jjares reviewed English History: A Captivating Guide to the History of England and the Victorian Era on + 3261 more book reviews
This book explains the Neolithic Revolution in England; the change from hunters and gatherers to more settled agricultural pursuits. As Britons created urban centers and burial chambers for important dead citizens, they became more autonomous and wealthy (they were rich in resources). That brought jealous Europeans, hoping to steal their goods.
Before long, the Romans noticed Britain; Julius Caesar tried to conquer the island but was unsuccessful. However, in 43 CE, Claudius sent the Roman army to overtake the Britons because he needed an exciting project to make himself more popular. The fascinating story of Boudica is included at this point in the story. She was the last major obstruction to total Roman domination and after she fell, Britannia became a Roman province until the Dark Ages (when Rome removed their troops to protect their capital from the Visigoths).
As a method of preserving Roman culture, the Britons may have become Christians en mass. After generations of Danes, Celts, and Germanic tribes immigrated to England, in 876, Alfred of Wessex sought to unify the peoples under one ruler -- himself. He was wonderfully successful and led to a royal lineage for generations to come.
This book explains the complicated machinations of multiple rulers trying to take over England that ended with the Norman Conquest. After Richard (the Lion-Heart) died, England was unhappy with the rule of his younger brother, John. Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury interceded to formalize a contract between the king and his people. The result was the Magna Carta.
The rest of this book mentions the important points of English life: Black Death, the Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I. While Elizabeth tried her hand at British colonies in the New World, she hedged her bets by giving a charter to English trade to establish the East India Company. Eventually, this would lead to unparalleled wealth in England.
It is no wonder why there are so many Americans with Scottish blood in their veins after reading about the Seven Ill Years in Scotland. It caused many to immigrate to the New World. This book also does a great job of explaining Sinn Fein; I'd heard of it many times but not how it got started. The division of Ireland is also explained.
THE VICTORIAN ERA-- Victoria's 63-year-reign would oversee an incredible amount of social and economic changes in Great Britain. This sentence encapsulates the Victorian Era: "... the underlying theme of the Victorian era was the search for a balance between tradition and modernity, Christianity and spirituality, and wealth and poverty." (p. 112)
Anyone who wonders about Victoria's straight-laced views of life need look no further than to the strict upbringing she had. It was a surprise to read that the crown of Hanover was to be passed on to male heirs. So it was not Victoria who inherited the crown but her father's younger brother, Ernest Augustus. He was the heir presumptive until Victoria married and had children.
One of the fun things about Captivating History is their ability to add fascinating snippets of history, to make the story more interesting. Here are a few examples: Buckingham Palace first began as a silkworm plantation under King James I. Victorian Britain was overwhelmed with refuse and rats; they were totally at the mercy of the rat-catcher. Middle-class men of Victoria's era lived on the average 45 years; while laboring men averaged a life one-half of that time. The Ouija Board came straight out of the obsession with spiritualism during Victoria's time. When Victoria died, Prince Albert's dressing gown and a lock of John Brown's hair was added to her casket (after the children had turned away).
Included in this book are a variety of social issues that affected British citizens. There are chapters on the rats, fleas, and attending illnesses (including cholera), municipal sanitation, medical improvements, and body snatchers, seances, spiritualism, Jack the Ripper, Christmas fashions created by the Queen and Albert, science fiction, and even Egyptology. This book seems to mention everything that was important in the Victorian Era.
I'm glad to see that Joseph Bazalgette got his due in this book. I've read his life and he was an amazing man who did much to change life in noxious London.
Before long, the Romans noticed Britain; Julius Caesar tried to conquer the island but was unsuccessful. However, in 43 CE, Claudius sent the Roman army to overtake the Britons because he needed an exciting project to make himself more popular. The fascinating story of Boudica is included at this point in the story. She was the last major obstruction to total Roman domination and after she fell, Britannia became a Roman province until the Dark Ages (when Rome removed their troops to protect their capital from the Visigoths).
As a method of preserving Roman culture, the Britons may have become Christians en mass. After generations of Danes, Celts, and Germanic tribes immigrated to England, in 876, Alfred of Wessex sought to unify the peoples under one ruler -- himself. He was wonderfully successful and led to a royal lineage for generations to come.
This book explains the complicated machinations of multiple rulers trying to take over England that ended with the Norman Conquest. After Richard (the Lion-Heart) died, England was unhappy with the rule of his younger brother, John. Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury interceded to formalize a contract between the king and his people. The result was the Magna Carta.
The rest of this book mentions the important points of English life: Black Death, the Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I. While Elizabeth tried her hand at British colonies in the New World, she hedged her bets by giving a charter to English trade to establish the East India Company. Eventually, this would lead to unparalleled wealth in England.
It is no wonder why there are so many Americans with Scottish blood in their veins after reading about the Seven Ill Years in Scotland. It caused many to immigrate to the New World. This book also does a great job of explaining Sinn Fein; I'd heard of it many times but not how it got started. The division of Ireland is also explained.
THE VICTORIAN ERA-- Victoria's 63-year-reign would oversee an incredible amount of social and economic changes in Great Britain. This sentence encapsulates the Victorian Era: "... the underlying theme of the Victorian era was the search for a balance between tradition and modernity, Christianity and spirituality, and wealth and poverty." (p. 112)
Anyone who wonders about Victoria's straight-laced views of life need look no further than to the strict upbringing she had. It was a surprise to read that the crown of Hanover was to be passed on to male heirs. So it was not Victoria who inherited the crown but her father's younger brother, Ernest Augustus. He was the heir presumptive until Victoria married and had children.
One of the fun things about Captivating History is their ability to add fascinating snippets of history, to make the story more interesting. Here are a few examples: Buckingham Palace first began as a silkworm plantation under King James I. Victorian Britain was overwhelmed with refuse and rats; they were totally at the mercy of the rat-catcher. Middle-class men of Victoria's era lived on the average 45 years; while laboring men averaged a life one-half of that time. The Ouija Board came straight out of the obsession with spiritualism during Victoria's time. When Victoria died, Prince Albert's dressing gown and a lock of John Brown's hair was added to her casket (after the children had turned away).
Included in this book are a variety of social issues that affected British citizens. There are chapters on the rats, fleas, and attending illnesses (including cholera), municipal sanitation, medical improvements, and body snatchers, seances, spiritualism, Jack the Ripper, Christmas fashions created by the Queen and Albert, science fiction, and even Egyptology. This book seems to mention everything that was important in the Victorian Era.
I'm glad to see that Joseph Bazalgette got his due in this book. I've read his life and he was an amazing man who did much to change life in noxious London.
