From awe-inspiring Norman castles, to the homes we live in, Simon Thurley explores how the architecture of this small island influenced the world.The Building of England puts into context the significance of a country’s architectural history and unearths how it is inextricably linked to the cultural past – and present.From humble Saxon huts, to soaring gothic cathedrals, through feats of Victorian engineering to the homes we live in today, Simon Th...

From awe-inspiring Norman castles, to the skyscrapers of today, Simon Thurley explores how the architecture of this small island influenced the world.The Building of England puts into context the significance of a country’s architectural history and unearths how it is inextricably linked to the cultural past – and present.Saxon, Tudor, Georgian, Regency, even Victorian and Edwardian are all well-recognised architectural styles, displaying the influence of the events that ma...

The story of the Stuart dynasty is a breathless soap opera played out in just a hundred years in an array of buildings that span Europe from Scotland, via Denmark, Holland and Spain to England.Life in the court of the House of Stuart has been shrouded in mystery: the first half of the century overshadowed by the fall and execution of Charles I, the second half in the complete collapse of the House itself. Lost to time is the extraordinary contribution the Stuarts made to the fabric...

The story of the Stuart dynasty is a breathless soap opera played out in just a hundred years in an array of buildings that span Europe from Scotland, via Denmark, Holland and Spain to England.Life in the court of the House of Stuart has been shrouded in mystery: the first half of the century overshadowed by the fall and execution of Charles I, the second half in the complete collapse of the House itself. Lost to time is the extraordinary contribution the Stuarts made to the fabric...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Beautifully written, exhaustive in its research . . . a gem [that] outshines all previous studies of Henry.”—The Philadelphia InquirerFor fans of Wolf Hall, an intimate biography of Henry VIII, one of English history’s most turbulent, complex rulers, and the glittering court he made his own, from “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” (The Boston Globe)

The Last Days of Richard III contains a new and uniquely detailed exploration of Richard's last 150 days. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, we discover a new Richard: no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own agenda.It also re-examines the aftermath of Bosworth: the treatment of Richard's body; his burial; and the construction of his tomb. And there is t...

In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward's controversial match brought his queen's large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses. This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the ri...

A fresh look at the endlessly fascinating Tudors—the dramatic and overlooked story of Henry VII and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty—filled with spies, plots, counterplots, and an uneasy royal succession to Henry VIII.In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups, and violence. Through luck, guile, and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, emerged as ruler—but as a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England’s throne, he remained ...

An "enlightening and fascinating" exploration of Scotland's royal women, from Lady Macbeth to Mary Queen of Scots and beyond ( Booklist).The lives of the Scottish queens, both those who ruled in their own right and the consorts, have largely been neglected in conventional history books. One of the earliest known Scottish queens was none other than the notorious Lady Macbeth. Was she really the wicked woman depicted in Shakespeare's famous play? Was St Marga...

The story of a queen known as 'the she-wolf' and a fresh view of an infamous murder...In a colourful non-fiction narrative, which provides an evocative setting for a scramble for wealth and power, Paul Doherty traces the life of Queen Isabella and her part in the mysterious death of her husband, King Edward II. Perfect for fans of Michael Jecks and Kathryn Warner.'Riveting... Nobody reading could be left in any doubt that... Edward's murder...

Which 'ill-prepared' monarch was on the English throne at the turn of the last millenium? How many English monarchs have been crowned on St George's Day? When, how and why did England 'lose' eleven days? "Monarchs, Murders & Mistresses" answers these questions and many more, presenting a royal event for each day of the calendar year in vivid detail with close-ups of the personalities involved. The book reveals the recurring occupational difficulties faced by the royal family over the centu...

In June 1405, King Henry IV stopped at a small Yorkshire manor house to shelter from a storm. That night he awoke screaming that traitors were burning his skin. His instinctive belief that he was being poisoned was understandable: he had already survived at least eight plots to dethrone or kill him in the first six years of his reign.Henry IV had not always been so unpopular. In his youth he had been a great chivalric champion and crusader. The son of John of Gaunt, he was courteou...