John Julius Norwich on Four Giants of the Renaissance

John Julius Norwich’s incredible prolificacy, undeniable erudition and incandescent enthusiasm make him one of Britain’s most important historians. It’s fitting that he now turns to Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent – sometimes friends, more often enemies. These four men held early modern Europe in the hollow of their hands. Never before had the world seen four such giants co-existing. Four Princes is history at its vivid, entertaining best. With a cast list that extends from Leonardo da Vinci to Barbarossa, and from Joanna the Mad to le roi grand-nez, John Julius Norwich offers the perfect guide to the most colourful century the world has ever known and brings the past to unforgettable life, and shows how the foundations for modern Europe were laid.