Kings & Queens – serie

In a world historically dominated by male rulers, the women who have sat on thrones of their own shine out brightly. Some queens and empresses were born to greatness, while others fought their way to power. Queens ranges from the ancient world to the present day, telling the stories of these women who ruled, from murderous former courtesan Wu Zetian in 7th century China to Elizabeth I, the ‘Virgin Queen’ of England. In 6th century Constantinople, Empress Theodora, who had been a street performer before catching the eye of Emperor Justinian, extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property and made rape a crime punishable by death. In 12th century Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine first married the king of France and then the king of England. At the Mughal court in Lahore in the early 17th century, Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was the political powerhouse behind the throne. In more recent history, the book explores the reigns of Catherine the Great, revealing how a minor German aristocrat came to rule and expand the Russian Empire, Queen Victoria, whose family dominated the world in the early 20th centuty, and her more recent descendent, Elizabeth II, the longest-ruling queen in history. Female rulers are often described as ambitious rather than bold, as devious rather than diplomatically astute and as intriguers and meddlers, all characterizations that are destructive to the reality of women’s lives in the world’s monarchies. Even genealogies still often leave out the women of royal families, overlooking their genuine contributions. To some extent, we will never know these great women of history as well as we know their menfolk; the sources simply leave too many gaps. However, we can and will do better in giving the women rulers of history the recognition they deserve Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Queens highlights the true personalities and real lives of the women who became monarchs and empresses.

The Great, the Pious, the Fair; the Wise, the Lame, the Mad. Imprisoned, deposed, exiled. Excommunicated, assassinated; devout, debauched; loved, loathed — the Middle Ages produced a fascinating array of monarchs. From Britain to Russia, from Scandinavia to Sicily, from the 9th century CE to the completion of the Reconquista of Spain in 1492, Kings & Queens of the Medieval World explores the captivating stories of monarchs from all across Europe. Arranged thematically, the book groups the kings and queens by their achievements – military leaders, law-makers, religious reformers, patrons of the arts. These are stories of monarchs leading their armies into battle to expand or defend their territory, and of kings – and queens – going on crusade – both within Europe and to the Holy Land. These, too, are stories of, on the one hand, countries united by marriage, and, on the other, sons scheming against fathers in an effort to gain – and maintain – power. And yet these are also the stories of the people who constructed beautiful cathedrals, who founded universities and supported artists, of religious kings who were later canonised, of kings who created more just legal systems, established parliaments and permanent armies, and laid the foundations for more modern governments and societies. Featuring the major European dynasties, Kings & Queens of the Medieval World is a lively account of monarchs from Charlemagne to Alexander Nevsky to Ferdinand and Isabella. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-and-white artworks, photographs and maps, this is a colourful, accessible history.