An important new archive of material including letters, postcards, photographs, and other Romanov documents allows a biography of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (a member of the last Tsar family) to be produced. Sister of Nicholas II, Xenia was born in 1875 and brought up in the wealth of the Russian royal family, becoming a key ...
This work examines Alexander II's life and reign, and the lives of his children, including his successor Tsar Alexander III, whose determination to purge the empire of all terrorism and protect the autocracy brought more violence in its wake; and his grandson, Tsar Nicholas II, whose vacillation between autocracy and liberalism and disastrous ...
Drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, this biography examines the complex personality of Germany's last emperor. Born in 1859, the eldest grandchild of Queen Victoria, Prince Wilhelm was torn between two cultures - that of the Prussian Junker and that of the English liberal gentleman.
John Van der Kiste's book takes in the principal monarchies of Scandinavia going back to the beginning of the 19th century. He uses unpublished sources and photographs to show how they relate to modern European history. The book also considers the political backgrounds to the monarchs' reigns; as well as examining the suspected pro-German leanings ...
How was Queen Victoria influenced by her closest male ministers, relatives, advisers and servants? John Van der Kiste is the first to explore this aspect of Victoria's life; focusing on four roles - mentors, family, ministers and servants. A soldier's daughter, Victoria lost her father at the age of eight months. Although her uncle Leopold did his ...
A detailed, chronological account of the princesses and consort Queens of the Georgian era, from Sophia (mother of George I) who died shortly before she would have become Queen, to Adelaide, consort to William IV, whose failure to provide an heir ensured the succession passed to his niece, Queen Victoria. During this period, an array of colourful ...
Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort, had nine children who despite their very different characters, remained a close-knit family. Inevitably, as they married into European royal families their loyalties were divided and their lives dominated by political controversy. This is not only the story of their lives in terms of world impact, but ...
This musical works of Gilbert & Sullivan were amongst the most popular of the Victorian age. This anthology, marking the centenary of Sullivan's death, features extracts from his diaries and letters; Gilbert's pantomime; and material by their contemporaries, including Tennyson and Emily Dickinson. Kate Terry Gielgud (mother of the late Sir ...
At the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, almost every European nation was a monarchy, most linked by close family ties to her and Edward VII, the "uncle of Europe". Prior to the outbreak of World War I, the personal relationships of Edward, and of his successor and son, George V, flourished with the other royal families of Europe. The closeness of ...
King George III and Queen Charlotte had 15 children, all but two surviving to maturity. The eldest, who became Prince Regent and King George IV, is today less remembered for his patronage of the arts than for his extravagance, and for the harsh treatment of his wife Caroline. As Commander-in-Chief of the British army, the administrative qualities ...
What was childhood like for the princes and princesses in the Victorian and Edwardian period? Here their education, recreation and general upbringing is discussed, from Queen Victoria's isolated and lonely childhood, to the children of King George V and Queen Mary. We see glimpses of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, who enjoyed collecting fossils on ...
The six children of King George V and Queen Mary all lived to maturity except the youngest, Prince John. The eldest, who was Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, reigned as King Edward VII for less than a year. His infamous romance with Mrs Simpson plunged the country into the abdication crisis and led both of them into a long period of exile. ...
There is little available on the dramatic and colourful history of the Spanish monarchy. Experienced author and historian John Van der Kiste provides a readable and anecdotal look at one of the key European dynasties from the nineteenth century to the present. He begins with the wayward, ill-educated Isabella II, who was forced to marry her nephew ...
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra had six children. Of the five who reached maturity, only one, the future King George V, has received much attention from biographers. The eldest son, Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, a backward youth and a subject of scandal, died before he was thirty. The three princesses, Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of ...
In 1848, 28-year-old Francis Joseph became King of Hungary and Emperor of Austria. He would reign for almost 68 years, the longest of any modern European monarch. Focusing on the life of Emperor Francis Joseph and his family, this book examines their personal relationships against the turbulent background of the 19th century.
Mary (1662-94), daughter of James, Duke of York, heir to the English throne, then fifteen, is said to have wept for a day and a half when she was told she was to marry her cousin, William (1650-1702), son of William II of Orange (1626-50), Stadtholder of the Dutch republic, and Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I of England, who was eleven years ...
"Somerset Murders" brings together numerous murderous tales that shocked not only the county but also made headlines throughout the country. They include the cases of Elizabeth and Betty Branch, a mother and daughter who beat a young servant girl to death in Hemington in 1740; 13-year-old Betty Trump, whose throat was cut while walking home at ...
With the wedding of Vicky, Princess Royal of Great Britain, and Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia in January 1858, the prospects of a peaceful and harmonius Europe looked promising. The young couple was very much in love, yet several tragedies marred their marriage: the traumatic birth of their first son and heir, William; the death of ...
This biography of the last king to lead British troups into baffle and his able wife provides intriquing insight into 18th century war and politics. Often derided as the buffoon who "hated all boets and bainters", George II was fortunate to be served by Prime Ministers Sir Robert Walpole and William Pitt, and was wise enough to leave the business ...
Mary (1662-94), daughter of James, Duke of York, heir to the English throne, then 15, is said to have wept for a day and a half when she was told she was to marry her cousin, William (1650-1702), son of William II of Orange (1626-50), Stadtholder of the Dutch republic, and Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I of England, who was eleven years older ...
This book examines his life and reign including his mistress Catherine Dolgorouky who later became his second wife, and the lives of his children: Tsar Alexander III; his daughter Grand Duchess Marie; Grand Duke Serge; Grand Duke Pau plus his four illegitimate children by his mistress, one of whom lived in England until her death in 1959.
Eighth-century martyr St Boniface, tennis player and TV presenter Sue Barker, painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, scholar Sir Thomas Bodley, actor Sir Donald Sinden, Boer War commander Sir Redvers Buller, radio and TV presenter Ed Stewart and round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester are among personalities through the ages who have been born in ...
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