William III and Mary II are the only joint reigning sovereigns in English history. Brought to power as a result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-9 which deposed Mary's father - the Catholic King James II - their reign was a crucial period during which new restrictions of royal power helped to lay the foundations of modern constitutional monarchy. In this first biography of the two monarchs for over thirty years, John Van der Kiste provides a lively and accessible account of their lives and times.
William, one of the leading Protestant champions of Europe, and Mary, his young cousin and wife, reigned jointly for only five years. In 1694 Mary died from smallpox and William ruled alone for another eight years. Although short, their reign was notable for the inauguration of the Declaration of Rights and triennial elections, both of which limited the sovereign's power and reaffirmed parliament's. In warfare, however, it was another matter: although William was the first monarch who was not granted an independent income, he was also one of the last to lead his armies in person. He involved England decisively in European affairs and created a new balance of power on the continent. During William's absences at war, Mary was regent. Although she had wept when first told, aged fifteen, that she was to marry her unprepossessing and charmless cousin, they developed a close and loving relationship. Popular with the nation, a connoisseur of architecture, music and gardens, she encouraged the work of Henry Purcell and persuaded William to buy Kensington House, which was rebuilt by Wren and later became one of the major royal residences.
This new biography not only recounts William and Mary's lives and reign but also explores their political influence, the troubled relationships with Mary's father, with her sister - and husband's successor - Anne, and with Charles II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth who mounted an unsuccessful challenge to the throne. It will be essential reading for all those interested in Stuart history and in the development of the monarchy.

William and Mary

Biographies & Memoirs

Kiste, John Van Der

Historical

The History Press

What was childhood like for the princes and princesses in the Victorian and Edwardian period? Here their education, recreation and general upbringing is discussed, from Queen Victoria's isolated and lonely childhood, to the children of King George V and Queen Mary. We see glimpses of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, who enjoyed collecting fossils on the Isle of Wight and terrifying his grandmother with a pet crocodile; Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, who was the first prince to attend public school despite enjoying cricket much more than education; and Prince Louis of Battenberg, who introduced the 'Katuf' into his family, and recorded his voice on a wax cylinder. Contrasts are drawn between childhood at the English court and that of the Queen's decendants at European capitals, as well as the differing attitudes of royal parents. For example, Queen Victoria found babies to be "very froglike", whereas Queen Alexandra still gave children's parties to her children when they were adults.

Childhood at Court 1819-1914

History

Europe

Mary (1662–1694), daughter of James, Duke of York, heir to the English throne, then 15, is said to have wept for a day and a half when she was told she was to marry her cousin, William (1650–1702), son of William II of Orange (1626–50), Stadtholder of the Dutch republic, and Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I of England, who was 11 years older than her. In November 1677, on William's 27th birthday, they married in a private ceremony at St James's Palace. William was solemn, James gloomy, Mary in tears, and only King Charles appeared cheerful. This dual biography deals with both the life and times of the monarchs, and with England's place in Europe. Interests of the subjects, outside the constitutional, are dealt with, as well a their personal relationships: William's rumored homosexuality (probably actually a platonic relationship with Bentinck) and Mary's hinted-at lesbianism; Mary's troubled personal relations with her father, James II; and the relationship between Mary and her sister and husband's successor Anne. The book will also examine the personal and political relations between William and his uncle Charles II, and between William and Mary and Charles' illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth, whose attempts to lay claim to his father's throne ended in defeat and execution.

William and Mary: Heroes of the Glorious Revolution

Sutton

A Grim Almanac of Hampshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from the county’s past, full of dreadful deeds, macabre deaths, grisly accidents, and strange occurrences. Among the gruesome tales included here are the sinking in 1545 of the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s flagship, in the Solent, with the loss of almost 700 men; the delivery of a foul-smelling basket to a servant in Winchester in 1825, which on investigation was found to contain the body of a stillborn baby; the story of Dame Alice Lisle, allegedly the victim of a miscarriage of justice when executed in 1685, and whose ghost is said to haunt the lanes around her home at Ringwood; Percy Brading, who killed himself on the day of his father’s funeral at Newport in 1935; and of the double murder of Lydia and Norma Leakey in the New Forest in 1956. All these, plus tales of executions, disasters, suicides, explosions, and accidents by land, sea, and air, and much more, are hereand if you have the stomach for it, then read on.

A Grim Almanac of Hampshire (Grim Almanacs)

Ivybridge, South Brent, and their surrounding villages and hamlets, occupy that part of South Devon which borders the outskirts of Plymouth to the west, and the southern slopes of Dartmoor to the north. Now the most heavily populated town between Plymouth and the Torbay district, Ivybridge has developed considerably from the small village it was at the start of the twentieth century, becoming a town in 1977. About four miles away, the old market centre of South Brent has seen only minor changes over the years and its character remains essentially unaltered, though it too has increased greatly in size through the development of recent housing estates on its borders. This collection of images, in some cases dating back to the late nineteenth century, complemented by contemporary photographs, offers an absorbing look into the region's past and present.

Ivybridge and South Brent Through Time

Arts & Photography

Kiste, Kim Van der

Photography & Video

Amberley Publishing

205 pages, 68 photos, describes lives and politics of individual rulers throughout Europe, with family trees showing how they were all related through queen Victoria.

Crowns in a Changing World: British and European Monarchies 1901-36 by John Van Der Kiste (1996-05-04)

Leaders & Notable People

Grange Books

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