Royal Panoply:Brief Lives of the English Monarchs

From Good Reads An entertaining one-volume summation of all the Kings and Queens in order. There's just the right amount of information on each for an overview, and Carolly gets into the psychology and early lives (to the extent possible) about many of them, rare in most histories. Highly recommended if you want to get a walking familiarity with a thousand years of English history. It's an excellent briefing on the lives of the Royal English Monarchs, from William II to Elizabeth II. From medieval conqueror to Renaissance autocrat to Victorian Empress to modern melodrama, Royal Panoply is the story of some of the most fascinating people in world history. With her trademark blend of probing scholarship, lively prose, and psychological insight, Carolly Erickson focuses on each monarch's entire life - from the puny, socially awkward Charles I, to the choleric, violent William the Conqueror, to the well-meaning, deeply affectionate Queen Anne, who was so heavy she had to be carried to her coronation. Royal Panoply recaptures the event-filled, often dangerous, always engaging lives of England's kings and queens, set against the backdrop of a thousand years of Britain's past.