If you're interested in finding out the basics of a particular subject, & don't fancy tackling a 500 page book, then I'd definitely recommend these history in an hour/Hourly History books. The books are a great way to gain a basic knowledge of your chosen subject. It provides a way into history for people who may feel daunted by the mass & sheer length of new history titles that come out every year.
You can learn the basics in an hour. All the books featured here are on Amazon Kindle & only cost between £0 & £3.00. At that price you're not breaking the bank, & I admit to owning quite a collection, my guilty secret!
The History in an Hour & Hourly History series are a bestselling series of e-books that summarise key areas of world history in digest form, with each title taking no more than sixty minutes to read. There is such a vast array of articles covering a range of historical subjects.
The books are designed for busy people – concise, authoritative, well-researched & entertainingly written for a quick & informative read. There are many different subjects, but here I'll mainly focus on Royal Biographies & the ones I own. There are many more available, & many are Free, so it's worth taking a look. Ok so I admit I'm not the greatest fan of ebooks, & prefer the feel of a book, but for quick reads I am happy to invest in the digital format!
* * *You can Download the app for FREE here;
UK https://amzn.to/2QFzhaC
Canada https://amzn.to/2QF9mju
USA https://amzn.to/2pKhFPB
You can read on your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet.
The Queen: History in an Hour -Price: £0.99
Elizabeth II is the longest lived &, after Queen Victoria, longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. From her coronation in 1953 to her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II has stood on the world stage as the figurehead for Britain.
The Queen: History in an Hour tells the story of the Queen Elizabeth II’s life & long reign, her royal duties, service during the Second World War, public perception & the transformation of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations under her rule
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King George VI: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: FREE
In Britain the phrase ‘an heir & a spare’ refers to the imperative for members of the royal family to provide both an heir to take on their title & a spare. In this equation King George VI was ‘the spare’, the second son of King George V & Mary, & never expected to sit on the throne. King George VI, or Albert as he was known prior to his kingship, had a career in the Royal Navy & served during the First World War before King Edward VIII’s decision to abdicate his throne. Determined to restore the British Royal Family in the eyes of the people, King George VI played a pivotal role in the victory of the allied nations in the Second World War.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Early Years
✓ Prince Albert in the Navy
✓ The Great War
✓ The Reign and Abdication of King Edward VIII
✓ Becoming King George VI
✓ The Second World War
✓ Post-War Years
And much more!
King George VI ruled long enough to oversee the tumultuous post-war years in Britain, the collapse of the British Empire & the emergence of the Commonwealth. Succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth at just 55 years old, King George VI had a deep sense of honour & duty & was completely dedicated to his turbulent role as King.
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Henry VIII's Wives - Price £0.99
In his ambition to provide a male heir to the throne, Henry VIII married six times. Divorce from his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, caused England’s break from the Catholic church in Rome. He went on to divorce Anne of Cleves & behead Anne Boleyn & Katherine Howard for infidelities. Jane Seymour died & Catherine Parr survived Henry.
Henry VIII’s Wives in an Hour will introduce you to these six entirely diverse & captivating personalities & the events that propelled them to their individual fates. You will learn which wife had what impact on Henry & England & understand why Henry & his six wives form the most popular period of Tudor history.
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Queen Elizabeth I: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
There are many versions of Queen Elizabeth I of England; the beautiful young Tudor Queen courted by all the princes of Europe; a fearless virgin warrior in white velvet, rousing her troops on the battlefield; an irascible old woman in a powdered wig, surrounded by fawning young men. A formidable woman, Elizabeth I ruled alone at a time when Europe was a hotbed of conflict, dominated by empire-seeking Kings with opposing religious beliefs.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Early Years
✓ Becoming Queen of England
✓ The Matter of Succession
✓ Mary Queen of Scots
✓ The Last Suitor
✓ Trouble in England
✓ Mary's Execution
✓ The Essex Affair
And much more!
A shrewd politician, Elizabeth manipulated these Kings using any means necessary, including her own hand in marriage, to transform what had been a small, relatively impoverished half- island nation into one of the greatest powers in the world. ‘Queen of the Seas’, ‘The Virgin Queen’, ‘Gloriana’ & ‘Good Old Bess’, Queen Elizabeth I inspired a cult following during her lifetime that endures to this day.
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Queen Victoria: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: FREE
The Queen of Great Britain & Ireland for 63 years, the mother of nine children & grandmother to 42, Queen Victoria’s life was one of magnificent proportions. Victoria’s childhood was difficult & lonely but from the time she took the throne aged just eighteen she blossomed into a powerful woman, both frivolous & formidable.
Inside you will read about...
✓ An Unsentimental Marriage
✓ Race to Produce an Heir
✓ Finally an Adult & Finally a Queen
✓ V&A
✓ The Hungry Forties & Albert’s Great Exhibition
✓ The Widow at Windsor
& much more!
In her later years, Victoria struggled to find balance between her wish to live a very private life as a widow & her duty to live the very public life of a Queen & later Empress. The world Victoria was born into was a very different world to that which she left behind & her life story is an incredible journey from infant heir to matriarchal Queen & Empress.
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Richard the Lionheart: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
You might have heard of King Richard—the Lionhearted, the “good king” in the tales of Robin Hood. But what do you really know about this twelfth-century ruler of England? Do you know why he left England, or why he was taken prisoner by another sovereign as he tried to return? Did you know Richard had other brothers besides the famed scoundrel, Prince John? Have you heard tales of Richard not only as a missing king but as a leader who rode boldly into battle alongside his knights?
Inside you will read about...
✓ From Aquitaine to King of England
✓ Beginnings of a Crusade
✓ The Way to Palestine
✓ Sea Battles & Sieges
✓ A Captive King
✓ The Last Five Years
And much more!
In this book, you’ll learn the actual story of King Richard, a king who may not have been exactly “good,” but was certainly brave, charismatic, and dashing—a historical character with a story to remember.
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Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Eleanor of Aquitaine became the queen of both France & England, the wife of two kings, & later the mother of two kings. Heiress to the rich French provinces of Aquitaine & Poitou, she was undoubtedly one of medieval Europe’s most powerful & wealthy women.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France
✓ Eleanor and King Louis Joins the Crusade
✓ The Royal Divorce
✓ Continuing Conflict & Courtly Love
✓ At the Center of Rebellion
✓ Fifteen Years of Captivity
& much more!
Eleanor of Aquitaine has, not surprisingly, captured many imaginations. From inciting her sons to rebel against their father to the tale of her “courts of love,” where she reportedly fostered the idea of courtly love & promoted the arts, to her captivity & later tireless work to rescue her son Richard the Lionheart from his imprisonment, Eleanor’s life is a tangle of legend mixed with the struggle to interpret the sometimes-scarce facts. This does not make it any less fascinating—or any less worthy of study. In this book, you will find a concise exploration of the life of one of the medieval world’s most memorable figures.
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Henry VIII: A Life From Beginning to End -Price: £1.99
Since his death in the year 1547, King Henry VIII has been celebrated as a chivalrous pioneer & reviled as a brutal tyrant, but he has never been ignored. Henry was responsible for the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, the ramifications of which reverberated through subsequent centuries of European history. Domestically, Henry revolutionized the English Constitution, elevating his own status to that of a God.
Inside you will read about...
✓ From Childhood to Coronation
✓ Early Reign
✓ The King’s Great Matter
✓ The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn
✓ Dissolution of the Monasteries
✓ Anne of Cleves
✓ The Execution of Katherine Howard
✓ A Rough Wooing in Scotland & War with France
Henry’s belief in his own divine right certainly played a part in his six marriages, his penchant for executing those who disagreed with him & his many disagreements with the Pope. Chauvinistic, chivalrous, tyrannical, visionary, it is possible that King Henry VIII was all of these things & yet however you view his place in British History, his reign was nothing short of momentous.
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Mary Queen of Scots: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Mary Stuart was born into a powerful royal dynasty that was at war with the rest of Europe & with itself. Mary’s ascent to the throne was disarmingly easy & she reached adulthood completely unprepared for the plots & betrayals she would be subject to. As the head of a resolutely unstable country, Mary struggled to maintain her grip on the precarious crown on her head & was removed from the throne by an armed rebellion.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Early Life
✓ A Fairy Tale in France
✓ A Most Tragic Year
✓ Return to Scotland & Marriage to Darnley
✓ The Murders of Rizzio and Darnley
✓ The Final Rebellion
✓ Elizabeth & the Casket Letters
✓ An Incarcerated Queen
✓ The Execution
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English Civil War: A History From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
In 1642, King Charles I & the elected Parliament of England went to war over the future of the Stuart kingdom. Over the next nine years three Civil Wars would be fought, devastating the populations of England, Scotland & Ireland & claiming a death toll of an estimated 800,000 people, including King Charles I himself.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Reasons to go to War
✓ The First English Civil War: Choose Your Side
✓ The First English Civil War: The War Begins
✓ The First English Civil War: The War Spreads
✓ The First English Civil War: A New Model Army
✓ The Second Civil War
✓ The Third Civil War
With the authority of the monarchy, the freedom of Parliament & the power of religion at stake, the English Civil Wars decided the future of the Great Britain & influenced the future of politics around the world.
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Charles I: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Charles I is one of the most instantly recognizable of the English monarchs. During his reign the relationship between king & Parliament changed radically, with revolutionary results. A man of deeply held convictions whose refusal to compromise brought about conflict & civil war, King Charles I almost destroyed the English monarchy forever.
Inside you will read about...
✓ The Sickly Prince
✓ The King & the Queen
✓ The Eleven Years’ Tyranny
✓ The Bishops’ Wars
✓ The Country Divides
✓ Civil War & the King's Execution
& much more!
When considering the 24-year reign of Charles I, it is difficult not to come to the conclusion that he may have made a much better Duke of York (the title historically given to the second son of the royal family) than King of England. And perhaps Charles, too, would have been much happier had his older brother taken the throne instead.
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Charles II: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Charles II of England remains one of the most easily identifiable & best known of England’s monarchs. Deprived of his throne following the execution of his father, he contended with hardship & exile before achieving a peaceful restoration & the beginning of what would be remembered as a colorful period of English history.
His reign includes some of the most iconic moments such as the Great Plague of 1665 & the Great Fire of London in 1666. But it was also significant. It led to the creation of the two-party system that would shape English & later British politics for centuries to come. Charles’ attempts to secure independence for himself from the restrictions of Parliament would also lay the groundwork for a fundamental shift in the English constitution.
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Wars of the Roses: A History From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars in England fought between the House of Lancaster & the House of York between 1455 and 1485. Over a thirty-year period, England had five rulers, three of whom were killed or executed. Power changed hands on even more occasions as an ineffective king, Henry VI, was subject to mental breakdowns & protectors of the realm were regularly appointed to rule during these episodes, thereby disaffecting Henry’s ambitious queen, Margaret of Anjou. Though the battles fought were limited in scope, one of these, the Battle of Towton, is considered the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. The nearby river was described as running red with the blood of some 38,000 soldiers who lost their lives that day.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Prelude to War: A House Divided
✓ A Mad Monarch & His Quarrelsome Relatives
✓ The Ultimate Family Feud
✓ The Final Battle
✓ The Tudor Dynasty
& much more!
By the end of the Wars, a new dynasty—the Tudor Dynasty—was born, the powers of the nobility were significantly diminished, & the system of feudalism was all but eradicated. The monarchy was strengthened, & the royal line of succession was secured for the Tudor line. As family feuds go, the Wars of the Roses were historically significant in changing the trajectory of power in England. This book tells the compelling story of this tumultuous period in English history in succinct, yet informative detail that is both educational & entertaining.
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William the Conqueror: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, permanently changing the landscape of the English countryside & the course of English history. No one debates his importance; whether the influence was good or bad is a much more involved conversation. To understand English history over time, it is important to understand the transition from Anglo-Saxon history of the country to the Anglo-Norman control that existed until approximately the fifteenth century.
Inside you will read about...
✓ William the Bastard
✓ Claim to the English Throne
✓ Battle of Hastings
✓ English Resistance
✓ Revolt of the Earls
✓ The Death of William the Conqueror
& much more!
Learn about the transition of the Duke of Normandy from his early years as William the Bastard to his final years as King William I of England, often styled William the Conqueror. Gain an understanding of how the Norman occupation changed English culture, language, & sense of law, while also laying down the threads of conflicts that would continue for centuries.
In this short history of William the Conqueror, the Battle of Hastings, & the influence of Norman presence in England, you will get a crash course in the early history of England as we understand it today.
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The Gunpowder Plot: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
‘Remember, remember, the fifth of November’. The gunpowder plot is a famed tale of treachery that continues to fascinate & capture the imagination four hundred years on.
The Gunpowder Plot in an Hour reveals the elaborate background to the infamous plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament & James I, the ultimate act of treason. This compelling & engaging account of one of the most famous historical events in English history follows the Catholic protagonists hatching their plan through to their inevitable, gruesome deaths.
Learn who the Catholic traitors were, what drove them to such desperate measures, & how the plot was discovered. The Gunpowder Plot in an Hour gives a concise overview of this enduring event & is a must for all history lovers.
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The Medieval Anarchy: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
Nicknamed ‘The Anarchy' for its unprecedented levels of chaos & disorder, the succession crisis that followed the death of King Henry I in 1135 resulted in England's first civil war.
‘The Medieval Anarchy: History in an Hour’ neatly covers all the major facts & events giving you a clear & straightforward overview of the plots & violence that ensued during the the nineteen-year conflict. ‘The Medieval Anarchy: History in an Hour’ is engagingly written & accessible for all history lovers.
This, in an hour, is the story of ‘The Medieval Anarchy’ through the personalities, context, events & aftermath of England's first, & often forgotten, civil war.
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Henry VIII: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
King of England, claimant King of France, Lord – & later King – of Ireland, Supreme Head of the Church of England & , perhaps most famously, six times a husband, Henry VIII is England’s most notorious monarch.
Succeeding his father, Henry VII, he allied with the Holy Roman Emperor and began his many obsessive invasions of France. Meanwhile the handsome, worldly king embarked on his famous quests for a suitable wife and heir. With marriage to Anne Boleyn came the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, Reformation & the Dissolution of the Monasteries. From his childhood to his later years & famed appetites for food, sex & validation, ‘Henry VIII: History in an Hour’ describes the life of a man whose desires & determination changed England & the world.
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1066: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
During the year 1066, England had three different kings & fought three huge battles in defence of the realm, including the bloody Battle of Hastings. The result was the Norman Conquest which defined England during the Middle Ages.
1066 in an Hour will guide you through the politics & personalities of the Norman invasion. It will help you understand why William the Conqueror was victorious & introduce you to the new king & subsequent ancestor to the Plantagenets & Tudors.
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King Arthur: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: 1.99
Dating back to the fifth century, the legend of King Arthur, his Queen Guinevere, & the Knights of the Round Table is an integral part of British national mythology. From its beginning as a few lines of Latin text written in a sixth-century monk’s hand, Arthurian legend has blossomed over the years into a unique universe built on the real foundations of Britain’s Dark Ages & the principles of ancient chivalry.
Inside you will read about...
✓ The Era of King Arthur
✓ Ambrosius Aurelianus
✓ King Arthur and the Celts
✓ Geoffrey of Monmouth
✓ King Arthur’s Grave
✓ The Round Table
& much more!
Liberally expanded over the years to include romantic entanglements, an imaginary ancient empire, & the threat of the supernatural, the legend of King Arthur remains as engaging today as it was in medieval times. King Arthur’s life, whether it happened or not, cuts to the core of the Matter of Britain & reveals the heart of Britain’s fanciful idea of its origin.
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The Black Death: A History From Beginning to End - Price: FREE
Sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the Black Death claimed between 75 million & 200 million lives in four short years. In this engaging & well-researched book, the trajectory of the plague’s march west across Eurasia & the cause of the great pandemic is thoroughly explored.
Inside you will read about...
✓ What was the Black Death?
✓ A Short History of Pandemics
✓ Chronology & Trajectory
✓ Causes & Pathology
✓ Medieval Theories & Disease Control
✓ Black Death in Medieval Culture
✓ Consequences
Fascinating insights into the medieval mind’s perception of the disease & examinations of contemporary accounts give a complete picture of what the world’s most effective killer meant to medieval society in particular & humanity in general.
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The Reformation: History in an Hour - Price £0.99
The Reformation was a long struggle of ideas between the established Catholic Church & the questioning of faith brought about by the Renaissance in Western Europe. Started by Martin Luther in 1517, religious dissidence spread across Europe throughout the sixteenth century, causing wars, migration & disunity. By 1648 Henry VIII’s desire for divorce led him to break with the Catholic Church in Rome & form the Church of England.
The Reformation: History in an Hour is a clear & comprehensive look at this long & complex period of religious change. It explains the major causes of the Reformation & the differences between Protestants & Catholics.
It will help you understand the significance of the Reformation in European history in just one hour.
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The Crusades: A History From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
The Crusades are the prototype & epitome of the Holy War. The fight to take control of the city of Jerusalem, believed to be the most sacred Holy City to two distinct religions of Christianity & Islam, has lasted far longer than the two centuries of the Crusades & its reach has extended far further than Europe & the Middle East. Over the course of nine organized campaigns & many more unorganized ones, the Christian west militarized in the name of God to push back the threat of Islam advancing from the east.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Peace in War: A Background to the Crusades
✓ The First to the Eighth Crusade
✓ Establishing the Crusader States
✓ The Children’s Crusade & Crusading Against Christians
✓ The Last Crusade
And much more!
Understanding the Crusades is key in understanding the religious divides that still threaten the order of the world.
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NON - British Royal & Non Royal
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Tsar Nicholas II: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Reigning from 1894 to 1917, Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia. His rule served as the bookends between what were essentially two Russian empires; the one that his forefathers carved out through imperial ambition & the one dictated by the zealous communists of the Soviet Union bent on socialist expansion. Nicholas was by most accounts a conflicted ruler; a man viewed as kind & generous in his mannerisms yet alleged to be greatly disconnected & apathetic toward the subjects he was supposed to rule over.
Inside you will read about...
✓ Nicholas and the Funeral Bride
✓ The Coronation Tragedy
✓ Bloody Sunday
✓ Nicholas’ Reluctant Reforms
✓ Three Hundred Years of Romanov Rule
✓ The Tsar & World War I
✓ The Last Russian Tsar
& much more!
Find out how this last Russian Tsar rose to power & oversaw the end of a 300-year family dynasty as it teetered, tottered, & finally fell over the edge of oblivion. This is the story of Tsar Nicholas II.
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Horatio Nelson: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Marie Antoinette: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Marie Curie: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Peter the Great: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
World War II Auschwitz: A History From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Vikings: A Concise History of the Vikings - Price £2.37
Florence Nightingale: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Greek Mythology: A Concise Guide to Ancient Gods, Heroes, Beliefs and Myths of Greek Mythology - Price: FREE
Norse Mythology: A Concise Guide to Gods, Heroes, Sagas and Beliefs of Norse Mythology - Price: FREE
Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Ancient Gods and Beliefs of Egyptian Mythology - Price: FREE
James Cook: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Winston Churchill: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: FREE
Hannibal Barca: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Christopher Columbus: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Life From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
French Revolution: A History From Beginning to End - Price £1.99
Julius Caesar: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: FREE
King Louis XIV: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
World War II Dunkirk - Price: £1.99
Charles Dickens: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
William Shakespeare: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Ronald Reagan: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Ancient Rome: A History From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Nelson Mandela: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
Alexander the Great: A Life From Beginning to End - Price: £1.99
World War One: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
The Holocaust: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
World War Two: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
The Russian Revolution: History in an Hour - Price: £0.99
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