Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens
David Mitchell
A rollicking history of England's earliest kings and queens, a story of narcissists, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and more, from award-winning British actor and comedian David MitchellThink you know the kings and queens of England. Think again. In Unruly , David Mitchell explores how early England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects’ destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky bastards who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear to us today in their portraits. more
433 pages, ebook
First published Crown
4.21
Rating
6977
Ratings
876
Reviews
David Mitchell
53 books 623 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.David Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is one half of the comedic duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo starred in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show in which Mitchell plays Mark Corrigan. The show received a BAFTA and won three British Comedy Awards, while Mitchell won the award for Best Comedy Performance in 2009. The duo have written and starred in several sketch shows including The Mitchell and Webb Situation, That Mitchell and Webb Sound and most recently That Mitchell and Webb Look. Mitchell and Webb also star in the UK version of Apple's Get a Mac advertisement campaign. Their first film, Magicians, in which Mitchell plays traditional magician Harry, was released on 18 May 2007.
On his own, Mitchell has played Dr James Vine in the BBC1 sitcom Jam & Jerusalem and Tim in the one-off ShakespeaRe-Told adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. He also is a frequent participant on British panel shows, including QI, Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You, as well as Best of the Worst and Would I Lie to You? on each of which he is a team captain, and The Unbelievable Truth which he hosts. Regarding his personal life, Mitchell considers himself a "worrier" and lives in a flat in Kilburn.
Author biography and photograph obtained from Wikipedia.
Community reviews
Some books try really hard to be funny and fail. This one though genuinely is. Imagine it told to you by a grumpy uncle after a few beers, a bit crass, acerbic and irreverent, heavy on unabashed personal opinions and judgment (Mitchell is Team Harold Godwinson over Willy the Conqueror, and don’t get him started on Stephen and Matilda or Edward the Confessor or the shittiness of King John). Objectivity — well, you can find it in a textbook; Mitchell here would rather invite you for a bit of a grumpy heart-to-heart (and one unrelated rant about a James Bond movie), with a hefty helping of swearing. “They were both twats. more
“For God's sake, let us sit upon the groundAnd tell sad stories of the death of kings;How some have been deposed; some slain in war,Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;Some poison'd by their wives: some sleeping kill'd;All murder'd: for within the hollow crownThat rounds the mortal temples of a kingKeeps Death his court and there the antic sits,Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,Allowing him a breath, a little scene,To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,Infusing him with self and vain conceit,As if this flesh which walls about our life,Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thusComes at the last and with a little pinBores through his castle wall, and farewell king. ”(Shakespeare: King Richard II, Act 3 Scene 2)David Mitchell himself quotes this as his bookend, so it's fitting I begin my review with it. In a way, this is very much the gist of his book, though because he is a comedian, he has the talent to turn these "sad stories" into ironic, tongue-in-cheek, profane, practical, unscientific and very entertaining. Just to repeat, David Mitchell is a comedian and an actor, NOT a historian* and as the title suggests, this is a ridiculous book, NOT a serious one. The stories he is telling us -starting from nonexistent, mythical King Arthur and finishing with Elizabeth I - are still mostly accurate, but as they are viewed through the lens of the 21st century, they are also out-of-context, incomplete and incongruous. more
A brief but hilariously entertaining account of the monarchs of 'England' from the Early Medieval Period to the end of the Tudor's. Mitchell is a brilliant representation of what history can be - fun, engaging and full of quirky characters - he has a wonderful grasp on the history and puts it to the reader on a polished plate. Expect to laugh out loud a lot with this one. . more
In my opinion, this is a work of genius. David Mitchell is a comedian, but also an incredibly intelligent lover of history. All those skills come together to form what is a highly entertaining and simultaneously informative read taking us through the history of the monarchs of England up to 1603. This is fitting to those who just want to dip their fingers into a bit of history, as well as those who love any period that is covered. Mitchell draws parallels between rulers in history and sprinkles wonderful insights amongst his recounting of the main events of each monarch's rule. more
4+Here the witty David Mitchell looks at our earliest Kings from Anglo-Saxon times including King Arthur although newsflash, he’s made up, sorry. He takes us through to the end of the Tudor era with Elizabeth I. It’s not a serious book as although the author has a history degree, he makes it clear he’s not an historian. However, what he does give us here is an entertaining ride. I lose count of the amount of times I burst out laughing as his take is always, well, a little different. more
Listening to this as an audio book works just the way you'd expect it to: It's David Mitchell giving a 10-hour angry rant about how shit most kings were back in the good old days. A well-read, informative, funny angry rant, but a rant nonetheless. With numerous asides, obviously. Basic takeaway, which should be obvious but somehow seems refreshing: You can be fascinated by these people, but admiring them, let alone thinking living under them had any advantages whatsoever to living now, is. a choice most people wouldn't make. more
MehThis was mostly unnecessary, not that funny, pro-monarchy for the most part and tad bit sexist. 🤷🏾♀️This does cover the French Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War that dominated the 100 years war in France much like the war of the roses dominated England at this same time period. A surprising amount of histories of this time period skipped this war while covering the 100 years war, and its annoying. more
I loved this book. It was a joy to read. It’s clever and funny. It is highly informative. I loved Mitchell’s sense of humor and his sarcasm. more
This was a fun and irreverent, delightful and short, history of the kings and queens of England. From the beginning, via the imaginary Arthur, and ending with Elizabeth the first, well, James the first gets a quick mention before the closing of the book. It’s rather a parade of quixotic, narcissistic and nasty royals. I did learn one thing - Queen Mary I and Mary queen of the Scots is not the same person. It feels like I should have known this, but really, I was surprised. more
جملهی آخر کتاب نقل به مضمون: حاکمان از سر بخت و اقبال و به مدد زور و ظلم و قلدری بر تخت مینشینند اما کسی مثل شکسپیر از دل غوغا سر برمیآورد و اوست که جهان و آینده را شکل میدهد، در نهایت اوست که از همه قدرتمندتر و برتر و واقعیتر و ملموستر است. کتاب از خط اول تاریخ (ساکسونها که خدایا چه اسامی جذابی دارن، هزاربار هم بشنوم باز کهنه نمیشن) شروع و با پایان سلطنت الیزابت اول تموم میشه. دوست دارم ببینم بقیهشم مینویسه یا نه و اگر مینویسه اون آش درهمجوش استوارتها و پیچیدگی روابط انگلستان/اسکاتلند رو چهجوری شرح میده؛ آدم منصفیه و روش کارش رو دوست دارم. با اینکه از ویلیام به بعد رو دیگه کموبیش بلد بودم و مخصوصاً مدی�� با جنگ رزها و فلان خفهمون کرده، نکتههای ریزهمیزهای که ممکنه حقیقت نداشته باشن، حقایقی که ممکنه پروپاگاندای رقیب بوده باشن و مانند اینها جذاب بود. کتاب طنزه و طنزش تو ترجمه درنمیاد، طبیعتاً اصلشو بخونین، اگه لیسنینگتون خوبه قطعاً ادیوبوکشو گوش کنین. more
Really enjoyed it, made even duller sections of British history fun, overall it was a well written book with a few interesting witticisms thrown in by Mitchell. If it was a straight history, it'd have been pretty dull so unlike other reviewers I enjoyed the comparisons with modern times, Brexit, Cameron, Blair and Covid 19 etc. Can't please everyone eh. more
Mark Corrigan finally wrote a best selling history book. This book bought me SO much joy. Just having David Mitchell as narrator made it totally worth the audible credit. Not only was this book funny, it was also surprisingly interesting. It’s split in to short, digestible chapters (each covering one monarch) so it’s easy to dip in and out of. more
‘Unruly’ by comedian David Mitchell is a sort of Horrible Histories for adults; a facetious, chronological overview of England’s monarchs, retold in Mitchell’s matter-of-fact brand of sardonic humour. It begins with the apocryphal King Arthur in the epoch of post-Roman Britain, and navigates swiftly through the Anglo-Saxon/Viking era up until the 11th century, detailing the salient events of Alfred the Great, Aethelred the Unready, Cnut (the name of whom Mitchell indulges in some obvious schoolboy ribaldry), Edward the Confessor, then finally, Harold Godwinson; the last Anglo-Saxon king, defeated at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, his death by an arrow to the eye forever immortalised in The Bayeux Tapestry. Notwithstanding the coarse humour (which is superfluous at times), Unruly is generally well-written and informative; useful for anyone with a tenuous grasp on British history looking to brush up on the fundamentals. I found it interesting to learn that it was the father of King Henry II, Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, where we derive the name Plantagenet from because he wore a sprig in his hat. Moreover, that Simon De Montfort founded the English parliamentary system, and that Queen “Bloody” Mary had 300 Protestants burned alive at the stake - who says women can’t be murderous tyrants. more
I have always imagined that if I were from the UK (or any country where I was funding monarchs with my taxes) I would be a dedicated anti-royalist. As I have no skin in the game I am pretty neutral, but philosophically opposed to any system where merit is conflated with bloodlines. If you are interested in knowing a teeny tiny amount of information about several hundred years worth of English monarchs that will make you hate the system you will enjoy this fun summary. This is essentially the royal history equivalent of 88 Lines About 44 Women. Mitchell is smart, fuuny, and clearly knowledgable. more
If only he could have been my history teacher. I don’t know what I enjoyed more, his sarcastic and opinionated narration or the fact there were chapter titles. (Bring back chapter titles for every book. ) Also, totally agree with his point about James Bond. I, too, felt cheated. more
The author failed miserably to address the most important issues facing the British royalty. To sugarcoat the bitter pill related to this spoiled and vicious bloodsucking nobles, he hides the atrocious crime of genocidal wiping out the arborigines the world over to establish an empire “where the sun never set “Instead he focuses his narrative around their unusual personal habits, idiosyncrasies and harmless traits What he did is a dirty game of mirrors and smoke to the large readership What he should’ve done FOR THE MILLIONS OF KILLED, RAPPED , JAILED, TORTURED & ROBBED the world over ( In order to expanse the British Empire) is to expose said crime against humanity AS THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION:( Thanks to a source found in the Google)How British colonialism killed 100 million Indians in 40 yearsBetween 1880 to 1920, British colonial policies in India claimed more lives than all famines in the Soviet Union, Maoist China and North Korea combined. Dylan SullivanAdjunct Fellow in the School of Social Sciences, Macquarie UniversityJason HickelProfessor at the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and Fellow of the Royal Society of ArtsPublished On 2 Dec 2022train station colonial indiaOur research finds that Britain’s exploitative policies were associated with approximately 100 million excess deaths during the 1881-1920 period, write Sullivan and Hickel[British Raj(1904-1906)/Wikimedia Commons]Recent years have seen a resurgence in nostalgia for the British empire. High-profile books such as Niall Ferguson’s Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, and Bruce Gilley’s The Last Imperialist, have claimed that British colonialism brought prosperity and development to India and other colonies. Two years ago, a YouGov poll found that 32 percent of people in Britain are actively proud of the nation’s colonial history. more
4. 25 stars. I laughed out loud so many times. There are some really inspired strokes of genius writing in this book. David Mitchell’s mind works in very funny ways and I am here for it completely. more
Really enjoyed this book. I now have a much better understanding of early English history. It’s funny and fascinating; irreverent but not trivial and it’s calming to know we’ve always been ruled by bastards. more
This was just really, really entertaining. And much more thoughtful than anything I was expecting from a comedic history. Sure, there were moments where the humor may have felt a tad forced, but they were more than outweighed by those that had me genuinely chuckling. I'm a history lover, but this should appeal even to folks who don't typically gravitate toward heavy non-fiction. It's great for general historical perspective - there isn't space for all the nitty-gritty details here, but if you want a broad sense of what the heck the Wars of the Roses were about, for example, all arranged in digestible chapters where each king is allocated no more than 20 pages, then this is the book for you. more
Hundreds of pages about the origins of the English (and then ‘British’) monarchy leads up to a pithy thesis that William Shakespeare was better than all of them. Lovely stuff. Bit puzzled as to why a number of reviews have interpreted it as misogynistic - I sensed no hatred of women from the author and he can’t really go back in time and command people to be cool to women. . more
4. 5* Really enjoyable book. It talks of Englands monarchs and history in just enough detail that is interesting, but not too much that bores you. Also David Mitchell’s voice is very clear throughout and he somehow makes history quite funny. Really original and fascinating 👍🏻. more
I barely made it through the introduction and stumbled through the first chapter. It felt like I was being preached at and scolded the whole time, which is disappointing, as I quite like the author. I'm not in the mood for misogynistic humour, either. Maybe one day I'll give it another go, but life is too short to finish bad books. more
The title of this book is extremely appropriate to this book……. ridiculous. A irreverent, sarcastic and not particularly funny, in my opinion. I started reading this book thinking it might a different slant on the kings and queens in period of English history that I love. However I was bitterly disappointed. more
Laughed inappropriately on public transit while listening to the audiobook, which makes this a great book. more
On accession, Edward was challenged for the throne by his cousin Aethelwold (a great name for an artisanal cheese)Um pouco menos de história e de humor do que eu esperaria de um relato histórico escrito por um humorista. Tirando isso, até que é bom. Ri muito da passagem em que o Mitchell comenta que não se morria tão cedo assim na Idade Média, e que a taxa de mortalidade só era maior por causa das mortes infantis e tal, e aí se corrige: That’s not quite true. People still die at exactly the same rate as they always have: once per person. Faz falta esse tipo de sacada no resto do livro, que acaba sendo só uma introdução básica à história da realeza britânica, nem rigorosa o suficiente pra ser útil nem curiosa o suficiente pra ser interessante. more
Unsurprisingly, David Mitchell is hilarious. If you want to laugh your ass of while learning some British history, this is the book for you. This book is laugh out loud hilarious, but in distressing news there are no Oxford commas. 4. 1 stars. more
This one took me a while because of Spotify’s jank ass audiobook time system but I liked it. I appreciate the Henry VIII bashing . more
Such a fun read. A great opinion piece full of hilarious hot takes. Found a mistake in the book though. The Treaty of Troyes was signed in 1420 and not 1320 (page 311). more
I am fascinated by British history. On a global scale, Great Britain is a small island that has had an outsized impact on the world. So, when I saw the author of this book, comedian David Mitchell, on The Graham Norton Show, I downloaded it right away. I should note that I have seen multiple streaming series and movies about the British royals—The White Queen, The White Princess, The Tudors, three Elizabeth movies (two starring Cate Blanchett and one with Helen Mirren), The Favourite (about Queen Ann and starring Olivia Colman), The Madness of King George, Young Victoria (my favorite Emily Blunt movie), Victoria, Mrs. Brown (starring Dame Judi Densch as the widowed Queen Victoria late in life), The King’s Speech, and, of course, The Crown. more