Monarchy With David Starkey, Set 2

Delivered promptly, played perfectly.

I'll watch almost any history DVD. I just love history, having majored in it as as undergraduate. English history was always my favorite. I know a lot about British history, but tend to get my kings, queens and timelines mixed up. David Starkey does a great job of showing how it all fits together. He doesn't beat you over the head with information, but imparts just enough to understand what went on. He also includes interesting tidbits about important (and not so important) characters that enliven this really worthwhile DVD. Get Part 1 too. It's just as interesting.

The description of this item is downright misleading. It reads "set 2". Since I had previously purchased a previous set also by the same author and also called Monarchy I believed that this was a historical continuation, as the other one ended in Victoria's days. Not so. This item just included some chapters, not all, of others available in the ones previously offered. I just squandered money buying what I already had. In my opinion the description is less than candid. No problem in offering an abridged version of the previous set. Just inform propspective buyers of how things really are.

Absolutely awesome series which chronicles the Kings and Queens of England throughout history. This one was part 2 which covers more recent events which date after the reigns of King Henry VIII and his children to the present. Set 1 is a bit more exciting in that it covers the likes of Henry VIII, the War of the Roses and King Edward I....but as a whole the series is just fascinating.For anyone interested in the history of the monarchy in England, this is certainly well worth it.

These five episodes are included in "Monarchy: The Complete Series" but without the subtitles. Since I have the complete set I did not need to purchase this.

Very informative!

I decided I need more information about the reign of English king Charles II. He was the monarch during the establishment of Jamestown and Plymouth Colony. His was a horizon shifting reign. Marriage to the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza introduced England to the glories of Oriental art (even cheap blue willow patterned dishware was a mania). Catherine's dowry was a ship filled with trade goods from Portugal's far east trading ports - which at the time brought Charles a badly needed fortune and his ability to suspend Parliament (who controlled the Treasury). Pepper, mace, nutmeg - worth their weight in gold. [Refer to the book "Richer Than Spices."] That noted I wanted to know if the reign was one of unbridled hedonism [ref. here to Johnny Dep's "The Libertine," and Clare Dane's "Stage Beauty" (Billy Crudup really is handsome in this role)." Charles was apparently longing to declare himself Catholic like his brother James did, but politically that was a big timebomb (Here see "The First Churchills"). Too many lives had been lost ousting Charles I (Charles II's dad) to forgo a Protestant and Parliament controlled England. Charles did however seek out and destroy those judges who had condemned his dad. For this ref. to Neal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle," and the miniseries "New Worlds." Other good references onCharles are miniseries "The First Churchills," "Monarchy with David Starky," "The Great Fire," and "My England, My England: The Story of Henry Purcell" (Simon Callow is very good in this). I leave out the film "Restoration" with Robert Downey, Jr., I just didn't care for it, although the excesses of Charles were shown well in some scenes.

I very much enjoyed this dvd. I have always wondered about the Kings and Queens of England. There seem to be so many and it is hard to tell what time period they fit into. The Monarchy gives you all the facts whithout a bunch of useless information.