White King

White King

The Tragedy of Charles I

Summary

The subject of a BBC TV series on Charles I
The prize-winning biography of Charles I

* Winner of the HWA Crown for Best Work of Historical Non-Fiction 2018 *
* Times Book of the Year *
* Shortlisted for the Catholic Herald Biography Award 2019 *

Less than forty years after the golden age of Elizabeth I, England was at war with itself. At the head of this disintegrating kingdom was Charles I, who would change the face of the monarchy for ever.

His reign is one of the most dramatic in history, yet Charles the man remains elusive. To his enemies he was the 'white tyrant of prophecy: to his supporters a murdered innocent. Today many myths still remain.

It is an epic story of glamour and strong women, of populist politicians and religious terror, of mass movements and a revolutionary new media: one that speaks to our own divided and dangerous times.

'This is the most gripping piece of revisionist history I have read for a long time' - The Spectator

Reviews

  • A revelation... White King is that rare thing, a page-turning history that gently but insistently also asks provocative questions about a period on which our opinions have been all too fixed. Charles does not emerge with his reputation restored, but he emerges whole
    Mathew Lyons, Financial Times

About the author

Leanda de Lisle

Leanda de Lisle is the highly acclaimed author of several bestselling and prize-winning books on the Tudors and Stuarts including Tudor: The Family Story and White King: The Tragedy of Charles I. She writes and speaks on historical matters for TV, radio and publications including The Times, the Spectator and History Today.
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