Daughter of the nobility, cousin to a fallen Queen, Catherine Howard rose from the cluttered ranks of courtiers at the court of Henry VIII to become the King's fifth wife. But hers is a tale that starts long before the crown was placed on her head. A tale of tragedy and challenges, predators and prey; the story of a young girl growing up in a perilous time, facing dangers untold. The fifth wife of Henry VIII would end her life on the block, like her cousin Anne Boleyn... But where did her story begin? Shadow of Persephone is Book One in the series The Story of Catherine Howard, by G. Lawrence The Author's thanks are due to Julia Gibbs, proof reader, and Amelie Designs, cover artist.

    Separated from past friends and surrounded by people who resent her rise to the throne, the sole close companion she has left is Jane Boleyn, the infamous Lady Rochford. And this is not the only strain upon Catherine. People from her past come calling, the threat that the King may find out she is not the pure, innocent maiden he thinks she is puts her in peril. Catherine must imitate the Queens of the past in order to survive. And she must ignore her love for another man. On the day of her wedding, Catherine begins a dangerous game, wearing a mask, hoping to fool the King, until the day she can be free. No More Time to Dance is book two in The Story of Catherine Howard, by G. Lawrence The author's thank are due to Julia Gibbs, proof reader of this work, and BetiBup Designs, the cover artist.

    A year later she endured a traumatic birth that brought her and her son close to death. She was just thirteen years old.As the battle for royal supremacy raged between the houses of Lancaster and York, Margaret, who was descended from Edward III and thus a critical threat, was forced to give up her son – she would be separated from him for fourteen years. But few could match Margaret for her boundless determination and steely courage. Surrounded by enemies and conspiracies in the Yorkist court, Margaret remained steadfast, only just escaping the headman’s axes as she plotted to overthrow Richard III in her efforts to secure her son the throne.Against all odds, in 1485 Henry Tudor was victorious on the battlefield at Bosworth. Through Margaret’s royal blood Henry was crowned Henry VII, King of England, and Margaret became the most powerful woman in England – Queen in all but name. Nicola Tallis’s gripping account of Margaret’s life, one that saw the final passing of the Middle Ages, is a true thriller, revealing the life of an extraordinarily ambitious and devoted woman who risked everything to ultimately found the Tudor dynasty.

    a carriage accident, a fire, and she was forever changed. Now, Emma bears the scars of that terrible night - literally.Lord Asher Russe lives in a mausoleum of an old family home, a beastly place with the hollow memories of a bereft House. The last of his line, he, too, suffered that one ill-fated night that changed his stars forever. Now, he lives in darkness, praying for the courage to end it all.When Emma and Ash meet unexpectedly during one dark and stormy night, an uncomfortable event becomes the most momentous of their lives.Can hope spring from the well of darkness? And will love flame eternal? Be prepared to be enchanted by this short Gothic tale.Previously published in the The Midnight Hour anthology

    Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, takes his child bride into Wales where she discovers a land of strife and strangers. At Caldicot Castle and Lamphey Palace Margaret must put aside childhood, acquire the dignity of a Countess and, despite her tender years, produce Richmond with a son and heir. While Edmund battles to restore the king’s peace, Margaret quietly supports his quest; but it is a quest fraught with danger. As the friction between York and Lancaster intensifies 14-year-old Margaret, now widowed, turns for protection to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor. At his stronghold in Pembroke, two months after her husband’s death, Margaret gives birth to a son whom she names Henry, after her cousin the king. Margaret is small of stature but her tiny frame conceals a fierce and loyal heart and a determination that will not falter until her son’s destiny as the king of England is secured. The Beaufort Bride traces Margaret’s early years from her nursery days at Bletsoe Castle to the birth of her only son in 1457 at Pembroke Castle. Her story continues in Book Two: The Beaufort Woman.

    Though seldom strong enough to leave his rooms, his gouty legs never hinder his agile mind. He’s built the most valuable intelligence service in Europe. Now the Bacon brothers are ready to offer it to the patron with the deepest pockets.Then Francis finds a body lying near Anthony’s coach. The clues inside point to Anthony’s secretary. Worse, the murdered man had been spreading rumors that could destroy Anthony’s reputation.Francis thinks his brother did it. Assistant Thomas Clarady thinks the secretary did it. As they investigate, they hear one story after another about what happened. Which is the truth? Can they sort through the lies before disaster strikes?

    Thomas secures a place for Anne’s sister, Mary, at the prestigious court of Margaret of Austria, but fate has other plans, and Anne ends up taking her place.At thirteen, Anne yearns for adventure. However, unused to curbing her outspoken tongue and youthful curiosity, she discovers that life at Margaret’s court is not quite how she’d imagined. Experiencing love, loss, jealousy and fear, she soon realises that her future happiness lies in her own hands - and that she must shape her own destiny... The Falcon’s Rise is the first part of a two-part series, beginning the journey with the young Anne Boleyn growing into the woman who captured the heart of a king. Author Interview How did you first become interested in Anne Boleyn? I was always passionate about the history of England, and I first became interested in Anne Boleyn by reading the Tudor books my mother brought from the library. They were always about the six wives of King Henry VIII, but it was Anne Boleyn that captured my imagination when I read ’The King’s Secret Matter,’ by Jean Plaidy’. I was probably about 13 at the time. At the same age, I watched ‘Anne of a Thousand Days’ at the cinema and that was it. I was hooked for life. Of course, in those days, it was Geneviève Bujold, rather than Natalie Dormer in The Tudors, playing Anne. Did you uncover any interesting Tudor facts in your research? It was interesting finding out about people I knew nothing about such as Margaret of Austria and the Emperor. Is there one character in your historical novel that you particularly found interesting? It has to be Margaret of Austria. I knew nothing of her before I started my research, but she comes across as a delightful woman who despite her sorrows, was charming and amusing. I often read her poetry and truly like her. I’m also interested in Charles Brandon, admiring his ability to survive his secret marriage to the king’s sister and escape the Tower of London! What period of Anne Boleyn's life does this fictional history story cover? The book starts in 1497 and ends in 1514. However, I have set Anne's birth in May 1500. What is interesting is that she was born during the reign of the old King Henry VII - founder of the Tudor dynasty - and nine years before his son, Henry, ascended the throne. It had different fashions to how we imagine the later Tudor ones. I think the life-size models of Anne and her nurse in the gallery at Hever Castle illustrate this well. They are still in the medieval style. Is there a more in-depth interview with you and how you researched your books? Yes, its on TheAnneBoleynFiles website, just search for my name - Natalia Richards Any other thoughts? Looking at portraits of Anne Boleyn as a young woman, it is sad to think about the tragic end she came to. But it is not the end of her life that fascinates me, it is the beginning and the many questions it raises. What made her the woman she later became? Why did she attract Henry VIII in the first place and why write about Anne when she has been written about so extensively?

     Free History BONUS Inside! Four captivating manuscripts in one book: The Tudors: A Captivating Guide to the History of England from Henry VII to Elizabeth I The Wars of the Roses: A Captivating Guide to the English Civil Wars That Brought down the Plantagenet Dynasty and Put the Tudors on the Throne The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr Elizabeth I: A Captivating Guide to the Queen of England Who Was the Last of the Five Monarchs of the House of Tudor Five Tudor monarchs sat on the throne of England and Ireland from 1485 to 1603. The family earned their royal rights through strategic planning and battlefield prowess, and kept them because of intellect, strength and sheer determination. The Tudors, one of England’s most powerful and famous royal dynasties, knitted together a fragmented and small island nation that became one of the world’s financial, colonial and technological superpowers. There is so much more to the story of these kings and queens than beheadings, political marriages and the reformation of the church – but those events remain some of the family’s most enthralling moments. Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book include: The Tudors of Wales The Wars of the Roses Catherine of Valois, Mother of the Tudor Dynasty Margaret Beaufort, Second Tudor Matriarch King Henry VII Arthur Tudor King Henry VIII Margaret Tudor, Sister of Henry VIII Mary Tudor, Queen of France The Birth of the Church of England King Henry VIII: Wives Two and Three King Henry VIII: The Last Three Wives King Edward VI The Nine Days’ Queen, Jane Grey Elizabeth Tudor Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots And much more! Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book include: A Short History of the House of Plantagenet Civil War in France England’s Loss and a King’s Illness Treason by the Duke of York The Battle of Northampton Margaret’s Army Mortimer’s Cross and the Battle of Towton York Takes the Throne The King in the Tower The Kingmaker Repents The Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury The Death of a King The Final Plantagenet Kings Richard III and the Princes in the Tower The Battle of Bosworth The Foundation of the Tudor Dynasty Attempts on the Tudor Throne The Sainthood and Cult of King Henry VI The Legacy of the Wars of the Roses And much, much more! Some of the topics covered in part 3 of this book include: Henry Tudor Catherine of Aragon Mistress Elizabeth Blount Mistress Mary Boleyn Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Mistress Mary Shelton

    A tyrant dead. A new king crowned.It's time for ambitious men to rise.England, 1496. The Battle of Bosworth is over. King Richard III is dead, Henry Tudor wears the crown and England is about to be changed forever. If a man has brains and ambition, then he can rise to the very top.Fortunately for Thomas Wolsey, he has plenty of both.Not content with an obscure Oxford life, Thomas strikes out to better his position. Moving from master to master, Thomas finds himself at the court of King Henry, a man of influence.But life is precarious for this son of a butcher. Loathed and distrusted by the old nobility, Thomas must use all his cunning and guile to win and keep his place at the Tudor court.A historical fiction novel of Tudor England. Available in eBook, paperback and large print paperback.Other Books in The Tudor Court series:The Queen's FavouriteThe Queen's RebelThe Queen's Spymaster

    1541 the Cataclysm is the first of three books in the Micklegate series telling the tale of ordinary and well known characters negotiating a disaster in Tudor York…Five years since the northern rebellion against the Reformation, a rebel monk trying to survive Henry VIII’s purge of their ringleaders learns about a conspiracy that could rip apart the fabric of faith in England.Alerted by the monk, an undercover team assemble in York to gather clues before dispersing throughout England to stop the conspiracy whilst Henry, his wife of less than a year, Catherine Howard, make their way to York.The offbeat team fighting against the impending Cataclysm includes Edward Fawkes, two sisters posing as washerwomen, a delusional and accident-prone adventurer, a mysterious hero and, curiously, a mouse that talks.If you enjoy quirky historical fiction combining humour, mystery, engaging and unpredictable characters as well as historical figures you know well and love (or hate!) then this is for youRob’s writing has been compared to Tom Sharpe, Philip Pullman, Denis Potter, Ben Elton and C J Sansom.And, has been described as ‘Blackadder meets Doctor Who’ by one reviewer and ‘Horrible Histories meets assassins creed!’ by another.These phrases have been used to describe the series:Transported back in timeSuperbly researchedLight and easy to readTouched my heartOpened a window to the pastImaginative Slow burnerLiteraryExcellentPeople like you and meFull of loveYou will resonate with their spiritsGood old English tale (or tail?)Lots of humourLaugh out loudInclusiveQuirkyWho says history is dull?

    It is the relationship between Elizabeth and her Scottish cousin Mary Stuart that is often discussed and pondered over while the relationship between Elizabeth and her own half sister is largely forgotten. Yet it is the relationship with Mary Tudor that forged Elizabeth’s personality and set her on the path to queenship. Mary’s reign was the darkest period in Elizabeth’s life. “I stood in danger of my life, my sister was so incensed against me,” Elizabeth reminded her councillors when they pressed her to name a successor.It is time to tell the whole story of the fierce rivalry between the Tudor half sisters who became their father’s successors.

    This riveting story effortlessly captures both the hardships of daily life and the political realities of Tudor England. 1549 - A COUNTRY DIVIDED Two years after the death of King Henry VIII, England is a turbulent realm. His son, Edward, the child monarch is too young to rule, and the government is factious. The nobility jostle for personal power and prestige. The treasury is empty and the elite of wealthy landowners are bent on exploiting the poor. AN UNLIKELY LEADER When a yeoman farmer from Norfolk, Robert Kett, finds himself at the centre of a local dispute, his impulsive actions plunge him into a precarious alliance with the dissenting commoners. THE AFFRAY To prevail, Kett must bring order to the chaos, impose his own justice, overcome the deception and betrayal that surrounds him and stay true to his cause. As events spiral and disobedience sparks rebellion, can his leadership withstand the dangers and opportunities of a country struggling to leave its past and discover its future? BASED ON REAL EVENTS

    Beginning on the bloody battlefield of Bosworth, when Henry Tudor seized the crown of England and ended the Wars of the Roses, The Tudors contains stories and characters that have fascinated readers for centuries.The Tudor age gave us Henry VIII, famous for his six marriages and for breaking from Rome; 'Bloody Mary' and her attempt to return England to the Catholic fold; and Elizabeth I, 'Gloriana,' who reigned in a new era of discovery and innovation.Illustrated with contemporary artworks, photographs and documents The Tudors tells the public and private story of England's most famous royal family and the England they ruled.

    1547–1619) from the West Country to the heart of the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. It showcases new archival research and stunning images, many reproduced in color for the first time. Hilliard’s portraits—some no larger than a watch-face—have decisively shaped perceptions of the appearances and personalities of many key figures in one of the most exciting, if volatile, periods in British history. His sitters included Elizabeth I, James I, and Mary, Queen of Scots; explorers Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh; and members of the emerging middle class from which he himself hailed. Hilliard counted the Medici, the Valois, the Habsburgs, and the Bourbons among his Continental European patrons and admirers. Published to mark the 400th anniversary of Hilliard’s death, this is the definitive biography of one of Britain’s most notable artists.

    

    She is more than a relic, however. She has a story to tell, and her sinking in the Solent in 1545, when under attack by the French, and the reasons for it, have intrigued historians for generations. With the benefit of access to her remains, archaeologists have been able to slowly unravel the mystery of her foundering on a calm summer's day in July 1545.This new book by one of the country's leading experts on the Mary Rose contains much that is published for the first time. It has the first full account of the battle in which Henry VIII's warship was sunk, and tells the stories of the English and French admirals. It examines the design and construction of the ship and how she was used, and develops themes begun when he was earlier commissioned by the Mary Rose Trust to write the multi-volume history of the ship. He shows for the first time conclusively that the French fleet arrived unexpectedly to seize the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth a day later than was once believed, that the many bodies found in the wreck reflect her at action stations, and that the ship had had an extra deck added and was therefore more unstable than was previously thought. Finally, the author makes it clear who was responsible for the loss of the Mary Rose, after describing what happened onboard, deck by deck, in her last moments afloat.The fascinating revelation will intrigue the general reader as well as the historian and archaeologist and the book is set to become the last word on the career of this most famous of ships.

    This book presents portraits of key individuals from this period, from the monarchs and members of the ruling elite to the writers, artists and artisans that characterised the literary and artistic flourishing of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.An introductory essay provides important historical context, and the ninety works selected from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and National Trust are accompanied by extended captions exploring the sitter and artist’s significance to the period and technical information about the portrait. The publication features sections on Tudor monarchs, the Stuarts, courtiers, the family in portraiture, and iconography.

    The gigantic fortress where he spent his childhood years lay some 12 miles inland from the spot where Henry was supposed to have landed in Milford Haven when he came to challenge Richard III in August 1485.Henry's landing and progress to Bosworth Field were a gamble, but by 1485 the last of the Lancastrian princes had little option but to 'chance his arm.' He had worn out his welcome on the Continent and, despite his unpopularity in some quarters of English society, there was the real risk that Richard's reign might finally begin to create stability and financial success - Yorkist stability and success. A gamble, yes, but one that had to be taken if the House of Lancaster was to survive.In Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor, we hear of the many fascinating stories from Henry's march and the places he visited - a journey that took just over two weeks. It was a time of treachery and double dealing but it culminated with the establishment of the Tudor dynasty, the end of the Wars of the Roses and the beginnings of the modern world.

    Smell the clove and pine smoke permeate through the draughty rooms. Witness a middle-aged diplomat gamble for greater influence. This is the story of the Boleyns, their cunning and cruelty, their rise and fall. Discover the key players behind England’s most famous headless Queen.

    Enriching previous perceptions and ways of seeing the Elizabethans in their world, he reveals an age parallel in many ways to our own—a country aspiring professionally and changing socially. The gaze is from the inside, capturing the knights, melancholy lovers, poets (including Sidney, Donne and Sir John Davies), court favourites and their ‘Gloriana’—as they mirrored and made themselves. Beginning with the great portrait of the Queen in grand procession with her Garter Knights, Strong pinpoints the characters and key motifs that run through the rest of the book: chivalry, changes to the social order, emblems and imagery – the full richness of the Elizabethan imagination. These pictures were intimate—personal commissions by private individuals, and not necessarily for public view. As such they are a glimpse into private worlds and sentiments and speak eloquently for the people who paid for, painted and lived amongst them, reversing an academic tendency to treat the portraits as if they had a life of their own, not grounded by the real people who commissioned them.Roy Strong concludes this richly illustrated volume with the famous and complex Rainbow Portrait, unpicking the iconography of this final painting of an ageless Elizabeth in her ‘Mask of Youth’. Within a year of its completion the queen was dead—her portraits increasingly demoted and replaced by Mary Stuart’s—as the splendour of the Elizabethan age and ‘the cult of the queen’ made way for new monarch James VI, who was to rule over a united England and Scotland.

    An indomitable old man approaching eighty: soldier, courtier, politician, a ‘phoenix’ rising from the ashes. After a calamitous period of disgrace, the Howards, renowned for their good looks and charm, are once more riding high at the court of Henry VIII. Set against the backdrop of the extraordinary 1520 ‘Field of Cloth of Gold’, it is a tale of ambition, love, and intrigue, with Thomas at the centre of this intricate tapestry Will Thomas’s bold vow be fulfilled? Danger stalks the corridors of the royal courts of Europe. Uneasy lies the head beneath a crown. Every other ruler - a fickle bedfellow…or sworn enemy. The action takes place in England, Scotland, and France. On either side of the Narrow Sea, four young lives are interwoven, partly unaware of each other, and certainly oblivious to what Dame Fortune has in store for them. “Nicolas de La Barre laid his lute to one side, hardly bothering to stifle a yawn of boredom. Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape the fact he’d agreed to take on a new wife….” Explosive family secrets are concealed behind the ancient walls of castles in three lands. But… “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”

    This left them preoccupied by two major obsessions: the necessity for a crop of lusty male heirs to continue their bloodline, and the elimination of threats from those who had strong, if not superior, claims to the throne than them. None was cursed more by this rampant insecurity than Henry VIII. The king embodied not only the power and imperial majesty of the monarchy, but also England's stature and military might. His health always had huge political consequences at home and overseas - hence his unbridled hypochondria. Henry's last six years saw him embark on two marriages, brutal wars against Scotland and France and the devastating collapse of England's economy. Terror stalked his court, as factions plotted in the shadows behind the throne to snatch ascendancy in religion and political influence. Drawing on the latest historical and medical research, Robert Hutchinson reveals the extent to which the king also grappled with accelerating geriatric decay, made more acute by medical conditions that were not only painful but transformed the monarch into a 28-stone psychotic monster, suspicious of everyone around him, including those most dear to him.

    These stories were later collected in the cheap print of the period, and professional storyteller Dave Tonge has sought them out to assemble here. Within these pages hide smooth-talking tricksters, lusty knaves, wayward youths and stories of the eternal struggle to wear the breeches in the family, for a sometimes coarse but often comic telling of the everyday ups and downs in Tudor life.