Books 2018 – on sale today – Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I by Erin Lawless



(c) Pen and Sword History


‘Great women are hidden behind great men, or so they say, and no man is greater than the king. For centuries, royal aunts, cousins, sisters and mothers have watched history unfold from the shadows, their battlefields the bedchamber or the birthing room, their often short lives remembered only through the lens of others. But for those who want to hear them, great stories are still there to be told: the medieval princess who was kidnapped by pirates; the duchess found guilty of procuring love potions; the queen who was imprisoned in a castle for decades. Bringing thirty of these royal women out of the shadows, along with the footnotes of their families, this collection of bite-sized biographies will tell forgotten tales and shine much needed light into the darkened corners of women’s history.’

From Amazon.co.uk


Further details – Pen & Sword Books

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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Books 2018 – on sale now – Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III by John Ashdown-Hill


(c) Pen and Sword History


‘Wife to Richard, Duke of York, mother to Edward IV and Richard III, and aunt to the famous Kingmaker , Richard, Earl of Warwick, Cecily Neville was a key player on the political stage of fifteenth-century Britain England. Mythologically rumoured to have been known as the Rose of Raby because of her beauty and her birth at Raby Castle, and as Proud Cis because of her vanity and fiery temper, Cecily’s personality and temperament have actually been highly speculated upon. In fact, much of her life is shrouded in mystery. Putting aside Cecily s role as mother and wife, who was she really? Matriarch of the York dynasty, she navigated through a tumultuous period and lived to see the birth of the future Henry VIII. From seeing the house of York defeat their Lancastrian cousins; to witnessing the defeat of her own son, Richard III, at the battle of Bosworth, Cecily then saw one of her granddaughters become Henry VII’s queen consort. Her story is full of controversy and the few published books on her life are full of guess-work. In this highly original history, Dr John Ashdown-Hill seeks to dispel the myths surrounding Cecily using previously unexamined contemporary sources.

From Amazon.co.uk


Further details – Pen and Sword History

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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A good reason to buy BBC History Magazine…


Immediate Media Company Limited


The May 2018 issue of BBC History Magazine has a very interesting article by Sarah Gristwood about Elizabeth Woodville (Queen consort of Edward IV).

Elizabeth was Lady Jane’s great-great grandmother on both sides.

Jane’s father, Henry Grey, was a descendant of Elizabeth’s first non-royal marriage, while Jane’s mother, Frances Brandon, was a descendant of her marriage to Edward IV.


Immediate Media Company Limited


Elizabeth Woodville featured in Sarah Gristwood’s ‘Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses.’

You can read my interview with her at Blood Sisters.





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Books 2018 – on sale today – The Queen and the Heretic: How two women changed the religion of England by Derek Wilson



(c) Lion Books


‘The dual biography of two remarkable women – Catherine Parr and Anne Askew. One was the last queen of a powerful monarch, the second a countrywoman from Lincolnshire. But they were joined together in their love for the new learning – and their adherence to Protestantism threatened both their lives. Both women wrote about their faith, and their writings are still with us. Powerful men at court sought to bring Catherine down, and used Anne Askew’s notoriety as a weapon in that battle. Queen Catherine Parr survived, while Anne Askew, the only woman to be racked, was burned to death. This book explores their lives, and the way of life for women from various social strata in Tudor England.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Derek Wilson

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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