Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert - Softcover

Weintraub, Stanley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743206096 ISBN 13: 9780743206099

Publisher: Free Press, 2000

Synopsis

Stanley Weintraub, biographer of Victoria and other major figures of her era, here unveils for the first time the largely hidden role of Albert, establishing him as one of the greatest men of his days. Drawing on previously unexplored sources, Weintraub delves into Albert's political, familial, financial, medical, and sexual life. As a youth, Albert had few choices of vocation. Plucked from foreign obscurity - literally a "student prince" - he would sire the succession in what was then the most powerful empire on earth. His marriage, arranged as it was and stormy at times, remains one of the most surprising and arresting of love stories. Yet while Victoria adored him, his adopted people never accepted him, nor were they pleased with his behind-the-scenes behavior as surrogate sovereign.
He was active, often secretly, in foreign affairs and in military affairs. He played a major part in running the Crimean War, and early in the American Civil War played a major part in keeping Britain from intervening for the South. He was Britain's leading exponent of industrial and technological progress, culminating in the renowned Crystal Palace exhibition, the first - and most successful - World's Fair. Indeed, virtually all royal instructions from the Queen to her officials, were drafted by the Prince Consort.

About this title

Review:

When the young, insignificant scion of an unremarkable German principality first came to England to serve as consort to the youthful Queen Victoria, no one could have guessed that he would grow to become one of Britain's great--if uncrowned--kings. Albert's life could not have been an easy one; a man of great intelligence, pride, and ambition, he was forced to move behind the scenes, playing major roles in running the Crimean War and working to keep Britain out of the Civil War being waged in the United States. He was interested in industry and technology, and worked to stage the Crystal Palace exhibition--the first World's Fair. Yet, while his wife adored him, his adopted people scorned him for his German accent, his foreign ways, and his covert activities as a surrogate ruler.

Biographer Stanley Weintraub has penned acclaimed biographies on such renowned figures as Benjamin Disraeli and Queen Victoria, and in Uncrowned King he turns his attention to Prince Albert. Tapping previously unexplored sources, Weintraub chronicles every aspect of Albert's life--from the political to the sexual--in lively, accessible prose, sure to please even the most avid follower of the royal family.

About the Author:

Stanley Weintraub is Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University and the author of notable histories and biographies including 11 Days in December, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, MacArthur's War, Long Day's Journey into War, and A Stillness Heard Round the World: The End of the Great War. He lives in Newark, Delaware.

About this edition

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0743206096
• ISBN 13: 9780743206099
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512