**'**A masterful biography' Amanda Foreman'A gripping story of Queen Elizabeth's last years, authoritatively researched and engagingly recounted by the leading Tudor historian of our age' James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606**____________________An ageing queen, an heirless state, conspiracy all round: here is the court of Elizabeth I as never known before**History has pictured Elizabeth I as Gloriana, an ...

Now a major film, this is a dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians of this period.For centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots has been a figure of scholarly debate. Where many have portrayed her as the weak woman to Elizabeth's rational leader, John Guy reassesses the young queen, finding her far more politically shrewd than previously believed.Crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months old, Queen of France by ag...

Charismatic, insatiable and cruel, Henry VIII was, as John Guy shows, a king who became mesmerized by his own legend - and in the process destroyed and remade England.Said to be a 'pillager of the commonwealth', this most instantly recognizable of kings remains a figure of extreme contradictions: magnificent and vengeful; a devout traditionalist who oversaw a cataclysmic rupture with the church in Rome; a talented, towering figure who nevertheless could not bear to meet people's ey...

By the advice of my physicians my second sea voyage was by the ship Norma, which sailed from the port of New York on the 20th of January. After a passage of fourteen days, with alternate gales and calms, we sighted Abaco, and the Hole in the Wall. We crossed the Bahama Banks; the water was of a bright blue color, with a clay bottom, which was distinctly seen. The thermometer went up to 72°, so we threw, off our winter-garments, and put ourselves in summer apparel. A cheerful sight was the ...

Behind the façade of politics and pageantry at the Tudor court, there was a family drama. Nothing drove Henry VIII, England's wealthiest and most powerful king, more than producing a legitimate male heir and so perpetuating his dynasty. To that end, he married six wives, became the subject of the most notorious divorce case of the sixteenth century, and broke with the pope, all in an age of international competition and warfare, social unrest and growing religious intolerance and discord. ...

'If the English people were to be set a test to justify their history and civilization by the example of one man, then it is Sir Thomas More whom they would perhaps choose.' So commented The Times in 1978 on the 500th anniversary of More's birth.Twenty-two years later, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Thomas More the patron saint of politicians and people in public life, on the basis of his 'constant fidelity to legitimate authority and ... his intention to serve not p...

The monarchs of the Tudor period are among some of the most well-known figures in British history. John Guy presents a compelling and fascinating exploration of the Tudors in the new edition of this Very Short Introduction. Looking at all aspects of the period, from beginning to end, he considers Tudor politics, religion, and economics, as well as issues relating to gender and minority rule, and the art, architecture, and social and material culture of the time. Introducing all of...

From Thomas Becket's early life as a merchant's son and his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury to his assassination in the Cathedral itself, this enlightening book brings to life a colossal figure of British history.'Lively, effortlessly readable, superb. A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history' The Times____________________This is the man, not the le...

THE BLOCKO TOWER: A DARK FANTASY HORROR.When she was six years old, one of Sally's playmates was abducted in broad daylight from a children's party. Her best friend, Eva, told her the boy had been taken to The Blocko Tower, but all the grown-ups told her that neither Eva nor the tower existed, and she was a wicked little girl for making things up.Why then, 20 years later, did Sally come across The Blocko Tower again, this time in another city?Determined to find out ...

Thomas Gresham was arguably the first true wizard of global finance. He rose through the mercantile worlds of London and Antwerp to become the hidden power behind three out of the five Tudor monarchs. Today his name is remembered in economic doctrines, in the institutions he founded and in the City of London's position at the economic centre of the earth.Without Gresham, England truly might have become a vassal state. His manoeuvring released Elizabeth from a crushing burden of deb...

In "Twenty Years Around the World," John Guy Vassar embarks on an extraordinary literary journey, chronicling his extensive travels across the globe with an engaging narrative style that blends personal memoir with encounters of cultural significance. The book reflects the spirit of exploration that characterized the 19th century, positioning itself within a rich tradition of travel literature, while also offering candid reflections on the social and political climates of diverse regions. ...

This book investigates the norms and values of Tudor and early-Stuart politics, which are considered in the contexts of law and the Reformation, legal and administrative institutions, and classical and legal humanism. Main themes include 'imperial' monarchy and the theory of 'counsel', Parliament and the royal supremacy, conciliar politics and organization, the relationship of law and equity, and the jurisdictional rivalry between the courts of common law and canon law. The author argues t...