English Royalty Biographies

England's first Queen Elizabeth gave her name to an age. Inheriting a bankrupt, famished, and powerless country, she healed its religious rifts, replenished its treasury, redefined diplomatic guile, defeated the Spanish Armada, and inspired a new flowering of English culture. Her father, Henry VIII, beheaded her mother, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth was declared a bastard. As Henry kept marrying and discarding wives, she had to be adroit and canny to avoid being snared in the schemes of courtiers plotting to win the crown.

Born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, the Honorable Diana Frances Spencer attained wealth, power, and title with her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. But her ultimate triumph owed nothing to those circumstances and everything to her inner qualities: to an innate ability to understand and connect with ordinary people, especially the desperately sick, the rejected, the "unloved."

Queen Elizabeth is perhaps the most legendary and celebrated ruler in English history. Yet do you really know her as well as you think you do? In this beautiful narrative biography, you explore Elizabeth’s path from “Lady Elizabeth” to “Gloriana” through the lens of her relationship with Robert Dudley, a relationship far more contentious than most people believe.

The reign of Queen Elizabeth II has seen huge changes in the lifestyle and expectations of peoples and nations. She has proved to be the constitutional monarch par excellence—while primarily a figurehead, she has guided the concept of monarchy through difficult times, both national and personal. And even when her family has been rocked by scandals, she has maintained a quiet dignity. In this informative yet entertaining audio-biography, Pearson Phillips reflects on her life and times.

At the age of 25, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress and little more than a year later, she became royalty. Stunningly beautiful, elusive, and aloof, Grace Kelly captured our imagination and affection throughout her storybook career and royal marriage. Raised in Philadelphia in an atmosphere of great wealth and greater expectations, Grace transformed from an aristocratic conforming beauty into a sensual, recklessly daring woman. In Grace, Robert Lacey breaks through the glittery façade of her public image and reveals a complex, surprisingly conflicted woman.

Few women in history have stood the test of time, but the true story surrounding the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots has ensured that her story lives on to intrigue and fascinate. Who was this 16th-century lady and what role did she play in the history of Great Britain? Piece together the Queen of Scots’ turbulent relationship with her cousin Elizabeth I of England, which ultimately proved to be her downfall. When the Queen of England signed Mary’s death warrant, the Queen of Scots, dressed in blood red, played out her final act under the executioner’s axe.

A time of extreme religious unrest, a most magnificent and dangerous court, and strong ideas about the need for a perfect heir: all this may have been enough to transform an intelligent, compassionate and generous young king into such a bloody monster that he was eventually called the "English Nero". Henry VIII is most remembered for his six marriages, two of which ended with beheadings.

Henry V is one of the most famous monarchs England ever had. His story is one of incredible rise against overwhelming odds: as heir to the throne, he began as a complete failure, his reputation very low, as he was an insecure ruler and victim to plots and cabals to remove him from power. While England was at war with France, everything seemed to go from terrible to terribly worse. The Battle of Agincourt was one of the most impressive gambles ever taken in military history.

Richard III: one of the most divisive and enigmatic figures in British history. Few monarchs have been held in greater infamy than Richard Plantagenet, who would later ascend the throne as King Richard III; his character has been passionately besmirched and defended, and the arguments still rage after several centuries. He was depicted as a deformed monster in Shakespeare's play, but maybe this was to obey the will of the Tudor monarchy of the time. His real tragedy was both personal and political; his story, replete with intrigue, murder, war, and treachery. Richard III laid the foundations for modern government, often taking the side of the people against the barons; for this, he eventually paid a terrible price.

King Edward I "Longshanks", or the "Hammer of the Scots", was a major figure of Medieval England. Arguably one of the most controversial British monarchs, he was portrayed as an ignominious villain in Mel Gibsons' Braveheart; but the reality was different. Indeed, his reign stands among the most dramatic and important of the entire Middle Ages, as Edward I brought war and conquest on an unprecedented scale; but he is also credited for bringing together the largest parliaments ever, for his competent rulership, and for the magnificent chain of castles he had built.

From a young age, Charles V showed tremendous potential and intelligence. As his father and grandfather before him continued to weaken France and ruin the prestige of their royal house, Charles’ arrival on the scene couldn’t have come at a better time.

Curious about how a young princess navigated her path to become a global symbol of strength and stability? Eager to delve into the illustrious reign of one of the world's most iconic monarchs? Ready to explore the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II? A Brief History of Queen Elizabeth II unravels the captivating story of the longest-reigning British monarch. This book isn't just a chronicle of a royal life; it's a journey through the evolution of the monarchy in a world of rapid change.

Why was Edward I also known as Edward Longshanks? What do historians think happened to the Princes in the Tower? Who became known as ‘The Kingmaker' and why? And who shocked Europe with the murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury? All of these questions and more are answered in this excellent audiobook containing over one hundred facts about the Plantagenets. Separated into sections covering either an individual monarch or era, the audiobook is perfect for anyone studying this fascinating period in English History as well as those with a general interest in the age.

All Henry VI "The Mad" ever wanted was peace. But everything kept going to hell around him, till his mind broke from the pressure of having to rule two kingdoms, wage a war, and survive countless cabals all the while having not a single clue how rulership worked. Henry VI was thrown into power at the tender age of nine months, and kept being let down by everyone around him, while he struggled to understand what was going on.

King Philip VI was the first French King of the famous House Valois, and he inherited France at the height of its power. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t remain that way for long. His fierce rivalry with King Edward of England destabilized the region, threw France into turmoil, and launched one of Europe's most infamous wars: The Hundred Years’ War. Originally born into minor nobility, Philip was never considered to one day be king. The life journey of Philip VI, the first king of House Valois, is a truly fascinating story filled with unsuspecting inheritance.

One of the most powerful men who ever lived was a Holy Roman Emperor and controlled vast swathes of the planet. Quite a bit has been written over the centuries about Charles V, but even so, historical texts do not always reveal the complex personality that this man possessed. He was a man of purpose who felt destined to hold both Europe and the Christian faith together. He knew this would be no easy task, but he nevertheless threw himself into it whole-heartedly. This is the life and the story of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire.

As the heir to the Spanish Empire of his father Charles V, Philip II came into this world with some rather big shoes to fill. Eventually, Philip would prove himself in his own right even though he turned out to be a much different ruler than his father. He won a life or death struggle against a resurgent Ottoman Empire, he consolidated Spanish dominion in the Americas, and he fought to maintain Spanish holdings in Europe. He also used a ruthless Spanish Inquisition in order to keep his subjects in line with his own version of the Catholic faith.

When it comes to women in history, there are few who command the respect that Boudicca, the warrior queen of the ancient Britons, has achieved over the centuries. Yet, this fearsome female remains, to this day, a true enigma. Who she was, what she did, and the consequences of her actions are as fascinating as they have ever been, and this audiobook will take you on a journey of discovery to find the real Boudicca - the woman beyond the legend.

Alexandra Feodorovna was one of the most tragic figures of the 20th century. Born in the wrong time, giddy with power, married to a man who ruled one-sixth of the world, she was murdered with her family in 1918.

Reigning from 1894 to 1917, Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia. His rule served as the bookends between what were essentially two Russian empires; the one that his forefathers carved out through imperial ambition and the one dictated by the zealous communists of the Soviet Union bent on socialist expansion. Nicholas was by most accounts a conflicted ruler; a man viewed as kind and generous in his mannerisms, yet alleged to be greatly disconnected and apathetic toward the subjects he was supposed to rule over.