Suggestions and Poll for September-December 2008

[Elspeth]

This thread is to gather suggestions for book club choices for September-December 2008. In order to limit the number of suggestions and not have a poll with 100 choices, we're asking for suggestions of books on the following two topics: Scandinavian royalty and Medieval monarchy. Ideally we'll end up with two books on each topic for the four-month period, but if one topic is vastly more popular than the other, we could get a three-one split.

The books on Scandinavian royalty can include books about individual Scandinavian countries, books about Scandinavian monarchies as a whole, histories, biographies of contemporary or historical royal figures, or anything else that you happen to find interesting. Please stick with nonfiction this time around; we're planning to have a historical fiction topic in one of the upcoming periods.

The books on medieval monarchy can include biographies, books about wars and conquests, political histories, books about social or religious issues - again, just about anything with a royal-related theme as long is it's nonfiction. The cutoff date should be somewhere inthe 15th century, depending on the country. For books about medieval Britain, the cutoff would probably be the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.

The thread will be open for suggestions until 21 June, at which point we'll choose up to 12 of the suggested books and open a poll like the one we had for the May-August choices. The poll will run till the middle of July, when we'll announce the choices for September-December. That should give everyone plenty of time to find copies of the books they're interested in reading and to read the first one ahead of time if they want to.

When you suggest books, please don't just give titles and authors; give us some idea of what the book is about and why you'd be interested in reading it. Feel free to link to the Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or whatever) page where the book is listed. You can also paste the Amazon book description (not one of the copyrighted ones from Publisher's Weekly or whatever - the Amazon one itself) if you don't want to explain in your own words why you find the book interesting.

[GlitteringTiaras]

Medieval History:

The Last Plantagenets
by Thomas B. Costain

Available everywhere
This book is the last in a series of books in regards English histoy. Mr. Costain is well known for his indepth scholarship on the subject that is still highly revered to this day. If you are interested in the Plantagenets this is the book to read along with The Conquering Family, The Magnificent Century, and The Three Edwards.

"No man writes popular history with greater understanding." (The New York Times)


The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453
by Desmond Seward

Amazon Link
"A remarkable and engrossing account of medieval England's epic conflict with France.
From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among the most colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince; Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, who very nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who at last drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict."

"Mr. Seward shows us all the famous sights of those roaring times . . . and illuminates them with an easy scholarship, a nice sense of detail . . . and a most agreeable clarity of style." --The New Yorker


The Angevin Empire
By John Gillingham

Amazon Link
Read this book when I was an undergrad, and I loved it!. The book is not that difficult to read even though it is quite in-depth. Scholarly reserach mixed with popular history is what makes this book so fascinating.

"At its greatest extent, the Angevin Empire stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees. It was ruled by a succession of princes -- Henry II, Richard I, and John -- who could claim to be the most powerful rulers in western Europe. For fifty years it was the dominant political entity and "English" and "French" history were inextricably woven together. This study looks at how these disparate territories came together, how they
were ruled, and whether they truly constituted an empire. The new edition of this groundbreaking work has been thoroughly revised and carries two new chapters."



Scandinavian Royalty:

Historical

Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric
by Veronica Buckley

Amazon Link
"One of the standouts in a long line of self-indulgent European royals, Christina, with her eccentricities, merits Buckley's close attention. From the moment of her birth in 1626, when she was mistakenly identified as a boy, to the time of her death in 1689, she ardently pursued an extraordinarily extravagant life characterized by an emotionally contrary nature. Many have speculated about her seemingly ambiguous sexuality, but, as Buckley discerns, her refusal to even contemplate marriage evidences both an independent temperament and an essentially asexual orientation."


Contemporary

Mary: Crown Princess of Denmark
by Karin Palshoj adn Gitte Redder

Amazon Link
An extremely easy book to read. The authors are far from being "in-depth" scholars (hence it wouldn't win a book prize for original research) who love to ask tough questions in regards to their subject; however, it is a cute fluff read for those who are interested in Mary. Overall, the book is a good intro course for those who may not know much about her and how she met Frederik.


Something About Mary: From a Girl About Town to Crown Princess
by Emma Tom

Amazon Link
Now this book is the complete opposite of the previous book, Mary: Crown Princess of Denmark. Simply put: It's kind of hilarious even though that was not the authors intention. So if you want to know more about Mary from a vastly different perspective than from Palshoj and Redder's book, Emma Tom's version is it.

[Marengo]

'Northern Crowns: The Kings of Modern Day Scandinavia'
by John van der Kiste.

Amazon link

Readers Comment:
This is an excellent book! It is full of important historical information, dates, names and descriptions of key figures in Royal history, and the like. If you are doing research on recent Scandinavian monarchs, this is a great place to begin! If you want to know how a Danish prince came to be the first 20th century King of Norway or how the son of a German Duke became King of Denmark, you can find out from this book. Detailed information on family relationships is included, and there are a number of highly entertaining anecdotes about several Kings in all three Scandinavian families.
The only problem I saw in this book is that it's language and grammer may sometimes be slightly intimidating; this is NOT a book for those accustomed to reading only in the vernacular. The occasional difficulty in the reading, though, is offset by the pure wealth of information offered. For a small and handleable book, it has a lot to offer. I believe it is one of the best like it on its subject.

Contence:
A collective biography-cum-history of the Kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and their consorts, from the mid-19th century onwards
How did Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, born in 1818 the fourth son of a little-known German prince, come to succeed to the throne of Denmark in 1863? What part did the Kings and their consorts of modern Scandinavia play in their countries' efforts to remain neutral throughout two world wars? How did they adapt to an increasingly democratic world during the turbulent years of the 20th century, and yet retain the respect and affection of their subjects?

In this study, the lives of the Kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden are recounted, from the birth of the prince destined to become King Christian IX of Denmark, the so-called 'Grandfather of Europe' (whose children included Queen Alexandra, George I of the Hellenes and Marie Feodorovna, Empress of Russia), to the death of King Olav V of Norway in 1991. Among them are King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, who married successively a granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, King Haakon VII of Norway, a son-in-law of King Edward VII and King-in-exile in Britain during the Second World War, and the ppoular, musical King Frederick IX of Denmark.

Attention is also paid to the political backgrounds of these monarchs' reigns; as well as examining the suspected pro-German leanings of King Gustav V of Sweden, the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 is described, as is Finland's brief experiment with monarchy in 1918 by choosing a brother-in-law of Kaiser Wilhelm II, a 'King who never was'. Illustrated with 24pp of plates.

Read more here.

Disadvantage IMO: only 176 pages, so not very in-depth.

[norwegianne]

It is difficult to find literature about Scandinavian royals in English, but here are some suggestions:

The King's Physician, which was on the poll last time.

Early Kings of Norway: Amazon.co.uk: Early Kings of Norway: Thomas Carlyle: Books (At 80 pages, it's not the longest read…)

Born to Rule - Queen Maud of Norway. The book doesn't cover her very well, though.

Anna of Denmark, Queen of England - Amazon.co.uk: Anna of Denmark, Queen of England: A Cultural Biography (New Cultural Studies): Leeds Barroll: Books

Northern Crowns: the Kings of Modern Scandinavia by John van der Kiste. I don't think John v. d. Kiste is a good author, though, he does write on the subject.

Bernadotte: the crowned sargeant: Amazon.co.uk: Bernadotte: The Crowned Sergeant: Alan Palmer: Books

The amazing career of Bernadotte: Amazon.co.uk: The Amazing Career of Bernadotte 1763 to 1844: Sir Dunbar Plunket Barton: Books

[Elspeth]

Although I specified that the choices should be restricted to nonfiction, I think A Royal Physician's Visit, as recommended by Norwegianne, would be an appropriate choice. The title does say it's a novel, but to me it seemed to be a pretty factual account of the events surrounding the affair between Struensee and Queen Caroline Matilda. I found it really interesting, although the atmosphere it creates is a pretty unpleasant one. However, I think the atmosphere in the Danish court at the time really was unpleasant, and this book strikes me as one of the best accounts of the problems faced by supporters of the Enlightenment as they tried to overcome the combination of religious superstition and social conservatism in their attempts to modernise Europe.

I'd definitely recommend this book as one of the choices.

[TheTruth]

I had this book in mind for Medieval History :
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life
by Alison Weir

Amazon Link

From Amazon.com
"Combining the pace and descriptive quality of a novel with the authority of a textbook, Alison Weir's study of the revered and reviled Eleanor of Aquitaine should be valuable to anyone with an interest in medieval European history. Wife of Louis VII of France and subsequently of Henry II of England, and mother of Richard "the Lion-Hearted," Eleanor played a prominent part in the politics of the 12th century. The author of a number of other books on the medieval period (Life of Elizabeth I, The Children of Henry VIII), Weir brings all the color and ever-present dangers of Eleanor's world to life, filling the text with absorbing background detail and revelatory contemporary anecdotes. She is concerned throughout to make critical analysis of the primary sources, the later myths about Eleanor, and other modern biographies. This results in a fresh and thoughtful perspective on the energetic life of a determined and ambitious woman living with the sexism, excesses, and violence of a society in which the word of a single man could condemn thousands to death. Eleanor of Aquitaine is a vivacious but scholarly book with extensive notes and references, giving an objective and rich account of the staunch Eleanor, her feuding family and her complex and unstable world."

"An alluringly candid portrait of this most public yet elusive of medieval women."
--The Boston Globe

I found it interesting since Eleanor did marry both, King of France and King of England. She was a determinant element to the war between the two kingdoms.

[Elspeth]

That one looks interesting. Eleanor is always a fascinating subject for a study of Europe in the Middle Ages.

Here's another one by Alison Weir:

The Wars of the Roses

This is a complicated period in English history, and she does a good job of cutting through some of the knots and presenting the story in a very understandable way.

[TheTruth]

Yes, I saw this one too Elspeth but I hesitated to purpose it since it's a little later than the end of the Plantagenet dynasty which should be the cutoff. (Or should the House of Lancaster be considered as the continuity of the Plantagenets ?)
Looks very interesting though (and finally a chance for me to understand what happened during that period in England )

[Elspeth]

Well, Richard III is often referred to as the last Plantagenet king, so I was including the Lancaster-York stuff in Medieval Monarchy. Might be a bit of a stretch, though.

TOTAL coincidence that it happens to be my favourite era in British royal history, of course...

[Empress]

I really like this book. I've already started it, and it's a really good read thus far! And perfect for those feminists among us!

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe

Amazon.com: Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe: Nancy Goldstone: Books

[Elspeth]

I've looked at that one in Barnes & Noble and thought about getting it. Sounds as though I should succumb to the temptation next time I'm over there.

[Avicenna]

Originally Posted by Empress

I really like this book. I've already started it, and it's a really good read thus far! And perfect for those feminists among us!

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe

Amazon.com: Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe: Nancy Goldstone: Books

Have you read the reviews at Amazon? There seem to be some major mistakes in this book - mistakes in geography, mistakes in history, Additionally one reviewer appears to find it overwhelmed by names, but a lack of information of their roles in the lives of the queens. Wonder what you think about these remarks?

[Elspeth]

Unsurprisingly, I succumbed to the temptation...

Trouble is that I have a bunch of other books that I need to read first.

We've still got a couple of weeks where people can make suggestions; looking forward to some more titles that we can put into the poll, or more comments about the suggested titles.