Page 93 - All About History 58 - 2017 UK

Reviews

TITANS OF HISTORY:

THE GIANTS WHO MADE OUR WORLD

A snapshot of some of history’s most famous

Author Simon Sebag Montefiore Publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Price £13 Released Out now
o not judge a book by its cover! This the big names in history, the collection does an
idiom has perhaps never been so true excellent job of filling in the gaps of eras often
as it is about Simon Sebag Montefiore’s ignored by the school curriculum, such as Holy
Titans of History. Sadly, while updating Roman emperors and Ottoman sultans.
Dthis collection of astonishing life stories Sebag Montefiore also manages to cram some
with new entries on Michelangelo and Simón critical analysis into his brief biographies — most
Bolívar, the publisher seemingly decided to take of the time. A few myths are perpetuated: the
inspiration from The Guinness Book of Records pyramids were built by slaves, John I died from
for its new artwork. Fortunately, the book is eating too many peaches and Edward the Black
everything it’s garish cover is not — a first-class Prince adopted a blind Bohemian king’s coat of
chronology that is smart and exciting. arms after admiring his courage. But these facts
From Jesus Christ to Genghis Khan, are mostly tangential to the broader profiles,
Shakespeare to Einstein, Catherine the Great so we will let the author off — at least until the
to Margaret Thatcher, Titans of History features next revised edition.
short biographical profiles of them all. A Titans of History is written in such a way that
compilation of history’s most influential figures, you can dip in and out of it to just read specific
it’s perhaps no surprise that these tales are profiles if you like. However, it is arranged
packed with heroic acts, monstrous villainy, chronologically, so reading it in order helps you
bloody battles, sparkling intelligence and even understand how the lives of historical figures
sexual thrill-seeking. In short, they are often overlapped and how events unfolded differently
utterly engrossing. As well as featuring all of around the world simultaneously.

GAME OF QUEENS

The real powerbrokers of 16th-century Europe

Author Sarah Gristwood Publisher Oneworld
Price £10 Released Out now

hey say that behind every great man the Spanish Inquisition. Desperate to either
there is a great woman, and this belief convert or expel the Jews of her dominion
is comprehensively supported by the and root out ‘heretics’, Isabella stoked the
women in Sarah Gristwood’s latest flames of repression, which eventually
Tbook Game of Queens. engulfed around 150,000 people. And while
In today’s age of influential female leaders, in her less hate-filled moments Castile’s
it is refreshing to read an account of the queen saw fit to fund the explorations of
queens that held even greater power during Christopher Columbus, she will always be
500 years ago. The fact that a proportion of remembered as the driving force behind
them schemed and smiled their way to high years of terror.
places, as opposed to having to win elections However, many of Isabella’s counterparts
to get there, only adds to the intrigue that were far less aggressive in their pursuits,
permeates this original book. leading their countries with cool-headedness
While the expected names of monarchs and a fair approach. The achievements of the
such as Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, likes of Jeanne d’Albret, a pioneering figure
feature, it is the shadowy characters like during the Reformation, and Christina of
Catherine de’ Medici and Isabella of Castile Denmark, a key player in the negotiations
that provide the most interest. that ended a bloody 65-year struggle
Queen of Castile for just shy of 30 years, between Spain and France, are rightly
Isabella proved to be a steely, determined included and serve as reminders that many
woman. A devout Catholic, her unwavering of Europe’s queens were leading lights
faith inspired her to unleash the horrors of during dark times.

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