Best of
Tudor

2017

Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII


Gareth Russell - 2017
    Sixteen months later, the king’s fifth wife would follow her cousin Anne Boleyn to the scaffold, having been convicted of adultery and high treason. The broad outlines of Catherine’s career might be familiar, but her story up until now has been incomplete. Unlike previous accounts of her life, which portray her as a naïve victim of an ambitious family, this compelling and authoritative biography will shed new light on Catherine Howard’s rise and downfall by reexamining her motives and showing her in her context, a milieu that goes beyond her family and the influential men of the court to include the aristocrats and, most critically, the servants who surrounded her and who, in the end, conspired against her. By illuminating Catherine's entwined upstairs/downstairs worlds as well as societal tensions beyond the palace walls, the author offers a fascinating portrayal of court life in the sixteenth century and a fresh analysis of the forces beyond Catherine’s control that led to her execution—from diplomatic pressure and international politics to the long-festering resentments against the queen’s household at court. Including a forgotten text of Catherine’s confession in her own words, color illustrations, family tree, map, and extensive notes, Young and Damned and Fair changes our understanding of one of history’s most famous women while telling the compelling and very human story of complex individuals attempting to survive in a dangerous age.

Tudor Court Series 6 books The Boleyn Inheritance / The Other Boleyn Girl / The Other Queen / The Constant Princess / The Virgins Lover / The Queens Fool


Philippa Gregory - 2017
    Philippa Gregory Tudor Court Novels 6 Books Collection Set Titles in the Set are The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl ,The Boleyn Inheritance, The Virgin's Lover, The Other Queen and The Queen's Fool.

The Lady Carey


Anne R. Bailey - 2017
    As a girl, she saw her aunt, Anne Boleyn, go to the scaffold. Now she might see yet another Queen suffer the same fate. She has to decide. To serve her mistress would be treason, to abandon her would mean the doom of a good lady. She knows her duty is to serve her family, but what about her heart and her conscience? In a world where any indiscretion can lead to death, where competition corrupts any friendship, and where your family is ready to abandon you, Catherine must stay ahead of the ever-changing rules. The King is becoming a monster, ready to turn on those he claimed to love. As a lady-in-waiting, Catherine sees first hand the danger of the Tudor court. She finds her dreams changing from grandeur to the peaceful existence of a country life. However, when you are part of the great Howard family, the illegitimate daughter of the King, and cousin to the future Queen of England, there is no place for you but court.

The Woman in the Shadows


Carol McGrath - 2017
    When beautiful cloth merchant’s daughter Elizabeth Williams is widowed at the age of twenty-two, she is determined to make herself a success in the business she has learned from her father. But there are those who oppose a woman making her own way in the world, and soon Elizabeth realises she may have some powerful enemies – enemies who also know the truth about her late husband…  Security – and happiness – comes when Elizabeth is introduced to kindly, ambitious merchant turned lawyer, Thomas Cromwell. Their marriage is one based on mutual love and respect…but it isn’t always easy being the wife of an influential, headstrong man in Henry VIII’s London. The city is filled with ruthless people and strange delights – and Elizabeth realises she must adjust to the life she has chosen…or risk losing everything.

Elizabeth's Rival: The Tumultuous Life of the Countess of Leicester: The Romance and Conspiracy that Threatened Queen Elizabeth's Court


Nicola Tallis - 2017
    However, on the morning of September 21st, 1578, Lettice made a fateful decision.  When the Queen learned of it, the consequences were swift. Lettice had dared to marry without the Queen’s consent.  But worse, her new husband was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the Queen’s favorite and one-time suitor.Though she would not marry him herself, Elizabeth was fiercely jealous of any woman who showed an interest in Leicester. Knowing that she would likely earn the Queen’s enmity, Lettice married Leicester in secret, leading to her permanent banishment from court. Elizabeth never forgave the new Countess for what she perceived to be a devastating betrayal, and Lettice permanently forfeited her favor. She had become not just Queen Elizabeth’s adversary.  She was her rival.   But the Countess’ story does not end there.  Surviving the death of two husbands and navigating the courts of three very different monarchs: Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Charles I, Lettice’s story offers an extraordinary and intimate perspective on the world she lived in.

The Raven's Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn


Adrienne Dillard - 2017
    Ordinarily, the tide would have been wild by this time of year, and woe unto any man unfortunate enough to fall into the fierce currents of the Thames. Tonight the tides were still, and the surface of the water appeared glassy. When I peered down into the dark depths, I saw my tired, drawn face wavering in the reflection. I quickly turned away as I fought back a wave of nausea, frightened by the anguish I saw etched there. “Only a few moments more my lady, the Tower is just ahead.” -------------- Jane Parker never dreamed that her marriage into the Boleyn family would raise her star to such dizzying heights. Before long, she finds herself as trusted servant and confidante to her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn; King Henry VIII’s second queen. On a gorgeous spring day, that golden era is cut short by the swing of a sword. Jane is unmoored by the tragic death of her husband, George, and her loss sets her on a reckless path that leads to her own imprisonment in the Tower of London. Surrounded by the remnants of her former life, Jane must come to terms with her actions. In the Tower, she will face up to who she really is and how everything went so wrong. "Jane Boleyn is finally given the thoughtful and poignant story she has long been denied" - Olga Hughes, Nerdalicious.com.au "An absorbing story that draws you into a vividly created world" - Amy Licence, Best-Selling Author and Historian

Discovering Tudor London: A Journey Back in Time


Natalie Grueninger - 2017
    Explore evocative historical sites, including the magnificent great hall of Eltham Palace, the most substantial surviving remnant of the medieval palace where Henry VIII spent time as a child, and the lesser-known delights of St. Helen’s Church, dubbed the "Westminster Abbey of the City" for its impressive collection of Tudor monuments. Photographs, maps, and visitor information, together with an informative narrative, bring the most intriguing personalities and stories of the 30-plus sites across Greater London vividly to life. This a must-have companion for both those planning their own "Tudor pilgrimage" and for the armchair traveler alike.

Vintage Roses: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden


Jane Eastoe - 2017
    Who wouldn't be romanced by names like Lovely Fairy, Desdemona, Elegantyne, Anne Boleyn, Leonardo da Vinci, and Blue for You? Vintage roses encompass both the true "old" roses and the best of the "modern" roses, developed to celebrate the classic, ageless, enduring beauty of the old varieties.The 60 specially selected specimens include those that have the best visual appearance and most fragrant perfume, and are also easy to grow and produce beautiful flowers for cutting.The perfect mix of engaging, inspirational commentary and no-fuss gardening notes shows that roses can be grown and enjoyed by all--whether a novice, an expert, or an armchair rose gardener.Jane Eastoe's previous books include Elizabeth: Reigning in Style, Fabulous Frocks, and a series of guidebooks for The National Trust (UK) on everything budding homesteaders need to know, from Henkeeping to Home-Grown Fruit.Georgianna Lane is a leading floral, garden, and travel photographer whose work has been published internationally in such magazines as The New Yorker, BBC Gardens Illustrated, Britain magazine, Romantic Homes, and Gardener's World (UK).

Tudor Fashion


Eleri Lynn - 2017
    They continue, even today, to spark our curiosity and imagination. Their enduring popularity is no doubt partly due to the iconic portraits in which they are depicted in magnificent style, in farthingales and ruffs, furs and jewels, codpieces and cloaks, and vast expanses of velvet and silk. Far from being mere decoration, fashion was pivotal in the communication of status and power.  It was used as a tool in securing and holding the tenuous Tudor throne and as a competitive weapon in the factions, intrigues and love-affairs of the court.   This book presents new information about the fashions of the Tudor dynasty, offering fresh insight into their social and political milieu. Histories of Kings and Queens complement stories of unsung dressmakers, laundresses, and officials charged with maintaining and transporting the immense Tudor wardrobes from palace to palace. Evidence from rare surviving garments and textiles, original documents, fine and decorative art, and archaeological findings enhance our understanding of the Tudors and their courts. Handsomely illustrated, this sumptuous book contextualises Tudor dress within the buildings in which it was worn and fills in gaps in our knowledge of the period and its fascinating historical figures.

So High a Blood: The Life of Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox


Morgan Ring - 2017
    Throughout her life, she was to navigate treacherous waters: survival necessitated it. Yet Margaret was no passive pawn or bit-part player. As the Protestant Reformations unfolded across the British Isles and the Tudor monarchs struggled to produce heirs, she had ambitions of her own. She wanted to see her family ruling a united, Catholic Britain. When her niece Mary, Queen of Scots was left a widow, Margaret saw her chance. Through a thoroughly Machiavellian combination of timing, networking and family connections, she set in motion a chain of shattering events that would one day see her descendants succeed to the crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland.Morgan Ring has revived the story of Lady Margaret Douglas to vivid and captivating effect. From a richly detailed backdrop of political and religious turbulence Margaret emerges, full of resilience, grace and intelligence. Drawing on previously unexamined archival sources, So High a Blood presents a fascinating and authoritative portrait of a woman with the greatest of ambitions for her family, her faith and her countries.

Mary Queen of Scots - The Final 24 Hours


Marcella Mayfair - 2017
    From the news that after nineteen years in prison she would be finally going to her death, to the final moments of drama on the scaffold at Fotheringhay. The story is told in a dramatic minute by minute countdown which ends with the botched blows of the executioner. The tale is told from the viewpoints of the major players in the events: Francis Walsingham - the man's life over the last fifteen years was to gather evidence incriminating Mary Queen of Scots. Finally, his moment of triumph had come. William Cecil - like Walsingham he was fearful of the catholic threat and at the head of that was Mary Stuart... her death would be the end of it all. The Earl of Shrewsbury - Earl Marshall of England and Mary's longest serving jailor. How would he react when he gave the news to the woman he had fallen in love with that she was going to die? Sir Amyas Paulet - Mary's final jailor and the man responsible for the preparations for her death. Elizabeth I - the fabled queen whose throne that Mary so desired, and the woman who wanted no responsibility for the death of her cousin. And of course... Mary, Queen of Scots herself. How did she feel as she walked those final steps to her death?

Houses of Power: The Places That Shaped The Tudor World


Simon Thurley - 2017
    Their palaces were genuine power houses - the nerve-centre of military operations, the boardroom for all executive decisions and the core of international politics. Houses of Power is the result of Simon Thurley's thirty years of research, picking through architectural digs, and examining financial accounts, original plans and drawings to reconstruct the great Tudor houses and understand how these monarchs shaped their lives. Far more than simply an architectural history - a study of private life as well as politics, diplomacy and court - it gives an entirely new and remarkable insight into the Tudor world.

King Henry's Last Daughter (Tudor Series Book 1)


Daphne Walter - 2017
    To protect the Protestant princess, a loyal nobleman spirits her into hiding, leaving a base-born lookalike in her place. Bess Neville is King Henry's daughter, too, but she wasn't born to the gilded halls of power. She grew up poor, raised in a shabby house on the Thames, abused by the aunt who resented having to raise her sister's orphaned brat, but Bess bears enough of a resemblance to her namesake for ambitious men to exploit. Bess risks a horrific death every day for five long years to help the woman she can never call sister, hoping that her life -- or death -- will mean something. Her "counterfeit" sets her at the core of Tudor intrigue: the beacon of Protestant rebels, the target of Queen Mary's jealous hatred and the prize of one ruthless nobleman who seeks to use the pretender as his means to seize the throne of England for himself. When it all goes horribly wrong, King Henry VIII's very last daughter learns the price of wearing a crown.

Mary, Queen Of Scots: White Queen, Red Queen


Michael W. Simmons - 2017
    While she was still a baby, Henry VIII burned and pillaged the Scottish countryside to force her betrothal to his son Edward. The skillful politicking of her mother, Marie de Guise, resulted in Mary’s betrothal to the son of the French king when Mary was five years old. She was sent to France to be educated as a French princess. There, “the little Queen” was adored and admired. But when her husband died a year after succeeding to his father’s throne, Mary surrendered to duty and left her beloved France behind to return to the homeland she barely remembered, and be Queen of the Scots in deed as well as in name. Six years, two disastrous marriages, two sordid murders, and one abduction later, Mary Stuart went from being an adored and popular young queen to being the most hated woman in Scotland. Taken captive by her own lords and nobles, she was forced to abdicate the throne. A daring escape in the middle of the night led to a heroic last stand against her enemies. In the end, however, the last queen of Scotland was forced to take refuge with the most dangerous woman in Britain: Elizabeth I.

The Usurper's Throne


Charity Bishop - 2017
    The death of Edward Plantagenet turned the queen's cousin, the Duke of Suffolk, against Henry. He has since fled to the Netherlands to recruit an invading army. Henry hopes to keep his new daughter-in-law close, but Suffolk's allies stir corruption in Wales, forcing him to send his son into the north.There, a brutal feud threatens all Prince Arthur holds dear.As his ruthless enforcer, Sir Thomas Lovell, closes in upon his enemies, Henry's last hope lies in his children, and in a dynastic marriage to unite two kingdoms...

Tudor Book of Days Perpetual Diary


Tudor Times - 2017
    The diary pages have a week in a double page spread and list important Tudor events by month and by day. Space to add your own special notes of anniversaries, events and seasonal notes are included for each month and day. The book concludes with a reference section including the biographical details of over 150 important Tudor figures, making it a practical and informative record of the Tudor period.The stunning cover design shows Tudor roses and flowers embroidered ona Chasuble (the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist). England, mid 16th century from the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.The Tudor Book of Days is inspiredby the Book of Hours, the prized possession of a Tudor person. Primarily a private devotional book, it listed holy days and hours for prayer, but was often used to record births and marriages, important events and festivals, or to write messages of affection between friends.

Anne Boleyn in London


Lissa Chapman - 2017
    It was in London that most of the drama of Anne Boleyn s life and death was played out most famously, in the Tower of London, the scene of her coronation celebrations, of her trial and execution, and where her body lies buried. Londoners, like everyone else, clearly had strong feelings about her, and in her few years as a public figure Anne Boleyn was influential as a patron of the arts and of French taste, as the center of a religious and intellectual circle, and for her purchasing power, both directly and as a leader of fashion. It was primarily to London, beyond the immediate circle of the court, that her carefully 'spun' image as queen was directed during the public celebrations surrounding her coronation. In the centuries since Anne Boleyn s death, her reputation has expanded to give her an almost mythical status in London, inspiring everything from pub names to music hall songs, and novels to merchandise including pin cushions with removable heads. And now there is a thriving online community surrounding her there are over fifty Twitter accounts using some version of her name.This book looks at the evidence both for the effect London and its people had on the course of Anne Boleyn s life and death, and the effects she had, and continues to have, on them."

Unleash Your Inner Tudor: Henry VIII’s Inspirational Guide to a Completely Sizzling, Sparkly, Tyrannical, Much Wider, Demanding, and Sexier You


Henry VIII - 2017
    At last England's King Henry VIII has written, Unleash Your Inner Tudor, his inspirational guide to life. After reading this landmark volume, no one will ever need any advice about life improvement again because all will have been completely answered – dating, marriage, sex, leadership, religion, parenting, and managing mood with binge eating. Eventually this book will, without doubt, be re-classified as “spirituality” (sub-classification “Superhero Erotica”) and probably replace The Bible in importance. Weaving stories of his legendary life along with all the rich wisdom and really deep insight that he’s gained over the past 500 years, Henry VIII puts success at the highest levels within the grasp of even peasants and ladies.

Elizabeth of York and Her Six Daughters-in-Law: Fashioning Tudor Queenship, 1485–1547


Retha M. Warnicke - 2017
    It defines the traditional expectations for effective Tudor queens—particularly the queen’s critical function of producing an heir—and evaluates them within that framework, before moving to consider their other contributions to the well-being of the court. This fresh comparative approach emphasizes spheres of influence rather than chronology, finding surprising juxtapositions between the various queens’ experiences as mothers, diplomats, participants in secular and religious rituals, domestic managers, and more. More than a series of biographies of individual queens, Elizabeth of York and Her Six Daughters-in-Law is a careful, illuminating examination of the nature of Tudor queenship.

A Social History of England, 1500-1750


Keith Wrightson - 2017
    It has broadened the historical agenda to include many previously little-studied, or wholly neglected, dimensions of the English past. It has also provided a fuller context for understanding more established themes in the political, religious, economic and intellectual histories of the period. This volume serves two main purposes. Firstly, it summarises, in an accessible way, the principal findings of forty years of research on English society in this period, providing a comprehensive overview of social and cultural change in an era vital to the development of English social identities. Second, the chapters, by leading experts, also stimulate fresh thinking by not only taking stock of current knowledge but also extending it, identifying problems, proposing fresh interpretations and pointing to unexplored possibilities. It will be essential reading for students, teachers and general readers.