‘This day, at half an Hour past Seven in the Morning, died our late most Gracious Sovereign Queen Anne, in the Fiftieth Year of Her Age and the Thirteenth of Her Reign.’ (London Gazette, 1714)
And so, with those deceptively simple words, began the Georgian era. Powered and preened, bewigged, bejewelled and bewitching, it is a period in history that as fascinated generations.
Once again I am reviewing a history non-fiction book however; this one is slightly different to the other ones that I have reviewed on my blog before. This one covers another area/period of history that I love and that it the Georgian period. I originally came across this book on the Pen and Sword Publishing website and knew it was definitely a book that I would like to read. I’ve been wanting to read more about this period of history for a while now and was very intrigued by this book so much so that I got in touch with the publisher Pen and Sword they were kind enough to send me a copy. So, once again I would like to thank Alex at Pen and Sword for being so kind and sending me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Life in the Georgian Court was written by Catherine Curzon and was first published in 2016. The book centres on (Official blurb): “As the glittering Hanoverian court gives birth to the English Georgian era, a golden age of royalty dawns in Europe. Houses rise and fall, births, marriages and scandals change the course of history and in France, Revolution stalks the land. Peep behind the shutters of the opulent court of the doomed Bourbons, the absolutist powerhouse of Romanov Russia and the epoch-defining family whose kings gave their name to the era, the House of Hanover. Behind the pomp and ceremony were men and women born into worlds of immense privilege, yet beneath the powdered wigs and robes of state were real people living lives of romance, tragedy, intrigue and eccentricity. Take a journey into the private lives of public figures and learn of arranges marriages that turned to love or hate and scandals that rocked polite society. Here the former wife of a king spends three decades in lonely captivity, Prinny makes scandalous eyes at the toast of the London stage and Marie Antoinette begins her last, terrible journey through Paris as her son sits alone in a forgotten prison cell. Life in the Georgian court is a privileged peek into the glamorous, tragic and iconic courts of the Georgian world, where even a King could take nothing for granted.”
This book is an overview of what life was like during the 18th century for the ruling class of Europe. The journey that you take through Europe’s 18th century Royal courts is wonderful so much so you really think you are there, seeing, experiencing and sensing the whole atmosphere of the Georgian period. I absolutely loved the layout and presentation of this book and how easy it was to navigate your way through the royal births, marriages, scandals and death of the Georgian era.
When it comes to this book it is divided into four parts or as Catherine calls them Acts which are as followed: birth, marriage, scandal and death and throughout these four different acts it can certainly be seen that no details are spared. This book is written in such an engaging style and has beautiful illustrations that accompany it as well.
Overall, this historical non-fiction is very readable, well-written and I certainly came away with a stronger knowledge of the Georgian period which is such a fascinating period of European history. I would highly recommend this book anyone who wants to learn more about the royal courts of 18th century Europe, the Georgians or anyone who is interested in this fascinating period of history.
The edition was published by Pen and Sword History (2016)
(The Image is my own please do not copy/take without permission first)
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