Her life was one of passion and determination, of suffering and hope, but ultimately it is a tragic love story, as circumstances conspired against her. Having lost her first husband, Henry's elder brother Prince Arthur, she endured years of ill health and penury, to make a dazzling second match in Henry VIII. There is no doubt that she was Henry's true love, compatible with him in every respect and, for years, she presided over a majestic court as the personification of his ideal woman.However, Catherine’s body failed her in an age when fertility was a prerequisite of political stability. When it became clear that she could no longer bear children, the king’s attention turned elsewhere, and his once chivalric devotion became resentment. Catherine’s final years were spent in lonely isolation but she never gave up her vision: she was devoted to her faith, her husband and to England, to the extent that she was prepared to be martyred for them. Banished and close to death, she wrote a final letter to her ‘most dear lord and husband’. ‘I pardon you everything... mine eyes desire you above all things.’ The fidelity of this remarkable woman never wavered.

    Believing confession erases the sin of murder, her morbid desires are in unity with faith, though she could never justify her skill to the magistrate she loves.At the start of the 16th century in Tudor England, Lavinia’s marks grow from tavern drunks to nobility, but rising prestige brings increased risk. When the magistrate suspects her ruse, he pressures the priest into breaking her confessional seal, pitting Lavinia’s instincts as an assassin against the tenets of love and faith. She balances revenge with her struggle to develop a tasteless poison and avoid the wrath of her ruthless patron.With her ideals in conflict, Lavinia must decide which will satisfy her heart: love, faith, or murder—but the betrayals are just beginning.* Contains a book club reading guide in the back.* Available on Google Play"One should never condone murder, but, strangely, I rooted for Lavinia. Pohlkamp made her easily understandable, despite her odd sense of morality. She had to survive in a time period dominated by men...Her dark obsession with poison, her love for the magistrate, Haylan Moryet, and her belief in God turn the narrative into something fascinating and substantial that powers the heart of the story."- 5 Star Review From Readers' Favorite

    One remarkable era. In the Tudor period, 1485–1603, a host of fascinating women sat on the English throne. The dramatic events of their lives are told in The Turbulent Crown: The Story of the Tudor Queens of England. The Turbulent Crown begins with the story of Elizabeth of York, who survived conspiracy, murder, and dishonour to become the first Tudor Queen, bringing peace and order to England after years of civil war. From there, the reader is taken through the parade of Henry VIII’s six wives - two of whom, Anne Boleyn and Katheryn Howard, would lose their heads against a backdrop of intrigue and scandal. The Turbulent Crown continues with the tragedy of Lady Jane Grey, the teenager who ruled for nine days until overthrown by her cousin Mary Tudor. But Mary’s reign, which began in triumph, ended in disaster, leading to the emergence of her sister, Elizabeth I, as the greatest of her family and of England’s monarchs.

    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.

    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?

    This gripping companion piece to The Last Wife reimagines the little-known story of Elizabeth I before she was queen.

    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...

    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.

    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."

    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.