Historical British Royalty: Biographies and Histories

[Warren]

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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Diamond Jubilee Souvenir
Annie Bullen

ISBN: 9781841653730
Binding: Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher: The History Press

blurb

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years as British Sovereign in 2012. With the exception of Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, she is the longest-serving monarch, acknowledged worldwide for the duties she has performed with grace and dignity. In her lifetime she has seen the dissolution of the British Empire and the rise of the Commonwealth of Nations, which she now presides over. Her Majesty still remains the monarch, separately and independently, of sixteen Commonwealth members.

This special souvenir guide illustrated with over 80 photographs, looks at every aspect of the life of the Queen: her childhood and teenage years in the company of her sister, Princess Margaret; her role as Heir Presumptive; her engagement and marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh and as mother to her young family; her accession and coronation.

Also explored are her duties from working with charities, attending the State Opening of Parliament and taking part in traditional ceremonies such as the Royal Maundy, the Trooping the Colour, the Garter Ceremony and the Remembrance Day service.

Her passion for horses is well known, as are her other country pursuits that she enjoys in her rare 'off-duty' moments, all of which are featured in this Jubilee souvenir guide.

• A timely piece in preparation of Her Majesty's 2012 celebrations.
• Author of the well-received Pitkin Royal Souvenir Guide William & Kate .
• Covers the entire spectrum of Queen Elizabeth's life, including her childhood.

Annie Bullen is a freelance journalist, and regularly features in national and regional magazines. She has written a biography of John Derry, Britain's first supersonic pilot, and two novels as well as compiling Pitkin guides. She previously produced the William & Kate wedding souvenir. She lives in Andover, Hampshire.

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reproduced with permission

[Warren]

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Publisher's Twitter competition

.In conjunction with the release of Annie Bullen's "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Diamond Jubilee Souvenir"
the publishers, The History Press, are running a competition on Twitter with copies of the souvenir book as prizes.

Members who are interested should simply tweet @TheHistoryPress with your
favourite royal memory from Queen Elizabeth's reign
using the hashtag #jubileeguide

♦ ♦ ♦

The History Press,The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Glos, GL5 2QG
www.thehistorypress.co.uk

◘ ◘ ◘

[CarolynHarris]

Interesting biography of an often overlooked historical figure from Tudor Times

The Tudor Book Reviews 2: Bessie Blount, the King’s Mistress by Elizabeth Norton | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[Tiggersk8]

If you're looking for good historical fiction about Elizabeth I, I highly reccomend the books by Karen Harper. Not only are they tough to put down, but she does her research into whatever feature of Elizabethan life she's showcasing. For instance, the first novel is based during Elizabeth's final year playing chess w/her sister Mary I and her allies who have her under watch at Hatfield. It also features the poisons of the time and their various effects. In fact, it's called The Poyson Garden and was fascinating and I've found her other novels equally so.

I just finished re reading The Hooded Hawk, which literally has my heart pounding whenever I read it. It focuses on the Sports and Games of the time around the threat to the Queen.

Anyway, I saw you were looking for good fiction based on the ever fascinating Elizabeth Tudor, but not many were giving you a recommendation for that. Hope that helps!! :o)

[CarolynHarris]

An interesting book about six notorious Tudor women

The Tudor Book Reviews 3: Wicked Women of Tudor England by Retha Warnicke | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

The first full length biography of Queen Matilda, William the Conqueror's consort

The Medieval Book Reviews 2: Matilda, Queen of the Conqueror by Tracy Borman | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[Warren]

Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William I

by Tracy Borman and Tracy Joanne Borman

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Jonathan Cape (September 2011)
Publisher: Random House (April 2012)
ISBN-10: 0224090550
ISBN-13: 978-0224090551

Publisher's Overview

Around the year 1049, William, Duke of Normandy and future conqueror of England, raced to the palace of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. The count's eldest daughter, Matilda, had refused William's offer of marriage and publicly denounced him as a bastard. Encountering the young woman, William furiously dragged her to the ground by her hair and beat her mercilessly. Matilda's outraged father immediately took up arms on his daughter's behalf. But just a few days later, Baldwin was aghast when Matilda, still recovering from the assault, announced that she would marry none but William, since "he must be a man of great courage and high daring" to have ventured to "come and beat me in my own father's palace."

Thus began the tempestuous marriage of Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. While William's exploits and triumphs have been widely chronicled, his consort remains largely overlooked. Now, in her groundbreaking Queen of the Conqueror, acclaimed author and historian Tracy Borman weaves together a comprehensive and illuminating tapestry of this noble woman who stood only four-foot-two and whose role as the first crowned Queen of England had a large and lasting influence on the English monarchy.

From a wealth of historical artifacts and documents, Matilda emerges as passionate, steadfast, and wise, yet also utterly ruthless and tenacious in pursuit of her goals, and the only person capable of taming her formidable husband—who, unprecedented for the period, remained staunchly faithful to her. This mother of nine, including four sons who went on to inherit William’s French and English dominions, confounded the traditional views of women in medieval society by seizing the reins of power whenever she had the chance, directing her husband’s policy, and at times flagrantly disobeying his orders.

Tracy Borman lays out Matilda’s remarkable story against one of the most fascinating and transformative periods in European history. Stirring, richly detailed, and wholly involving, Queen of the Conqueror reveals not just an extraordinary figure but an iconic woman who shaped generations, and an era that cast the essential framework for the world we know today.

The Author

Tracy Borman is the author of Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress, Queen's Servant and Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen, as well as The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings, 1066-2011, which she co-authored with Alison Weir, Kate Williams, and Sarah Gristwood. Borman studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1997. She has worked for various historic properties and national heritage organizations, including the National Archives and English Heritage. She is now chief executive of the Heritage Education Trust and also works for Historic Royal Palaces. Borman is a regular contributor to history magazines, such as BBC History Magazine, and is a frequent guest on television and radio.

Reviews

HistoryToday
Literary Review
Medieval Bookworm
Tudor Book Reviews by TheAnneBoleynFiles.com

London Review of Books (part):
Rough Wooing
Queens and female rulers of the early Middle Ages have claimed a good deal of attention in recent years, and deserve to receive more. Of several books about or inspired by Queen Emma, wife successively of Æthelræd ‘the Unready’ and Canute ‘the Great’, the best is Pauline Stafford’s Queen Emma and Queen Edith (1997), which brackets Emma with her successor, wife of Edward ‘the Confessor’. Stafford’s earlier Queens, Concubines and Dowagers (1983) took a broader view, as does Lisa Hilton’s Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens (2008).

If one were to pick out another powerful ruler too often forgotten, one might ask for a biography of King Alfred’s daughter Æthelflæd, ‘Lady of the Mercians’, who in partnership with her brother Edward ‘the Elder’ and her extremely mysterious husband, ‘Alderman’ Æthelræd, played the Isabella role in the tenth-century reconquista of central England from the pagan Vikings, and left her mark on the map of England to this day.

Random House:
Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, was the first woman to be crowned Queen of England and formally recognised as such by her subjects. Beyond this, though, little is known of her life. No contemporary images of her remain, and in a period where all evidence is fragmentary and questionable, the chroniclers of the age left us only the faintest clues as to her life. So who was this spectral queen? In this first major biography, Tracy Borman elegantly sifts through the shards of evidence to uncover an extraordinary story. In a dangerous, brutal world of conquest and rebellion, fragile alliances and bitter familial rivalries, Matilda possessed all the attributes required for a woman to thrive. She was born of impeccable lineage, and possessed of a loving and pious nature, she was a paragon of fidelity and motherhood. But strength, intelligence and ambition were also prerequisites to survive in such an environment. This side of her character, coupled with a fiercely independent nature, made Matilda essential to William's rule, giving her unparalleled influence over the king. While this would provide an inspiring template for future indomitable queens, it led eventually to treachery, revolt and the fracturing of a dynasty.

Characterised by Tracy Borman's graceful storytelling, Matilda: Queen of the Conqueror takes us from the courts of Flanders and Normandy to the opulence of royal life in England. Alive with intrigue, rumour and betrayal, it illuminates for the first time the life of an exceptional, brave and complex queen pivotal to the history of England.

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[CarolynHarris]

The new biography of King George I's mistress and unofficial consort Melusine von der Schulenburg

The King’s Mistress by Claudia Gold (Book Review) | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

An interesting biography of Henry III's influential sister

The Medieval Book Reviews 3: Eleanor de Montfort, A Rebel Countess in Medieval England by Louise J. Wilkinson | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[An Ard Ri]

She did lead a very interesting life and also had some fascinating ancestry!

[CarolynHarris]

A fascinating book about the negotiation of Henry VIII's "Great Matter" in Renaissance Italy

The Tudor Book Reviews 4: The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican by Catherine Fletcher | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

Interesting book about the relationship between the monarchy and the church

The Diamond Jubilee Book Reviews 7: God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Heart of the Monarchy by Ian Bradley | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

Interesting new book about Queen Margaret, Queen Isabelle and Queen Philippa, queens to Edward I, II & III respectively.

The Medieval Book Reviews 5: Three Medieval Queens: Queenship and the Crown in Fourteenth Century England by Lisa Benz St. John | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CarolynHarris

Interesting new book about Queen Margaret, Queen Isabelle and Queen Philippa, queens to Edward I, II & III respectively.

The Medieval Book Reviews 5: Three Medieval Queens: Queenship and the Crown in Fourteenth Century England by Lisa Benz St. John | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

And 3 highly interesting queen's,I'm gonna check this out thanks

[CarolynHarris]

In the same "queenship and power" series in Kavita Mudan Finn's work about the last Plantagenet Queens

The Tudor Book Reviews 6: The Last Plantagenet Consorts: Gender, Genre and Historiography 1440-1627 by Kavita Mudan Finn | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CarolynHarris

In the same "queenship and power" series in Kavita Mudan Finn's work about the last Plantagenet Queens

The Tudor Book Reviews 6: The Last Plantagenet Consorts: Gender, Genre and Historiography 1440-1627 by Kavita Mudan Finn | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

Of the last Plantagenet Queen's,Margaret of Anjou is my favourite,thank you again for the link!

[CarolynHarris]

Fascinating new book about Queen Mary takes a fresh look at her marriage to the future Philip II of Spain

The Tudor Book Reviews 7: Mary I: Gender, Power and Ceremony in the Reign of England’s First Queen by Sarah Duncan | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

Really interesting book about Elizabeth I's relationships through correspondence with her fellow rulers including Mary, Queen of Scots, Philip II of Spain and Ivan the Terrible of Russia

The Tudor Book Reviews 8: A Monarchy of Letters: Royal Correspondence and English Diplomacy in the Reign of Elizabeth I by Rayne Allinson | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[CarolynHarris]

Another interesting new book about Elizabeth I published this year

The Tudor Book Reviews 9: Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion by Susan Ronald | Carolyn Harris: Royal Historian

[Mariel]

Reading the summary, this makes us understand how important was the Protestant-Catholic divide in the 16th and 17th centuries, and how it produced ultimately the Act of Settlement, which bars the heirs to the English throne from marrying Catholics. As usual, the Scots got suppression from the English throne, bore the brunt of this misery, as they had for centuries, whether Protestant or Catholic. Interesting book.