Alison Weir

With his death in 1547, King Henry VIII left four heirs to the English throne: his only son the nine-year-old Prince Edward; the Lady Mary, the adult daughter of his first wife, Katherine Aragon; the Lady Elizabeth, the teenage daughter of his second wife, Anne Boleyn; and his young great-niece, the Lady Jane Grey. In this riveting account, Alison Weir paints a unique portrait of these extraordinary rulers, examining their intricate relationships...

Nearing thirty, Eleanor of Aquitaine's dozen years as consort to the pious King Louis VII have brought her only unhappiness. Then the young, dynamic Henry of Anjou arrives at the French court, and both know that theirs is a passion that could ignite the world. Eleanor has her marriage annulled and sends for Henry to come and marry her - marking the creation of a vast empire, the birth of the Plantagenet dynasty, and the beginning of a fiery downward...

A fictional portrait of Lady Jane Grey, the great-niece of Henry VIII, follows her turbulent life against the backdrop of Tudor power politics and religious upheaval, from her youth, to her nine-day reign as Queen of England, to its tragic aftermath.

"In this compelling novel of Tudor drama and suspense, acclaimed author Alison Weir brings to life one of England's most scandalous royal love affairs: the romance between the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I and her courtier Lord Robert Dudley. Only twenty-five and newly crowned, Elizabeth vows to rule the country as both queen and king. But her counselors continually press her to form an advantageous marriage and produce an heir. Though none of the suitors...