Covering over 1,500 years of Britain's history, Schama's book provides an illustrated overview from the early tribes to the first Roman invasion, the Norman conquest to the early seventeenth century, and the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Schama gives an overview, bringing history to dramatic life with a wealth of stories and vivid, colorful detail, reanimating familiar figures and events and drawing them into a powerful and compelling narrative. His perspective moves from the birth of civilization to their invasion and rule by a French-speaking aristocracy; through the religious wars and turbulence of the Middle Ages to the sovereignties of Henry II, Richard I and King John; through the outbreak of the Black Death, which destroyed nearly half of Europe's population; through the reign of Edward I and the growth of national identity in Wales and Scotland, to the turbulent religious and dynastic conflicts of the Tudors and the clash between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Driven by the drama of the stories themselves, Schama explores a network of interconnected themes relating to the British nation state. Included are stories of the famous and infamous, such as: Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni; William the conqueror; Becket; Thomas Cromwell; Robert the Bruce; Anne Boleyn; King Alfred; as well as more ordinary lives such as those of an Irish monk waiting for the plague to reach him in his cell in Kilkenny, or, a small boy, running through the streets of London to catch a glimpse of his Queen. All are captured in a rich and teeming portrait in which Schama portrays the life of a great nation--From publisher description.