More than just a series of biographies of the great, indifferent and downright awful Kings and Queens (and the odd Lord Protector) that have ruled England, David Starkey’s Monarchy provides an examination that the institution of the monarchy has had on the development of English (later British) society and culture. For, whether royalist or staunch republican, it is undeniable that the monarchy has been one of the most constant and influential institutions in English history, forever adapting or being forced to change but always enduring in one form or another.
Monarchy is written with the flair to be expected from David Starkey and offers an excellent account of the history of the monarchy as well as the wider political and social situation in England.
A Royal History
Starkey begins his account with Henry Tudor assuming the throne after victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry VII as he was crowned was the first of five Tudor monarchs and the founder of a dynasty that is still held fondly in the English popular consciousness. After Henry VII came his son Henry VIII, a monarch who forever altered the political and religious landscape of the country. Henry VIII was succeeded by each of his three children (Edward, Mary and Elizabeth) in turn and each of them set about moulding England into shape according to their personal religious views.
Unsurprisingly given Starkey’s reputation as an expert on the Tudor period, the opening section of Monarchy is particularly strong.
After the Tudors, Starkey moves on to the Stuarts and the union of the English monarchy with that of Scotland. Every following royal house and individual monarch is discussed from Oliver Cromwell (who, although he had the title of Lord Protector, was “king in all but name”) and the Civil War to the restoration of the monarchy, the crown passing to the House of Hanover and the Georgian period to the First World War and George V erasing his German heritage in name at least.
Monarchy ends with a discussion of the royal family as it currently stands and Starkey speculates as to what he thinks the future holds for the institution of monarchy and its role in British life.
An Authoritative Account
David Starkey is one of the foremost British historians writing today. With Monarchy he provides a compelling and informative account of the changing role of the royal family as well as the way the monarchy itself has shaped the political and social development of Britain.
Starkey writes with authority and his obvious passion for the subject injects a vibrancy into the people and events that he discusses that helps to keep the reader engaged throughout the book. The colourful characters (to put it mildly) that have peopled the various royal houses of England also do their bit to entertain the reader as, for every great leader, there is at least one oddball who should never have been handed the reigns of power.
Given the relatively short length of the book and the fairly massive time period that is covered within it, Monarchy is necessarily more of a thorough overview of the history of the British royal family rather than an in-depth, detailed account. However, no one could produce a finer overview of the complex subject of the monarchy than David Starkey and Monarchy is an excellent book for those new to the topic as well as those seeking to refresh their knowledge.
Monarchy is an entertaining and masterful book that offers a reappraisal of royalty’s role in shaping British society, culture and politics.
Monarchy: England and Her Rulers from the Tudors to the Windsors by David Starkey
ISBN 9780007247660, Harper Perennial, 2007, pp 256, £8.99
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