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Kings of Georgian Britain (Hardback)

P&S History > British History > Georgian History

By Catherine Curzon
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
Pages: 215
Illustrations: 32
ISBN: 9781473871229
Published: 20th March 2017

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Chosen as the May 2017 Book of the Month for Majesty magazine!

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For over a century of turmoil, upheaval and scandal, Great Britain was a Georgian land. From the day the German-speaking George I stepped off the boat from Hanover, to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.

Kings of Georgian Britain offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns. From love affairs to family feuds, political wrangling and beyond, it is a chance to peer behind the pomp and follow these iconic figures from cradle to grave. After all, being a king isn't always about grand parties and jaw-dropping jewels, and sometimes following in a father's footsteps can be the hardest job around.

Take a step back in time and meet the wives, mistresses, friends and foes of these remarkable kings who shaped the nation, and find out what really went on behind closed palace doors. Whether dodging assassins, marrying for money, digging up their ancestors or sparking domestic disputes that echoed down the generations, the kings of Georgian Britain were never short on drama.

This is a wonderful introduction the Georgian kings and I have to admit, the more I learn, the more I move away from my obsession with the Tudors and the Victorians. I would recommend this to someone who maybe wants to know more about the Georgians but isn't sure they really want to invest in any of the more hardcore histories.

NetGalley, Brooke Sheldon

As featured onNatalie is a History Buff

Natalie is a History Buff

As seen in

Jane Austen's Regency World, July/August 2018

★★★★★ Who knew that reading history could be fun! Catherine Curzon takes the reader on a journey through the lives and reigns of the four Kings George and she does it with a sense of humor. This is not your stereotypical dry history narrative. The book is broken down into sections, one for each King and tells their story starting with their birth and ending with their death. She will see what they’re their childhoods were like, who had the strongest influence on them, what kind of fathers and husbands they were, and the politics of their respective monarchies.

As you can probably guess, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure I would because the British monarchy is so complicated, there are tons of players, and I’m an American, so I was delighted that this was such a great read. George the First’s story was a little confusing at first but only because there were so many women named Sophia in his life. I recently received the companion book “The Queens of Georgian Britain” and I’m very excited to read it after enjoying this one so much. For American readers the section on George III would be very interesting as he was the king during the War for Independence. The author really made these men come alive and in a reader-friendly way. I highly recommend this one.

A Line From A Book, Jennifer Sahmoun

Kings of Georgian Britain follows the lives of George I, II, III and IV. This book examines the entirety of each King’s reign as well as the events that unfold and bring them to power. The book is divided into four acts and It’s laced with scandal and political intrigues. In other words, it’s just begging to made into a Netflix show. Really...this would be awesome.

While these people’s lives are depressing regardless of their privilege, they certainly led a colorful life. The entire narrative is woven with some really lovely little anecdotal stories that both demonstrate the current temperament of the people and how they saw their kings.

There is also many solidly confirmed stories I just loved. During George I there is a story about the first time Hadel performed his piece water music. It was apparently performed on a barge alongside the king’s barge. Anyone with a boat was allowed to follow and listen in. After reading this I went to listen to it. I have heard this piece before, but it has a whole new dimension to me now. I will always have this scene in my head when I hear it. The second story was about George IV and his pseudo Indiana Jones adventure opening the tomb of previous kings. How awesome is that.

Really engaging and a fast read. Very good.

Michelle McMenamin, GoodReads

Overall, Catherin Curzon’s Kings of Georgian Britain is a perfect introductory text to the four Georges that I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in this fascinating period of British history or the history of the royal family in general. Also if this one interest you keep your eyes peeled for her next book which is going to been on Queens of Georgian Britain which I cannot wait to get my hands on.

Read the complete review here.

Where There's Ink, There's Paper - Lauren Gent

A history book that romps along with all the verve and incident of a good adventure yarn, with a hefty dollop of humour thrown in for good measure, Catherin Curzon's lively study of the four Georges who sat on the English throne for over a century is a joy.

Jane Austen's Regency World, July/August 2017- reviewed by Joceline Bury

As reviewed in

Essence Magazine

Catherine Curzon has charted the personal and political intrigues of the Georgian monarchs in this chronological series of amusing anecdotes. She's often whimsical, has a good sense of pace and you can imagine her stifling a smirk while writing this unusual biography.

History of Royals, July 2017

An interesting and informative look at the history of the Kings of Georgian Britain.

NetGalley, reviewed by Melisa Safchinsky

As featured on...

Lil's Vintage Blog, YT

Catherine Curzon offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns.

Majesty magazine, May 2017

As featured in

Essence Magazine

As featured on Number One London Blog.

Numberonelondon.net

As featured on Joana Starnes.

the Author page of Joana Starnes

As featured on Sue Wilkes Blog.

Sue Wilkes, Author

The Bloody Countess: A guest post by Catherine Curzon as featured on Naomi Clifford GLIMPSES OF LOVE, LIFE AND DEATH IN THE GEORGIAN ERA.

NAOMI CLIFFORD - GLIMPSES OF LOVE, LIFE AND DEATH IN THE GEORGIAN ERA

Guest blog as featured on Jane Austen Sequels.

Jane Austen Sequels

That was a very enjoyable read. I always love to read about history especially the British history. The era covered in the book is an era of turmoil, scandals and a lot of action. Sure it is something very compelling to read about.

NetGalley, reviewed by Maha Diwan

I wish that history books like this one had been around when I was at school! I might have rushed to history classes instead of finding ways to avoid them! Found this to be a really fascinating insight into 4 extremely interesting, but totally different, Kings over a fascinating period in British history.

The author presents the 4 Kings in a really clever way, taking each in turn and looking at where they came from, their personalities, the changing face of Britain and how they were as rulers in the soap opera that is the Royal Family!

From George I, The German King, through to George II, the last British monarch to lead troops into battle, to George III, better known as The Mad King and to George IV who seemed to be the King of spending!

Each King has such a turbulent life from childhood onwards, and this book was an amazing wealth of knowledge for me. I have found that some history books focus on just the dates but this one really gets behind each King and flags up the most interesting things that happened in their lifetimes. Have to say I enjoyed the chapter on George III the most as he seemed the most caring, despite his later mental illness, and the methods they used to treat him were horrifying to say the least.

There are also some fasinating accompanying illustrations and paintings that were a welcome bonus and added to a wonderful read!

NetGalley, reviewed by Karen Mace

I would describe Kings of Georgian England as an introductory text. In the small page count, there is only a limited amount of space in which Curzon can describe each of the four kings' personalities and reigns, but she manages to include some fun facts and enticing details, all written in a readable, straightforward prose that never feels too stodgy. For me, this is a great book to turn to if you are relatively unfamiliar with the period and looking for a quick overview. This work won't tell you everything, but it provides a good place to start and includes an extensive bibliography for further reading. The Georgian era is one I love, so most of the information in Kings of Georgian England was familiar to me. However, there were a few little side stories I'd not come across before, and the book certainly reigniting my enthusiasm for further reading about the period. If you are a scholar of the 18th century, this book may not have much to offer. Nonetheless, I am awarding it four stars because it is perfect for the novice historian coming to era for the first time.

NetGalley, reviewed by Nicki Markus

About Catherine Curzon

CATHERINE CURZON is a historian of old Hollywood and even older royalty.
Catherine has appeared on Radio 4’s PM programme and Dan Snow’s Story of England, as well as radio stations across Europe and the UK. Her work has been featured online by BBC News, BBC History Extra and the Daily Express, and in publications including All About History and Who Do You Think You Are?. Further afield, Catherine’s expertise has been featured by Smithsonian Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, Town & Country, Elle Australia, Der Bund, La Vanguardia and Metrópoles, among others.
She has spoken at venues including Kenwood House, Wellington College, the Royal Pavilion, the National Maritime Museum and Dr Johnson’s House. As one half of Ellie Curzon (with Helen Barrell), her World War Two sagas for Bookouture and Orion have achieved bestseller status in the UK and the US.
Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Film and when not cheering for the Terriers, can be found by following the distant strains of Dean Martin. She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill with a rakish gent and a very woolly dog.

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