I missed it the war of 1812 was not even mentioned.
December 30, 2019
Quick overview that gives a good road map to explore the myriad of interesting eras in English history.Check it out.
June 22, 2020
A very condensed overview of the major themes usually discussed in the history of England.
June 29, 2020
I'm sure the History of England is available in much greater detail than in this thin volume, however, I liked the brevity. I think it touched on the highlights up through WWII and was an easy read.
December 17, 2020
Oh that's amazing how to tell the history of WW2 without mentioning the Soviet Union
February 9, 2021
Great Book
📖 📚 Well written book by Captivating History, will buy from again love these history books by Captivating History looking forward Reading other history Books. 📖 📚
📖 📚 Well written book by Captivating History, will buy from again love these history books by Captivating History looking forward Reading other history Books. 📖 📚
May 17, 2021
Learned alot about England, especially the early Primitive years.
Found it strange that the most of the 1700's was missing.
Would have liked a chart of all the Monarchs.
Found it strange that the most of the 1700's was missing.
Would have liked a chart of all the Monarchs.
April 11, 2025
A good read
As a quick read this wa good, however missed out on key events like great fire of London, gunpowder plot, wars of the roses to name a few major events
As a quick read this wa good, however missed out on key events like great fire of London, gunpowder plot, wars of the roses to name a few major events
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews