History of Britain, A - Volume I: At the Edge of the World? 3000 B.C.--A.D. 1603Simon Schama's magesterial new book encompasses over 1,500 years of Britain's history, from the first Roman invasions to the early seventeenth century, and the extraordinary reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Schama, the author of the highly acclaimed Citizens and The Embarrassment of Riches, is one of the most popular and celebrated historians of our day, and in this magnificent work he brings history to dramatic life with a wealth of stories and vivid, colorful detail, reanimating familiar figures and events and drawing them skillfully into a powerful and compelling narrative. Schama's perspective moves from the birth of civilization to the Norman Conquest; through the religious wars and turbulance of the Middle Ages to the sovereignties of Henry II, Richard I and King John; through the outbreak of the Black Death, which destroyed nearly half of Europe's population, through the reign of Edward I and the growth of national identity in Wales and Scotland, to the intricate conflicts of the Tudors and the clash between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Driven by the drama of the stories themselves but exploring at the same time a network of interconnected themes--the formation of a nation state, the cyclical nature of power, the struggles between the oppressors and the oppressed--this is a superbly readable and illuminating account of a great nation, and its extraordinary history. |
From inside the book
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Page 47
... ideal of the regnum Britanniae , the kingdom of the Britons - and they often built settlements on the ruined remains of old Roman- British towns , not least , of course , London , but in no other respect did they remotely resemble that ...
... ideal of the regnum Britanniae , the kingdom of the Britons - and they often built settlements on the ruined remains of old Roman- British towns , not least , of course , London , but in no other respect did they remotely resemble that ...
Page 64
... ideal of English kingship that had crystallized under Alfred persisted . And it is one of the most profound ironies of early British history that it was , at heart , a Roman ideal of rule , which was implanted in the breasts of the ...
... ideal of English kingship that had crystallized under Alfred persisted . And it is one of the most profound ironies of early British history that it was , at heart , a Roman ideal of rule , which was implanted in the breasts of the ...
Page 192
... ideal negotiator , considering that he had also let it be known that the traditional laws of Wales were contrary to the Bible . Back came Llewellyn's unequivocal reply that the country was not his to give : ' Let it be known that since ...
... ideal negotiator , considering that he had also let it be known that the traditional laws of Wales were contrary to the Bible . Back came Llewellyn's unequivocal reply that the country was not his to give : ' Let it be known that since ...
Other editions - View all
A History of Britain - Volume 1: At the Edge of the World? 3000 BC ..., Volume 1 Simon Schama No preview available - 2009 |
A History of Britain - Volume 1: At the Edge of the World? 3000 BC-AD 1603 Simon Schama No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbey Alfred Angevin Anglo-Saxon Anne Archbishop Archbishop of Canterbury army barons battle became Becket bishops Black Death body Britain British brother Bruce campaign Canterbury castles Catherine Catholic Cecil century Christian chronicler Church Cnut coronation court Crown Dal Riata died Dudley Duke Earl earls of Mercia East Anglia Edward Edward the Confessor Eleanor Elizabeth empire England English face father France French fyrd Godwine Gwynedd Harold Harthacnut heir Henry Henry II Henry's horses huscarls Ireland John king king's kingdom knew knights land London lord magnates marriage married Mary Mary's medieval Montfort Norfolk Norman Normandy Northumbria numbers parliament perhaps Plantagenet political pope priests prince Protestant queen realm Reformation reign Richard Robert Roman Rome royal Saxon Scotland Scots Scottish seemed Simon survived thegns Thomas thought throne tomb took Tostig Tower troops Tudor Viking village Wales Walsingham Welsh Wessex Westminster William