Bøker av Beverley Adams

Elizabeth of York has often been overlooked by Tudor historians in favor of her infamous son King Henry VIII and his six wives, as well as her glorious 'Virgin Queen' granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I. But Elizabeth, the daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, deserves far more recognition than she currently receives. She suffered the loss of her younger brothers, the Princes in the Tower, and lived through the reign of her maligned uncle King Richard III, who it has been suggested plotted to marry his niece.Elizabeth was born at a time when having women in power was not considered desirable, but if she had been able to rule then Elizabeth would have been England's first queen regnant. It was her position as the heiress to the House of York that solidified her husband's claim to the throne. When she married Henry VII they finally united the warring houses of Lancaster and York. It is often thought that Elizabeth was a weak, ineffectual and pious woman who was too meek to challenge her husband's rule, but in reality she held some sway over her husband and he often valued her opinion. If anything, Elizabeth was a resolute, well-respected and influential queen.Despite being of Plantagenet blood, Elizabeth of York was the mother of the Tudor dynasty, one of England's most powerful and ruthless monarchies. Yet she was a devoted mother and an adored queen to the people of England.

Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen is considered to be one of the most tragic characters in English history. In July 1553 when King Edward VI died at the age of just 15 years old, the Tudor dynasty fell into chaos. The king had no legitimate male heirs and was determined his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth would not inherit his throne, despite his father Henry VIII stating in his will that they should. We are led to believe that on Edward's instructions his cousin Lady Jane Grey was to be proclaimed queen. But who was she? Was she the innocent young girl that our history books tell us she was, or a religious fanatic with the aim of keeping Mary off the throne and England Protestant? Or was she nothing but a pawn to men in the game of power and politics, abused by her parents to marry against her will all for a crown she did not want? This book looks into her life from her early years in relative seclusion at the family home at Bradgate through to her tragic end on the scaffold at the Tower of London, executed on the orders of her cousin Queen Mary. What was her place within the Tudor royal family, was she ever entitled to claim the throne of England, and do we even recognise her as a true queen today?

Brings to life one of Tudor England's most overlooked key players.

Brings into focus the suffragette cause from the point of view of Edith Rigby, who is not widely known despite her full involvement in the fight for votes for women.