Unruly: The History of English Kings and Queens

If you think you know enough about the kings and queens of England, think again! In David Mitchell's book "Unruly," you will find out that the monarchs of early England, the formidable rulers who shaped the destinies of their subjects, were in real life just as short-sighted and strange as they appear today in their portraits. They were just luckier than the rest! Starting the narrative with King Arthur (spoiler: he did not exist), Mitchell tells the story of England up to the reign of Elizabeth I. It is a tale of narcissism, inability to keep oneself in check, of rebellions, civil wars, and hypocrisy. About how the English evolved from victims of a bandit who robbed them of their harvest to subjects bowing before a divinely chosen monarch and paying him taxes. How this happened, with whom it happened, and why the hell it matters — Mitchell brilliantly, wittily, and with the erudition of someone who once studied history and does not intend to forgive the mess it created, answers all these questions.