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Product Description
Her story not his, the English monarchy through the private and public lives of the queens of England. Nearly eighty women have sat on the throne of England, either as queen regnant or queen consort and the voices of all of them survive through their own writings and those of their contemporaries. The primary role of the queen over the ages was to provide an heir. Catherine of Aragon found this to her cost, divorced by Henry VIII for failing to produce a healthy son. Anne Boleyn was executed shortly afterwards for the same reason. The birth of an heir was also a route to power for a queen and Eleanor of Aquitaine became the most powerful woman in Europe during the reigns of her sons. Emma of Normandy was so desperate to be queen mother that she manipulated her three sons in an attempt to ensure that one would be king. One was murdered when he attempted to reach his mother but her remaining two sons became kings in turn with their mother as a leading advisor. Strong relationships could also develop between the queens and their husbands. Richard II and Anne of Bohemia made an arranged marriage but quickly fell deeply in love and, on Anne's death at Sheen Palace, Richard's grief was so intense that he ordered the palace to be destroyed. Edward VIII even abandoned his throne when forced to choose between the crown and his lover, Wallis Simpson. Not all marriages were happy and queens such as Isabella of France and Catherine Howard took lovers to escape their marriages. The unhappy Sophia Dorothea of Celle was imprisoned for over thirty years by her husband George I when her affair was discovered. Her lover, Count von Konigsmarck was murdered. Most queens made arranged marriages and were used by their families to build alliances. Some queens were able to break away from this control. Queen Victoria spent her childhood secluded with her overprotective mother, even sharing the same bedroom until the day when she was proclaimed queen and finally freed herself from her mother's control. For the first time, the voice of each individual queen can be heard together, charting the course of English queenship through nearly two thousand years of history. Each queen played her own part in shaping what the role of queen would become and it developed through the lives and actions of each of the women in turn.
About the Author
Elizabeth Norton gained her first degree from the University of Cambridge, and her Masters from the University of Oxford. Her other books include ANNE BOLEYN: HENRY VIII'S OBSESSION, JANE SEYMOUR: HENRY VIII'S TRUE LOVE, CATHERINE PARR ('Scintillating' THE FINANCIAL TIMES; 'Norton cuts an admirably clear path through tangled Tudor intrigues' JENNY UGLOW), ANNE OF CLEVES: HENRY VIII'S DISCARDED BRIDE (all published by Amberley Publishing) and SHE WOLVES: THE NOTORIOUS QUEENS OF ENGLAND. She is currently writing the first-ever biography of Margaret Beaufort, mother of the Tudor dynasty, also for Amberley. She lives in Kingston Upon Thames.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I gave Elizabeth Norton's book about Margaret Beaufort five stars and consider this book to be equally impressive. A phenomenal amount of work must have been needed to produce such a comprehensive overview of the subject. Top marks also for the inclusion of family trees.
Biographical sketches are given of English queens since Boudica. I particularly enjoyed the details about the Anglo Saxon queens which is an area about which I have read little and the Stuart queens where the author does include information I have not come across before. The author also includes interesting characters such as Anne Hyde who never became queens but were married to men who became kings.
A really useful book which will lead me to further reading particularly on the Anglo Saxon era.
Biographical sketches are given of English queens since Boudica. I particularly enjoyed the details about the Anglo Saxon queens which is an area about which I have read little and the Stuart queens where the author does include information I have not come across before. The author also includes interesting characters such as Anne Hyde who never became queens but were married to men who became kings.
A really useful book which will lead me to further reading particularly on the Anglo Saxon era.
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