
The opening of this sweeping historical narrative plunges listeners into the uneasy final days of Queen Anne’s reign, a period when the very stability of England hung in the balance. Through vivid portraiture of the queen’s personal habits and the court’s shifting loyalties, the author paints a portrait of a monarch more a pawn than a ruler, while the nation watches her health with a mixture of dread and anticipation.
Against this fragile backdrop, rival claimants and their scheming ministers circle like predators, each maneuvering to secure the crown. From the Hanoverian ambitions across the continent to the lingering Jacobite hopes, the early chapters map the tangled web of diplomacy, espionage, and party politics that set the stage for the succession of the four Georges. Listeners will be drawn into the high‑stakes drama that defined an era and reshaped the British monarchy.
Language
en
Duration
~12 hours (741K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2007-11-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1830–1912
An Irish novelist, historian, and nationalist politician, he brought the drama of Victorian public life into both his fiction and his historical writing. His career ranged from journalism and popular books to decades in Parliament, giving his work an unusual mix of storytelling and firsthand political experience.
View all books