Anne Boleyn entered Henry's life just as he was seeking to discard his wife, Catherine of Aragon, for failing to give him a son. Henry courted Anne, but she refused to yield to his advances until he promised her marriage. At that moment, Anne was his. Driven by his love for a woman who refused him sexual favours unless she was certain of becoming queen, Henry took on the might of the Catholic Church, challenging papal authority as he strove to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. The process,...

British history is rich in enthralling stories: pivotal moments that changed the future of the country; moments of drama, suspense, intrigue. Dive right into the heart of the dramatic downfall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The queen’s abomination, both in inconvenient living and other offences towards the king’s highness was so rank and common that her ladies of her privy chamber and her chamberers could not contain it within their breasts. From Anne’s rivalry with Jane Se...

A celebration of a great English heroine, Anne Boleyn dramatises the life and legacy of Henry VIII's notorious second wife, who helped change the course of the nation's history.Traditionally seen as either the pawn of an ambitious family manoeuvred into the King's bed or as a predator manipulating her way to power, Anne – and her ghost – are seen in a very different light in Howard Brenton's epic play.Rummaging through the dead Queen Elizabeth's possessions upon co...

In the summer of 1483 two boys were taken into the Tower of London and were never seen again. They were no ordinary boys. One was the new King of England; the other was his brother, the Duke of York, and heir presumptive to the throne. Shortly afterwards, their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, took the throne as Richard III. Soon after, rumours began to spread that the princes had been murdered, and that their murderer was none other than King Richard himself. Since 1483 the dispute ove...

"I am the first writer, The Scribe. My books lie open before the Throne, and someday will be the only witness of your people and their time in this world. The stories are forgotten here, and the Day draws close. I will tell you one of my stories. You will record it."So begins the narration of one such angel in this sweeping historical tale set during the reign of England's Henry VIII. It is the story of two women, their guardian angels, and a mysterious, subversive book—a book that...

In Restoration England, when the battle of the sexes was especially humorous and high-spirited, a beautiful young aristocrat embarks on a swashbuckling adventure with a dashing highwayman.Lady Anne Gascoigne is eager to take her wedding vows, until she discovers her devious fiancé has conspired to let King Charles II steal her virtue. Now, to save her honor and her life, she must flee under the protection of a notorious but charming rake who has just escaped hangin...

The story of Henry VIII and his six wives has passed from history into legend taught in the cradle as a cautionary tale and remembered in adulthood as an object lesson in the dangers of marrying into royalty. The true story behind the legend, however, remains obscure to most people, whose knowledge of the affair begins and ends with the aide memoire Divorced, executed, died, divorce, executed, survived.David Loades masterly book recounts the whole sorry tale in detail from Henrys f...

Ever since she first appeared in the Tudor court, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen, has been a mystery and a source of controversy. Even her birth is shrouded in obscurity; both year and place are the subject of debate. Was she beautiful, as those who fell under her spell believed, or was she a rather plain girl blessed with striking eyes and a wealth of black hair? More mysterious still is the nature of her role in one of the most turbulent times in British history. Henry, who wrote...

Anne Boleyn is perhaps the most engaging of Henry VIIIs Queens. For her he would divorce his wife of some twenty years standing, he would take on the might of the Roman Church and the Holy Roman Empire; he would even alienate his own people in order to win her favour and, eventually, her hand.But before Henry came into her life Anne Boleyn had already wandered down loves winding path. She had learned its twists and turns during her youth spent at the courts of the Low Countries and...

Richard III is a paradox - the most hated of English kings, yet the most beloved, a deeply pious man, yet materialistic to the point of obsession, puritan, yet the father of at least two illegitimate children. This new biography concentrates on the much neglected early part of Richards life - from his birth in 1452 as a cadet of the House of York to his marriage to the beautiful Anne Neville - and shows how his experiences as the son of an ambitious duke, a prisoner of war, an exile, his k...

Mary Boleyn, the infamous other Boleyn girl, began her court career as the mistress of the king of France. François I of France would later call her The Great Prostitute and the slur stuck.The bête-noir of her family, Mary was married off to a minor courtier but it was not long before she caught the eye of Henry VIII and a new affair began. Although a bright star at Henrys court, she was soon eclipsed by her highly spirited and more accomplished sister, Anne, who rapidly took her pl...

A thrilling account of one of English history’s most daring women, who risked everything in the dark days leading up to the Civil War. The perfect novel for fans of Suzannah Dunn and Phillipa Gregory.Court beauty, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, feels frustrated by life with her weak husband. Poverty stricken, they are confined to their country estate and excluded from court life in London after he disastrously allies himself against Elizabeth I.Now, some years later, Ja...