Lisa Hilton Books

Hilton, Lisa

The book delves into Queen Elizabeth I's strategic manipulation of gender norms to enhance her political power, presenting her as a Renaissance prince skilled in statecraft rather than a constrained female monarch. Drawing on new research from various countries, it challenges traditional views of her reign, revealing how she transformed from a marginalized queen into England's first modern head of state. This fresh interpretation encourages a reassessment of her legacy amidst the drama and intrigue of her time.

A new portrait that casts the queen as she saw herself: not as an exceptional woman, but as an exceptional ruler Queen Elizabeth I was all too happy to play on courtly conventions of gender when it suited her "weak and feeble woman's body" to do so for political gain. But in "Elizabeth," historian Lisa Hilton offers ample evidence why those famous words should not be taken at face value. With new research out of France, Italy, Russia, and Turkey, Hilton's fresh interpretation is of a queen who saw herself primarily as a Renaissance prince and used Machiavellian statecraft to secure that position. A decade since the last major biography, this "Elizabeth "breaks new ground and depicts a queen who was much less constrained by her femininity than most treatments claim. For readers of David Starkey and Alison Weir, it will provide a new, complex perspective on Elizabeth's emotional and sexual life. It's a fascinating journey that shows how a marginalized newly crowned queen, whose European contemporaries considered her to be the illegitimate ruler of a pariah nation, ultimately adapted to become England's first recognizably modern head of state.

The bestselling author and historian Lisa Hilton picks up the mythical 'City of Ladies' where the medieval writer Christine de Pisan left off, continuing a conversation about gender and greatness that began more than six hundred years ago.

The compelling love story of two extraordinary individuals - Nancy Mitford and Free French commander Gaston Palewski - living in extraordinary times.

Describes the lives of 20 women who were crowned queen of England between 1066 and 1503, exploring every facet of the position, from patronage, learning and fashion to war, adultery, witchcraft, murder--and occasionally love. By the author of Athenais: The Life of Louis XIV's Mistress: The Real Queen of France.

England from the perspective of its consort queens - a distaff history of the nation from 1066 to 1503.

If you can't beat them - kill them...The audacious conclusion to the international bestselling phenomenon that began with Maestra.

In 15th century Florence, orphaned Mura learn that hermagical heritage makes her a precious prize in this vividly researched historical drama of love, betrayal, and witchcraft Five-year-old Mura is a strange and bewitching child. Daughter of a Nordic mother and Spanish father, she has been tutored in both Arabic and the ancient mythology of the north. But when her widower father is taken by the Inquisition, Mura is sold to a Genoese slaver. In the port of Savona, Mura's androgynous looks and unusual abilities fetch a high price. She is bought as a house slave for the powerful Medici, arriving in Florence as the city prepares for war against the French. When the family are forced to flee, Mura finds herself gifted to the notorious Lioness of Romagna, Countess Caterina Sforza. Beautiful, ruthless, and intelligent, the Countess is fascinated by Mura's arcane knowledge. As the Lioness educates her further in the arts of alchemy, potions, and poisons, Mura becomes a potent weapon in the Machiavellian intrigues of the Renaissance court."