Books 2018 – on sale today – So High a Blood: The Life of Margaret, Countess of Lennox by Morgan Ring (paper back)



(c) Bloomsbury Paperbacks


‘’Who hopes still constantly with patience shall obtain victory in their claim’

Sometime heir to the English throne, courtier in danger of losing her head, spy-mistress and would-be architect of a united Catholic Britain: Lady Margaret Douglas is the Tudor whose life demands a wider telling.

As niece to Henry VIII and half-sister to James V of Scotland, the beautiful and Catholic Margaret held a unique and precarious position in the English court. Throughout her life, she was to navigate treacherous waters: survival necessitated it. Yet Margaret was no passive pawn or bit-part player. As the Protestant Reformations unfolded across the British Isles and the Tudor monarchs struggled to produce heirs, she had ambitions of her own. She wanted to see her family ruling a united, Catholic Britain. When her niece Mary, Queen of Scots was left a widow, Margaret saw her chance. Through a thoroughly Machiavellian combination of timing, networking and family connections, she set in motion a chain of shattering events that would one day see her descendants succeed to the crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Morgan Ring has revived the story of Lady Margaret Douglas to vivid and captivating effect. From a richly detailed backdrop of political and religious turbulence Margaret emerges, full of resilience, grace and intelligence. Drawing on previously unexamined archival sources, So High a Blood presents a fascinating and authoritative portrait of a woman with the greatest of ambitions for her family, her faith and her countries.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk




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My review of ‘The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and His Daughter Mary’ by Melita Thomas


(c) Amberley Publishing


This is a meticulously researched and very well written debut by Melita Thomas. Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon) has been the subject of several biographies in recent years but Thomas manages to find a different angle by focusing on the relationship between Mary and her father. Events in Europe and England are viewed in this context and how these affected Mary’s status as Henry’s heir.

Traditionally Mary I’s relationship with her father, during Anne Boleyn’s queenship, has been viewed as almost non-existent. However, Melita throws new light on this traumatic period of Mary’s life. Her research highlights just how closely Mary was able to keep in touch with the Imperial Ambassador, how far Mary was willing to go to defend her mother and the lessons Mary learned from this.

This biography will have you viewing Mary and this part of her father’s reign anew.


Thank you to Amberley Publishing for my review copy.



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Another book with a ‘Jane’ link to look forward to…


17th May 2018 – The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII’ by Suzannah Lipscomb (paper back)


(c) Apollo


‘On 28 January 1547, the sickly and obese King Henry VIII died at Whitehall. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped and sealed. The will confirmed the line of succession as Edward, Mary and Elizabeth; and, following them, the Grey and Suffolk families. It also listed bequests to the king’s most trusted councillors and servants.

Henry’s will is one of the most intriguing and contested documents in British history. Historians have disagreed over its intended meaning, its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation. As well as examining the background to the drafting of the will and describing Henry’s last days, Suzannah Lipscomb offers her own, illuminating interpretation of one of the most significant constitutional documents of the Tudor period.’

From Amazon.co.uk


Further details – Suzannah Lipscomb

Further details – Amazon.co.uk




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My visit to Charles I: King and Collector at the Royal Academy



Last weekend I visited the Royal Academy exhibition, ‘Charles I: King and Collector.’

As well as some fabulous portraits of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, the exhibition also included some Holbein and Hilliard.

Particularly poignant were the miniature portraits of Henry and Charles Brandon (the children of Charles Brandon and Catherine Willoughby) by Holbein.


Henry Brandon
(c) Royal Collection


Charles Brandon
(c) Royal Collection


Miniatures by Hilliard included, Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and Edward VI.

You can view the portraits on show from the Royal Collection .




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Books 2018 – on sale today – Elizabeth I: A Study in Insecurity by Helen Castor



(c) Allen Lane Press


‘In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. The Virgin Queen ruled over a Golden Age: the Spanish Armada was defeated and England’s enemies scattered; English explorers reached almost to the ends of the earth; a new Church of England rose from the ashes of past conflict, and the English Renaissance bloomed in the genius of Shakespeare, Spenser and Sidney. But the image is also armour. In this illuminating new account of Elizabeth’s reign, Helen Castor shows how England’s iconic queen was shaped by profound and enduring insecurity-an insecurity which was both a matter of practical political reality and personal psychology. From her precarious upbringing at the whim of a brutal, capricious father and her perilous accession after his death, to the religious division that marred her state and the failure to marry that threatened her line, Elizabeth lived under constant threat. But, facing down her enemies with a compellingly inscrutable public persona, the last and greatest of the Tudor monarchs would become a timeless, fearless queen.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk




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