Free eBooks Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (updated) Available To Downloads
A unique book on Britain’s royal families by this well established popular historian. Britain’s Royal Families is a unique reference book providing, for the first time in one volume, complete genealogical details of all members of the royal houses of England, Scotland and Great Britain from 800AD to the present. Drawing on countless authorities, both ancient and modern, Alison Weir explores the royal family tree in unprecedented depth and provides a comprehensive guide to the heritage of today’s royal family.
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Vintage Books (January 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 009953973X
ISBN-13: 978-0099539735
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #220,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #167 in Books > Reference > Genealogy #415 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty #546 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Great Britain
This volume does not pretend to represent original research in primary resources, but is a convenient compilation incorporating information from many alternative sources. Most published lineages on the British monarchy are interested primarily in the line of succession, which usually has been male. Descendants of female royals generally get short shrift, but Weir provides at least basic information on all children and grandchildren of each sovereign, together with their spouses. This makes connections to other highly placed English and Continental families and to the royalty of other countries much easier to follow. Coverage is from Egbert in the late eighth century to the present day -- including Scotland -- and the index is very well done (and necessary). An eleven-page bibliography leads the reader to a large number of other secondary works. The only thing missing here is footnotes citing sources -- but the reader should rely on the _Complete Peerage_ for that and use Weir as a ready reference tool only. A very useful addition to one's bookshelf.
Alison Weir is renowned for her historical fiction and her historical works. One of the problems I have when perusing her works is keeping the players straight. Who was related to whom? Who were the children (legitimate and illegitimate) of kings and lords? In this work, Weir provides us with a resource that can be consulted while reading works on Britain's rulers over time--and keeps the players a little straighter!Weir notes at the outset (Page 3): "This handbook is about the monarchy, and it begins with the first ruler who properly may be accorded the title of monarch, Egbert of Wessex." For each ruler, one to three or so pages suffices. We learn details of the family (mother and father), siblings, wife/husband/lover, children (legitimate and not so), and death details. The work begins, unsurprisingly, with Egbert. Other early rulers--Alfred (born in 846-849), Canute (born 995), Harold II (overthrown by the Normans, ending the Saxon reign), William the Conqueror (born in 1008 and beginning the Norman Dynasty). The Norman dynasty included Henry I.Then he Plantagenet line, beginning with Henry II in 1154. The line ended with Richard III, in the battle at Bosworth in 1485. Among the monarchs in this line--Richard I (the Lion heart), Edward I (Longshanks), Edward III (and note John of Gaunt, one of his sons, and his role in the line of monarchs), Richard II, Edward IV. Then, after this lineage came the Tudors, beginning with Henry VII and ending with Elizabeth I. After that? The book runs through the different families--Stuarts, House of Hanover, House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha morphed into Windsor, with Elizabeth II being the latest monarch.All in all, a useful resource, helping to keep the players straight in English/British history.
This is a treasure trove of information but is not usable in the Kindle format.Many entries are cut off or incomplete and cross referencing is impossible. After purchasing via Kindle, I have purchased a reference copy.Info 5 stars....Kindle version 0.
I bought this book before it was even available in the States, and had it shipped from England. Wier has written a comprehensive geneology of the British royal family, dating back to the 8th century. There's short biographical data about most of the people, and some of them are very interesting. It's not a good book to get if you're interested in biographies of these famillies... there's not really enough information about that. But it's a great book to get if you're interested in British history and want basic facts about the history of the monarchy.
For anyone who reads a lot about British history, this book is a valuable reference work. I am reading a lot right now about the Tudors and found it next to impossible to remember who is who. Alison Weir took ten years to research and write this book and the care shows. There is not a lot about any one personage, but everything one really needs to know is in there. A warning though: this is a reference work and not something one reads cover-to-cover.
Alison Weir does it again! With this compact volume, a reader can trace the British royal family from its earliest times to the present. Weir is an excellent author, and I have read a number of her books. This book is a good desk reference companion while one reads any type of English History. I highly recommend this book for English History fans!
I am purchasing this reference book. I have it on Kindle, but do not like it. In this case a book is much prefered.
I first got an earlier edition of this book in paperback. At that time there was no other easy reference to find who "Prince Eddy" might have been in the Victorian Era, which of Henry I's numerous illegitimate offspring died in the White Ship, or which royal Duke of Kent Princess Marina of Greece married.If you don't have the "Trivial Pursuit" type of mind that has to follow up that kind of reference in a totally unrelated book or article, you may still enjoy the nuggets of information embedded in the summary biographies and the brief descriptions of the various dynasties. How often do you find an opening sentence such as, "The Tudors came from bastard stock." describing that notable dynasty or "...Every monarch of Britain since has been a usurper..." concerning the purported marriage of George III to a commoner before his official marriage?My only criticism might be that a three-dimensional, color-coded diagram would often be useful and that is the fault of the individuals being described, not the author.I have found it so useful that I recently purchased an electronic version to carry around with me.
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