Books to read if you loved Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light

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Reading lists

Books to read if you loved Hilary Mantel’s ‘The Mirror & The Light’

Eleanor of Aquitaine and her Successors

Queens of the Crusades

The next volume in Alison Weir's magisterial history of the queens of Medieval England - including the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the subject of Alison's most successful book.

Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before.  I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel.

[A] historian who has achieved popularity without sacrificing scholarly precision... She writes with the dramatic intensity of a novelist.

The book that I most anticipated this year was Alison Weir's Queens of the Crusades... Told with all of Weir's characteristic verve and exceptional eye for detail, this book should find its way into every history lover's Christmas stocking.

BBC History Magazine *Books of the Year 2020*

As in previous books, the exceedingly knowledgeable author's prodigious research is impressive. Another treat for Weir fans.

This meticulous group biography of the first five Plantagenet queens of England brushes away long-standing legends. Weir skillfully documents the political, religious, and cultural issues of medieval England and France.

Alison Weir is one of Britain’s top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth of York and The Lost Tudor Princess. Her novels include Innocent Traitor, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She lives and works in Surrey.

'Stunning... Weir has brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel' Tracy Borman 
 
Crusading queens, queens in rebellion against their king, queen seductresses, learned queens, queens in battle - the Plantagenet queens broke through medieval constraints to exercise power and influence, for good and sometimes for ill. 
 
 Beginning with the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine whose marriage to Henry II sows the seeds for some of the most destructive family conflicts in history and ending with Eleanor of Castile, the grasping but beloved wife of Edward I, Alison Weir's ground-breaking history of the queens of medieval England provides an enthralling new perspective on a dramatic period of high romance and sometimes low politics, with determined women at its heart.

Find out the truth about Henry VIII’s wives

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Thoroughly researched and with a real understanding of the times these six fascinating women lived through, Alison Weir's book reveals a Tudor England where personal needs and private emotion could, and frequently did, override or influence national events.

At last we have the truth about Henry VIII's wives. This book is as reliable and scholarly as it is readable

An entertaining account of Henry VIII's complicated domestic history. It is full of interesting detail - Alison Weir's treatment of this perennially fascinating subject is a beguiling one

One of the most powerful monarchs in British history, Henry VIII ruled England in unprecedented splendour. 
 
In this remarkable composite biography, Alison Weir brings Henry's six wives vividly to life, revealing each as a distinct and compelling personality in her own right. Drawing upon the rich fund of documentary material from the Tudor period, The Six Wives of Henry VIII shows us a court where personal needs frequently influenced public events and where a life of gorgeously ritualised pleasure was shot through with ambition, treason and violence. 
 
'At last we have the truth about Henry VIII's wives. This book is as reliable and scholarly as it is readable' Evening Standard

An intriguing deep dive into Queen Elizabeth I’s life as a woman and a monarch

Elizabeth, the Queen

A brilliant book about one of England's most famous queens, from one of our bestselling historians.

Excellent...intricate and absorbing...An elegant, shrewd and wonderfully vivacious book.

An excellent account of the greatest of England's remarkable great queens.

An informative and entertaining biography.

Full, fair and judicious and particularly good on Elizabeth's private life.

Fantastic and fascinating! Alison Weir's great talent is to pack in details without losing readability...highly recommended

Elizabeth the Queen begins as the young Elizabeth ascends the throne in the wake of her sister Mary's disastrous reign - both a woman and a queen, Elizabeth's story is an extraordinary phenomenon in a patriarchal age. 
 
From Elizabeth's intriguing, long-standing affair with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to her dealings - sometimes comical, sometimes poignant - with her many suitors, her rivalry with Mary, Queen of Scots, and her bizarre relationship with the Earl of Essex, thirty years her junior, here, in rich, vivid and colourful detail, Alison Weir helps us comes as close as we shall ever get to knowing what Elizabeth I was like as a person. 
 
'Excellent...intricate and absorbing...An elegant, shrewd and wonderfully vivacious book.' The Times

And the Murder of Lord Darnley

Mary Queen of Scots

Bestselling historian Alison Weir turns her attention to Mary, Queen of Scots and one of the great mysteries of the 16th century.

I’m impressed by an intellect that can assimilate such a wealth of material and turn it into a cohesive narrative.

A monumental piece of historical detective work

Weir tells the famous story grippingly, with clarity and pace

An engrossing historical whodunnit combined with a richly textured portrait of an age

As a vivid re-assessment of Scotland's greatest historical mystery, this is a riveting read

On the night of 10 February 1567 an explosion devastated the Edinburgh residence of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. 
 
Found naked amongst the destruction, the bodies of Darnley and his valet bore marks of strangulation. Alison Weir's investigation of Darnley's murder is set against one of the most dramatic periods in British history. Her conclusions shed a brilliant new light on the actions and motives of the conspirators and, in particular, the extent of Mary's own involvement. 
 
'A monumental piece of historical detective work' Observer

King and Court

Henry VIII

'Alison Weir is one of our best popular historians and one, moreover, with an impressive scholarly pedigree in Tudor history...her latest offering is a very fine book' - Frank McLynn, Independent

A glittering evocation of the Tudor Court, its splendour as well as its vulgarity...a responsive, rounded portrait

A compelling, readable account of the life and times of the king who put England firmly on the map of power politics... Good history books ought to change the way we look at ourselves and our nation's past. Henry VIII: King and Court is one such book

Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind

Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts in Renaissance Europe. 
 
Never before has a detailed, personal biography of this charismatic monarch been set against the cultural, social, and political background of his glittering court. Now Alison Weir brings to vibrant life the turbulent, complex figure of the King. Packed with colourful description, meticulous in historical detail, rich in pageantry, intrigue, passion, and luxury, Weir brilliantly renders King Henry VIII, his court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. 
 
'Alison Weir is one of our best popular historians and one, moreover, with an impressive scholarly pedigree in Tudor history...her latest offering is a very fine book' - Frank McLynn, Independent

The Heirs of King Henry VIII 1547-1558

Children of England

A sequel to The Six Wives of Henry VIII, this vivid and compelling book tells the story of Henry's children and those of his sister Mary - popular history at its best.

When Henry VIII died in 1547, he left three highly intelligent children to succeed him in turn, to be followed, if their lines failed, by the descendants of his sister, Mary Tudor. 
 
Picking up from the point that The Six Wives of Henry VIII left off, Children of England covers the period up to Elizabeth's ascension to the throne in 1558. Making use of a huge variety of contemporary sources, Alison Weir brings to life one of the most extraordinary periods of English history, when each of Henry's heirs was potentially the tool of powerful political or religious figures, and when the realm was seething with intrigue and turbulent change. 
 
'Recounted with her usual lively thoroughness by Alison Weir, my favourite Tudor historian' Philippa Gregory

Recounted with her usual lively thoroughness by Alison Weir, my favourite Tudor historian

With impressive narrative skill, Alison Weir pilots her readers through the ceaseless tides of intrigue which surged around the four heirs of King Henry VIII. Her mastery of detail brings their tempestuous lives into sharp focus from a distance of four centuries... This is full-blooded history

She writes in an engaging way and adopts an even-handed approach

Alison Weir is one of our best popular historians and one, moreover, with an impressive scholarly pedigree in Tudor history

Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind. This, her fourth book on the Tudors, affirms her pre-eminence in that field

'Recounted with her usual lively thoroughness by Alison Weir, my favourite Tudor historian' Philippa Gregory 
 
When Henry VIII died in 1547, he left three highly intelligent children to succeed him in turn, to be followed, if their lines failed, by the descendants of his sister, Mary Tudor. 
 
Children of England begins at the point where The Six Wives of Henry VIII came to an end and covers the period until Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1558. Making use of a huge variety of contemporary sources, Alison Weir brings to life one of the most extraordinary periods of English history, when each of Henry's heirs was potentially the tool of powerful political or religious figures, and when the realm was seething with intrigue and turbulent change.

Alison Weir

Weir... paints a rich image of the lives these queens led... this book shines a light on the turbulent but often forgotten stories of the queens of this important period in English history.

Weir's character sketches of all five women are engaging, her attention to detail and itineraries comprehensive. She is an excellent storyteller: descriptions are vivid and her knowledge of the sources is extensive.

Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel.

Tracy Borman, praise for QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES

[A] historian who has achieved popularity without sacrificing scholarly precision... She writes with the dramatic intensity of a novelist.

The Times - praise for QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES

The book that I most anticipated this year was Alison Weir's Queens of the Crusades... Told with all of Weir's characteristic verve and exceptional eye for detail, this book should find its way into every history lover's Christmas stocking.

BBC History Magazine *Books of the Year 2020* - praise for QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES

As in previous books, the exceedingly knowledgeable author's prodigious research is impressive. Another treat for Weir fans.

Kirkus Reviews, praise for QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES

The third volume of Alison Weir&rsquo;s magisterial history of the queens of medieval England. 
 
&lsquo;Weir&rsquo;s history books are as gripping as novels&rsquo; The Times 
 
Medieval queens were seen as mere dynastic trophies &ndash; yet, as Alison Weir shows in this group biography, many of the Plantagenet queens of the High Middle Ages dramatically broke away from the restrictions imposed on their sex. 
 
Using personal letters and fascinating sources, Weir evokes the lives of these five extraordinary women: Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois. At the same time, she recreates a truly astonishing period of history &ndash; the turbulent, brutal Age of Chivalry. 
 
&lsquo;Places the reader in the midst of&hellip;complex, gripping events, telling the stories of five royal wives who lived through them&rsquo; BBC History 
 
&lsquo;Weir is an excellent storyteller&rsquo; Spectator

Queens of the Age of Chivalry

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Alison Weir

Praise for Queens of the Age of Chivalry

Weir... paints a rich image of the lives these queens led... this book shines a light on the turbulent but often forgotten stories of the queens of this important period in English history.

Weir's character sketches of all five women are engaging, her attention to detail and itineraries comprehensive. She is an excellent storyteller: descriptions are vivid and her knowledge of the sources is extensi ...

Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel.

Weir... paints a rich image of the lives these queens led... this book shines a light on the turbulent but often forgotten stories of the queens of this important period in English history.

Weir's character sketches of all five women are engaging, her attention to detail and itineraries comprehensive. She is an excellent storyteller: descriptions are vivid and her knowledge of the sources is extensi ...

Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel.

Weir... paints a rich image of the lives these queens led... this book shines a light on the turbulent but often forgotten stories of the queens of this important period in English history.

Weir's character sketches of all five women are engaging, her attention to detail and itineraries comprehensive. She is an excellent storyteller: descriptions are vivid and her knowledge of the sources is extensi ...

Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel.

Books by Alison Weir

Series by Alison Weir

England's Medieval Queens

Articles featuring Alison Weir

Books to read if you loved Hilary Mantel’s ‘The Mirror & The Light’

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