Edward VII

Somali recruits enlisted at Kismayu, Jubaland, southern Somalia, c.1910. Bristol Archives/Universal Images Group/Getty Images.

Edward VII’s Forgotten Colonial Conflicts

The Edwardian era is often seen as a peaceful interlude between the violence of Victorian expansion and the First World War. In reality, Edward’s reign bore witness to dozens of conflicts across the Empire.

A queue of mourners attend the lying in state of George V at Westminster Abbey, 27 January 1936.

How Monarchs Succeed

As the accession of Edward VII shows, a new British monarch must represent the nation’s values – whatever that nation and those values are.

The Diplomacy of Edward VII

Long excluded from public business, King Edward showed, when he came to the throne, a remarkable grasp of foreign affairs. He was, as A.P. Ryan says, “a good European and a lover of peace.”