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Tudor: Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family
The Tudors are England's most dramatic royal family-Henry VIII notoriously divorced his queen and broke with the church of Rome, and Elizabeth I became the greatest English queen in history. But they are a dynasty still more extraordinary than the one we thought we knew.
In an epic narrative sweeping from 1437 to the first decade of the seventeenth century, Tudor traces the rise and rule of the dynasty. Brutal political instability dominated England, and Leanda de Lisle reveals the personalities, passions, and obsessions of the men and women at its epicenter.
This groundbreaking story opens at the unlikely beginning of the Tudor dynasty-with Owen Tudor, a handsome Welsh commoner who, with a pirouette and a trip, landed squarely in the lap of the English Monarchy. The struggle of Owen's grandson Henry VII and his heirs to secure the line of succession-and the hopes, loves, and losses of the claimants-are the focus of this book. The universal appeal of the Tudors also lies in the family stories: of a mother's love for her son, of the husband who kills his wives, of siblings who betray one another, of reckless love affairs, of rival cousins, of an old spinster whose heirs hope to hurry her to her end.
Thrilling to read and bristling with religious and political intrigue, Tudor tells the true story behind the myths, throwing a fresh, new light on this perennially fascinating era.
In an epic narrative sweeping from 1437 to the first decade of the seventeenth century, Tudor traces the rise and rule of the dynasty. Brutal political instability dominated England, and Leanda de Lisle reveals the personalities, passions, and obsessions of the men and women at its epicenter.
This groundbreaking story opens at the unlikely beginning of the Tudor dynasty-with Owen Tudor, a handsome Welsh commoner who, with a pirouette and a trip, landed squarely in the lap of the English Monarchy. The struggle of Owen's grandson Henry VII and his heirs to secure the line of succession-and the hopes, loves, and losses of the claimants-are the focus of this book. The universal appeal of the Tudors also lies in the family stories: of a mother's love for her son, of the husband who kills his wives, of siblings who betray one another, of reckless love affairs, of rival cousins, of an old spinster whose heirs hope to hurry her to her end.
Thrilling to read and bristling with religious and political intrigue, Tudor tells the true story behind the myths, throwing a fresh, new light on this perennially fascinating era.
- GenresNonfiction
578 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2013
23 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Leanda de Lisle
16 books351 followersLeanda de Lisle is the author of bestselling Tudor and Stuart history praised for meticulous research as well as strong narratives. She has a Masters degree in history from Oxford University. TUDOR, her biography of the Tudor family 1437-1603, was a top ten Sunday Times best seller, BBC History book of the year, Daily Telegraph book of the year, and History Today book of the year. THE SISTERS WHO WOULD BE QUEEN; THE TRAGEDY OF MARY, KATHERINE AND LADY JANE GREY, was a New York Times best seller and is the inspiration for Phillippa Gregory's 2017 novel THE LAST TUDOR. Her latest book WHITE KING,, a biography of the doomed Charles I, is her most dramatic yet and is the winner of the 2018 Historical Writers Association non-fiction crown.
Leanda does a monthly podcast on itunes Ten Minute Tudors, it uncovers the true Tudors and Stuarts behind the myths.
Leanda does a monthly podcast on itunes Ten Minute Tudors, it uncovers the true Tudors and Stuarts behind the myths.
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September 6, 2025
Well researched ✅
Well written ✅
I love non-boring non fiction
I learned sooo much about the people who came before Henry VIII, as well as a lot of underrated key political figures. Elizabeth and Mary were propaganda final bosses as well.
Well written ✅
I love non-boring non fiction
I learned sooo much about the people who came before Henry VIII, as well as a lot of underrated key political figures. Elizabeth and Mary were propaganda final bosses as well.
Displaying 1 of 1 review