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A Short History of England
- Narrated by: Simon Jenkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
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A Short History of England
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Publisher's Summary
From the invaders of the dark ages to the aftermath of the coalition, one of Britain's most respected journalists, Simon Jenkins, weaves together a strong narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in a book that characteristically is as stylish as it is authoritative.
A Short History of England sheds light on all the key individuals and events, bringing them together in an enlightening and engaging account of the country's birth, rise to global prominence and then partial eclipse. There have been long synoptic histories of England, but until now there has been no standard short work covering all significant events, themes and individuals.
Now updated to take in the rapid progress of recent events, this magisterial history will be the standard work for years to come.
What listeners say about A Short History of England
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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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- robert head
- 03-08-2022
A commanding view
I was daunted at first by the packed detail. Like 'The White Ship' , this book reveals the amazing amount of recorded detail going back many centuries, which I find stunning. I've always had a lingering wonderment about how we came to be English and this book does attempt separate to 'Englishness' from a historical point of view.
I was very suspicious at first about anyone claiming to do this but Jenkins does get there and also speaks very well.
The story as it unfolds is one of contested Regal power, land claims between England and France, more bloody battles than I could begin to count and a 'warts and all' account of the fractured lineage of the English royal family! It's really altogether a 'dog's breakfast' of a story.
What emerged as important for us all now, is the slow development of democratic processes, limiting the raw powers of Barons, Kings, Church and Commerce, all of which underpins our democratic structures today.
Jenkins also places great importance on the difference between Saxons and Norman systems of governance and how that played ; out a novel concept for me but which I find intriguing and which seems to still resonate in society.
In Jenkins' epilogue , he highlights the fact that real lasting political change can only really come from a strong and living democratic society --a relevant warning today given the attempts by business, some media organisations and conspiracy theorists to undermine democracy in the West.
At the start of the Iraq invasion by the USA, Secretary of State (I think!) Donald Rumsfeldt said "give the Arabs a taste of democracy for a few weeks and they'll never look back" It took 300 years for England to even start the processes. His utter ignorance of history had terrifying consequences for us all. Be warned to learn from history!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 12-09-2022
bit dry
i know that its history and jenkins cant just change what happened in the past, but it felt a lot more dry than other history books
it seems to be a story of a series of monarchs mainly - it is impossible to keep track of all of them in an audiobook
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