Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions That Forged Modern Europe

by John Julius Norwich

Overview

Renowned historian John Julius Norwich has created a brilliant portrait of four dynamic rulers—all born in the last decade of the 15th century—who collectively shaped modern Europe and the Middle East

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802128096
Publisher:	Grove Atlantic
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	120,907
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

Read an Excerpt

Finally, after nearly a week spent in further frenzied preparation, Henry and Francis came together—for the first time in their lives—at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

It was a magnificent name, and the occasion was more magnificent still, with each of the two protagonists determined to outdo the other in splendor. Henry brought with him a suite of well over five thousand men, together with nearly three thousand horses; another six thousand artisans from both England and Flanders—builders, stonemasons, carpenters, glaziers and the rest—had been working flat out for months, transforming the castle of Guines and surrounding it with temporary structures so elaborate and fantastical that they seemed to have come straight out of a fairy tale. Francis, we may be sure, kept a close eye on their work; whatever Henry could do, he was determined to do better.