There is no year like a Jubilee year for new royal biographies. Co-Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Tracy Borman brings us a collective biography of English monarchs, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. While these larger biographies periodically come out, the Jubilee provides the perfect moment to look back on nearly 1,000 years of English monarchs. Today I’m sharing why you should read Tracy Borman’s Crown and Sceptre.
Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II, Tracy Borman (1 Feb 2022)
Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne: “shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman evocatively describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the throne’s occupant been unambiguously English–whether Norman French, the Welsh-born Tudors, the Scottish Stuarts, and the Hanoverians and their German successors to the present day.Acknowledging the intrinsic fascination with British royalty, Borman lifts the veil to reveal the remarkable characters and personalities who have ruled and, since the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, more ceremonially reigned–a crucial distinction explaining the staying power of the monarchy as the royal family has evolved and adapted to the needs and opinions of its people, avoiding the storms of rebellion that brought many of Europe’s royals to an abrupt end. Richard II; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; George III; Victoria; Elizabeth II: their names evoke eras and the dramatic events Borman recounts. She is equally attuned to the fabric of monarchy: royal palaces; the way monarchs have been portrayed in art, on coins, in the media; the ceremony and pageantry surrounding the crown.
In 2024, Elizabeth II would eclipse France’s Louis XIV as the longest reigning monarch in history. Crown & Sceptre is a fitting tribute to her remarkable longevity and that of the magnificent institution she represents.
Why You Should Read This…
I do think that this book is aimed at a somewhat-particular reader- if you are well-versed in the history of monarchy, you probably aren’t reaching for a collective biography. However, I think that this book is the perfect introduction to the English/British monarchy. There are always people becoming newly interested in the monarchy, and it does seem unfortunate that they often have to go back 15-20 years to find a solid introduction. Borman is a talented writer and keeps the book engaging and entertaining, not always an easy feat! I appreciate that she included context to each monarch, rather than placing them in a vacuum. All in all, a wonderful text!
Is Crown and Sceptre on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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