{"product_id":"four-princes-9781473632981","title":"Four Princes","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Never before had the world seen four such giants co-existing. Sometimes friends, more often enemies, always rivals, these four men together held Europe in the hollow of their hands.'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFour great princes - Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, Charles V of Spain and Suleiman the Magnificent - were born within a single decade. Each looms large in his country''s history and, in this book, John Julius Norwich broadens the scope and shows how, against the rich background of the Renaissance and destruction of the Reformation, their wary obsession with one another laid the foundations for modern Europe. Individually, each man could hardly have been more different - from the scandals of Henry''s six wives to Charles''s monasticism - but, together, they dominated the world stage. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a pageant of jousting, feasting and general carousing so lavish that it nearly bankrupted both France and England, to Suleiman''s celebratory pyram\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderful \u003c\/b\u003e. . .\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eThis was indeed a glorious age and Norwich has made a \u003cb\u003ebrilliant\u003c\/b\u003e decision to study four idiosyncratic rulers as an interacting quartet rather than separately . . . \u003cb\u003eA lively and charming book\u003c\/b\u003e * THE TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eWith characteristic deftness of touch, \u003cb\u003eNorwich brings each character vividly to life and skilfully weaves their stories together\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Norwich introduces \u003cb\u003ea dazzling cast of characters\u003c\/b\u003e: from Leonardo da Vinci to Martin Luther, Joanna the Mad to Anne Boleyn . . . the portrayal feels\u003cb\u003e entirely fresh\u003c\/b\u003e and enables the reader to gain new insights into some of history's most familiar characters. It is \u003cb\u003ea genuinely inspired idea for a book, and Norwich executes it with typical aplomb\u003c\/b\u003e -- Tracy Borman * BBC History Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eScholarly and entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e . . . This book provides a \u003cb\u003evivid and compelling\u003c\/b\u003e picture of this turbulent century * BBC History Magazine *\u003cbr\u003ePacked with extraordinary figures - not just the four princes, but artists and emperors too . . . a \u003cb\u003ewarm, witty and fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e look at how such dynamic individuals shaped the Renaissance and the Reformation right across Europe throughout the sixteenth century * History Revealed *\u003cbr\u003eWhat makes this such a compelling read is that \u003cb\u003ethe author seasons his erudition with a sharp eye for the quirky fact and the sardonic comment\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003ea fascinating and compulsive story\u003c\/b\u003e -- John Ure * Country Life *\u003cbr\u003eNorwich made a brilliant decision to study them as an interacting quartet, rather than individually, for only in this way can one begin to understand how great events and great personalities were hopelessly entangled . . . \u003cb\u003echarming\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Telegraph *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739519037783,"sku":"9781473632981","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473632981.jpg?v=1720052468","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/four-princes-9781473632981","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}