Four Princes

January 9, 2017
Norwich (Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History), a British popular historian descended from royalty, regales readers with tales of the exploits, speculations on the psyches, and anecdotes from the eventful lives of the title’s four rulers. The quartet of the title, who were born within a decade of one another and ruled contemporaneously during the first half of the 16th century, were larger-than-life leaders who collectively created the political geography of their era. Each leader came to see his crown as a crushing burden and agonized over his succession; Henry VIII famously changed the course of history in his quest for an heir, but even Holy Roman Emperor Charles V for decades longed for the freedom to abdicate, and would have, except that “Charles’s only legitimate son had been something of a disappointment.” The tales are frequently punctuated by what today might be called the rulers’ failures of cultural sensitivity, and though entertaining, the book has a disconcertingly indifferent attitude toward accuracy. Those able to overlook faults in terminology and interpretation will be rewarded with tales of the rivalries and tortured friendships of the four rulers. Agent: Felicity Bryan, Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.).

January 1, 2017
In the decades after 1500, four energetic rulers jockeyed for pre-eminence in a turbulent Europe.In fact, their energy and Europe's turbulence were nothing new, but they were fascinating figures: France's King Francis I, England's King Henry VIII, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and Suleiman the Magnificent, leader of the Ottoman Empire. British polymath, TV personality, and historian Norwich (Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History, 2015, etc.) delivers lively biographies of all four characters. All of them reigned long and died in their beds. Neither overly intelligent nor humane, they promoted the well-being of their subjects if it didn't interfere with their personal desires. The most powerful was Suleiman the Magnificent. Though an "outsider" and the sole non-Christian, he shared their aims: expanding his realm through a bankrupting series of wars, persecuting dissenting sects, and killing rivals. His main European opponent, Charles V, ruled the Spanish and Holy Roman empires and had designs on Italy, which were shared by France's Francis I. Preferring power to faith, Francis had no objection to cooperating with Suleiman, which outraged Christian Europe without bringing much benefit. Henry VIII preferred fighting England's traditional enemy, France. His religious quarrels are well-known, but Norwich emphasizes that Henry always considered himself a good Catholic. His fight with the pope was personal; he wanted a divorce, and then he wanted money from dissolving the monasteries. Scholars consider all four effective rulers, yet they were also cruel, selfish, and grotesquely macho. The author labels them men of their times, but it's likely that awfulness comes naturally to rulers with absolute power (readers can think of many recent examples). Bad behavior makes for entertaining history, and age has not diminished Norwich's skills, so readers may gnash their teeth but will continue to turn the pages.

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February 15, 2017

In his introduction to this book, Norwich (The Popes: A History) admits to it being a project of personal interest, born out of the coincidence that the four titanic personalities on which it focuses--Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire--were by some miraculous chance alive to dominate the landscape of Europe and western Asia during the same period during the first half of the 1500s. By necessity of space, the information on each man is streamlined into key points, touching when possible on their spouses, relatives, hangers-on, and most especially their shifting alliances and enmities with each other. Norwich's long career as a historian has given him a definite assurance of style, which allows him to present historical detail in a thoroughly engaging manner without sacrificing clarity. VERDICT An entertaining history covering the highlights of four of the most significant rulers of the 16th century, although the author's fervor for his subjects sometimes sweeps ahead of the facts.--Kathleen McCallister, Tulane Univ., New Orleans

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
What did King Henry VIII of England, King Francis I of France, Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire have in common besides ruling contemporaneously? In prolific historian Norwich's (Absolute Monarchs, 2011) well-articulated appraisal, these four giant figures can, and should be, perceived as a single phenomenon that deeply imprinted sixteenth-century Europe. Through Norwich's perceptive eyes, we see that the four monarchs certainly did not exist in a vacuum, that each one was not a completely separate entity. Their awareness of one another was constant, and in some instances they met face-to-face. Their personal relations at any one time could range from friendship to bitter rivalry. (Even as large a stage as Europe could barely contain these four larger-than-life personalities.) Their exertions to find accord with one another and, on other occasions, to attempt to best each other either by diplomatic negotiations or sending their armies into the field dictated European affairs for a century. A superb group portrait.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)