Tag: monarchy
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Once a King by Jane Tippett
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Once a King: Lots of drama with little accountability. Quick synopsis: A look at the unpublished memoir of Edward VIII of England. You know, the one who quit. Fact for Non-History People: Edward was paid $75,000 in 1947 to write 3 articles on his childhood. In today’s dollars, that’s… a lot.…
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The Palace by Gareth Russell
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Palace: Scandals, chocolate, and a king or two. Quick synopsis: A biography of Hampton Court Palace throughout British history. Fact for Non-History People: There are 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace. The cleaning bills must be insane. Fact for History Nerds: Elizabeth II’s coronation caused TV purchases in the UK to…
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Battle for the Island Kingdom by Don Hollway
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Battle for the Island Kingdom: It’s good to be king. Until you get killed, probably by a family member. Quick synopsis: A look at England and its rulers from 1000-1066. Fact for Non-History People: A mail hauberk (shirt made of metal links) could take a thousand-man hours to create. Fact for…
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Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Young Queens: The Kardashians are amateurs compared to these people. Quick synopsis: The story of the early lives of Catherine de Medici, Mary Queen of Scots, and Elisabeth de Valois. Fact for Non-History People: King Francis of France stayed in the room the night of the marriage of Catherine de Medici…
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Harry & Meghan (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: We need to talk about Harry. Quick synopsis: The epic battle of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle vs. the British Royal Family. Fun Fact: No one believed I would actually watch and review this, but I did it for you, dear nerds. My Take on Harry & Meghan: Now, since I come…
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The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Dark Queens: Game of Thrones only real. Less dragons, obviously. Quick synopsis: The story of Queens Brunhild and Fredegund who were trying to kill each other for decades while ruling their kingdoms. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Vikings wearing horned helmets? Not a thing. Someone made it up…
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The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons by Paul Hill
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons: Who would have thought writing stuff down would make such a difference. Quick synopsis: The story of England around the time of Alfred the Great. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Alfred the Great kept a third of his revenues to provide gifts to visiting dignitaries…
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God’s Traitors by Jessie Childs
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for God’s Traitors: (Looks toward England. Raises middle finger.) Quick synopsis: Another story about how England is the devil. This time, it focuses on the Catholic Vaux family in Elizabethan England. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There were places built into homes to hide clergy during the time of Catholic persecution.…
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Battle of the Books: Catherine of Aragon
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Catherine of Aragon: Yes, they all talk about the same woman (Catherine/Katherine). They just spelled it differently. Quick synopsis: Biographies of Catherine of Aragon by Giles Tremlett, Patrick Williams, and Amy Licence. She was the first wife of Henry VIII and yes then it all went wrong. Fun Fact Non-History People…