Download or read book Courting Her Highness written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A private battle rages at court for the affections of a childless queen, who must soon name her successor—and thus determine the future of the British Empire. It is the beginning of the eighteenth century and William of Orange is dying. Soon Anne is crowned queen, but to court insiders, the name of the imminent sovereign is Sarah Churchill. Beautiful, outspoken Sarah has bewitched Anne and believes she is invincible—until she installs her poor cousin Abigail Hill into court as royal chambermaid. Plain Abigail seems the least likely challenger to Sarah’s place in her highness’s affections, but challenge it she does, in stealthy yet formidable ways. While Anne engages in her private tug-of-war, the nation is obsessed with another, more public battle: succession. Anne is sickly and childless, the last of the Stuart line. This final novel of the Stuarts from Jean Plaidy weaves larger-than-life characters through a dark maze of intrigue, love, and destruction, with nothing less than the future of the British Empire at stake.

Download or read book The Courts of Love written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2006-05-23 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When I look back over my long and tempestuous life, I can see that much of what happened to me—my triumphs and most of my misfortunes—was due to my passionate relationships with men. I was a woman who considered herself their equal—and in many ways their superior—but it seemed that I depended on them, while seeking to be the dominant partner—an attitude which could hardly be expected to bring about a harmonious existence. Eleanor of Aquitaine was revered for her superior intellect, extraordinary courage, and fierce loyalty. She was equally famous for her turbulent relationships, which included marriages to the kings of both France and England. As a child, Eleanor reveled in her beloved grandfather’s Courts of Love, where troubadours sang of romantic devotion and passion filled the air. In 1137, at the age of fifteen, Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, the richest province in Europe. A union with Louis VII allowed her to ascend the French throne, yet he was a tepid and possessive man and no match for a young woman raised in the Courts of Love. When Eleanor met the magnetic Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England, their stormy pairing set great change in motion—and produced many sons and daughters, two of whom would one day reign in their own right. In this majestic and sweeping story, set against a backdrop of medieval politics, intrigue, and strife, Jean Plaidy weaves a tapestry of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak—and reveals the life of a most remarkable woman whose iron will and political savvy enabled her to hold her own against the most powerful men of her time.

Download or read book The Merry Monarch s Wife written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2008-01-22 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles II is restored to the English throne, and his court is lively and even scandalous. The country is eager for succession to be clear and certain: The next king will be the son of Charles II and his queen, Catherine of Braganza. Yet Catherine, daughter of the king of Portugal and a Catholic, has never been popular with the English people. She is also having great difficulty conceiving an heir, even as many of Charles’s well-known mistresses are bearing his children with ease. Catherine is aware that courtiers close to Charles are asking him to divorce her and take another wife—yet she is determined to hold her title in the face of all odds. The ninth novel in the beloved Queens of England series, The Merry Monarch’s Wife brings Catherine of Braganza to life and plunges readers into the tumultuous world of Restoration England.

Download or read book Queen Of This Realm written by Jean Plaidy and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 715 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain’s greatest queen, Elizabeth I, was also the bewildered, motherless child of an all-powerful father; a captive in the Tower of London; a shrewd politician; a brilliant scholar; a lover of the arts; and, eventually, an icon. In this unforgettable fictional memoir, Elizabeth recounts the emotional turmoil of her life: the loneliness of power; the heartbreak of her lifelong love affair with Robert Dudley; and the terrible guilt of ordering the execution of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.

Download or read book Murder Most Royal written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2006-01-24 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming–and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her. Painted in the rich colors of Tudor England, Murder Most Royal is a page-turning journey into the lives of two of the wives of the tempestuous Henry VIII. Look for the Reading Group Guide at the back of this book. Also available as an ebook.

Download or read book Mary Queen of France written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2003-10-28 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy brings to life the story of Princess Mary Tudor, a celebrated beauty and born rebel who would defy the most powerful king in Europe—her older brother. Princess Mary Rose is the youngest sister of Henry VIII, and one of the few people whom he adores unconditionally. Known throughout Europe for her charm and good looks, Mary is the golden child of the Tudor family and is granted her every wish. Except when it comes to marriage. Henry VIII, locked in a political showdown with France, decides to offer up his pampered baby sister to secure peace between the two mighty kingdoms. Innocent, teenage Mary must become the wife of the elderly King Louis, a toothless, ailing man in his sixties. Horrified and furious, Mary has no choice but to sail for France. There she hones her political skills, bides her time, and remains secretly in love with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. When King Louis dies after only two years of marriage, Mary is determined not to be sold into another unhappy union. She must act quickly; if she wants to be with the man she truly loves, she must defy the laws of church and state by marrying without her brother’s permission. Together, Mary and Charles devise a scheme to outwit the most ruthless king in Europe and gain their hearts’ desire, not knowing if it will lead to marital bliss or certain death.

Download or read book English Historical Documents 1558 1603 written by Ian W. Archer and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-08-01 with total page 1530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for the series:‘Perhaps the most important historical undertaking of our age... one of the most valuable historical works ever produced.’ Times Literary Supplement‘A landmark in the field of historical endeavour... the most admirable collection of sources on English history that exists.’ American Historical Review English Historical Documents is the most ambitious, impressive and comprehensive collection of primary documents on English history ever published. The volumes have each become landmark publications in their own fields. This long awaited volume covers 1558-1603, the reign of Elizabeth I, when government, culture, religion and foreign policy all underwent profound change. This volume includes informative introductory pieces for the parts and sections and editorial comment is directed towards making sources intelligible rather than drawing conclusions from them. Opening with an introductory section which contextualises the accession of Elizabeth to the throne, the volume covers all key aspects of the Elizabethan period, including:InstitutionsSocial and economic structuresThe marriage question and the problem of the successionFamily and householdCultural lifeThe Church and religious affairsElizabethan warsOverseas trade and explorationCrime and disorderThe format of the series has been updated and the documents gathered here encompass the most up to date approaches to the material.

Download or read book Royal Sisters written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two sisters change the course of a nation by forsaking the King—their own father. England is on the verge of revolution. Antagonized by the Catholicism of King James II, the people plot to drive him from the throne. But at the heart of the plot is a deep betrayal: the defection of the daughters James loves, Mary and Anne. Both raised Protestant according to the wishes of England, the sisters support Protestant usurper William of Orange, Mary's husband, who lusts after the British crown. Passive Queen Mary is subservient to her husband's wishes, while Anne is desperate to please her childhood friend Sarah Churchill, a bold and domineering woman determined to subdue Anne, the queen-to-be, and rule England herself. Intrigue and political drama run high as the sisters struggle to be reconciled with each other--and with the haunting memory of the father they have exiled.

Download or read book Her Highness and the Bodyguard written by Christine Rimmer and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Calabrettis marry for duty—but bravo—Calabrettis marry for love MARRY FOR LOVE Marcus is the best man Rhia's ever known, and she's never gotten over their breakup. Now, he's practically strapped to her side. It's like a dream come true…or a nightmare. Because Marcus is as stubborn as ever: she's a Bravo-Calabretti, he's a lowly security guard, and they can never be equals. Ever. Then a breathless night that should have brought closure brings something else: a baby. Marcus insists that no child of his will grow up without its own mother and father. Well, Rhia has her own requirement: her child will be raised on love, not the dry bread of obligation. And Marcus has made it abundantly clear that his duty to Montedoro comes before everything—especially his own desires.

Download or read book Loyal in Love written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2007-10-23 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The daughter of Henry IV of France, Princess Henrietta Maria, becomes a pawn in a political strategy to stabilize relations between two countries when her father marries her to Charles I of England. Sent abroad, she finds herself living in a Protestant country that views her own faith—Catholicism—with deep suspicion. Yet her new husband is a man of principle and integrity, and Henrietta and Charles fall deeply in love. Henrietta is passionate about her faith, however, and soon politically powerful people, namely Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans, turn her loyalty to her religion into a focal point for civil war. As the royal couple watch the fall of Thomas Wentworth, first Earl of Strafford, the rise of Puritanism, and Englishmen fight Englishmen, they are undeterred in their dedication to each other and in their belief in the divine rights of king and queen—even as spies lurk in their very own household. Loyal in Love offers an inside look at an unforgettable time in England’s history and at the life of a queen whose story of devotion and bravery has gone untold for too long.

Download or read book Caroline the Queen written by Jean Plaidy and published by Fawcett Books. This book was released on 1988-07-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George I had died and his successor was the son who hated him. Erratic George II was a handful for anyone--and only his wife, Caroline, knew how to manage his moods. Secretly she steered the country's course with the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Continuing Plaidy's grand Georgian Saga.

Download or read book Temple Bar written by George Augustus Sala and published by . This book was released on 1897 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Temple Bar written by and published by . This book was released on 1897 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book At the Mercy of the Queen written by Anne Clinard Barnhill and published by St. Martin's Griffin. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping tale of sexual seduction and intrigue at the court of Henry VIII, At the Mercy of the Queen is a rich and dramatic debut historical about Madge Shelton, cousin and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. At the innocent age of fifteen, Lady Margaret Shelton arrives at the court of Henry VIII and quickly becomes the confidante of her cousin, Queen Anne Boleyn. But she soon finds herself drawn into the perilous web of Anne's ambition. Desperate to hold onto the king's waning affection, Anne schemes to have him take her guileless young cousin as mistress, ensuring her husband's new paramour will owe her loyalty to the queen. But Margaret has fallen deeply in love with a handsome young courtier. She is faced with a terrible dilemma: give herself to the king and betray the love of her life or refuse to become his mistress and jeopardize the life of the her cousin, Queen Anne. "A stunningly engrossing and fast read; historical fiction readers will snatch it up and shout, ‘Thank you!'"—Library Journal (starred review)

Download or read book Victoria Victorious written by Jean Plaidy and published by Crown. This book was released on 2009-02-19 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this unforgettable novel of Queen Victoria, Jean Plaidy re-creates a remarkable life filled with romance, triumph, and tragedy. At birth, Princess Victoria was fourth in line for the throne of England, the often-overlooked daughter of a prince who died shortly after her birth. She and her mother lived in genteel poverty for most of her childhood, exiled from court because of her mother’s dislike of her uncles, George IV and William IV. A strong, willful child, Victoria was determined not to be stifled by her powerful uncles or her unpopular, controlling mother. Then one morning, at the age of eighteen, Princess Victoria awoke to the news of her uncle William’s death. The almost-forgotten princess was now Queen of England. Even better, she was finally free of her mother’s iron hand and her uncles’ manipulations. Her first act as queen was to demand that she be given a room—and a bed—of her own. Victoria’s marriage to her German cousin, Prince Albert, was a blissfully happy one that produced nine children. Albert was her constant companion and one of her most trusted advisors. Victoria’s grief after Prince Albert’s untimely death was so shattering that for the rest of her life—nearly forty years—she dressed only in black. She survived several assassination attempts, and during her reign England’s empire expanded around the globe until it touched every continent in the world. Derided as a mere “girl queen” at her coronation, by the end of her sixty-four-year reign, Victoria embodied the glory of the British Empire. In this novel, written as a “memoir” by Victoria herself, she emerges as truthful, sentimental, and essentially human—both a lovable woman and a great queen.

Download or read book The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-01-31 with total page 1217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world’s first novel, in a translation that is “likely to be the definitive edition . . . for many years to come” (The Wall Street Journal) A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, with flaps and deckle-edged paper Written in the eleventh century, this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world’s first novel. Genji, the Shining Prince, is the son of an emperor. He is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature, family circumstances, love affairs, alliances, and shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tyler’s superior translation is detailed, poetic, and superbly true to the Japanese original while allowing the modern reader to appreciate it as a contemporary treasure. Supplemented with detailed notes, glossaries, character lists, and chronologies to help the reader navigate the multigenerational narrative, this comprehensive edition presents this ancient tale in the grand style that it deserves.

Download or read book Famous Ladies of the English Court written by Jerusha D. Richardson and published by . This book was released on 1899 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: