[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars I thought I had left the Stuarts behind for a while after 2024, but when I saw this title about Charles II’s consort I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t tell you much about Catherine of Braganza specifically other than the fact that she and and Charles were unable to produce an heir and that she helped to popularize drinking tea. In the opening to her text, Abernethy reinforces the idea of Catherine as the “forgotten queen,” emphasizing that she largely been overlooked in history in favor of her husband, the Merry Monarch, and his long list of lovers. Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza pulls forgotten consort out of the shadows and sheds light on her own life and contributions to history and culture. There isn’t much known about Catherine of of Braganza’s early life, but the first few chapters of the book familiarize the reader with Portuguese history and the rise of the Braganza dynasty, which I found to be very.. Read more
NetGalley, Nicholas Artrip
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars I thought I had left the Stuarts behind for a while after 2024, but when I saw this title about Charles II’s consort I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t tell you much about Catherine of Braganza specifically other than the fact that she and and Charles were unable to produce an heir and that she helped to popularize drinking tea. In the opening to her text, Abernethy reinforces the idea of Catherine as the “forgotten queen,” emphasizing that she largely been overlooked in history in favor of her husband, the Merry Monarch, and his long list of lovers. Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza pulls forgotten consort out of the shadows and sheds light on her own life and contributions to history and culture. There isn’t much known about Catherine of of Braganza’s early life, but the first few chapters of the book familiarize the reader with Portuguese history and the rise of the Braganza dynasty, which I found to be very.. Read more
NetGalley, Nicholas Artrip
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
The author here had found something new to say about the Tudors, which you would not think possible given the saturation of the market with books on the subject. Her subjects are Edward Seymour, Catherine Filliol and Anne Stanhope., hitherto overlooked characters who played key roles in Tudor England. They are fascinating characters and this account is illuminating, she reveals scandals I knew nothing about and painstakingly pieces together the lives of the two women involved, from very little evidence.
It is not light reading or historical fluff, this is a very scholarly account, with detailed source analysis and tight research. Her referencing is sound and she uses numerous primary sources, referring to those over secondary material. Given this I would hazard a guess that the author is well schooled and a formally educated historian, which is refreshing to find. This is an excellent and very proper historical biography.
NetGalley, Beth Miller
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars
The author here had found something new to say about the Tudors, which you would not think possible given the saturation of the market with books on the subject. Her subjects are Edward Seymour, Catherine Filliol and Anne Stanhope., hitherto overlooked characters who played key roles in Tudor England. They are fascinating characters and this account is illuminating, she reveals scandals I knew nothing about and painstakingly pieces together the lives of the two women involved, from very little evidence.
It is not light reading or historical fluff, this is a very scholarly account, with detailed source analysis and tight research. Her referencing is sound and she uses numerous primary sources, referring to those over secondary material. Given this I would hazard a guess that the author is well schooled and a formally educated historian, which is refreshing to find. This is an excellent and very proper historical biography.
NetGalley, Beth Miller
Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen by Laura Brennan was a very informative book looking into what events in her life made her the great queen she became. Elizabeth is one of my favorite Tudors and I loved reading more about her.
NetGalley, Amber Archambault
Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen by Laura Brennan was a very informative book looking into what events in her life made her the great queen she became. Elizabeth is one of my favorite Tudors and I loved reading more about her.
NetGalley, Amber Archambault
The Final Year of Anne Boleyn is a well-researched and insightful view of the last days of Queen Anne Boleyn's life famously cut short when she failed to produce a male heir for King Henry VIII. While Henry does feature in this book, its focus is Anne - what she did, who she trusted and what she cared about. Sadly, many of Anne's letters no longer survive so there are some events we can only view through secondary sources. Nevertheless, Natalie Grueninger brings Anne to life and invokes the sights, sounds and perils of Tudor life in an accessible writing style. The final section of the book takes us through the events of the swift and brutal downfall of Queen Anne. I found the speed with which Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell dispatched of Anne terrifying. It is testament to Grueninger's writing that she was able to give this well-documented period of history an edge-of-your-seat feel. I will forever find the death of Anne Boleyn a stain on English history. That this bright, kind, witty.. Read more
NetGalley, Rachel Matthews
The Final Year of Anne Boleyn is a well-researched and insightful view of the last days of Queen Anne Boleyn's life famously cut short when she failed to produce a male heir for King Henry VIII. While Henry does feature in this book, its focus is Anne - what she did, who she trusted and what she cared about. Sadly, many of Anne's letters no longer survive so there are some events we can only view through secondary sources. Nevertheless, Natalie Grueninger brings Anne to life and invokes the sights, sounds and perils of Tudor life in an accessible writing style. The final section of the book takes us through the events of the swift and brutal downfall of Queen Anne. I found the speed with which Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell dispatched of Anne terrifying. It is testament to Grueninger's writing that she was able to give this well-documented period of history an edge-of-your-seat feel. I will forever find the death of Anne Boleyn a stain on English history. That this bright, kind, witty.. Read more
NetGalley, Rachel Matthews
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Julia Hickey gives a lively and enthralling account of turbulent times from a fresh angle. I’ve recently read a couple of biographies about our present King, Charles; the warts and all rather than the sycophantic cover ups. A point that really struck me was the influence of the courtiers and the way in which they were summarily dismissed when their advice didn’t suit the royal prerogative. Media and public manipulation to ensure adoration and obeisance is quite staggering and looking back I see how many events were managed by the advisers rather than the royals. Preparing Tudor Kings and Princes to Rule gives a fascinating insight into so many of those working hard behind the scenes five or six hundred years ago. In many ways, little has changed, expect falling out of favour now will not result in losing a head. But it has ruined many. Much of this story reads like an adventure, although at times with unwelcome and unfair consequences. There’s a mix.. Read more
NetGalley, Anita Wallas
[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Julia Hickey gives a lively and enthralling account of turbulent times from a fresh angle. I’ve recently read a couple of biographies about our present King, Charles; the warts and all rather than the sycophantic cover ups. A point that really struck me was the influence of the courtiers and the way in which they were summarily dismissed when their advice didn’t suit the royal prerogative. Media and public manipulation to ensure adoration and obeisance is quite staggering and looking back I see how many events were managed by the advisers rather than the royals. Preparing Tudor Kings and Princes to Rule gives a fascinating insight into so many of those working hard behind the scenes five or six hundred years ago. In many ways, little has changed, expect falling out of favour now will not result in losing a head. But it has ruined many. Much of this story reads like an adventure, although at times with unwelcome and unfair consequences. There’s a mix.. Read more
NetGalley, Anita Wallas
