Royal Panoply Brief Lives of the English Monarchs [Paperback]

From medieval conqueror to Renaissance autocrat to Victorian Empress to modern melodrama,Royal Panoplyis the story of some of the most fascinating people in world history.

With her trademark blend of probing scholarship, lively prose, and psychological insight, Carolly Erickson focuses on each monarch's entire life---from the puny, socially awkward Charles I, to the choleric, violent William the Conqueror, to the well-meaning, deeply affectionate Queen Anne, who was so heavy she had to be carried to her coronation.Royal Panoplyrecaptures the event-filled, often dangerous, always engaging lives of England's kings and queens, set against the backdrop of a thousand years of Britain's past.

From William of Normandy, who seized the English throne in 1066 and became the formidably galvanizing William I, to the remote Elizabeth II, Erickson covers centuries of British monarchy in knowledgeable . . . biographies. [A]n accessible source for readers who can't get enough of kings and queens. Kirkus Reviews

An entertaining history of English rulers from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II that proves why this rather old-fashioned genre is still popular. Erickson devotes about ten pages to each monarch---as much to Queen Anne as to Queen Victoria . . . fascinating. Publishers Weekly

Carolly Erickson brings [an] immediacy and easy intimacy to her study. Los Angeles Times Book Review on To the Scaffold

Carolly Erickson tells [this story] with all the flair it deserves. . . . Exquisite writing. Houston Chronicle on Josephine

Distinguished historianCarolly Ericksonis the author ofRival to the Queen,The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots,The First Elizabeth,The Hidden Life of Josephine,The Last Wife of Henry VIII,and many other prize-winning works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novelThe Tsarina's Daughterwon theRomantic TimesReviewer's CholS4