Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing the seeds of rebellion at home, William trusts only three people: his older sister Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by William's mother, Anne Boleyn. Against a tide of secrets, betrayal,...

Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.

Asked by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr to investigate claims of wrongs committed against a young ward of the court, Matthew Shardlake embarks on the most politically dangerous case of his career against a backdrop of war between England and France.

Drawing on the full panoply of medieval sources, Guy sheds new light on the relationship between Saint Thomas à Becket and England's greatest medieval king, Henry II, separating truth from centuries of mythmaking, and casting doubt on the long-held assumption that the headstrong rivals were once close friends. He also provides the fullest accounting yet for Becket's seemingly radical transformation from worldly bureaucrat to devout man of God.

The Hollow crown: New adaptations of Shakespeare's tetralogy of history plays comprising the 'Henriad' for the BBC's 2012 Cultural Olympiad: King Richard; II King Henry IV, Part 1; King Henry IV, Part 2 and King Henry V. The plays chronicle a continuous period in British history from the end of the 14th century to the aftermath of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Together, the plays comprise a story with recurring themes of power struggles, redemption,...

A tale inspired by the life of Jane Seymour follows her dedicated service as a Maid of Honor to Catherine of Aragon until a scheming Anne Boleyn throws the court into turmoil, a situation that culminates in Jane's dangerous relationship with Henry VIII.

Seven award-winning young adult authors illuminate the lives of Britain's King Henry VIII and his six wives from different viewpoints. King Henry VIII was a charismatic and extravagant ruler obsessed with both his power as king and with siring a male heir. Six women became his queens, several fated for divorce, or beheading. In this book, seven authors tell of their attempts to survive their unpredictable king and his power-hungry court. As they...

An epic three-part series that charts the rise and fall of the Boleyn family. This story of love, sex, betrayal and obsession is told from the unique perspective of the Boleyn family.