Unruly

The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: David Mitchell

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 David Mitchell (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Clever and amusing . . . gloriously bizarre . . . razor sharp . . . People who have never before picked up a history book will read and enjoy this one.” —The Times

“David Mitchell brings a delightfully contrary and hilariously cantankerous eye to the history of the English monarchy, offering a jewel of an insight or a refreshing blast of clarifying wit on every page. Unruly is informative, illuminating, and very, very funny.” —Jesse Armstrong, writer and creator of Succession

“A sardonic, endlessly funny update to the classic 1066 and All That.” —Kirkus Reviews

Great Book, A sarcastic view of British History

Enjoyable read. Funny and highly sarcastic. The early history of the kings and queens of England I have read several times from famous authors. I prefer the Mitchell version.

Informative and funny!

I love Mitchell’s humor and had no idea he had studied history.
He found a way to
Impart a lot of knowledge into this humorous history.
Even if you aren’t British but love British humor this is a great read

Unparalleled Brilliance

It’s is rare to come across an author, a reader, and a book that is both scholarly, philosophical, and insanely entertaining. David Mitchell’s sense of humor and comedic talent alone would earn this book 5 stars. But the depth in its research and the conclusions drawn are equally impressive. It’s almost intimidating to discover that great feats of writing, research and performance are here in our midst. But how exciting to know that we live among great people who can teach us the true history of English royalty, the majestic use of the English language and the value of a fart joke all in one book.

A funny and informative telling of the history of England through its monarchy

As somebody less acquainted with English history, this book felt more entertaining than informative - it didn’t dwell on kings and queens and assumed some knowledge of them already by readers, but I enjoyed it just the same.

David Mitchell is a fun historian

Enjoyed David's narration, jokes, takes on some English kings and queens. This is a witty and raucous ride through swaths of British history. I relished it and found it totally mesmerizing.

Clever and Entertaining

Mitchell’s description of young Henry III’s coronation would be enough to purchase this book. It’s a touching yet humorous observation and reflects the best of his writing.

authors wit, expression and focus

I sometimes got lost if I took a break for a couple of days. a visual aide would have helped

Brilliant, informative & Hilarious

A little overwhelming for an American who is used to a much shorter national history. David is hilarious and very entertaining 😁

David Mitchell's Crowning Moment

David Mitchell isn't a historian.
You don't have to question that—he says it outright.

That being said, since most of us aren't historians (like as a job or in any way that precludes clicking the number behind an article on Wikipedia to show we checked our sources) what he offers is an excellent discourse on history both as a reflection on the past and a discussion of the future.

My favorite English monarch (it's okay to have one) has always been Elizabeth I, and while I felt he was a little cheap with his time spent on her after rightfully saying that monarchical history is almost entirely a dudefest—I think he hit the major strides and adopted a good sympathetic narrative (or fair assessment of her strengths and flaws) all the same.

Really, it's listening to David Mitchell's genius on a topic he's allowed to expend his philosophical energy on to good result. My only criticism and this is to be taken lightly, is that the things that make the book amazing also limit it in some ways.

For one, Mitchell writes from a cynical position on monarchy–as well he should. However, because he has an agenda to underline his disdain for monarchies, at times it causes him to overly emphasize things more to remind us he actually doesn't like the things he clearly does. Which is fine, no one's perfect. But I didn't like having to passively nod and agree that it's bad when people kill people. It was a little, to use his own words, virtue signally.

The other thing that kept my overall from being a 5 (I wish I could give a 4.9), was that at times his comedic genius and observational wit get in the way of what he's saying. A few of his asides go a bit long and though I can appreciate it, there was one point that made me wonder if he forgot what we were talking about.

And that's it. The strength is that he's so conversational and engaging that it feels like a discussion mixed into a lecture. Regardless, it's an amazing way to spend 11 hours. Don't pass it up.

If you're in love with the idea of royalty, detest it, love human nature or reflecting on the conditions we're defined by, it's just stellar.

I'm also actively leaving out the best part of the book, but I think it's better to experience that yourself. Know you're getting more than what you pay for with the title—and be glad for it. Really.

Listening to David Mitchell’s Unruly made my work emails sound more posh and British but thank God no one has noticed.

Basically, I volunteered to wash dishes more so I could keep listening. Instead of eating lunch at my desk, I sat in my car with the windows down because I was halfway through the chapter on Queen Elizabeth the First. I am not really an Anglophile—I am from the rural South in the US. I don’t care about the current royals in the slightest. But I enjoy medieval history, military battles, and Shakespeare. All of which were represented to me in understandable (as it possibly could be with everyone being named Henry, Richard, Edward, and Effy-Foo) and hilarious prose. I told everyone about it at my work, which is good for David Mitchell because I work in a university library. I would buy the physical book, but it’s far better listening to him reading it than reading it to yourself in what you think his voice would sound like. Also, when he is at his most sincere and serious, and it’s genuinely expressed in his voice, it elevates the ending to something more sublime and beautiful than the preceding pages of historical entertainment (which is most of the book).

It’s not boring. And I know that can be high praise for English history books when everyone has the same name. Although I will confess I had to consult Wikipedia on occasion to remind myself visually which Richards were which. Download this to get more dishes done, enjoy more time in the car, and make your work emails sound more witty, dry, and British. A bit.