How accurate have historical accounts been of England’s most (in) famous rulers? And what makes a “good” English king? This issue is being released as we usher in the new reign of King Charles III. It explores medieval English kingship.

We begin with the legendary Alfred the Great, followed by the musical coronation of Edward the Confessor, then on to disentangle some of the stories surrounding the much-maligned King John – was he really as bad as they say? Then we move on to the indomitable Edward I, the fearsome “Hammer of the Scots.” We also explore the rule of the martial king immortalized in Shakespeare’s play of the same name – Henry V. Lastly, we look at the symbolism and meaning behind the artistic representations of coronations and end with the Musée Jacquemart- André’s exhibition of Giovanni Bellini (c. 1435–1516), father of the Venetian school of art.

Hip Hip Hooray! 👑