
Crown & Sceptre
A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II
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Narrated by:
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Tracy Borman
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By:
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Tracy Borman
About this listen
The author of The Private Lives of the Tudors illuminates the almost thousand-year history of the British monarchy.
Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, 41 kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne. “Shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the throne’s occupant been unambiguously English - whether Norman French, the Welsh-born Tudors, the Scottish Stuarts, and the Hanoverians and their German successors to the present day.
Acknowledging the intrinsic fascination with British royalty, Borman lifts the veil to reveal the remarkable characters and personalities who have ruled and, since the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, more ceremonially reigned. It is a crucial distinction explaining the staying power of the monarchy as the royal family has evolved and adapted to the needs and opinions of its people, avoiding the storms of rebellion that brought many of Europe’s royals to an abrupt end. Richard II; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; George III; Victoria; Elizabeth II: their names evoke eras and the dramatic events Borman recounts. She is equally attuned to the fabric of monarchy: royal palaces; the way monarchs have been portrayed in art, on coins, in the media; the ceremony and pageantry surrounding the crown.
Elizabeth II is already one of the longest reigning monarchs in history. Crown & Sceptre is a fitting tribute to her remarkable longevity and that of the magnificent institution she represents.
©2021 Tracy Borman (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents’ country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs - punishable by death.
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Performance
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Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side—or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. That was until the reign of Elizabeth I, when the family was once again at the center of power and would do anything to remain there . . . With three generations of felled favorites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low?
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Enjoyed this book
- By Laura Lee on 07-28-23
By: Joanne Paul
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Brothers York
- A Royal Tragedy
- By: Thomas Penn
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The Brothers York is the story of three remarkable brothers, two of whom were crowned kings of England and the other an heir presumptive, whose antagonism was fueled by the mistrust and vendettas of the age that brought their family to power. The house of York should have been the dynasty that the Tudors became. Its tragedy was that it devoured itself.
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Absorbing detail
- By Tad Davis on 08-06-20
By: Thomas Penn
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George VI and Elizabeth
- The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy
- By: Sally Bedell Smith
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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A revelatory account of how the loving marriage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth saved the monarchy during World War II, and how they raised their daughter to become Queen Elizabeth II, based on exclusive access to the Royal Archives—from the bestselling author of Elizabeth the Queen and Prince Charles.
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Great telling of their lives
- By Nancy on 04-15-23
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Thomas Cromwell
- A Revolutionary Life
- By: Diarmaid MacCulloch
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 26 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Since the 16th century we have been fascinated by Henry VIII and the man who stood beside him, guiding him, enriching him, and enduring the king's insatiable appetites and violent outbursts until Henry ordered his beheading in July 1540. After a decade of sleuthing in the royal archives, Diarmaid MacCulloch has emerged with a tantalizing new understanding of Henry's mercurial chief minister, the inscrutable and utterly compelling Thomas Cromwell.
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Not about the Tudors
- By J.Brock on 09-18-19
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Castles
- Their History and Evolution in Medieval Britain
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning with their introduction in the 11th century, and ending with their widespread abandonment in the 17th, Marc Morris explores many of the country's most famous castles, as well as some spectacular lesser-known examples. At times this is an epic tale, driven by characters like William the Conqueror, King John, and Edward I, full of sieges and conquest on an awesome scale.
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Great book!
- By B Hart on 06-21-18
By: Marc Morris
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The Lady in the Tower
- The Fall of Anne Boleyn
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Judith Boyd
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The imprisonment and execution of Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, in 1536 was unprecedented in English history and never before has there been a book devoted entirely to her fall. But here Alison Weir has reassessed the evidence and created a richly researched and detailed portrait of the last days of one of the most influential and important figures in English history.
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Great book, bad narration.
- By Nancy V on 01-03-25
By: Alison Weir
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The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England
- By: Antonia Fraser - editor
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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This magnificent story of 1,000 years of English history is told through the lives and deeds of Kings and Queens, from the Normans to the Windsors. Understand how the power of the crown has changed as a result of both the character and ability of each monarch and evolving historical circumstances. Eight specialist contributors depict the whole spectrum of royal life in a succinct and fascinating way. Newly revised in 1998, this edition offers expanded coverage of the House of Windsor, including recent events that have greatly affected the Royal Family.
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Excellent introduction of British History
- By Ian on 04-15-07
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Thorns, Lust, and Glory
- The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn
- By: Estelle Paranque
- Narrated by: Anna Wilson-Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Anne Boleyn has mesmerized the general public for centuries. Her tragic execution at the Tower of London on the 19th of May, 1536—orchestrated by her own husband—never ceases to intrigue. While many stories of Anne’s downfall have been told, few have truly traced the origins of her grim fate. In Thorns, Lust, and Glory, Estelle Paranque takes us back to where it all started: to France, where Anne learned the lessons that would set her on the path to becoming one of England's most infamous queens.
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The Truth is Revealed
- By Janyce H. Imoto on 12-08-24
By: Estelle Paranque
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The Anglo-Saxons
- A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 - 1066
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Sixteen hundred years ago Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea, and established themselves as its new masters. The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent history of these people across the next six centuries. It explains how their earliest rulers fought relentlessly against each other for glory and supremacy, and then were almost destroyed by the onslaught of the vikings.
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"Pretty Good"
- By Stephen on 05-30-21
By: Marc Morris
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Kings and Queens of England
- By: Nigel Cawthorne
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Kings and Queens of England is an entertaining account of the larger-than-life characters that have ruled England through the ages. It follows the fascinating history of monarchs from the first Saxon kings to the Windsors of the present day. Author Nigel Cawthorne paints vivid portraits of a mixed bunch of rulers ranging from the drunken and debauched merry monarch Charles II to the idealized domesticity and colonial ambition of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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Not My Cup of Tea
- By lucky dog on 04-20-17
By: Nigel Cawthorne
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
What listeners say about Crown & Sceptre
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- NandMsMom
- 02-20-24
Love Tracy’s work!
You can never go wrong with a book from Tracy. I love that she narrated it also.
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- Pat Newell
- 04-07-23
Better than I hoped
I wondered if I’d made a mistake in getting this book,,, buyer’s remorse? It was in fact VERY worthwhile, filled w facts, but also deeply personal.
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1 person found this helpful
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- joni Faria
- 11-03-23
One of my favorites!!!
Tracy Borman doesn’t dissappoint. I Loved this audiobook! Historically accurate but reads more like a novel rather than a long, tiresome list of facts. The narration was excellent. I actually wanted my commute to work & home to be longer so I could keep listening ! I’m sure I will come back to it again.
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- Debi
- 08-11-24
l Love ❤️ It
This was an amazing audible experience. Over 1000 years of monarchy and their great design to keep it in tack. I had no idea how many, Rex' and Regina's there had been until I devoured this outstanding chronicle of their lives. An audible journey 📚 with grit and intrigue. I look forward to listening to it, again and again..... Highly recommend Crown and Scepter.
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1 person found this helpful
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- bigdjunta
- 11-03-22
Superb overview of the English royal family.
Over the last few months, I've been getting every book I can about the English royal family from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. This book provides a superb overview of this time period.
The narrator does a nice job at pacing the story and keeping the delivery of the story coherent and intact.
The author does an excellent job of humanizing the story and not just regurgitating facts. I found the information provided fascinating and entertaining.
Get this book. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jo Penny
- 01-02-23
Worth your time & money
Excellent and very interesting. High quality work. Timely. As Elizabeth I passed away the story was updated.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tiffany Marie DiGirolamo
- 12-27-22
Very Entertaining
Wonderfully narrated by Tracy Borman. The author did an amazing job of striking a balance between information and entertainment.
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2 people found this helpful
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- JENNIFER N
- 08-10-23
Great listen!
It was so easy to listen to which is saying a lot when talking about royals who often share a name! I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed listening.
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- Kdk
- 07-27-23
Great historical info on the English Monarchy
I enjoyed this. The narrator has a lovely voice and I found the content to be really interesting.
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- catherine
- 12-24-23
Accessible British monarchy history!!
While this is extremely well researched, it’s also extremely accessible. I never felt like I was out of my depth with this book. Would recommend! (Also this book is probably the reason that London is my next international trip :) )
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