Here is the whole of recorded British royal history, from the legendary King Alfred the Great onwards, including the monarchies of England, Scotland, Wales and the United Kingdom for over a thousand years. Fascinating portraits are expertly woven into a history of division and eventual union of the British Isles - even royals we think most familiar are revealed in a new and sometimes surprising light. This revised and shortened edition of The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens includes biographies of the royals of recorded British history, plus an overview of the semi-legendary figures of pre-history and the Dark Ages - an accessible source for students and general readers.

Covers more than 1000 rulers and two millennia of history

This authoritative and accessible guide to the British monarchy spans the Romano-British rulers of 55 BC to the present day House of Windsor. Generously illustrated with maps, photos, paintings, and genealogies, it contains a wealth of information on the rulers of Britain, including their policies, personalities, key dates, and legacies. There are almost 600 entries, which are organised by regions up to 1066 and by royal lines thereafter. Feature articles throughout the guide provide in-depth information on key royal topics, including Coronations, Regalia, the Tower of London, and - new to this edition - Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. Revised and updated to include recent events, such as the second marriage of Prince Charles, this new edition also contains a topical introductory article on the changing role of the monarchy. There is a useful glossary, a list of recommended further reading, and a new appendix of recommended web links, accessed and kept up to date via a companion website. Comprehensive and elegantly written, this fascinating guide to the British monarchy is an essential reference resource for teachers and students of British history, and for anyone with an interest in Britain's rulers through the ages.

From the Saxons to the Windsors, from the Tudors to Hanovers, Britain's royal lineage is brought to life in the pages of this visual guide. Kings and Queens of England and Scotland comprehensively chronicle the drama and fortunes of the royal dynasties. Confused about which Henry had six wives and which one was crowned at the age of eight? Want to know more about the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis? The year-by-year chronologies and major events of each monarch's reign are extensively covered in this fascinating volume. Tracing the history of Britain's monarchs through family trees, this stylishly illustrated guide presents an insightful overview of the royal houses. Their private and public lives are encapsulated through contemporary poets, artifacts, paintings, and photographs. Features on key achievements of each monarch help you get an in-depth knowledge of how they shaped the countries of England and Scotland to be what it is today. With easy-to-read text and crisp biographies of each sovereign, Kings and Queens of England and Scotland is an essential encyclopedia for history buffs of all ages.

Look out for more Pitkin Guides on the very best of British history, heritage and travel, specially other titles in the Pitkin History of Britain series. Suitable for Key Stages 3 and 4 of the National Curriculum. More titles in the History of Britain Series

Dr G.S.P. Freeman-Grenville was the consultant for Burke's Royal Families of the World, and his major work was the Chronology of World History. This specially commissioned Book of the Kings & Queens of Britain, a magisterial and entertainingly written overview of British monarchs from Cerdic, First King of Wessex, to George VI, is an invaluable guide to the regal chronology of Britain, and contains many insights into the foibles of one of the world's most interesting and resilient constitutional monarchies - through the vagaries of war, pestilence, regicide, civil wars and marriage.

A richly illustrated history of the lives and reigns of the kings and queens of England - from the house of Wessex to the house of Windsor.