1. Royal Witch
Beginning in 1420, Eleanor Cobham enters noble service with little status and learns how women close to power can shape their own prospects. Her relationship with Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, raises her from attendant to duchess and places her near the centre of the Lancastrian succession.…
2. The Lady of the Rivers
Jacquetta of Luxembourg becomes Duchess of Bedford through marriage to the English regent in France. After his death she secretly marries Richard Woodville, sacrificing rank for a partnership that brings her into the household of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. Jacquetta’s loyalty to the Lancastrian…
3. The White Queen
In the aftermath of the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton, Elizabeth Woodville is a Lancastrian widow whose husband has been killed and whose children’s inheritance is threatened. She petitions the new king, Edward IV, secretly marries him and becomes queen of England, advancing the…
4. The Red Queen
Margaret Beaufort believes that her only son, Henry Tudor, has a providential claim to the English crown. Widowed young and separated from Henry, she survives changing Yorkist governments while building alliances through marriage, patronage and covert communication. Richard III’s accession gives Margaret an opening to coordinate…
5. The Kingmaker’s Daughter
Anne Neville and her sister Isabel are raised as the daughters and potential heirs of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. Their father’s break with Edward IV turns their marriages into instruments in his attempt to control the English succession. After Warwick and Anne’s first husband die…
6. The White Princess
Elizabeth of York marries Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth, joining the defeated Yorkist house to the new Tudor dynasty. Affection and mistrust develop together as Henry seeks to secure a crown won in battle and Elizabeth remains tied to her mother’s family. A claimant…
7. The Constant Princess
Catherine of Aragon is raised to secure a dynastic marriage with Arthur, Prince of Wales, and arrives in England determined to become queen. Arthur’s early death leaves her isolated while Henry VII delays her future and disputes over dowry and consummation shape her position. Catherine eventually…
8. The King’s Curse
Margaret Pole, daughter of the Duke of Clarence, survives the defeat of the Plantagenets by marrying into a family loyal to the Tudors. Her friendship with Catherine of Aragon and service in the royal household return her to prominence under Henry VIII. As Henry’s search for…
9. Three Sisters, Three Queens
Margaret Tudor, Catherine of Aragon and Mary Tudor become queens of Scotland, England and France. Their marriages bind them to rival kingdoms while family affection, status and fertility create continuing comparison and competition. The Battle of Flodden kills Margaret’s husband while Catherine acts as regent in…
10. The Other Boleyn Girl
Mary Boleyn enters Henry VIII’s court and becomes the king’s mistress, gaining favour for a family determined to advance through royal patronage. Her sister Anne returns from France with greater ambition and refuses Henry until he can offer marriage and a crown. The sisters’ rivalry unfolds…
11. The Boleyn Inheritance
Anne of Cleves travels to England in 1539 for an arranged marriage to Henry VIII, while Jane Boleyn returns to court carrying the dangerous legacy of her executed husband and sister-in-law. The king quickly rejects Anne and turns his attention to the young Catherine Howard. The…
12. The Taming of the Queen
The widowed Catherine Parr is compelled to become Henry VIII’s sixth wife, abandoning her hope of marrying Thomas Seymour. At court she creates a household of learning and religious debate, reunites the royal children and serves as regent while Henry campaigns abroad. Catherine’s commitment to reform…
13. The Queen’s Fool
Hannah Green, a Jewish refugee from the Spanish Inquisition, is recognised as a seer and drawn into service by Robert Dudley. Moving between the courts of Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey and Mary I, she becomes both fool and observer during a disputed succession. Mary’s Catholic…
14. The Virgin’s Lover
Elizabeth I inherits a divided kingdom in 1558 and relies on William Cecil while restoring Protestant government. Her intimacy with Robert Dudley creates pressure for marriage, even though Dudley’s wife Amy Robsart remains alive. Amy’s isolation and unexplained death make the queen’s private attachment a national…
15. The Last Tudor
The Grey sisters inherit a dangerous proximity to the Tudor succession. Lady Jane Grey is placed on the throne after Edward VI’s death and executed under Mary I; Katherine Grey later makes a secret marriage that Elizabeth I treats as a direct threat. The youngest sister,…
16. The Other Queen
After fleeing Scotland in 1568, Mary Stuart is placed in the custody of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Bess of Hardwick. Mary regards herself as a sovereign guest and works to recover her throne, while Elizabeth I’s government treats her as a potential…