Unruly
The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens
Ratings27
Average rating4.1
15
The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens
Ratings27
Average rating4.1
INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • A rollicking history of England’s kings and queens from Arthur to Elizabeth I, a tale of power, glory, and excessive beheadings by award-winning British actor and comedian David Mitchell “Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and razor sharp. Mitchell [is] a funny man and a skilled historian.”―The Times Think you know the kings and queens of England? Think again. In Unruly, David Mitchell explores how early England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects’ destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky bastards who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits. Taking us back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn’t exist), Mitchell tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It’s a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and a few Cnuts, as the English evolved from having their crops stolen by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king. How this happened, who it happened to, and why the hell it matters are all questions that Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit, and the full erudition of a man who once studied history—and won’t let it off the hook for the mess it’s made. A funny book that takes history seriously, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how the British monarchy came to be—and who is to blame.
Reviews with the most likes.
History written by my crotchety old Uncle (David Mithcell is younger than I am) and he reads like Bill Bryson, funny, opinionated, and never boring. I think I will be reading this one a second time, or dipping in to it again quite soon.
I was worried this book would be a love letter to royals from an Oxbridge comedian who studied history. Instead, it's a funny journey from Arthur (who did not exist) to Elizabeth I.
There's no fawning over the monarchy, except maybe some sympathy for some particularly ineffective and unlucky leaders... but there is a lot of very real history delivered with David Mitchell's Peep Show wit. FOUR naans, Jeremy?
It you want to learn about the messy history of England and how it ended up with parliament and other medieval institutions that people still follow today, this is a genuinely funny read or listen (whispersync, baby).
This was great!! A funny, quick and quirky account of England's monarchs.
David Mitchell narrates it himself which is even better!
