Download or read book Rival Queens written by Kate Williams and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-09-20 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ___________________________________ 'Scintillating, provocative... An elegant synthesis of royal biography and political thriller.' Daily Telegraph A Times History Book of the Year: a story which inspired the Hollywood film MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS Mary, Queen of Scots & Elizabeth I of England. Two powerful monarchs on a single island. Threatened by voices who believed no woman could govern. Surrounded by sycophants, spies and detractors. Accosted for their dominion, their favour and their bodies. Besieged by secret plots, devastating betrayals and a terrible final act. Only one queen could survive to rule all. ___________________________________ 'Brings us a fresh Mary, set in a gloriously rich context, a tragic heroine - irresistibly real and relevant... There isn't a line wasted in this taut, dramatic and utterly beguiling biography.' Charles Spencer author of Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I 'The perfect combination of scholarship and storytelling, meticulous research and emotional insight, Kate Williams brings Mary vividly to life in all her complexities and contradictions.' Kate Mosse, author of The Burning Chambers 'It takes a special kind of historian to turn an old story on its head. Eye-opening, provocative, this is the great rivalry re-imagined for the #MeToo generation.' Lucy Worsley
Download or read book The Rival Queens written by Nancy Goldstone and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2015-06-23 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The riveting true story of mother-and-daughter queens Catherine de' Medici and Marguerite de Valois, whose wildly divergent personalities and turbulent relationship changed the shape of their tempestuous and dangerous century. Set in magnificent Renaissance France, this is the story of two remarkable women, a mother and daughter driven into opposition by a terrible betrayal that threatened to destroy the realm. Catherine de' Medici was a ruthless pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for thirty years. Her youngest daughter Marguerite, the glamorous "Queen Margot," was a passionate free spirit, the only adversary whom her mother could neither intimidate nor control. When Catherine forces the Catholic Marguerite to marry her Protestant cousin Henry of Navarre against her will, and then uses her opulent Parisian wedding as a means of luring his followers to their deaths, she creates not only savage conflict within France but also a potent rival within her own family. Rich in detail and vivid prose, Goldstone's narrative unfolds as a thrilling historical epic. Treacherous court politics, poisonings, international espionage, and adultery form the background to a story that includes such celebrated figures as Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Nostradamus. The Rival Queens is a dangerous tale of love, betrayal, ambition, and the true nature of courage, the echoes of which still resonate.
Download or read book Elizabeth and Mary written by Jane Dunn and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Superb.... A perceptive, suspenseful account." --The New York Times Book Review "Dunn demythologizes Elizabeth and Mary. In humanizing their dynamic and shifting relationship, Dunn describes it as fueled by both rivalry and their natural solidarity as women in an overwhelmingly masculine world." --Boston Herald The political and religious conflicts between Queen Elizabeth I and the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, have for centuries captured our imagination and inspired memorable dramas played out on stage, screen, and in opera. But few books have brought to life more vividly the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power. Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.
Download or read book Mary Queen of Scots written by J. A. Carruth and published by Jarrold Publishing. This book was released on 1998-05 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatically contrasting scenery of Scotland is captured in this varied collection of titles.
Download or read book My Heart Is My Own written by John Guy and published by Fourth Estate. This book was released on 2018-12-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soon to be a major film, this is a dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians of this period. She was crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months of age, and Queen of France at sixteen years; at eighteen she ascended the throne and began ruling one of the most fractious courts in Europe, riven by religious conflict and personal lust for power. She rode out at the head of an army in both victory and defeat; saw her second husband assassinated, and married his murderer. At twenty-five she entered captivity at the hands of her rival queen, from which only death would release her. The life of Mary Stuart is one of unparalleled drama and conflict. From the labyrinthine plots laid by the Scottish lords to wrest power for themselves, to the efforts made by Elizabeth's ministers to invalidate Mary's legitimate claim to the English throne, John Guy returns to the archives to explode the myths and correct the inaccuracies that surround this most fascinating monarch. The portrait that emerges is not of a political pawn or a manipulative siren, but of a shrewd and charismatic young ruler who relished power and, for a time, managed to hold together a fatally unstable country.
Download or read book Queen of Scots written by John Alexander Guy and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2004 with total page 581 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new historian of Mary Queen of Scots draws on new sources to shatter various myths surrounding this odd monarch and uncover some of the scandals and political machinations underpinning, and undermining, her throne.
Download or read book Mary Queen of Scots Downfall written by Robert Stedall and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the Scottish ruler—and the mysterious death of her ambitious and controversial husband. In the early hours of February 10, 1567, a large explosion ripped through the lodgings at Kirk o’ Field, Edinburgh, where Mary Queen of Scotland’s consort, Henry, Lord Darnley, was staying. Darnley’s body was found with that of his valet in a neighboring garden the next morning. The queen’s husband had been murdered—and the ramifications for Mary and Scottish history would be far-reaching. Lord Darnley cuts an infamous figure in Scottish and Tudor history. In life, he proved a controversial character, and his murder at Kirk o’ Field remains one of British history’s great unsolved mysteries—the question of whether Mary was implicated has taxed historians ever since. In this engaging and well-researched biography, Robert Stedall reexamines Darnley’s life and his death. His investigation brings new light and compelling conclusions to a story surrounded by political betrayal, murder, falsified evidence, and conspiracy.
Download or read book The Betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots written by Kate Williams and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elizabeth and Mary were cousins and queens, but eventually it became impossible for them to live together in the same world.This is the story of two women struggling for supremacy in a man’s world, when no one thought a woman could govern. They both had to negotiate with men—those who wanted their power and those who wanted their bodies—who were determined to best them. In their worlds, female friendship and alliances were unheard of, but for many years theirs was the only friendship that endured. They were as fascinated by each other as lovers; until they became enemies. Enemies so angry and broken that one of them had to die, and so Elizabeth ordered the execution of Mary.But first they were each other’s lone female friends in a violent man’s world. Their relationship was one of love, affection, jealousy, antipathy – and finally death. This book tells the story of Mary and Elizabeth as never before, focusing on their emotions and probing deeply into their intimate lives as women and queens.They loved each other, they hated each other—and in the end they could never escape each other.
Download or read book Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley written by Alison Weir and published by Random House. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn. Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then, on February 10, 1567, an explosion at his lodgings left Darnley dead; the intrigue thickened after it was discovered that he had apparently been suffocated before the blast. After an exhaustive reevaluation of the source material, Alison Weir has come up with a solution to this enduring mystery. Employing her gift for vivid characterization and gripping storytelling, Weir has written one of her most engaging excursions yet into Britain’s bloodstained, power-obsessed past.
Download or read book The Betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots written by Kate Williams and published by Pegasus Books. This book was released on 2020-07-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Queen Victoria, a new history of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I that reveals how the most important relationship of their life—their friendship—changed them forever. Elizabeth and Mary were cousins and queens, but eventually it became impossible for them to live together in the same world. This is the story of two women struggling for supremacy in a man’s world, when no one thought a woman could govern. They both had to negotiate with men—those who wanted their power and those who wanted their bodies—who were determined to best them. In their worlds, female friendship and alliances were unheard of, but for many years theirs was the only friendship that endured. They were as fascinated by each other as lovers; until they became enemies. Enemies so angry and broken that one of them had to die, and so Elizabeth ordered the execution of Mary. But first they were each other’s lone female friends in a violent man’s world. Their relationship was one of love, affection, jealousy, antipathy—and finally death. This book tells the story of Mary and Elizabeth as never before, focusing on their emotions and probing deeply into their intimate lives as women and queens. They loved each other, they hated each other—and in the end they could never escape each other.
Download or read book The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots written by Carolly Erickson and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this dramatic, compelling fictional memoir Carolly Erickson lets the courageous, spirited Mary Queen of Scots tell her own story—and the result is a novel readers will long remember. Born Queen of Scotland, married as a young girl to the invalid young King of France, Mary took the reins of the unruly kingdom of Scotland as a young widow and fought to keep her throne. A second marriage to her handsome but dissolute cousin Lord Darnley ended in murder and scandal, while a third marriage to the dashing, commanding Lord Bothwell, the love of her life, gave her joy but widened the scandal and surrounded her with enduring ill repute. Unable to rise above the violence and disorder that swirled around her, Mary plucked up her courage and escaped to England—only to find herself a prisoner of her ruthless, merciless cousin Queen Elizabeth. Here, in her own riveting account, is the enchanting woman whose name still evokes excitement and compassion—and whose death under the headsman's axe still draws forth our sorrow. In The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, Carolly Erickson provides another in her series of mesmerizing historical entertainments, and takes readers deep into the life and heart of the sixteenth century's most fascinating woman.
Download or read book The Wild Queen written by Carolyn Meyer and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2012 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Convicted of plotting against her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England and awaiting execution in 1587, Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland, recounts her life story, including becoming a widow at age eighteen and her brutal campaign to regain her sovereignty after being stripped of her throne.
Download or read book Becoming Queen written by Kate Williams and published by Random House. This book was released on 2013-05-31 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our perception of Victoria the Queen is coloured by portraits of her older, widowed self - her dour expression embodying the repressive morality propagated in her time. But Becoming Queen reveals an energetic and vibrant woman, determined to battle for power. It also documents the Byzantine machinations behind Victoria's quest to occupy the throne, and shows how her struggles did not end when finally the crown was placed on her head. Laying bare the passions that swirled around the throne in the eighteenth century, Becoming Queen is an absorbingly dramatic tale of secrets, sexual repression and endless conflict. After her lauded biography of Emma Hamilton, England's Mistress, Kate Williams has produced a most original and intimate portrait of Great Britain's longest reigning monarch.
Download or read book Crown of Thistles written by Linda Porter and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-08-15 with total page 619 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The struggle between the fecund Stewarts and the barren Tudors is generally seen only in terms of the relationship between Elizabeth I and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. But very little has been said about the background to their intense rivalry. Here, Linda Porter examines the ancient and intractable power struggle between England and Scotland, a struggle intensified during the reigns of Elizabeth and Mary's grandfathers. Henry VII aimed to provide stability when he married his daughter, Margaret, to James IV of Scotland in 1503. But he must also have known that Margaret's descendants might seek to rule the entire island. Crown of Thistles is the story of a divided family, of flamboyant kings and queens, cultured courts and tribal hatreds, blood feuds, rape and sexual licence on a breath-taking scale, and violent deaths. It also brings alive a neglected aspect of British history - the blood-spattered steps of two small countries on the fringes of Europe towards an awkward unity that would ultimately forge a great nation. Beginning with the unlikely and dramatic victories of two usurping kings, one a rank outsider and the other a fourteen-year-old boy who rebelled against his own father, the book sheds new light on Henry VIII, his daughter, Elizabeth, and on his great-niece, Mary Queen of Scots, still seductive more than 400 years after her death.
Download or read book Life of Mary Queen of Scots By James Grant written by Mary (Queen of Scots) and published by . This book was released on 1828 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mary Queen of Scots written by Jean Plaidy and published by Robert Hale. This book was released on 1975 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Text and accompanying illustrations present the biography of Mary Stuart who succeeded to the throne when she was six days old. The biography attempts to dispel the myth that she was the "Fair Devil of Scotland" and tries to show that she was a warm, tolerant, and enlightened woman.
Download or read book The Lady Queen written by Nancy Goldstone and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-11-03 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On March 15, 1348, Joanna I, the queen of Naples, stood trial for her life before the Pope and his court in Avignon. She was 20, and accused of murdering her cousin and husband, Hungarian prince Andrew. That she won her acquittal--arguing her own case in Latin--was remarkable in its own right; that she would go on to rule over one of Europe's most glittering courts for more than 30 years was extraordinary. For the first time, Nancy Goldstone tells the full story of one of the most courageous and accomplished women in history, who challenged the powers of her time, and whose life highlights the dynastic rivalries and alliances across Europe in the dramatic 14th century. She was the only woman in her time to rule in her own name. Dedicated to the welfare of her subjects and realm, Joanna reduced crime, built hospitals and churches, encouraged the licensing of women physicians, and lured some of the most important writers and artists of the century to her glamorous, elegant court, which rivaled that of Elizabeth I of England in power and scope. Around her also swirled war, plague, and the intrigue and treachery that would ultimately be her downfall. As Nancy Goldstone reveals, in Joanna's legacy are found the seeds of both the Renaissance and the Reformation. For anyone who has enjoyed the works of Alison Weir, Amanda Foreman, and Antonia Fraser,The Lady Queen will be must reading.