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As plague stalks the streets of 16th century London, Christopher Marlowe is drawn into a baffling murder investigation where nothing is as it first appears."Kit, I know we have never been friends, but you are the only man in London to whom I can write. Someone is trying to kill me".September, 1592. Christopher Marlowe had never liked Robert Greene when he was alive. But when the former Cambridge scholar is found dead in a cheap London boarding house, shortly after sending Kit a desperate letter,...

Henry VIII is one of history's most memorable monarchs. Popularly known for his six wives, and the unfortunate fate which befell Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Henry initiated many reforms and changes which still affect our lives today. The annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon set in motion the separation of the English church from Rome and the establishment of the Church of England, which in turn led to the dissolution of the monasteries, the hauntingly evocative remains of whic...

The Wicked Wife is an e-short and companion piece to Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen, the captivating fifth novel in the Six Tudor Queens series by bestselling historian Alison Weir. 1525. As Anne Boleyn's star rises at Henry VIII's court, Jane Parker's marriage to Anne's brother, George, brings her status and influence. But theirs is not a happy union and results in a bitter and bloody end. 1540. When Katheryn Howard, a young cousin of the Boleyns, becomes the King's fifth bride, Jane's p...

This brief historical introduction to the English Reformation explores the social, political and religious factors that formed the original context in which it emerged, and the major thinkers and writings to which it gave birth. What was its impact on the world at the time and what were the key ideas and values connected with it? At the same time, Alec Ryrie explores the intellectual and cultural `afterlife' of the English Reformation, and considers the ways in which its impact has lasted and...

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'A great, thrusting codpiece of a book. It is big, bombastic and richly brocaded... A jewel in its own right' The Times 'Evokes the painter and his world as vividly as a Holbein masterpiece. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a must for lovers of Tudor history' Tracy Borman Full of insight... This is a gorgeous book, to which I am sure I shall return again and again' Dan Jones Hans Holbein the Younger is chiefly celebrated for his beautiful and p...

Britain's emergence as one of Europe's major maritime powers has all too frequently been subsumed by nationalistic narratives that focus on operations and technology. This volume, by contrast, offers a daring new take on Britain's maritime past. It brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to explore the manifold ways in which the sea shaped British history, demonstrating the number of approaches that now have a stake in defining the discipline of maritime history. The chapters analys...

From the moment of her birth to her death on the scaffold, Mary Stuart spent her life embroiled in power struggles that shook the foundations of Renaissance Europe. Revered by some as the rightful Queen of England, reviled by others as a murderous adultress, her long and fascinating rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth I led ultimately to her downfall. This classic biography, by one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, breathes life into the character of one of history's most remar...

The Henry VIII Manuscript contributes considerably to our critical understanding of the connections between poetry and power in early Renaissance society - because of the prominence of its chief author, the king himself, and also because of its literary reflection of the social and political elements of the early Tudor court. The lyrics of the Henry VIII Manuscript thoroughly document the fictions of the early Tudor court constructed and upheld by the courtiers of the day. As such, the Henry VII...

From William Shakespeare's series of history dramas to Sir Walter Scott and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire?not to mention the smash-hit TV show Game of Thrones?the British civil war of 1455 to 1485 has inspired writers more than any other. Ed West's My Kingdom for a Horse illuminates the bloody war fought for thirty long years between the descendants of King Edward III in a battle for the throne. Named after the emblems used by the two leading families, the Houses of York and Lan...

_______________ 'A hugely enjoyable novel ... fast moving, complex and deeply satisfying' - Joanne Harris ‘Lie back on your ottoman and relax. Katie Hickman will take you to a magical land ... this is a box of Turkish delight' - Independent ‘Forbidden love, sailors and secrets - fasten your seat belts for Hickman's period tome ... Think Jane Austen meets Pirates of the Caribbean' - In Style _______________ A stunning tale of intrigue in the Sultan's harem from the bestselling author of Daugh...

'This six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction' The Times Available together for the first time, the first three unmissable SIX TUDOR QUEENS novels from the Sunday Times bestselling series by acclaimed author and eminent historian Alison Weir.The lives of Henry VIII's queens make for compelling and dramatic tales. They each married the same man, but Katherine, Anne and Jane were as intimately connected to each other as to the King... Walk in the footsteps of the...

RETS Vol. 36. The Whole Book of Psalms, first published in a complete form in 1562, introduced congregational singing to England and contained the best known English verse in the early modern period. Often referred to by later critics as “Sternhold and Hopkins,” it was the dominant hymnal in England until the mid-eighteenth century and printed until 1861. This critical edition, the first to include both texts and tunes, is based on the 148 English impressions remaining from the reign of Elizabet...

We think of Queen Elizabeth I as 'Gloriana': the most powerful English woman in history. We think of her reign (1558-1603) as a golden age of maritime heroes, like Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake, and of great writers, such as Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare. But what was it actually like to live in Elizabethan England? If you could travel to the past and walk the streets of London in the 1590s, where would you stay? What wo...

A special bundle of one fiction and one non-fiction title from betselling historian Alison Weir, both centred around Elizabeth I:The Lady Elizabeth:England, 1536. Home to the greatest, most glittering court in English history. But beneath the dazzling façade lies treachery... Elizabeth Tudor is daughter to Henry VIII, the most powerful king England has ever known. She is destined to ascend the throne, and deferred to as the King`s heiress, but that all changes when her mother Anne Boleyn - Henry...

Anna was the 'last woman standing' of Henry VIII's wives - and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it? Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister' looks at Anna from a new perspective, as a woman from the Holy Roman Empire and not as a woman living almost by accident in England. Starting with what Anna's life as a child and young woman was like, the author describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna's siblings. It looks at the politi...