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Four Princes
- Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's summary
John Julius Norwich - whom the Wall Street Journal called "the very model of a popular historian" - has crafted a big, bold tapestry of the early 16th century, when Europe and the Middle East were overshadowed by a quartet of legendary rulers, all born within a 10-year period:
Francis I of France, the personification of the Renaissance, who became a highly influential patron of the arts and education.
Henry VIII, who was not expected to inherit the throne but embraced the role with gusto, broke with the Roman Catholic Church, and appointed himself head of the Church of England.
Charles V, the most powerful and industrious man at the time, was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor.
Suleiman the Magnificent stood apart as a Muslim, and brought the Ottoman Empire to its apogee of political, military, and economic power.
Against the vibrant background of the Renaissance, these four men laid the foundations for modern Europe and the Middle East, as they collectively impacted the culture, religion, and politics of their respective domains.
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- By kayakman on 12-15-17
By: Ian Mortimer
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Four Queens
- The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 13th century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry, knights, and monarchs, comes the story of the four beautiful daughters of the count of Provence, whose brilliant marriages made them the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily.
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Interesting, informative
- By Eunice on 12-06-07
By: Nancy Goldstone
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Isabella
- The Warrior Queen
- By: Kirstin Downey
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 21 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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An engrossing and revolutionary biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.
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Poorly narrated
- By Amazon Customer on 02-23-15
By: Kirstin Downey
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Daughters of the Winter Queen
- Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Elizabeth Stuart was thrust into a life of wealth and splendor when her godmother, Queen Elizabeth I, died and her father, James I, ascended to the illustrious throne of England. At 16 she was married to a dashing German count far below her rank, with the understanding that James would help her husband achieve the crown of Bohemia. Her father's terrible betrayal of this promise would ruin "the Winter Queen", as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved, and launch a war that would last for 30 years.
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Misnamed but Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 05-16-18
By: Nancy Goldstone
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Eminence
- Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France
- By: Jean-Vincent Blanchard
- Narrated by: Mary Kane
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Chief minister to King Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu was the architect of a new France in the 17th century, and the force behind the nation's rise as a European power. Among the first statesmen to clearly understand the necessity of a balance of powers, he was one of the early realist politicians, practicing in the wake of Niccol Machiavelli. Truly larger than life, he has captured the imagination of generations, both through his own story and through his portrayal as a ruthless political mastermind in Alexandre Dumas's classic The Three Musketeers.
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Great story boringly told
- By pete k on 09-19-16
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Elizabeth
- The Forgotten Years
- By: John Guy
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Elizabeth was crowned at 25 after a tempestuous childhood as a bastard and an outcast, but it was only when she reached 50 and all hopes of a royal marriage were dashed that she began to wield real power in her own right. For 25 years she had struggled to assert her authority over advisers who pressed her to marry and settle the succession; now, she was determined not only to reign but also to rule.
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worth the credit
- By Lesley on 04-19-17
By: John Guy
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The Women of the Cousins' War
- The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother
- By: Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
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In her essay on Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents, archaeology and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who was to survive two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established author on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love, and Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of the House of Tudor. The Women of the Cousins’ War will appeal to all.
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Great book
- By Stacey Wallace on 11-14-11
By: Philippa Gregory, and others
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The Wars of the Roses
- The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The 15th century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times.
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No Need for a Score Card
- By Troy on 01-16-15
By: Dan Jones
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A Great and Terrible King
- Edward I and the Forging of Britain
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks", conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in Braveheart). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort, traveled to the Holy Land, and conquered Wales. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments. Notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.
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Fascinating book
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 04-13-15
By: Marc Morris
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King John
- Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England: The Road to Magna Carta
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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King John is familiar to everyone as the villain from the tales of Robin Hood - greedy, cowardly, despicable, and cruel. But who was the man behind the legend? Was he a monster or a capable ruler cursed by bad luck? In this new book, best-selling historian Marc Morris draws on contemporary chronicles and the king's own letters to bring the real King John vividly to life. John was dynamic, inventive, and relentless but also a figure with terrible flaws.
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A Medieval Narcissist
- By M. A Newman on 09-19-21
By: Marc Morris
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The Black Prince
- England's Greatest Medieval Warrior
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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As a child, he was given his own suit of armor; at the age of 16, he helped defeat the French at Crecy. At Poitiers, in 1356, his victory over King John II of France forced the French into a humiliating surrender that marked the zenith of England's dominance in the Hundred Years War. As lord of Aquitaine, he ruled a vast swathe of territory across the west and southwest of France, holding a magnificent court at Bordeaux that mesmerized the brave but unruly Gascon nobility. He was Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, and better known to posterity as "the Black Prince".
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Outstanding history
- By Scott on 02-17-19
By: Michael Jones
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Abridged to the point of NO content
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What listeners say about Four Princes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Joseph A Lynn
- 06-28-24
Good audiobook
Fun story and telling of the 4 kings. Weirdly biased against Ann Boleyn so unsure what other bias was in there, but I enjoyed it.
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- Viveash
- 05-30-17
Really great
Fantastic story! Fascinating period of history and to have the interconnections of the major players of this era is fabulous. Norwich asway does a fabulous job. Had a few moment when the pronunciation by the author annoyed me but easily overlooked.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Avid Bookreader
- 08-21-17
Excellent Historic Analysis Written into Stories
Where does Four Princes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I really enjoyed this book. Excellent stories and historic analysis wrapped in humor and important, interesting insights. I love John Julius Norwich's ability to take dry history and turn it into fascinating stories. You will be captivated by the book and the narrator is excellent. I'm looking forward to listening to one of Norwich's other great books, A Short History of Byzantium, to appear in Audible, narrated by Julian Elfer. Elfer is an excellent narrator, with a British accent, and excellent command of French and other European languages.
What did you like best about this story?
John Julius Norwich weaves together the stories, personalities, and historic impacts of four Kings from the early 1500's. His brilliance conveying historic events and highlighting historic significance with energy, color, and humor, is captivating.
Which scene was your favorite?
Norwich's description of Suleiman the Magnificant's invasion of the Knights of St. John on Malta is amazing. Norwich does an excellent job explaining the terrain and St. John fortifications, and the Ottoman's efforts to capture the island. He explains, so well, the reason that Suleiman the Magnificant's chose to attack the island.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Brilliance and Ineptitude in the Early 1500's.
Any additional comments?
I listened to another book, "The Medichi" before this book, just by chance. "The Medichi" was a great background for this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Brian Noegel
- 05-15-23
Excellent book!
One of the best books I’ve read on history, especially in this time Period. Highly recommend!
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- bigdjunta
- 09-18-21
Fabulously informative
This book is epic. It's densely packed with information submitted in a straightforward, sometimes hysterical fashion. I would suggest that you do some background reading to acclimate yourself to the subject. There really is a lot of material.
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- Safwan Muhammad
- 06-05-24
Nicely written to cover a complex era
Covered important events and a very just comparison of the protagonists. Could’ve spent a bit more time on Elizabeth than it did on Mary but I guess it was beyond the scope of the book.
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- Tara K. Morrison
- 09-10-20
lovely narrator; entertaining stories
If you like history but on a lighter level, this is a great one. Lovely narration and a flowing but not too detailed history of 4 key figures in the 1500s. No insights into the average person or every day life, just royalty . Easy to listen to and entertaining.
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- jswell
- 04-14-21
TONS OF INFORMATION
Well written but too many "he" pronouns with 4 main male characters. Very good 👍
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- Paula
- 02-05-18
For the most part, very informative.
Since everything else in this book seemed so well researched, I was very disappointed when the author claimed that Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, had 6 fingers on one of her hands. Any historian worth their salt knows that she certainly did NOT. This was a myth spread around by Catholic propagandists after her death.
Otherwise, I thought that this was a great book.
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- DJ
- 04-28-18
A great history thereof few issues of particular note.
I’ll begin this review by stating that Four Princes is a solid work, definitely enhanced by the audiobook format; One might’ve grown bored or lacked for time if the work wasn’t in such an easily accessible form, or brilliantly narrated by Julian Elfer. The man has a sort of British sound to him, not overbearing or causing a rift in what could feasibly he understood by an American listener, and personally, it lent a sense of erudite credibility to it all in my ears as I went about my business listening to this thing. However, one should note that Suleiman most assuredly isn’t covered as heavily as the other three namesakes thereof this work. He’s still given plenty of time, but his history is much more general than the absurd depth the book gives Henry VII. Brilliant aside from that, certainly worth a listening to if you require the information therein.
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7 people found this helpful