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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Royalty
Immortalised by the chronicler Froissart as the most beautiful
woman in England and the most loved, Joan was the wife of the Black
Prince and the mother of Richard II, the first Princess of Wales
and the only woman ever to be Princess of Aquitaine. The
contemporary consensus was that she admirably fulfilled their
expectations for a royal consort and king's mother. Who was this
'perfect princess'? In this first major biography, Joan's
background and career are examined to reveal a remarkable story.
Brought up at court following her father's shocking execution, Joan
defied convention by marrying secretly aged just twelve, and
refused to deny her first love despite coercion, imprisonment and a
forced bigamous marriage. Wooed by the Black Prince when she was
widowed, theirs was a love match, yet the questionable legality of
their marriage threatened their son's succession to the throne.
Intelligent and independent, Joan constructed her role as Princess
of Wales. Deliberately self-effacing, she created and managed her
reputation, using her considerable intercessory skills to protect
and support Richard. A loyal wife and devoted mother, Joan was much
more than just a famous beauty.
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The Prince
(Hardcover)
Nicolo Machiavelli; Translated by W.K. Marriott
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R573
Discovery Miles 5 730
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert
accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback If Ethelred was
notoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should
bear the designation of 'George the Dutiful'. Throughout his life
he dedicated himself to the pursuit of what he thought he ought to
be doing rather than what he wanted to do. Inarticulate and
loathing any sort of public appearances, he accepted that it was
his destiny to figure regularly and conspicuously in the public
eye, gritted his teeth, largely conquered his crippling stammer and
got on with it. He was not born to be king, but he made an
admirable one, and was the figurehead of the nation at the time of
its greatest trial, during the Second World War. This is a
sparklingly brilliant and enjoyable book about him.
'When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept
defeat; instead they are all the more determined to struggle for a
better future.' - HM Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-serving
monarch and celebrated role model for our times. Examining such
underrated virtues as duty, kindness and discretion, as exemplified
by HM The Queen, Mary Killen has created a transformative guide for
all who aspire to become happier, wiser and more adept at
navigating life's ups and down with integrity and dignity. (We must
always try not to swear.) In our throw-away fashion culture we'd
all do well to follow The Queen's make-do-and-mend example. Sit up
straight with a regal posture, and your digestion will benefit. Fit
more into your life by following routines. Tidiness is a primary
skill - as a small girl The Queen would arrange her shoes and sea
shells into neat rows. To help with everyday anxieties we can study
the mysterious but time-honoured techniques Her Majesty calls upon
to rise above her own challenges. Packed with invaluable wisdom and
insight, this small book carries a big purpose.
The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert
accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback 'After my death',
George V said of his eldest son and heir, 'the boy will ruin
himself in 12 months'. From the death of his father in 1936 to the
constitutional crisis provoked by his proposal to the then-married
American socialite Wallis Simpson and his subsequent abdication,
Edward VIII reigned for less than year. In choosing the woman he
loved over his royal birthright, Edward fulfilled his father's
prophecy and instigated the monarchy's most significant upheaval of
the twentieth century. Retitled 'Duke of Windsor' and essentially
exiled, Edward has remained a controversial figure ever since.
Through his correspondence with, amongst other confidants, Winston
Churchill, Piers Brendon traces Edward's tumultuous life in this
superb, pacey biography.
'To be a medieval king was a job of work ... This was a man who
knew how to run a complex organization. He was England's CEO' The
youngest of William the Conqueror's sons, Henry I came to
unchallenged power only after two of his brothers died in strange
hunting accidents and he had imprisoned the other. He was destined
to become one of the greatest of all medieval monarchs, both
through his own ruthlessness, and through his dynastic legacy.
Edmund King's engrossing portrait shows a strikingly charismatic,
intelligent and fortunate man, whose rule was looked back on as the
real post-conquest founding of England as a new realm: wealthy,
stable, bureaucratised and self-confident.
The purpose of this book is to give, not only a portrait and a
description of the birds, but a summing up of the beneficial and
injurious habits of each, gained from the highest authorities
obtainable. The book is intended for those who long to know birds
intimately and intelligently, and wish to belong to the great army
of bird-students who are "doing their bit" to preserve the
bird-life of our country.
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The Queen
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R375
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Discovery Miles 3 000
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