Historical books & movies recommendations

[joe_77]

Howdy all!

Been on an UK-related streak lately and I was wondering if anyone can recommend a narrative-like book that goes over all the various monarchs that Britain had over the years? Not looking for an encyclopedia but more of a bedtime reading material. 

Same request for some movies/series that covers monarchs and their reigns (like "the crown", etc).

Thanks a lot! 

[Coinery]

I enjoyed the series Victoria, and you can’t get a better bit of Cate Blanchett than in her role as Elizabeth I.

Also I thought The King was great, a series about the rise of Henry V

[wlewisiii]

The King's Speech about George VI is excellent as well. 

[joe_77]

Thanks @wlewisiii, @Coinery !

Loved the King's Speech, one of my favourite! Also very much enjoyed the series "Victoria" and too bad it was canceled. Victoria also has some tidy bits about coins and the godless florins. I did watch Elizabeth back in the days and I now see it has a sequel! I will give it a rewatch and add the second movie! About "The King" -- is it the movie from 2019? I couldn't find a series.

As far as books, I was thinking about Kings and Queens by Iain Dale .. anyone has a better rec? Or a different route altogether?

Thanks!

[Paddy]

I can't think of any one book that covers the whole lot. I am sure there are plenty. Dorling Kingsley are usually a good publisher for this sort of thing as they do comprehensive but fairly light coverage of their topics, well supported by illustrations and diagrams in colour.

From my own shelves I have picked out two from other publishers that I found useful - both found very cheaply at charity shops:

"The Anglo Saxons" by James Campbell published by Phaidon in 1982.

"Chronicles of the Age of Chivalry" edited by Elizabeth Hallam and published By Salamander in 2000. This latter I think is part of a series - I have seen one on the Anglo Saxon Chronicles and another on the Crusades in the same format.

Both are "Coffee table" style - lots of facts and illustrations without going into huge depth. Easy reading!

[HistoricCoinage]

Read this in just a few days while travelling, would recommend as a light read: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462484/a-history-of-britain-in-ten-enemies-by-deary-terry/9781804994979

[joe_77]

Thank you very much @Paddy and @HistoricCoinage !

If anyone wants to add anything please, do keep 'em coming! 

[Paddy]

OK - in the Phaidon series by Elizabeth Hallam as editor I find I also have "Chronicles of the Wars of the Roses" which covers Richard II in 1377 to Richard III in 1485.

By Publisher Heinemann and collated by Anne Savage there is a great translation of "the Anglo Saxon Chronicles", which covers from the end of the Roman occupation to Henry II. I find this particularly useful as many TV documentaries quote the Anglo Saxon Chronicles in snippets, so it is good to be able to see them in full translation. (The chronicles were written by a series of monks over hundreds of years in old English, and were usually recorded withing only a few years of the actual events, so reasonably contemporaneous.)