Tudor England

The Tudors are England's most notorious royal family. But, as Leanda de Lisle's gripping new history reveals, they are a family still more extraordinary than the one we thought we knew. The Tudor canon typically starts with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 before speeding on to Henry VIII and the Reformation. But this leaves out the family's obscure Welsh origins and the ordinary man known as Owen Tudor who would fall (literally) into a queen's lap - and later her bed.

Step into the turbulent world of Tudor England, where ambition, betrayal, and love intertwine amidst the backdrop of royal courts and political upheaval. Delve deep into the lives and reigns of some of history's most fascinating rulers. From the rise of Henry VII, the shrewd and determined founder of the Tudor dynasty, to the iconic reign of Henry VIII, whose quest for a male heir reshaped the course of English history, this book offers a vivid portrayal of the triumphs and tribulations of the Tudor monarchs.

Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain's most acclaimed writers, brings the age of the Tudors to vivid life in this monumental audiobook in his History of England series, charting the course of English history from Henry VIII's cataclysmic break with Rome to the epic rule of Elizabeth I.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The award-winning author of The Memphis Murders presents “a rich and vibrant tapestry” (The Star-Ledger) of the fabled Tudor dynasty—and some of the most enigmatic figures to ever rule a country. “A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative...

England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king. Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.

Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald delivers a stunning account of Elizabeth I that focuses on her role in the Wars of Religion - the battle between Protestantism and Catholicism that tore Europe apart in the sixteenth century. Elizabeth’s 1558 coronation procession was met with an extravagant outpouring of love. Only 25 years old, the young queen saw herself as the nation’s Protestant savior, aiming to provide new hope, prosperity, and independence from the foreign influence that had plagued her sister Mary’s reign. Given the scars of the Reformation, Elizabeth would need all of the powers of diplomacy and tact she could summon.

Abandoned before she could read her letters, given no true education, and shuffled between indifferent relatives, Katherine Howard entered the Tudor court with nothing but charm, youth, and a desperate desire to belong. She would find instead a world eager to use her. Drawing from the surviving State Papers, ambassadorial dispatches, household accounts, and contemporary chronicles, Katherine Howard: A Child Forsaken tells the story not of a temptress, but of a vulnerable girl shaped—then shattered—by the ambitions and desires of men. Raised without guidance, thrust into the glittering ...

England's Tudor monarchs - Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I - are perhaps the most celebrated and fascinating of all royal families in history. Their love affairs, their political triumphs, and their overturning of the religious order are the subject of countless works of popular scholarship. But for all we know about Henry's quest for male heirs or Elizabeth's purported virginity, the lives of the Tudor monarchs away from the public eye remain largely beyond our grasp, mostly not chronicled by previous historians.

On the heels of her triumphant How to Be a Victorian, Ruth Goodman travels even further back in English history to the era closest to her heart, the dramatic period from the crowning of Henry VII to the death of Elizabeth I. Drawing on her own adventures living in re-created Tudor conditions, Goodman serves as our intrepid guide to 16th-century living. Proceeding from daybreak to bedtime, this charming, illustrative work celebrates the ordinary lives of those who labored through the era.

Every age and social strata has its bad eggs, rule-breakers, and nose-thumbers. As acclaimed popular historian and author of How to Be a Victorian Ruth Goodman reveals in her madcap chronicle, Elizabethan England was particularly rank with troublemakers, from snooty needlers who took aim with a cutting "thee" to lowbrow drunkards with revolting table manners. Goodman draws on advice manuals, court cases, and sermons to offer this colorfully crude portrait of offenses most foul.  

Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side—or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. That was until the reign of Elizabeth I, when the family was once again at the center of power and would do anything to remain there . . . With three generations of felled favorites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low?

At the twilight of the sixteenth century, the Virgin Queen stands alone—surrounded by silence and the ghosts of her past. Through the voice of Elizabeth I herself, All the Love I Remember traces her journey from the child who survived disgrace to the monarch who ruled an empire, told as a final meditation on love, loyalty, and loss. All the Love I Remember is Elizabeth's reckoning: a deeply human remembrance of the men who shaped her solitude—her father, her counselors, and those few who dared her heart. Drawn from the documented rhythms of her life and court, this novel hews faithfully...

A Black porter publicly whips a White English gentleman in a Gloucestershire manor house. A heavily pregnant African woman is abandoned on an Indonesian island by Sir Francis Drake. A Mauritanian diver is dispatched to salvage lost treasures from the Mary Rose.... Miranda Kaufmann reveals the absorbing stories of some of the Africans who lived free in Tudor England.

Welcome to the bizarre court of Henry VIII, where even a princess fears losing her head like her mother. Elizabeth hides her tenacious personality from everyone, especially her father. Your 21st-century kid will enjoy Elizabeth's "treasonous thoughts" and glimpse the daily life of a young woman who ascended the throne at 25 and went on to rule her country for 45 years.

First-person fictional account of Anne Boleyn’s life from her life in the Flemish and French courts to her rise in England as Henry VIII’s second wife. After becoming the mother to Queen Elizabeth I, Anne fell from grace and was beheaded on orders from her husband at the age of thirt-five.

Charles Brandon rose from the shadow of Bosworth to become Henry VIII’s closest friend, brother-in-law and one of the most powerful noblemen in Tudor England. The son of the standard-bearer killed defending Henry Tudor at Bosworth, Brandon possessed little inherited wealth and no claim to greatness. His extraordinary advancement depended upon courage, physical presence and an ability to retain the affection of a notoriously unpredictable king. Henry raised him to the dukedom of Suffolk and trusted him as a companion, diplomat and military commander. Yet Brandon’s greatest gamble nearly ...

Told with intimacy and haunting immediacy, The Last Days of Anne Boleyn gives voice to Anne as history has seldom allowed: sharp-witted, fiercely loyal, and profoundly human. Imprisoned within the Tower, she faces the crushing weight of betrayal and accusation, yet clings to her daughter Elizabeth and to the truth that no scaffold can silence. From her dazzling rise at the glittering courts of Burgundy and France to the perilous heights of Henry VIII’s throne, Anne’s journey is one of brilliance and danger. She is celebrated for her wit, her boldness, and her unyielding spirit, yet ...

Embark on a journey to Tudor England with this self-help guide that offers engaging tips and insights for navigating the challenges of the sixteenth century.

Sir Walter Ralegh’s life is romantic, irresistible, and of central importance to our island story. His death is a convoluted and contested tale of bargaining, failure and betrayal. Through the Elizabethan golden age and Ralegh’s famous adventures to the final act, Anna Beer presents his...

"Many books claim to be a new way of looking at history, but this book truly is." ―Financial Times "A thoughtful and thorough history." ―The Times (UK) The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries forged a powerful image of England―Shakespeare's "scepter'd isle," proud and apart, defined by...