Four Queens and a Countess
Four Queens and a Countess

Author: Jill Armitage

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2017-12-15

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 144566917X

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The fateful Tudor triangle: a reigning queen, an exiled queen, and the countess who was obliged to be her jailer. And Bess of Hardwick had a close relationship with two more queens!

Four Queens
Four Queens

Author: Nancy Goldstone

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2007-04-19

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 1101202173

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For fans of Alison Weir and Antonia Fraser, acclaimed author Nancy Goldstone’s thrilling history of the royal daughters who succeeded in ruling—and shaping—thirteenth-century Europe Set against the backdrop of the thirteenth century, a time of chivalry and crusades, troubadors, knights and monarchs, Four Queens is the story of four provocative sisters—Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice of Provence—who rose from near obscurity to become the most coveted and powerful women in Europe. Each sister in this extraordinary family was beautiful, cultured, and accomplished but what made these women so remarkable was that each became queen of a principal European power—France, England, Germany and Sicily. During their reigns, they exercised considerable political authority, raised armies, intervened diplomatically and helped redraw the map of Europe. Theirs is a drama of courage, sagacity and ambition that re-examines the concept of leadership in the Middle Ages.

Four Sisters, All Queens
Four Sisters, All Queens

Author: Sherry Jones

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-05-08

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 1451633254

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Rich in intrigue and scheming, love and lust, Sherry Jones’s vibrant historical novel follows four women destined to sway the fate of nations and the hearts of kings… Amid the lush valleys and fragrant wildflowers of Provence, Marguerite, Eléonore, Sanchia, and Beatrice have learned to charm, hunt, dance, and debate under the careful tutelage of their ambitious mother—and to abide by the countess’s motto: “Family comes first.” With Provence under constant attack, their legacy and safety depend upon powerful alliances. Marguerite’s illustrious match with the young King Louis IX makes her Queen of France. Soon Eléonore—independent and daring—is betrothed to Henry III of England. In turn, shy, devout Sanchia and tempestuous Beatrice wed noblemen who will also make them queens. Yet a crown is no guarantee of protection. Enemies are everywhere, from Marguerite’s duplicitous mother-in-law to vengeful lovers and land-hungry barons. Then there are the dangers that come from within, as loyalty succumbs to bitter sibling rivalry, and sister is pitted against sister for the prize each believes is rightfully hers—Provence itself. From the treacherous courts of France and England, to the bloody tumult of the Crusades, Sherry Jones traces the extraordinary true story of four fascinating sisters whose passions, conquests, and progeny shaped the course of history.

The One-Act Play Companion
The One-Act Play Companion

Author: Colin Dolley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-01-30

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1408103168

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The one-act play stands apart as a distinct art form with some well known writers providing specialist material, among them Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill. Alan Ayckbourn, Edward Albee and Tennesee Williams. There are also lesser-known writers with plenty of material to offer, yet sourcing one-act plays to perform is notoriously hard. This companion is the first book to survey the work of over 250 playwrights in an illuminating A-Z guide. Multiple styles, nationalities and periods are covered, offering a treasure trove of compelling moments of theatre waiting to be discovered. Guidance on performing and staging one-act plays is also covered as well as essential contact information and where to apply for performance rights. A chapter introducing the history of the one-act play rounds off the title as a definitive guide.

Times of My Life – Part Two
Times of My Life – Part Two

Author: Carole Payne

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers

Published: 2022-11-30

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1398412937

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A sequel to Times of My Life: A Forest Gate Girl, this book carries the reader from a wedding in 1971, to the present day in Wiltshire, spanning 50 years of events that have punctuated the writer’s life up to now. It’s been a whole adventure and education for a girl from a fairly sheltered and strict family background, embarking on married life as a young wife which would soon take her away from the London she had known and loved to following her husband’s career all over the country. She would eventually achieve all the things she had dreamed of as a child. She would travel the world, meet fascinating people in far-flung places and make lifelong friends. She would have a successful career of her own. She would teach. Her love of music, theatre and performance would lead to one of her most thrilling and satisfying endeavours, running her own musical theatre group with amazing young people and watching them grow in skills and confidence. This memoir revisits those hectic days which tend to get lost in the fullness of time. Treasured old photos bring it all back. Most of all, she would have a long and happy married life, and be blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren. There were many adventures and so many reasons to celebrate along the way. But there were also trials and challenges, tragedies and sadness, as there are and have been for everyone, particularly during the Covid years. The best of times always outweighed the bad, however, and the happiest memories will be cherished forever.

The Queen's Grace
The Queen's Grace

Author: Jan Westcott

Publisher: eNet Press

Published: 2015-01-16

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 1618863339

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Catherine Parr, also known as Katryn, is most well-known as the last and sixth wife of King Henry VIII — a powerful monarch and an infamous husband. However, Katryn's role as queen, though aglow with razzle dazzle, is but a brief chapter of her absorbing story. Most noble men and women of the sixteenth century married to unite families, build fortunes, produce heirs, and to maintain or secure power. Katryn was no exception. Independent, well-educated, and eager to experience life and take risks, she nevertheless agreed to marry after the death of her father and found herself the wife of a much older man when she was barely sixteen. Not one to shirk responsibility, she fulfilled her duties faithfully. Households flourished under her direction and she raised her numerous step-children with love and genuine concern for their welfare. However, beneath her dutiful exterior lurked a passionate woman who met and fell in love with a man she was not destined to marry until she had been widowed three times. Thomas Seymour — a forceful and reckless man who was the brother of Jane Seymour, third wife to King Henry VIII — was her match in all ways and their unpredictable and tempestuous relationship is the real subject of this story. Jan Westcott is the daughter of a renowned classical historian and subsequently became an enthusiastic and insightful student of history. With spell-binding speculation she deftly expands on the facts as we know them to bring to life the trials and frustrations, disappointments and triumphs of Katryn Parr and all the lords and ladies of King Henry's realm.