The History of England, From the Earliest Times to the Death of George Ii

The History of England, From the Earliest Times to the Death of George Ii is Oliver Goldsmith's accessible narrative of English history for general readers. Goldsmith moves from ancient origins through monarchy, conflict, conquest, religion, parliament, and public life, shaping a broad national story in clear prose. The work reflects eighteenth-century habits of moral and historical explanation.

The book is useful less as modern scholarship than as a window into how history was organized, simplified, and taught in Goldsmith's age. Its storytelling connects rulers, wars, institutions, and character judgments into a readable sequence. Readers interested in historical writing, English monarchy, Georgian-era education, narrative history, and Goldsmith's prose beyond poetry and fiction will find a revealing text.