The House of Percy resounds throughout Shakespeare's history plays, the Wars of the Roses and the centuries-long Anglo-Scottish Wars. In the Middle Ages, the earls of Northumberland were famed, or notorious, as the Kings in the North, a region they ran almost as an hereditary domain. Alexander Rose traces the history of this ancient and sometimes haughty dynasty, from the moment William de Percy stepped into England alongside William the Conqueror to the waning of the medieval era after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The book considers the family within its broader context of British history - too often regarded as purely 'Southern English' history - and offers readers the grand sweep of Anglo-Scottish history from the perspective of individuals. The Percys' commanding role in the English wars against Scotland, as well as their part in the Hundred Years War, the Crusades and the politics of the time, feature prominently. Today, as the United Kingdom threatens to crack into its constituent parts,KINGS IN THE NORTH shows us how and why it came together in the first place.
A little about myself. I was born in the United States, grew up in Australia, and educated (to the best of my abilities) in Britain. After that, I moved to Canada, became what was known in the pre-Internet era as a "newspaperman," and eventually transferred to Washington, D.C. Now based in New York, I am what is currently known as an "historian."
My writing has appeared in, among other places, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Washington Post, National Review, the New York Observer, the CIA journal Studies in Intelligence, Invention & Technology, The National Interest, and the Daily Telegraph. I'm a member of the United States Commission on Military History, the Society for Military History, and the Royal Historical Society, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. I've worked as a consultant on several television series, including "America: The History of Us" and "Gun Stories."
At the moment, I'm a Writer-in-Residence at the Allen Room of the New York Public Library, where I am striving to write a book about soldiers' experiences of battle since the War of Independence. My publisher is hoping that I finish it by the end of 2012--as do I.
I have a particular interest in military and intelligence history, but I write also on technology and, occasionally, firearms (a mix of military and technology, I guess). If you glance over to your right, you'll find links to more information about the books I've written, as well as to a selection of articles. I review the odd book for the newspapers and write the occasional article for various magazine. You can find links to these at my website www.alexrose.com.
I always like to hear from readers, so if you have any questions or comments or requests, please feel free to contact me. You can also find me on Facebook (a direct link is provided at www.alexrose.com).
