Alison Plowden reveals with insight and skill the complex intensity of the woman behind the myth, the brilliantly gifted child who was developing into a passionate, forceful young woman.
'I delight in this work', wrote the young Victoria shortly after she became Queen. Fatherless from the age of eight months, she was brought up at Kensington Palace in an atmosphere thick with family feuds, backbiting and jealousy - the focus of conflicting ambitions.
Born in 1533, the product of the doomed marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was heir to her father's title, then disinherited and finally imprisoned her half sister Mary. Many tried to use her for their own ends, however she rose out of the shadows and on the death of her sister, she became Gloriana - England's most iconic queen.
A copiously illustrated guide to the monarchs of the British Isles and Ireland from pre-Saxon times to the present, complete with concise genealogical charts and details of key historical events. The book is divided into five sections, together with a Compendium at the end. Part One, presents information about Pre-Saxon rule, including details about ancient British chiefs, Roman rulers and the Roman Conquest. Part Two provides information about Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with sections on Robert I and the Wars of Independence, The Union of the Crowns, the Princes of Wales and the High Kingship of Ireland. Part Three discusses the Saxons, Normans and Plantagenets. Part Four gives details about the Tudors and Stuarts. Part Five presents an in-depth discussion of the houses from Hanover to Windsor. Parts Two to Five provide all the essential information you will need to know about Kings and Queens including details of birth, parents, accession to the throne, coronation, authority, personal status, death date and burial place for each monarch. In addition an overview is given for each reign outlining major events and personal tragedies, war, celebrations and conspiracies.
For most, the name of Lady Jane Grey means the 'nine days queen', the child who was used as a pawn in the power politics of the Tudor realm by both her parents, the Suffolks, and Northumberlands. Alison Plowden's new book tells the tragic story of Jane's life, and death, but also reveals her to be a woman of unusual strength of conviction, with an intelligence and steady faith beyond her years. Told with Alison's usual skill and adeptness, this is a story which will stir compassion in the hearts of the hardiest buyers. It also gives us insight into the least known of Henry VIII's wives, Katherine Parr.
Alison Plowden provides a study of the fascinating lives of the six princesses of the House of Stuart who lived through the violent social and political upheavals of the 17th century. Of these six princesses, one was the direct ancestress of the present British royal family, one was the mother of a king of England and one died in prison at the age of 14. Another became Madame de France and two were English queens regnant. The book describes the lives of these aunts and nieces, sisters and cousins, which were interwoven with the fortunes and misfortunes of their fathers and brothers, sons and husbands. Set against a backdrop of war, intrigue and high politics, these are stories of tragedy and conflict, intimate domestic drama, romance and adventure.
The House of Tudor changed the history of Britain forever. but it also recounts the history of the less well-known Tudor monarchs: Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey (the uncrowned Queen of England), and those who came directly before and after them - Edward IV and James I. schovat popis
Now revised and updated, Alison Plowden's beautifully written account of the women behind the scenes and at the forefront of sixteenth-century English history will be welcomed by anyone interested in exploring this popular period of history from the point of view of the women who made it.
Born in 1819, Victoria was the daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent. Left fatherless at the age of eight months, her early years were difficult, brought up by her German mother in an atmosphere of family feuds and jealousy. Succeeding to the throne at 18, however, she began a triumphant reign.
The Regent's Wife and Daughter, 1795-1821
Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George Prince of Wales and Prince Regent, and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, lived out their lives surrounded by a cast of characters who might have been lifted straight from the pages of some Gothic novel. Theirs was a saga of passion and pathos, tragedy and black comedy, feuding and fighting - all set in Regency England against a backdrop of Europe in turmoil. The marriage of the Prince of Wales - renowned for his intemperance, hedonism and plain ordinary selfishness - to his cousin Caroline of Brunswick in 1795 was a preordained disaster. The groom is said to have called for brandy when he first laid eyes on the bride, while the bride was later to swear that the groom spent most of their wedding night lying in the grate in a drunken stupor. Brought together for reasons of financial and dynastic expediency, the couple split up within a year of the birth of their daughter, Charlotte Augusta in 1796. The colourful story of these two fiercely dependent and ultimately tragic women is brilliantly told by Alison Plowden, tapping a wealth of contemporary correspondence, journals, memoirs and contemporary press reportage. gripping and poignant reading.
