Four Princes
2016 · Book · John Julius Norwich
Henry viii, king of england, 1491-1547Francis i, king of france, 1494-1547RenaissanceEurope, history, 1492-1648Suleyman i, sultan of the turks, 1494 or 1495-1566Charles v, holy roman emperor, 1500-1558
Four 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. by John Julius Norwich