Between 1838 and the early 1890s, German peasant farmers from the Kingdom of Hanover made their way to Lafayette County, Missouri, to form a new community centered on the town of Concordia. Their story has much to tell us about the American immigrant experience--and about how newcomers were caught up in the violence that swept through their adoptive home. Robert Frizzell grew up near Concordia, and in this first book-length history of the German settlement, he chronicles its life and times during those formative years. Founded by Hanoverian Friedrich Dierking--known as "Dierking the Comforter" for the aid he gave his countrymen--the Concordia settlement blossomed from 72 households in 1850 to 375 over the course of twenty years. Frizzell traces that growth as he examines the success of early agricultural efforts, but he also tells how the community strayed from the cultural path set by its freethinker founder to become a center of religious conservatism. Drawing on archival material from both sides of the Atlantic, Frizzell offers a compelling account for scholars and general readers alike, showing how Concordia differed from other German immigrant communities in America. He also explores the conditions in Hanover--particularly the village of Esperke, from which many of the settlers hailed--that caused people to leave, shedding new light on theological, political, and economic circumstances in both the Old World and the New. When the Civil War came, the antislavery Hanoverians found themselves in the Missouri county with the greatest number of slaves, and the Germans supported the Union while most of their neighbors sympathized with Confederate guerrillas. Frizzell tells how the notorious "Bloody Bill" Anderson attacked the community three times, committing atrocities as gruesome as any recorded in the state--then how the community flourished after the war and even bought out the farmsteads of former slaveholders. Frizzell's account challenges many historians' assumptions about German motives for immigration and includes portraits of families and individuals that show the high price in toil and blood required to meet the challenges of making a home in a new land. Independent Immigrants reveals the untold story of these newcomers as it reveals a little-known aspect of the Civil War in Missouri.

For about a century and a half after they arrived from England, America's first permanent colonists considered themselves to be English. They were proud of their heritage and loyal to their country. England's royal family truly was the royal family of America--until the era of the American Revolution, when the colonies fought for their independence from England and its rulers. Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II, Anne, George I, George II, and George III--the English royals who were also the royals of early America--are all covered in this work. It begins with Queen Elizabeth I, as it was during her rule that Sir Walter Ralegh established his settlements in America, and ends with King George III, as it was during his rule that the American Revolution began. A biographical sketch is provided for each royal and his or her spouse and legitimate children. Brief mention is made of mistresses and illegitimate children.

For more than 120 years (1714–1837) Great Britain was linked to the German Electorate, later Kingdom, of Hanover through Personal Union. This made Britain a continental European state in many respects, and diluted her sense of insular apartness. The geopolitical focus of Britain was now as much on Germany, on the Elbe and the Weser as it was on the Channel or overseas. At the same time, the Hanoverian connection was a major and highly controversial factor in British high politics and popular political debate. This volume was the first systematically to explore the subject by a team of experts drawn from the UK, US and Germany. They integrate the burgeoning specialist literature on aspects of the Personal Union into the broader history of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Britain. Never before had the impact of the Hanoverian connection on British politics, monarchy and the public sphere, been so thoroughly investigated.

First published in 1996, this comprehensive guide to the history of Britain and its peoples will be indispensable reading for the general enthusiast, as well as students. It is packed full of fascinating detail on everything from Hadrian’s Wall to the Black Death to Tony Blair. The book was assembled over more than thirty years and has seen updates in three editions. "He has done for historical encyclopaedias what Samuel Johnson did for dictionaries." Andrew Roberts, The Daily Telegraph "An astonishing synthesis of information." Roger Scruton, The Times "An astonishing achievement, a compelling book for dipping into, a splendid work." Simon Hoggart, The Guardian "This marvellous book, which contains tens of thousands of historical facts will enlighten, amuse, and inform. Every home should have one." Simon Heffer, The Daily Mail "If you were marooned on that mythical desert island with only one history book, this would be the one to take. Buy three copies – one for the children, one for the grandchildren- and one for yourself." John Charmley, The Daily Telegraph