Great Tales from English History
Great Tales from English History

Author: Robert Lacey

Publisher: Little, Brown

Published: 2004-06-03

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0759511616

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With insight, humor and fascinating detail, Lacey brings brilliantly to life the stories that made England -- from Ethelred the Unready to Richard the Lionheart, the Venerable Bede to Piers the Ploughman. The greatest historians are vivid storytellers, Robert Lacey reminds us, and in Great Tales from English History, he proves his place among them, illuminating in unforgettable detail the characters and events that shaped a nation. In this volume, Lacey limns the most important period in England's past, highlighting the spread of the English language, the rejection of both a religion and a traditional view of kingly authority, and an unstoppable movement toward intellectual and political freedom from 1387 to 1689. Opening with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and culminating in William and Mary's "Glorious Revolution," Lacey revisits some of the truly classic stories of English history: the Battle of Agincourt, where Henry V's skilled archers defeated a French army three times as large; the tragic tale of the two young princes locked in the Tower of London (and almost certainly murdered) by their usurping uncle, Richard III; Henry VIII's schismatic divorce, not just from his wife but from the authority of the Catholic Church; "Bloody Mary" and the burning of religious dissidents; Sir Francis Drake's dramatic, if questionable, part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and the terrible and transformative Great Fire of London, to name but a few. Here Anglophiles will find their favorite English kings and queens, villains and victims, authors and architects - from Richard II to Anne Boleyn, the Virgin Queen to Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Pepys to Christopher Wren, and many more. Continuing the "eminently readable, highly enjoyable" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) history he began in volume I of Great Tales from English History, Robert Lacey has drawn on the most up-to-date research to present a taut and riveting narrative, breathing life into the most pivotal characters and exciting landmarks in England's history.

Royal Witches
Royal Witches

Author: Gemma Hollman

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2019-10-07

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 0750993502

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'An important and timely book.' - Philippa Gregory Joan of Navarre was the richest woman in the land, at a time when war-torn England was penniless. Eleanor Cobham was the wife of a weak king's uncle – and her husband was about to fall from grace. Jacquetta Woodville was a personal enemy of Warwick the Kingmaker, who was about to take his revenge. Elizabeth Woodville was the widowed mother of a child king, fighting Richard III for her children's lives. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives of these four unique women, looking at how rumours of witchcraft brought them to their knees in a time when superstition and suspicion was rife.

Joan of Kent
Joan of Kent

Author: Penny Lawne

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2015-02-15

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13: 1445644711

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The story of the beautiful wife of the Black Prince and mother of Richard II.

Voices
Voices

Author: David Elliott

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-03-26

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 0358049156

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"Stunning . . . elegant . . . arresting . . . supple and harrowing.” - The Wall Street Journal ★“An innovative, entrancing account of a popular figure that will appeal to fans of verse, history, and biography.” - Kirkus, starred review In poems that surprise and move readers, bestselling author David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death. Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc’s life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood), Voices offers an unforgettable perspective on an extraordinary young woman. Along the way it explores timely issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices.

The Maid and the Queen
The Maid and the Queen

Author: Nancy Goldstone

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-03-29

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1101561297

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“Attention, ‘Game of Thrones’ fans: The most enjoyably sensational aspects of medieval politics—double-crosses, ambushes, bizarre personal obsessions, lunacy and naked self-interest—are in abundant evidence in Nancy Goldstone's The Maid and the Queen.” (Laura Miller, Salon.com) Politically astute, ambitious, and beautiful, Yolande of Aragon, queen of Sicily, was one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages. Caught in the complex dynastic battle of the Hundred Years War, Yolande championed the dauphin's cause against the forces of England and Burgundy, drawing on her savvy, her statecraft, and her intimate network of spies. But the enemy seemed invincible. Just as French hopes dimmed, an astonishingly courageous young woman named Joan of Arc arrived from the farthest recesses of the kingdom, claiming she carried a divine message-a message that would change the course of history and ultimately lead to the coronation of Charles VII and the triumph of France. Now, on the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc, this fascinating book explores the relationship between these two remarkable women, and deepens our understanding of this dramatic period in history. How did an illiterate peasant girl gain access to the future king of France, earn his trust, and ultimately lead his forces into battle? Was it only the hand of God that moved Joan of Arc-or was it also Yolande of Aragon?

Isabella of France
Isabella of France

Author: Kathryn Warner

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 515

ISBN-13: 1445647419

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The fascinating story of the exceptional woman who wrested power from Edward II and changed the course of English history

Brewer's British Royalty
Brewer's British Royalty

Author: David Williamson

Publisher: Burns & Oates

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780304344277

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"Explores the lives of the kings, queens, princes, princesses and royal pretenders of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from the very earliest times through to the present day....--even biographies of royal pets."--Jacket.

The Perfect King
The Perfect King

Author: Ian Mortimer

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2010-03-30

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 1407066420

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From the bestselling author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, comes the story of King Edward III, who - like Elizabeth and Victoria after him - embodied the values of his age, forged a nation out of war and re-made England. He ordered his uncle to be beheaded; he usurped his father's throne; he started a war which lasted for more than a hundred years, and taxed his people more than any other previous king. Nineteenth century historians saw in Edward the opportunity to decry a warmonger, and painted him as a self-seeking, rapacious, tax-gathering conqueror. Yet, in this first full study of the King's character and life, Dr Ian Mortimer unveils that behind the strong warrior king was a compassionate, conscientious and often merciful man - resolute yet devoted to his wife, friends and family, and the father of both the English nation and the English people. 'A fascinating portrait. At times, the reader seems almost able to reach across time and touch this man' - The Economist