Books 2024 – on sale today – The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor


(c) Penguin


‘Richard of Bordeaux and Henry Bolingbroke were first cousins, born just three months apart. Their two lives were from the beginning entwined. When they were still children, Richard was crowned King Richard II with Henry at his side, carrying the sword of state: a ten-year-old lord in the service of his ten-year-old king.

Yet, as the animals on their heraldic badges showed, they grew up to be opposites: Richard was the white hart, a thin-skinned narcissist, and Henry the eagle, a chivalric hero, a leader who inspired loyalty where Richard inspired only fear. Henry had all the qualities Richard lacked, all the qualities a sovereign needed, bar one: birth right. Increasingly threatened by his charismatic cousin, Richard became consumed by the need for total power, in a time of constant conspiracies, rebellions and reprisals. When he banished Henry into exile, the stage was set for a final confrontation, as the hart became the tyrant and the eagle his usurper.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Penguin

Further details Amazon.co.uk



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Another possible portrait of Jane


Stephan Edwards has written about a new possible portrait of Lady Jane at his website.


Analysis of a ‘new’ portrait said to depict Jane Grey Dudley that appeared at auction in July 2024





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‘The Tragic Life of Lady Jane Grey’ Interview with Beverley Adams


‘The Tragic Life of Lady Jane Grey’ by Beverley Adams was published earlier this month by Pen and Sword.

Beverley is also the author of ‘The Forgotten Tudor Royal: Margaret Douglas, Grandmother to King James VI & I’, ‘The Rebel Suffragette: The Life of Edith Rigby’ and ‘Ada Lovelace: The World’s First Computer Programmer.’


Buy ‘The Tragic Life of Lady Jane Grey’:

Pen & Sword


(c) Beverley Adams



Follow Beverley on Social Media:

Website – Beverley Adams
Twitter/X – @WriterBeverleyA


Many thanks to Beverley for answering my questions.


(c) Pen and Sword



Why did you choose this subject for your book?

I always write about women from history. I enjoyed researching & writing my first Tudor book about Margaret Douglas and wanted to further that by focusing on another Tudor lady. Jane just seemed like a natural choice for me, I have always been interested in her but had only ever read fiction books and I knew the research into her life would be fascinating, I was also intrigued to find out just how close she, and her family, actually were to the throne.


What does your book add to previous works about Jane?

I will be honest and say that it probably does not add to anything new to what we already know of her life but what it does do, is bring together Jane’s life, and that of her family, into one place. It explores how she came to be in the position of Queen and how she lost that position. It is also my interpretation of the facts, the question I set out with at the beginning was ‘Was she really that innocent? and I hope I’ve done that.


Do you think Edward VI or John Dudley was the instigator of the ‘Devise for the Succession’?

That is such a good question and one that is very tricky to answer given we are not privy to every conversation that took place. In my opinion, I think Dudley planted the seed in Edward’s mind and then encouraged the king to develop that idea so that it became his own. At some point, Dudley formed the idea of placing Jane on the throne, that was his end goal but at what stage he formed that plan I don’t think we can say for certain.


What surprised you most writing this book?

The role her father played in her downfall. I knew he had something to do with Jane’s final demise but until I started my research, I didn’t know just how much of a foolish man he was. After being given a reprieve by Queen Mary, thanks to his wife, he couldn’t help but get involved in plots to remove the queen. It surprised me how much religion influenced people’s actions and behaviours, even if that meant impacting your own family, either that or he was stupid, I haven’t decided!

The other thing that surprised me was Jane’s resilience, her strength of character was immense and her religious fanaticism was off the scale, but in the end, it was her religion that kept her strong and gave her the power to walk to that scaffold as calmly as she did. She had been wronged and she knew it but her belief in God comforted her, many would have railed against the injustice but this 16-year-old girl remained dignified until the end.


Do you consider Jane to be Queen of England or a usurper?

That is such a tough question! On the one hand, we can argue she wasn’t Queen of England. She wasn’t crowned & Edward VI’s Devise for the Succession was not a legally binding document, history tells us she was manoeuvred into that role by John Dudley and therefore a usurper, whether willingly or not she took a crown she knew was not hers to take. But, on the other hand, Edward V & Edward VIII were not crowned yet we consider them kings each with a regnal number. Jane was proclaimed Queen across London, just as any monarch is before they are crowned so why cannot she be called a Queen of England? Regardless of the answer to this, and people will have their own views, Jane will always be known to history as Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Days Queen’.

In my view, yes she was the queen of England, she just wasn’t one for very long.




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Books 2024 – Planning the Murder of Anne Boleyn by Caroline Angus – on sale now



(c) Pen and Sword


Almost 500 years have passed since the death of Anne Boleyn, and yet, there has never been a suggestion she was guilty of the crimes which saw her executed. Attempts to muddy Anne’s reputation throughout history have not lessened her popularity nor convinced anyone she was an adulterer. But many myths surrounding Anne’s conviction for sleeping with George Boleyn, Henry Norris, Francis Weston, William Brereton, and Mark Smeaton have cropped up due to centuries of lies, slander, and misinformation from detractors. One month after Anne was executed, the Convocation of Canterbury ratified the paperwork detailing her arrest, conviction, execution, and the annulment of the marriage between King Henry VIII and his second wife. As parliament had already ruled Anne’s only child, Princess Elizabeth, was no longer heir to the throne, all the paperwork surrounding the trial was destroyed. No trace of her charges, witness statements, evidence, or even Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s reasoning for annulling the royal marriage survived the mass destruction. Everyone was supposed to forget Anne Boleyn and accept Queen Jane. But why did Anne Boleyn ever need to die? King Henry had started little more than an infatuation with Jane Seymour in December 1535\. Yet, many saw the opportunity to pounce, not to reduce Anne’s influence but to increase Princess Mary’s standing. As Vicegerent Thomas Cromwell and Ambassador Eustace Chapuys whispered of alliances in secret meetings, the Catholic nobility and the White Roses began to hatch their plan to restore the king’s daughter, Princess Mary, to her rightful place at court. Just as Katharine of Aragon died, Anne Boleyn felt secure as England’s queen, only to find that her adversary’s death would soon bring on her own. Why did political and religious enemies of Thomas Cromwell seek him in the months leading to Anne’s death, expecting his co-operation to restore Princess Mary? Did Jane Seymour have any significance and why did King Henry and Thomas Cromwell get into a public shouting match at a dinner party? The answers lie not in what evidence remains of court life in early 1536 but in the gaps left behind. None of the characters that played a role in Anne Boleyn’s death were strangers; all had connections, alliances and opportunities, and when their pasts and futures are laid together, we can see how a haphazard plan to end a queen’s life had almost nothing to do with her at all.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Pen and Sword

Further details Amazon.co.uk




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New identity for the Lady Jayne/Streatham portrait?


In 1996 when the ‘Master John’ portrait of Lady Jane was re-identified by Dr Susan James as Katherine Parr, Nigel Richards wrote in The Daily Telegraph, ‘The lady vanishes as portrait of Jane Grey is proved wrong.’

Is history repeating itself with Dr James’ new research about the Streatham Portrait of Jane?



The ‘Lady Jayne/Streatham portrait’ was discovered at a house in Streatham in January 2006 and was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery later that year. It has been on display as part of Tudor exhibitions around the world and is currently on display in the NPG’s Tudor Gallery.

(c) NPG 6804; Lady Jane Dudley (nee Grey) by Unknown artist


‘Which sixteenth-century queen of England is represented in the National Portrait Gallery painting NPG 6804? Is it the tragic nine-day queen Lady Jane Grey or Queen Kateryn Parr, the sixth and surviving wife of the notorious Henry VIII? This article seeks not only to identify the lady in the portrait but to suggest the circumstances that surrounded its commission. Although labeled “Lady Jane”, the painting is a copy of an earlier work and evidence provided by new research indicates that the original work is more likely to be a portrait of Kateryn Parr created in the seminal year 1544 when Parr was acting as Regent-General of England. NPG 6804 is not only a statement of Parr’s political power but presents evidence of her commitment to the English Renaissance, to English Church and to the new literature that supported it.’

You can read the full article:

Lady jane grey or queen kateryn parr? National portrait gallery painting 6804: Analysis and historical context



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