The 16th century is known to be a century full of powerful women rulers; Mary I, Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, and Mary Queen of Scots, just to name a few. However, these rulers were towards the end of the 16th century. For the first half of the 16th century, Europe and the Middle East rulers were predominantly male. Four men truly dominated this period, each with their objectives and desire for glory; Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor, and Suleiman the Magnificent the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. In his book, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe,” John Julius Norwich hopes to shed some light on the relationships of these men and how they shaped the political landscape of Europe.

This book caught my eye when I was used book shopping one day. The cover was beautiful and then when I saw what the book was about, I knew I wanted to read it. The stories of Henry VIII and Francis I are tales that I know pretty well and I know some facts about Charles V, but when it comes to Suleiman the Magnificent, I know very little about his life.

Essentially this book is four biographies of the princes Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, and Suleiman the Magnificent. While Norwich could have broken this book into four parts, focusing on each prince individually, he chose to incorporate their stories into one cohesive book, starting with the birth of Francis I and ending with the death of Suleiman. Each man ruled his kingdom in different ways. Francis was the more Renaissance prince who encouraged education and was a patron of the arts. Henry VIII was the second son who was not destined to rule, but when his eldest brother died, Henry was declared King of England and began to rule with an iron fist. Charles V was full of ambition and was industrial which allowed him to become the Holy Roman Emperor. Finally, Suleiman the Magnificent was the outlier of the group as he was the only Muslim leader who brought forth the golden age of the Ottoman Empire.

Norwich was able to keep a balanced approach to this book, never truly favoring one prince over another. I found his narrative easy to follow and pretty well-researched, even though I think what he had to say about the women in the lives of the four princes was a bit dated compared to modern research. I must say that I did enjoy reading about Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent whereas I found the points about Henry VIII and Francis I a bit of a review. I think if you want a solid book that explores a different aspect of the 16th century, I would recommend you read, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe” by John Julius Norwich.