The Children of Henry VIII

The royal family may have its problems these days, but as Alison Weir reminds us in this cohesive and impeccably researched book, the nobility of old England could be both loveless and ruthless. Weir, an expert in the period and author of a book on Henry’s VIII wives, focuses on the children [...]

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The Early Reign of Queen Elizabeth I

In her first year, Elizabeth made brilliant appointments that had much to do with her later success. The most important of these was Sir William Cecil, her chief advisor, who worked with her through her entire reign.
She gave Cecil’s opinions the utmost respect and consideration but in the end, all decisions were made [...]

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Queen of This Realm

In this Queen of This Realm “memoir” by Elizabeth I, legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy reveals the Virgin Queen as she truly was:

the bewildered, motherless child of an all-powerful father;
a captive in the Tower of London;
a shrewd politician;
a lover of the arts; and eventually,
an icon of an era.

It is the story of her improbable rise [...]

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The Childhood and Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

Young Elizabeth Tudor had a difficult childhood. Things did not look so golden when she was young in 1536. Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabeth Tudor at the time) was barely three when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed. Queen Elizabeth I’s father, King Henry VIII, sent her away because he wanted a son not a daughter.
But [...]

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Queen Elizabeth I: Her Family and Birth

Queen Elizabeth the First’s story was a captivating one even before she was born. Queen Elizabeth started out her life as Elizabeth Tudor, the second daughter of King Henry VIII. She was the only child of the short marriage between King Henry and Anne Boleyn, the King’s second wife, amidst a considerable amount of controversy.
The [...]

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