The National Portrait Gallery History Of The Kings And Queens Of England

Royal portraits and fast historical facts on rulers from King Athelstan to Queen Elizabeth II. Whether famed like Queen Victoria or a bit more obscure like King Sweyn Forkbeard, this collection tells a story that spans more than a thousand years, showcasing the fifty-nine English monarchs who preceded King Charles. It features portraits from prestigious galleries like the National Portrait Gallery in London, each a beautiful, miniature work of art set in an elegant gilt frame, paired with fascinating details of the monarch’s reign. Perfect for reference, study, or an entertaining browse through history, Monarchs of England makes learning about the English monarchy a visual treat.

David Williamson's text paints a vivid and sensitive portrait of each monarch, revealing the dramatic events and controversies that surrounded them. With a rich selection of images, anecdotes, comprehensive fact boxes and clear family trees, National Portrait Gallery Kings & Queens will appeal to everyone with an interest in history or the British monarchy. The book begins by charting Celtic Britain before the Roman invasion to the Norman Conquest of 1066: the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the coming of Christianity and the unification of England. The subsequent dynastic struggles of the Angevins and Plantagenets heralded the great age of English kingship under the Tudors and Stuarts, who united the crowns of Scotland and England, before the Hanoverians combined personal rule with parliamentary government, ushering in the modern age and the royalty of today.

Situating the Tudor dynasty, their court, and the country, in an international context, this book will be highly illustrated and feature contemporary research in an accessible way. It will provide an overview of the ways in which the Tudors engaged with the world and were impacted by broader currents: the internationalism of court culture, religious shifts, trade, naval conflict and the expansion in the Americas. The introductory text will consider the legacies of the Tudors, as the monarchs who reigned during the tumultuous years of the Reformation and the emergence of the transatlantic slave trade and English colonialism. Taking a thematic and biographical approach, the book will feature some of the most famous royal and court figures from the sixteenth century, from Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, to Elizabeth I and Walter Ralegh. The works shown will be explored from a multitude of perspectives, looking at the sitters' impact at home and abroad in Europe and the Americas. The international impact of the Tudors will be very evident the portraits featured, the artists of which came from Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy. Artworks will be arranged by the key themes of: court culture, religion, queenship, conflict, empire, piracy and trade, and translation. Each theme will feature an opening text from a range of voices exploring the historical contexts of the works and new research on the topics. It will include biographical sketches of individuals whose role in Tudor history has often been overlooked, such as the trumpeter John Blanke.

The Collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, embraces over 500 years of British history, more than 60,000 sitters and explores ideas of social change, power and influence. Arguably as powerful and influential as any individual are the heads of state and empire, whose portraits are among the most popular in the Gallery_s Collection. For the exhibition that accompanies this book, the portraits of kings, queens, statesmen and stateswomen featured will go on tour for the first time, providing international audiences with the opportunity to encounter these famous historical and contemporary personalities face to face. The publication traces major events in British history and examines the ways in which royal portraiture has reflected individual sitters_ personalities and wider social, cultural and historical change. Works are arranged chronologically in sections, each of which is prefaced by an introductory text and timeline providing context to the period in question. Particularly significant portraits from each period are ac companied by extended captions that provide key information on the sitter and the artist. Tudors to Windsors also considers how each dynasty has been perceived and interpreted subsequently, with reference to popular culture and contemporary sources. A number of features on topics such as Royal Favourites, Royal Weddings, Satire, Royals at War, and Royal Fashion and Jewellery provide insights into particular aspects of royal portraiture and trends within the genre. The publication includes a foreword by the Gallery_s Director, a fully illustrated introductory essay discussing royal patronage and key artists in royal portraiture, and an essay by David Cannadine on the historical role of the monarchy in Britain.

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which spanned over forty years, was a time of economic stability, with outstanding successes in the fields of maritime exploration and defence. The period also saw a huge expansion in trade, the creation of new industries, a rise in social mobility, urban isation and the development of an extraordinary literary culture. Elizabeth I & Her People explores the stories of those individuals whose achievements brought about these changes in the context of an emerging national identity, as well as giving a fascina ting glimpse into their way of life through accessories and artefacts. The book, which accompanies a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, features portraits of the Queen and her courtiers, including explorers and sea captains such as Francis Drake and Martin Frobisher, statesmen and soldiers such as William Cecil, Lord Burghley and Christopher Hatton and enchanting portraits of the Queen's female courtiers such as Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, and Elizabeth Vernon, Countes s of Southampton. However, from the mid - sixteenth - century interest in portraiture broadened, as members of a growing wealthy middle class sought to have their likenesses captured for posterity. The book includes intriguing lesser - known images of Elizabeth an merchants, lawyers, goldsmiths, butchers, calligraphers, playwrights and artists - all of whom contributed to the making of a nation and a new world power.