Of all the British monarchs who have claimed that they have ruled the seas, only one, King William IV, has been a truly professional seafarer. Known as the Sailor King in his own lifetime, he saw himself as a naval officer who happened to become the sovereign rather than a monarch who had been a naval officer. His life presents an appealing, if sometimes shocking character. His life in the Royal Navy was fraught with crisis: rivalries, doomed love affairs, extravagance and rebelliousness. Often he seems a Hogarthian character, or a nautical version of the Regency rake. Yet, while many mocked or despised him, there were those who loved him. And, when he came to the throne and was all but swept away by the tide of the Age of Reform, he faced it with resolution and survived with honour. He had overcome the pressures and contradictions of a royal upbringing, to end his days a king who was not only loved but admired for setting an unstable monarchy on an even keel for the long reign of his niece Victoria which followed his. The author of this biography of William IV also wrote Horatio Nelson , which was runner up for the Whitbread Award for Biography in 1987.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Vintage Publishing
ISBN-13
9781856190756
eBay Product ID (ePID)
88781023
Product Key Features
Book Title
The Sailor King: Life of William Iv
Author
Tom Pocock
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
History
Publication Year
1991
Type
Textbook
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Number of Pages
288 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
241mm
Item Width
163mm
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Tom Pocock
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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