Diarmait Mac Murchada was a king through misadventure. Owing to a series of fatal family mishaps he was elected to power in 1126 at sixteen. He ruled through a turbulent period and became one of the most dominant figures in Irish history. Furlong presents a thorough account of Diarmait's life and examines his actions and decisions not only in the context of his questionable personal traits and character but also expanding the analysis to reflect on his effect on the political turbulence of the time. At one stage of his influential life, ousted as King of Leinster, he invited King Henry II of England to assist him in regaining the throne. The subsequent invasion marked the beginning of eight centuries of English dominance. After his death he was damned as a traitor and a blackguard. He is recorded as having two wives at the same time, raping an abbess, the abduction of Dervorgilla, the wife of his bitter rival, and the mutilation and killing of rivals. Furlong's Diarmait King of Leinster is a subtle, compassionate yet realistic examination of the man behind the myth.

1924. With 16 Illustrations. The biography of Anne Boleyn attracted the attention of King Henry VIII, who at that point had been married to Catherine of Aragon for decades. In the hopes that a new marriage would bring him a son, Henry sought a divorce from Catherine so that he could marry Anne, and set into motion a chain of events that would irrevocably break the Church of England from the Catholic Church. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

His Adventures, Set To Paper By Mary Laughan, A Maid, Who Through Affection Followed Him To The West Indies And Spanish Main, Acting As His Secretary, He Deeming Her A Male Though Timid.

1880. Anna Jameson, a British writer, states that the intention of this work is to present in a small compass and at one view, an idea of the influence which a female government has had, generally, on men and nations, and of the influence which the possession of power has had individually on the female character. Contents: Semiramis; Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt; Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra; Joanna I, Queen of Naples and Sicily; Joanna II, Queen of Naples; Isabella of Castile; Mary, Queen of Scots; Queen Elizabeth; Christina, Queen of Sweden; Anne, Queen of Great Britain; Maria Theresa, Empress of Germany and Queen of Hungary; and Catherine II. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Originally published in 1898. Author: Thomas Carlyle Language: English Keywords: Literature/ History Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

From her overprotected girlhood to her ascension to the throne at twenty-five, to her personal and national difficulties as queen, Elizabeth II has presided over her people for half a century. Acclaimed historian Erickson tells the queen's story from her point of view, letting the reader re-live Elizabeth's long and eventful life. Lilibet shows us an Elizabeth we thought we knew - but in a different light. We glimpse, as never before, the strong and appealing sovereign who has reigned over the decline of Great Britain and the fall in prestige of her own Windsor dynasty.

It would be hard to invent a group of personalities more extraordinary than the British Royal Family - known as 'The Firm' by Prince Philip. With an eye on the past, present and future, this book takes an up-to-date look at how the family really operates and reveals how they behave behind closed doors. With showbiz stars and sporting celebrities now attracting the adulation once afforded to royalty, The Firm questions what monarchy is for. Is it a hangover from the past, an expensive anachronism, a relic of a bygone age of deference and hierarchy, or is it an important and relevant part of Britain in the 21st century - something that gives stability and continuity to the country, and richness and glamour to our national life in ways that a republic never could? If so, do the media mock, hound and criticize the Royal Family at their peril? Has Prince Charles sacrificed the throne for love? Could Prince William decide that the long lenses and the scrutiny of his private life is too high a price to pay? Penny will also look at how the dynamics of the royal household have changed over the last year and what repercussions these changes will have. Whilst in the hardback edition Penny Junor was able to discuss the implications of Charles and Camilla's marriage only two months after it was announced, the paperback promises to offer a host of new surprises and implication for the future of the House of Windsor, as well as an inside view of how The Firm have taken in their newest member. Whatever happens over the next year, we can be sure that Penny will update this paperback edition to make it an essential buy for anyone who has even a passing interest in Britain's most dysfunctional and fascinating family.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Julia Gelardi's "Born to Rule" is the powerful epic story of five royal granddaughters of Queen Victoria, who reigned over the end of their empires, the destruction of their families, and the tumult of the twentieth century

Here are the stories of Alexandra, whose faith in Rasputin and tragic end have become the stuff of legend; Marie, the flamboyant and eccentric queen who battled her way through a life of intrigues and was also the mother of two Balkan queens and of the scandalous Carol II of Romania; Victoria Eugenie, Spain's very English queen who, like Alexandra, introduced hemophilia into her husband's family---with devastating consequences for her marriage; Maud, King Edward VII's daughter, who was independent Norway's reluctant queen; and Sophie, Kaiser Wilhelm II's much maligned sister, daughter of an emperor and herself the mother of no less than three kings and a queen, who ended her days in bitter exile.

Using never before published letters, memoirs, diplomatic documents, secondary sources, and interviews with descendents of the subjects, Julia Gelardi's "Born to Rule "is an astonishing and memorable work of popular history.

1889. The English historian Gairdner's valuable and painstaking contributions to English history relate chiefly to the reigns of Richard III, Henry VII and Henry VIII. He begins his biography of Henry the Seventh: Never was king so thoroughly disciplined by adversity before he came to the throne as was King Henry VII. Without a father even from his birth, driven abroad in his childhood owing to the attainder of his family, more than once nearly delivered up to his enemies and owing life and liberty to his own and his friends' astuteness, his ultimate conquest of the Crown was scarcely so much a triumph of ambition as the achievement of personal safety. Contents: Early Life; Attainment of the Crown; Settlement in the Kingdom; Rebellion of Lambert Simnel; The War in Brittainy; The War with France; Perkin Warbeck and His Friends; Ireland; Henry's Foreign Policy; Domestic History; Prosperity and Alliances; and Henry VII and Castile. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback Elizabeth II is the longest-serving monarch who ever sat on the English or British throne. Yet her personality and influence remain elusive. This book, by a senior politician who has spent significant periods of time in her company, and is also a distinguished historian, portrays her more credibly than any other yet published. Douglas Hurd was a politician, biographer and novelist who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, as Minister for Europe (1979-83), Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1984-85), Home Secretary (1985-89) and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1989-95). His previous books include his Memoirs, Robert Peel: A Biography and, with Edward Young, Choose Your Weapons: The British Foreign Secretary - 200 Years of Argument, Success and Failure.

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.

Are you intrigued by Brother Cadfael or Jane Austen's heroines and want to learn more about Maud the Empress or the Prince Regent? Need a better grasp of the background to Shakespeare's history plays or career? Let "Royals of England" fill in the missing links. "Royals of England" offers lively biographies of royal personages that accompany detailed accounts of geographic sites and websites. Placed in chronological order, each profile can easily be read as a self-contained narrative. With the information provided by authors Kathleen Spaltro and Noeline Bridge, you'll be able to design a tour around a royal person of interest or search out all the royal persons associated with a certain locale. Fifty family trees, one or more for most chapters, help you identify members of different royal houses. You'll be able to determine how the Jacobite Pretenders passed their claim to the Kings of Sardinia, or how Lettice Knollys, wife to Leicester and mother to Essex, was related to Elizabeth I. "Royals of England" provides a useful resource for history enthusiasts, travelers, and genealogists alike.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Born into Iran's most powerful aristocratic family - so feared by Khomeini that the entire clan was blacklisted - Prince Manucher was raised in a vast harem with his thirty-five brothers and sisters, one of whom married the head of Iran's communist party, while another, who was once foreign minister, lost his life to the upstart Shah's jealousy. Farmanfarmaian was the primary government negotiator with the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company until its convulsive nationalization by his cousin Mossedeq in 1951. Later, as a director of the National Iranian Oil Company, he pioneered - against the Shah's wishes - the partnership that resulted in OPEC. This is the first account by one of OPEC's original crafters of the politics and intrigue surrounding the international development of the oil industry. With the flair of a modern-day Arabian Nights, Blood and Oil brilliantly renders the tensions between the excesses of the ancien regime and Iran's increasingly reactionary religious establishment. Prince Manucher's close relationships with everyone from the last Shah to the teary-eyed Mossadeq allow him to provide a fresh portrait of the Pahlavi reign and the revolution that brought it down. But the real revelation in these pages is his new perspective on British oil imperialism, and its brutal effect on twentieth-century history.

Princess Dar Ling's chronicle of life at court.

1917. Contents: Youth; Father and Son; The Young Ruler; Journeys and Intrigues; The Breach with Bismarck; The New Master; An Enlightened Policy; Political Chess; The Jubilee Year; A Future on the Seas; The End of the First Ten Years; Theory and Fact; The Triumph of Caesarism; Disappointments; The Meteor and Others; Nervous Symptoms; An Interview and Its Consequences; Before the Great War; and William the Problem.

She quietly persevered in the "progresses" which annoyed the irascible and unreasonable old King, even visiting the Isle of Wight, though the royal big guns were forbidden to "pop" at sight of the royal standard, which waved over her, and the young hope of England. Perhaps recollections of those pleasant visits with her mother at Norris Castle have helped to render so dear the Queen's own beautiful sea-side home, Osborne House. I remember a pretty little story, told by a tourist, who happened to be stopping at the village of Brading during one of those visits to the lovely island.

1901. Part One of Three. With a special introduction by Leon Vallee. The memoirs of the Sun King, one of the most powerful rulers in Western history, written by the Duc de Saint-Simon who was at the very center of Louis XIV's court at Versailles. A genuinely pious and honest man, Saint-Simon's unblinking, eyewitness account of the intrigue, passion, jealousy, and political skullduggery that were part of Louis XIV's rule makes this a supreme work of art. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Though written in popular style, this book is intended as the real verified history and complete biography of the Lost Little King, uncrowned Louis XVII, of France; the thrilling story of a real life, that seems almost unreal enough for a romance. It has been a sad tale of two continents for a century. Sample contents: The Prince is Born; Marie Antoinette Appears for the Last Time in Regal Magnificence; Storming of the Bastille; Wit and Wisdom of the Baby Dauphin. Handsomely illustrated with 25 plates.

The most comprehensive examination ever undertaken of the Russian imperial family's final months in captivity Tsar Nicholas II and his family continue to fascinate the world, and the controversy surrounding their fate still rages, even after recent DNA tests on the imperial remains. In this new book, two noted historians offer readers the most detailed account yet of the imperial family's last months and their murder by the Bolsheviks. Analyzing more than 500 previously unpublished documents, and including many previously unseen photos, the authors reconstruct the daily life of the prisoners in the Ipatiev House, shattering the decades--old depiction of hardened, brutal guards who delighted in deliberate torment. They offer new interpretations, fresh evidence, and careful examination of the murder, the disposal of the bodies, and the quest to identify the remains, based on their years of extensive research. Greg King (Seattle, WA) is the author of five previous books. A noted historian on imperial Russia and the Romanov dynasty, he is a frequent contributor to television specials in the United States, Canada, and Britain. imperial period.