Philippa of Hainault: Mother of the English Nation. The first biography of a remarkable and influential English queen.

Philippa of Hainault: Mother of the English Nation. The first biography of a remarkable and influential English queen.

'An important and timely book.' - Philippa Gregory Joan of Navarre was the richest woman in the land, at a time when war-torn England was penniless. Eleanor Cobham was the wife of a weak king's uncle – and her husband was about to fall from grace. Jacquetta Woodville was a personal enemy of Warwick the Kingmaker, who was about to take his revenge. Elizabeth Woodville was the widowed mother of a child king, fighting Richard III for her children's lives. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives of these four unique women, looking at how rumours of witchcraft brought them to their knees in a time when superstition and suspicion was rife.

A child born in the plague year of 1348, abandoned and raised within the oppressive walls of a convent, Alice Perrers refused to take the veil, convinced that a greater destiny awaited her. Ambitious and quick witted, she rose above her obscure beginnings to become the infamous mistress of Edward III. But always, essentially, she was alone... Early in Alice’s life, a chance meeting with royalty changes everything: Kindly Queen Philippa, deeply in love with her husband but gravely ill, chooses Alice as a lady-in-waiting. Under the queen’s watchful eye, Alice dares to speak her mind. She demands to be taken seriously. She even flirts with the dynamic, much older king. But she is torn when her vibrant spirit captures his interest...and leads her to a betrayal she never intended. In Edward’s private chambers, Alice discovers the pleasures and paradoxes of her position. She is the queen’s confidante and the king’s lover, yet she can rely only on herself. It is a divided role she was destined to play, and she vows to play it until the bitter end. Even as she is swept up in Edward’s lavish and magnificent court, amassing wealth and influence for herself, becoming an enemy of his power-hungry son John of Gaunt, and a sparring partner to resourceful diplomat William de Windsor, she anticipates the day when the political winds will turn against her. For when her detractors voice their hatred,and accusations of treason swirl around her,threatening to destroy everything she has achieved, who will stand by Alice then? Includes a readers guide

Known in 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles' simply as 'the Lady', Emma was a wife, mother and widow as well as a queen. Standing at the meeting point of the three cultures of the early Middle Ages - Saxon, Viking and Norman - Emma and her queenship provide a captivating picture of a still-misperceived age.

The fascinating story of the exceptional woman who wrested power from Edward II and changed the course of English history

The untold story of the remarkable woman behind England's greatest medieval king, Edward I

First extended survey of the subject, looking at the knights' activities, roles, background and service.

Also includes a first chapter preview of The King's Concubine Her path to the throne is paved with treason... 1330. Philippa of Hainault may be married to King Edward III but she's penniless and powerless. England quivers in the clutches of the Dowager Queen Isabella and her darkly ambitious lover Lord Mortimer, while her husband rots in jail, a prisoner at Mortimer's hand. It will take a courageous young man to emerge from the shadows and rise up against this formidable pair. Philippa won't sit back and see Edward puppeteered. She is determined to see justice done. It's her words whispered into the young King Edward's ear that will see the battle for England's throne commence. Mightier have fallen. Treason threatens. The victor's prize is England...failure is death.

A fresh look at Anne of Cleves’ life as a German noblewoman, and the Continental politics that affected her marriage. Did the doomed union really cause the fall and execution of Thomas Cromwell?