The first comprehensive biography in three decades of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, the first Tudor king.

A sumptuous biography of Lady Margaret Beaufort, matriarch of the Tudor dynasty In 1485, Henry VII became the first Tudor king of England. His victory owed much to his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Over decades and across countries, Margaret had schemed to install her son on the throne and end the War of the Roses. Margaret's extraordinarily close relationship with Henry, coupled with her role in political and ceremonial affairs, ensured that she was treated-and behaved-as a queen in all but name. Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and ambition, court intrigue and war, historian Nicola Tallis illuminates how a dynamic, brilliant woman orchestrated the rise of the Tudors.

As England tears herself apart in the War of the Roses, Anne de Bohun lives far away from the intrigues of cities and courts. Once King Edward 1V's mistress, Anne has now found safety with their son on a small farm in Flanders. Now Edward himself is an exiled fugitive while Anne's real father, King Henry V1, rules England again. Summoned by an enigmatic message from her lover, Anne is drawn once more to the passion, the excitement and the deadly danger that Edward Plantagenet brings into her life. But now, the girl who was once a penniless servant has a child and an inheritance to defend. An old friend and old enemy return - one is rival to Edward and will risk everything to see her happy at last while the other wants her dead. Can Anne let her love for Edward threaten everything she has? Or will she need his help to protect her from the powerful enemies who mean to destroy her.

Three glorious novels in one package. The Innocent, The Exiled, and The Uncrowned Queen follow the life of Anne de Bohun, a beautiful, spirited young woman who captures the heart of King Edward IV, as he defends his throne in the devastating War of the Roses. Also included in this special ebook collection—an Introduction by the author with four-color photos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the trilogy. The Innocent: The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne. Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of healing herbs. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life—the king himself. The Exiled: The enchanting Anne faces the challenge of raising her child in exile. Always resourceful, she flourishes as a merchant and is able to support her household. But Anne has a secret that her enemies could use to destroy her. Her beloved son is the product of a passionate affair with the king, Edward IV, who knows nothing of his existence. If this information were to fall into the wrong hands, it could prove lethal for Anne and her child. She struggles to find peace in a world of duplicity and suspicion, where adversaries masquerade as allies, and someone very powerful wants her dead. Yet, despite the pressure of her enemies, what pains Anne the most is that she is unsure when or if she will see her darling Edward again. The Uncrowned Queen: As England tears itself apart in the War of the Roses, Anne de Bohun lives far from the intrigues of cities and courts. Once King Edward IV's mistress, she has found safety with their son in Brugge. But now Edward himself is a hunted fugitive, and Anne's real father, King Henry VI, rules again from Westminster. Summoned by an enigmatic message from her lover, Anne is drawn once more to the passion, the excitement, and the deadly danger that Edward brings into her life. But now, the girl who was once a penniless servant has a child to protect and an inheritance to defend. Can she let her love for Edward threaten everything she has? Or will she need his help to protect her from the powerful enemy who means to destroy her?

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

The woman expected to succeed the Virgin Queen

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.

This is a story of a remarkable woman - Lucy Holcombe Pickens - the wife of Francis Wilkinson Pickens, governor of South Carolina on the eve of the Civil War.

In Islam and Gender in Colonial Northeast Africa, Silvia Bruzzi provides an account of Islamic movements and gender dynamics in the context of colonial rule in Northeast Africa. The thread that runs through the book is the life and times of Sittī ‘Alawiyya al-Mīrġanī (1892-1940), a representative of a well-established transnational Sufi order in the Red Sea region. Silvia Bruzzi gives us not only a social history of the colonial encounter in the Eritrean colony, but also a wider historical account of supra-regional dynamics across the Red Sea, the Ethiopian hinterland, and the Mediterranean region, using a wide range of fragmentary historical materials to make an important contribution towards filling the gap that currently exists in women's and gender history in Muslim societies.

Following Lady Jane Grey's journey from the deadly intrigues of her childhood that led inexorably through to her trial and execution, historian Nicola Tallis unravels the grim tapestry of her life along the way.