. . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live. Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen” –a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century. The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’ s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor. Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy. Alison Weir uses her unmatched skills as a historian to enliven the many dynamic characters of this majestic drama. Along with Lady Jane Grey, Weir vividly renders her devious parents; her much-loved nanny; the benevolent Queen Katherine Parr; Jane’s ambitious cousins; the Catholic “Bloody” Mary, who will stop at nothing to seize the throne; and the Protestant and future queen Elizabeth. Readers venture inside royal drawing rooms and bedchambers to witness the power-grabbing that swirls around Lady Jane Grey from the day of her birth to her unbearably poignant death. Innocent Traitor paints a complete and compelling portrait of this captivating young woman, a faithful servant of God whose short reign and brief life would make her a legend.

    These acclaimed titles brim with intrigue, romance, and adventure--and are sure to engage readers of all ages.

    Whether your 17th-century ancestor was a merchant seamen listed on the muster rolls, or of a trade registered through the Livery guilds of Newcastle, Yorkshire or London; a midwife licensed by the church from medieval times (in case they had to baptise a sick baby at birth); an alehouse owner (victualler) who was licensed from the 1500s onwards; or an afro-Caribbean immigrant from the 1700s, this book fills the gaps in your family tree and gives you the resources to search out your medieval ancestors.This book is a guide to tracing your family tree back for six centuries, into the time of Tudor kings and peasant uprisings, through a fascinating array of historical resources.It is also a fascinating social history of the peoples of the United Kingdom and how they were shaped by the events of their times.

    Thrust by her ambitious relatives into the glittering orbit of the mighty Tudor monarch, Catherine was bound to beguile him with her passion, sensuality, and vibrant youth even as the shadow of the executioner's ax fell over her.

    Placing Mary within the context of early modern gender relations, Warnicke reveals the challenges that faced her and the forces that worked to destroy her.This highly readable and fascinating study will pour fresh light on the much-debated life of a central figure of the sixteenth century, providing a new interpretation of Mary Stuart's impact on politics, gender and nationhood in the Tudor era.

    This book vividly conveys through contemporary illustrations, the realities of living in Florence and Venice during the Renaissance, and takes the reader on a room-by-room tour.