Routledge Historical Biographies
About the Book Series
Routledge Historical Biographies are concise, accessible introductions to key historical figures. Written by experts in their fields they are designed to help students either starting out on a course, or revising before exams. Far from being dry, academic texts however, they are also perfect, affordable books for the history buff.
Henry V
1st Edition
By John Matusiak
November 30, 2012
Henry V of England, the princely hero of Shakespeare’s play, who successfully defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt and came close to becoming crowned King of France, is one of the best known and most compelling monarchs in English history. This new biography takes a fresh look at his ...
Elizabeth I
1st Edition
By Judith M. Richards
November 07, 2011
Elizabeth I was Queen of England for almost forty-five years. The daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn, as an infant she was briefly accepted as her father’s heir. After her mother was executed at her father’s command she was declared illegitimate and led a sometimes scandalous existence until her...
John Calvin
1st Edition
By Michael Mullett
June 23, 2011
John Calvin (1509-1564) is one of the most important figures in religious history. Sitting on the cusp of the medieval and early modern world, he was centre stage during the Reformation. In this new biography, Michael Mullett introduces us to this most important figure, tying his life together with...
Richard III
1st Edition
By David Hipshon
December 18, 2010
Despite reigning for only a relatively short period of time, Richard III is one of England’s most controversial monarchs. His life and rule has inspired a huge amount of literature, not least Shakespeare’s great play, and controversy still surrounds his seizure of the throne in 1485, the mystery of...
Neville Chamberlain
1st Edition
By Nick Smart
August 25, 2009
Neville Chamberlain, the Conservative Prime Minister who pursued the doomed policy of appeasing Hitler, is one of the most reinterpreted of modern British Prime Ministers. Infamous on account of his declaration of having achieved ‘peace for our time’, Neville Chamberlain has often been portrayed as...
Marx
1st Edition
By Vincent Barnett
March 11, 2009
Karl Marx has been portrayed in equal measure both as a political prophet who foresaw the end of capitalist exploitation, and as a populist Anti- Christ whose totalitarian legacy has cost millions of lives worldwide. This new biography looks beyond these caricatures in order to understand more ...
Edward IV
1st Edition
By Hannes Kleineke
October 02, 2008
The reign of King Edward IV occupies a pivotal place in late medieval English history, marking the transition from a medieval to a renaissance monarchy. The personality of the young monarch was undoubtedly a factor in this transition, yet there has been much controversy over the King's ...
Mary Tudor
1st Edition
By Judith M. Richards
August 20, 2008
Mary Tudor is often written off as a hopeless, twisted queen who tried desperately to pull England back to the Catholic Church that was so dear to her mother, and sent many to burn at the stake in the process. In this radical re-evaluation of the first 'real' English queen regnant, Judith M. ...
Henry VII
1st Edition
By Sean Cunningham
April 12, 2007
This biography illuminates the life of Henry VII himself, how he ran his government, how his authority was maintained, and the nature of the country over which he ruled since he first claimed the throne in 1485. Sean Cunningham explores how Henry's reign was vitally important in stabilizing ...
Oliver Cromwell
1st Edition
By Martyn Bennett
June 23, 2006
In this concise and accessible biography, Martyn Bennett examines the life of Oliver Cromwell – one of the most controversial figures in world history. This study challenges long-held perceptions of Cromwell and the Commonwealth, arguing that they need to be placed at the core of early Modern ...
Mary Queen of Scots
1st Edition
By Retha M. Warnicke
March 15, 2006
"Scholars now have Warnicke to use as their chief one volume study of Mary" Julian Goodare, University of Edinburgh In this biography of one of the most intriguing figures of early modern European history, Retha Warnicke, widely regarded as a leading historian on Tudor queenship, offers a fresh ...
Lenin: A Revolutionary Life
1st Edition
By Christopher Read
June 13, 2005
From a highly distinguished author on the subject, this biography is an excellent scholarly introduction to one of the key figures of the Russian Revolution and post-Tsarist Russia. Not only does it make use of archive material made newly available in the glasnost and post-Soviet eras, it ...