Books 2020 – on sale today – Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s ‘Beloved Sister by Heather R Darsie (paperback)


(c) Amberley Publishing


‘Anna was the ‘last woman standing’ of Henry VIII’s wives ‒ and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it? Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s ‘Beloved Sister’ looks at Anna from a new perspective, as a woman from the Holy Roman Empire and not as a woman living almost by accident in England. Starting with what Anna’s life as a child and young woman was like, the author describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna’s siblings. It looks at the political issues on the Continent that transformed Anna’s native land of Cleves ‒ notably the court of Anna’s brother-in-law, and its influence on Lutheranism ‒ and Anna’s blighted marriage. Finally, Heather Darsie explores ways in which Anna influenced her step-daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and the evidence of their good relationships with her. Was the Duchess Anna in fact a political refugee, supported by Henry VIII? Was she a role model for Elizabeth I? Why was the marriage doomed from the outset? By returning to the primary sources and visiting archives and museums all over Europe (the author is fluent in German, and proficient in French and Spanish) a very different figure emerges to the ‘Flanders Mare’.

Further details – Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amberley Publishing

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



Posted in Books 2020 | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Books 2020 – on sale today – Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s ‘Beloved Sister by Heather R Darsie (paperback)

Books 2020 – on sale today – The Fallen Angel by Tracy Borman




(c) Hodder & Stoughton


‘King James has apparently lost his appetite for hunting witches, so the medical skills and herbal knowledge that saw Frances accused of witchcraft no longer seem to hang over her like a death sentence. The King would rather be hunting stag and boar – and Frances’s beloved husband Thomas is firmly established in the royal household as the Master of Buckhounds. Their family is growing and their estates are secure.

But life at court is never without intrigue, jealousy and danger for long, and a new arrival turns the world upside down.

George Villiers is a young man with the face of an angel – and as his many enemies are about to discover, the cunning heart of a devil.

Soon James is totally in thrall to this charismatic new lover. All the King’s former favourites are crushed by Villiers’ lies and ruthless scheming. Thomas’s life is made a misery and Frances is back under suspicion as Villiers – rapidly made the Earl of Buckingham – moves to secure the hand and fortune of her friend Katherine Manners.

Appalled at the courtier’s greed and ambition and the King’s weakness and lust, Frances finds herself drawn back towards her old friend Sir Walter Raleigh and his last, desperate plot to see a Catholic monarch on the throne. And then her troubles really begin…

The Fallen Angel is a standalone novel of thrilling power and emotional drama. It is also the concluding volume in the King’s Witch trilogy, establishing Tracy Borman as one of our leading writers of historical fiction.’

From – Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Hodder & Stoughton

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



Posted in Books 2020 | Tagged , | Comments Off on Books 2020 – on sale today – The Fallen Angel by Tracy Borman

Round up of latest podcasts that feature Jane


There have been a number of recent podcasts that feature Lady Jane.


(c) Past Loves


Past Loves podcast talks to Melita Thomas (author of ‘The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and his daughter Mary’, ‘The House of Grey: Friends & Foes of Kings’ and co-founder and editor of Tudor Times).

Past Loves – Lady Katherine Grey & Edward Seymour | A Tudor Love Story From The Tower With Melita Thomas).




(c) Vulgar History


Vulgar History podcast looks at Lady Jane Grey.

Vulgar History – Lady Jane Grey, or, How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days.




(c) Vulgar History


Vulgar History podcast looks at Lady Katherine Grey.

Vulgar History – Lady Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford.




(c) Vulgar History


Vulgar History podcast looks at Lady Mary Grey.

Vulgar History – Lady Mary Grey.




Posted in Podcast | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Round up of latest podcasts that feature Jane

Books 2020 – on sale now – Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession by Sylvia Barbara Soberton



(c) Sylvia Barbara Soberton


The Tudor dynasty died out because there was no heir of Elizabeth I’s body to succeed her. Henry VIII, despite his six marriages, had produced no legitimate son who would live into old age. Three of the reigning Tudors (Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) died without heirs apparent, the most tragic case being that of Mary Tudor, who went through two recorded cases of phantom pregnancy. If it were not for physical frailty and the lack of reproductive health among the Tudors, the course of history might have been different.

This book concentrates on the medical downfall of the Tudors, examining their gynaecological history and medical records.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



Posted in Books 2020 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Books 2020 – on sale now – Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

‘Portrait of an Unknown Lady’ by Polly Saltmarsh added to the website….


(c) British Art Studies Journal


‘Portrait of an Unknown Lady: Technical Analysis of an Early Tudor Miniature’ by Polly Saltmarsh added to the Journals section of the bibliography.


Entry added to the following:

Art – Paintings – Teerlinc.



Posted in Updates | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Portrait of an Unknown Lady’ by Polly Saltmarsh added to the website….