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The moderate man shall inherit the kingdom.That man needs to be the Queenmaker.London 1529 - Cardinal Wolsey has ruled England in King Henry VIII's name for most of his reign. Now Henry wants to leave his extraordinary Spanish wife of twenty years, Queen Katherine, to marry Anne Boleyn and secure a male heir for the kingdom. Only God can end a marriage, through his appointed voices on Earth, the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, and Cardinal Campeggio sent from Rome in the Pope's place.Wolsey's faithful attendant, commoner Thomas Cromwell, has the mind, the skills and the ambition to secure a royal annulment. Cromwell's forgotten past in Italy reappears with Campeggio's new attendant, Nicóla Fresco...
Four hundred years passed between Thomas Cromwell's death in 1540 and the recognition that this faithful servant was more than another agent of Henry VIII. Born a common man with no recorded education, Cromwell became a wealthy lawyer, politician, minister, and peer of the realm, and created the modern style of government in England. An extraordinary man of wisdom, charm, strategic cunning, and boasting an incredible memory, Cromwell redefined bureaucracy, broke a nation from Rome, reformed parliament, created royal supremacy and developed the revolutionary administrative procedures still in place today. But after his execution, Thomas Cromwell became an intellectual genius lost to history, ...
Thomas Cromwell was King Henry VIII’s most faithful servant, the only man the king ever openly regretted executing. But Thomas Cromwell came to royal prominence late in life, and had 45 years of family, friends and experiences behind him before catching Henry’s eye. Born a common boy at a time of significant change in England in 1485, Cromwell grew up in a happy, close-knit family, before heading to Europe for dramatic adventures. Returning to England a decade later, Cromwell emerged with the skills of a lawyer and merchant, with the European language skills and connections to match. Marriage, children, friends, family and manor homes all furnished Cromwell’s life, a man happy and sett...
Corvids play an outsize role in the human imagination. We keep ravens in towers, emblazon rooks on banners, find crows in the constellations and make sure to salute solitary magpies. We also see our own behaviour mirrored in this diverse family of birds, who are tricksters and thieves as well as problem-solvers and gift-givers. This beautifully designed book showcases the visual and literary life of the corvid, from Norse legends to Game of Thrones. It includes beautiful and darkly seductive photographs and paintings as well as texts and poems in which they play a starring role and information about the traits that make them so intriguing to us.
Cats have been revered by artists since ancient times for their beauty, grace, independence, and air of mystery. Domesticated, but with a touch of the wild about them, they share our homes and endlessly fascinate us. The Book of the Cat is a cool and quirky collection of feline art and illustration by artists from around the world. Interspersed through the illustrations are short texts about the artists and their subjects. Beautifully designed and packaged, the book will appeal to cat lovers of all ages.
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 He...
A history of one of medieval England’s most powerful families, from its origins in Normandy to its demise during the reign of Edward III. In the reign of Edward I, when asked Quo Warranto—by what warrant he held his lands—John de Warenne, the 6th earl of Surrey, is said to have drawn a rusty sword, claiming “My ancestors came with William the Bastard, and conquered their lands with the sword, and I will defend them with the sword against anyone wishing to seize them.” John’s ancestor, William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, fought for William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was rewarded with enough land to make him one of the richest men of all time. In his se...
A definitive new biography of one of British history's most controversial figures, that seeks to bring peace to Richard III's reputation.
Horses have been the inspiration for hundreds of works of art over the centuries. This book celebrates the horse in all its glory, from its role as working animal in war and sport, to beloved pet. The horse's beauty and majesty is caught by artists as diverse as Stubbs, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Magritte, Frink, and Freud. The Book of the Horse is a cool and quirky collection of equine art and illustration by artists from around the world. Interspersed through the illustrations are short texts about the artists and their subjects. Beautifully designed and packaged, the book will appeal to horse lovers of all ages.
A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year ‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation.’ Tracy Borman In this groundbreaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty. From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant’ of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the Tudors re-enacted the roles of devoted lovers and capricious mistresses first laid out in the romances of medieval literature, but now with life-and-death consequences for the protagonists. The Tudors in Love dissects the codes of love, desire and power, unveiling obsessions that have shaped the history of this nation. ‘A riveting, pacy page-turner… the Tudors as you’ve never seen them before.’ Alison Weir