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Palaces of Revolution
- Life, Death and Art at the Stuart Court
- Narrated by: Simon Thurley
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
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Palaces of Revolution
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Summary
The story of the Stuart dynasty is a breathless soap opera played out in just a hundred years in an array of buildings that span Europe from Scotland, via Denmark, Holland and Spain to England.
Life in the court of the House of Stuart has been shrouded in mystery: the first half of the century overshadowed by the fall and execution of Charles I, the second half in the complete collapse of the House itself. Lost to time is the extraordinary contribution the Stuarts made to the fabric of sovereignty.
Every palace they built, painting they commissioned, or artwork they acquired was a direct reflection of the lives that they led and the way that they thought. Palaces of Revolution explores this rich history in graphic detail, giving a unique insight into the lives of this famous dynasty. It takes us from Royston and Newmarket, where James I appropriated most of the town centre as a sort of rough-and-ready royal housing estate, to the steamy Turkish baths at Whitehall where Charles II seduced his mistresses. We see the intimate private lives of the monarchs, presented through the buildings in which they lived and the objects they commissioned, creating an entirely new narrative of the Stuart century.
Palaces of Revolution traces this extraordinary period across the places and palaces on which the action played out, giving us a thrilling new history of this remarkable dynasty.
Critic reviews
"An absorbing account of the lives of these royal houses. It is a journey not just from palace to hunting lodge to castle, but into the small and poignant details of domestic existence." (Times Literary Supplement)
"This is a landmark book. Nobody interested in Tudor England can afford not to own a copy of this gateway into a lost world...compulsively readable." (Country Life)
"Unrivalled architectural expertise.... Superb writing.... A triumph: a masterly collective biography of [Tudor Royal] buildings, replete with insights into their owners’ private lives and into politics, diplomacy and court etiquette." (Literary Review)
What listeners say about Palaces of Revolution
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-10-21
"Building" my knowledge of Royals
That Stuart gap in between Elizabeth Tudor and German George is now clearer for me!
Actually enjoyed the family story told through their buildings.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Campesque
- 20-09-21
The missing book from my collection about the Stuarts.
I first became interested in the history of the Stuarts when my mum bought me The illustrated Pepys as a child. Later, having read the diaries in their entirety, I was hooked. I'm also fascinated in the history of British architecture so this book really satisfied on both fronts.
Although the reign of the Stuarts is not my favourite architecturally - I'm more Westminster Abbey than St. Paul's - their contribution to our architectural heritage is undeniable. Just as interesting as the buildings that still stand, or have been lost, are the grand schemes never built - or never completed - due to lack of funds, or the death of the patron. Simon Thurley tells the story of these projects, set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent centuries politically in British history. At the beginning of the book the seat of power lies directly around the monarch and the space he inhabits. By the end the seat of power is in Parliament.
I managed to listen to this book in a couple of days. As anyone who has listened to Simon Thurley's Gresham College Lectures, or read his others books, will know he is a very agreeable companion to while away the hours with, and learn some very interesting things along the way.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Stephen Bentley
- 11-11-21
Intriguing Subject
An intriguing Subject. I found it difficult to concentrate on. Narrative style? Writing style? Uncertain, though on reflection I do find Dr.Thurley's voice irritating. Which is odd because I have watched him on TV and haven't found his voice annoying, though thinking about it while I admire Sir Derek Jacobi as an Actor on Film, TV and Stage I really don't like his voice in his Sherlock Holmes recordings and find it quite offputting.
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