I rarely read historical fiction because I prefer non-fiction.
However, Tony Riches is a master storyteller and I felt instantly pulled into Mary's world. I know a lot about this period so it was fun to immerse myself into this fictional retelling of Mary's story, with people and places recreated with such verve and skill. A must read for Tudor fans.
Mary Tudor watches her elder brother become King of England and wonders what the future holds for her. Henry plans to use her marriage to build a powerful alliance against his enemies....
Will she risk his anger by marrying for love?
How far will Mary’s loyalty to Henry be tested by the ambitious Boleyn family?
Based on actual events of courage, passion and adventure in the turbulent and dangerous world of the Tudor court.
If you like the human stories behind medieval history, this is the book for you.
Anne of Cleves (or Anna as the author refers to her throughout the narrative) was Henry VIII’s fourth wife.
Heather R. Darsie meticulously researched the story behind Anna and her family and uncovered many new sources. I was particularly blown away by the fact that Anna’s short-lived marriage to Henry was actually consummated; it changes the current narrative significantly and I love it when a book corrects my understanding of the period, injecting fresh new insights into the well-trodden narratives.
Children of the House of Cleves describes and analyses the lives of Sybylla, Anna, Wilhelm and Amalia, the children of Johann III, Duke of Cleves. Though their parents were staunch Catholics, Wilhelm of Julich-Cleves-Berg was a Lutheran - when it suited him. He challenged the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, over the strategically important Duchy of Guelders. He believed that France would support him, but Francis I left him defenceless and Guelders became part of the Habsburg Netherlands. Sybylla became the Electress consort by marriage to electoral Prince Johann Friedrich of Saxony. He would be captured during the Schmalkaldic War,…
Anne Boleyn continues to fascinate. As an author and researcher who studied her rise and fall for years, I always read new books about her with great interest.
Natalie Grueninger’s The Final Year of Anne Boleyn is a meticulous study of Anne’s last year and its significance. Anne’s religious beliefs and relationships with friends and enemies are carefully analyzed, offering a compelling new examination of her downfall.
There are few women in English history more famous or controversial than Queen Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry VIII, mother of Elizabeth I and the first English queen to be publicly executed. Much of what we think we know about her is coloured by myth and legend, and does not stand up to close scrutiny. Reinvented by each new generation, Anne is buried beneath centuries of labels: homewrecker, seductress, opportunist, witch, romantic victim, Protestant martyr, feminist. In this vivid and engaging account of the triumphant and harrowing final year of Queen Anne Boleyn's life, the author…
Anne Boleyn was raised in Belgium and France, spending seven years at the most glittering and progressive courts of Europe. Her mentors were the most brilliant and fascinating women of the sixteenth century: Margaret of Austria, Louise of Savoy, Claude of Valois, and Margaret of Navarre. It is from them that Anne received a spiritual and humanistic education and learned how women could wield power and use it for the greater good. When she returned to England, Anne was equipped with knowledge and Continental gloss that most of her female contemporaries lacked.
What places did Anne Boleyn visit? Who were the women who mentored her and impacted her outlook of the world? Whom did she emulate when she became queen in 1533? All of these questions are answered in this book.
