The Tudors in Fiction

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

With all the interest in the Tudor monarchs of late, it seems like an appropriate time to begin this list.

In this "theme list" I am endeavouring to list all novels in which a Tudor monarch is the main character, or plays a significant role. This includes fictionalized "biographies," mysteries (when the monarch is a sleuth, for example), dramas, and novels. [I am not including works in which the monarch only appears in passing or shows up to command hero and heroine to marry or bless the marriage at the end.] I am making no qualifications regarding historical accuracy within the works listed below; some may be quite inaccurate.

I am sure there are many works that I forgot to list or do not yet know about; please feel free to share them. If I have made a mistake, please let me know. I shall endeavor to incorporate suggestions and update this list regularly.

I am dividing the works by monarch. I have made parathentical/qualifying comments.

"There is no marvel in a woman learning to speak, but there would be in teaching her to hold her tongue."
(Elizabeth to the French Ambassador after he had praised her linguistic skills) [from http://www.elizabethi.org/us/quotes/]
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Updated: 4 October 2009

Henry VII (1485-1509) and Elizabeth of York

The Dragon and the Rose Roberta Gellis
Destiny’s Child [Bride of the Thirteenth Summer] Iris Gower
The Crimson Crown Edith Layton
Torryzany (Book 2) by Wallace Bertram Nichols
Wonder for Wise Men (Book 1) by Wallace Bertram Nichols
Elizabeth, the Beloved Maureen Peters
Uneasy Lies the Head Jean Plaidy
Royal Courtship Livvy West
The King’s Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen (Rose of York) by Sanda Worth

Henry VIII (1509-1547) and His Wives

King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew All Their Secrets by Margaret Campbell Barnes
The Blanket of the Dark John Buchan
Henry VIII's Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Jessie Childs
Six Wives of Henry VIII: The King Seen Through the Eyes of Each of His Ill-Fated Wives Maurice Cowan
The Autobiography of Henry VIII Margaret George
The King, the Queen, and the Mistress (Tudors, book 1) Anne Gracie
Madam Tudor Constance Gluyas
Pour the Dark Wine by Dinah Lampitt
Command of the King Mary Lide
Henry's Queen by Kit Linford
The Heart of a King Philip Lindsay
King of Nowhere by J. du Rocher Macpherson and L. du Rocher Macpherson (drama, c. 1916)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII Gladys Malvern
King Takes Queen (Tudors, book 2) Elizabeth Massie
Henry VIII and His Six Wives Maureen Peters
Much Suspected of Me Maureen Peters
Six Wives but One Love Lozania Prole
The Serpent Garden Judith Merkle Riley
Love Remember Me Beatrice Small
My Will be Done Paul Stefik

Katherine of Aargon, first queen to Henry VIII

The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine Aragon Laurien Gardiner
The Constant Princess Philippa Gregory
The King’s Pleasure Norah Lofts
Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer
Katharine, the Virgin Widow Jean Plaidy
The Shadow of the Pomegranate Jean Plaidy
The King’s Secret MatterJean Plaidy

Anne Boleyn, second queen to Henry VIII
(includes works on Sir Thomas More)

Windsor Castle William Harrison Ainsworth
Anne Boleyn Evelyn Anthony
The Tudor Sisters Aileen Armitage
A Man Born Again John Edward Beahn
Portrait of an Unknown WomanVanora Bennett (Meg, Thomas More’s daughter)
The Two Queen Annes Ursula Bloom
Stage of Fools Charles A. Brady
Brief Gaudy Hour Margaret Barnes Campbell
All-or-Nothing: The Life-Story of Anne Boleyn Joanna Dessau
Queen of Subtleties Suzannah Dunn
Dear Heart, How Like You This? Wendy J. Dunn
Anne of a Thousand Days Edward Fenton
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford Julia Fox
A Lady Raised of High Laurien Gardner
In the Shadow of Lions(Chronciles of the Scribe, Book 1) Ginger Garrett
Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn Nell Gavin
The Other Boleyn Girl Phillipa Gregory
St. Thomas More of London Elizabeth M. Ince
Queen Anne BoleynFrancis Hackett
The Last Boleyn Karen Harper
Blood Royal Mollie Hardwick
Anne Boleyn Margaret Heys
The French Executioner C. C. Humphreys
The Concubine Norah Lofts
The Household of Sir Thomas More Ann Manning
Mademoiselle Boleyn Robin Maxwell
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn Robin Maxwell
Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer
Incredible Fierce Desire Maureen Peters
Rose of Hever (also titled Anne, Rose of Hever) Maureen Peters
The King's Confidante: The Story of the Daughter of Sir Thomas More by Jean Plaidy
The King’s Secret Matter Jean Plaidy
Murder Most Royal Jean Plaidy
St Thomas’ Eve Jean Plaidy
The Lady in the TowerJean Plaidy
Meg Roper: Daughter of Sir Thomas More Jean Plaidy
The Dark-Eyes Queen Lozania Prole
Vengeance Is Mine: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Lady Rochford--the woman who helped destroy them both Brandy Purdy

Margaret Roper or; The Chancellor and His Daughter Ann M. Stewart
The King’s Good Servant Olive B. White

Jane Seymour, Third Wife to Henry VIII

Plain Jane by Lauren Gardner

Anne of Cleves, Fourth Wife to Henry VIII

My Lady of Cleves Margaret Barnes Campbell
The Boleyn Inheritance Philippa Gregory

Catherine Howard, fifth wife to Henry VIII

An Unchaste Life: Memoirs of a Tudor Queen Anne Cato
Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy Joanna Denny
The Queen's Mistake: In the Court of Henry VIII by Diane Haeger
The King’s Rose by Alisa Libby
Katheryn, the Wanton Queen Maureen Peters
The Rose Without a Thorn Jean Plaidy
Murder Most RoyalJean Plaidy

Katherine Parr, the sixth queen to Henry VIII

Kathryn: In the Court of Six Queens Anne Merton Abbey
The Queen Who Kept Her Head: A Play in Three Acts and an Epilogue Winifred Carter
The Sixth Wife by Suzanna Dunn
Her Royal Destiny Carol Maxwell Eady
The Last Wife of Henry VIII Carolly Erickson
Katharine Parr Jean Evans
Prophecy for a Queen Dilys Gater
Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s Last Love by Susan James
The Ivy Crown Mary Luke
Henry VIII and His Court or; Catherine Parr, an historical Novel Louise Mühlbach
Wife in Waiting by Maureen Peters
The Sixth Wife by Jean Plaidy
Mistress Parr’s Four Husbands Jessica Smith
England Mein Gemahl: aus der Jugend einer Königin Stefan Wendt
The Queen’s Grace Jan Westcott

OTHER TUDORS

The Nine Days Queen by Karleen Bradford (Lady Jane Grey)
In the Shadow of Lady Jane Edward Charles
The Secret Bride Diane Haeger (Mary Tudor)
Curse of the Greys (Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk) Maureen Peters
Flower of the Greys Maureen Peters (Lady Katherine Grey)
Jewel of the Greys Maureen Peters (Lady Jane Grey)
Princess of Desire Maureen Peters (Mary Tudor, Queen of France)
The Queenmaker (Bess Hardwick, Countess of Shrewbury)Maureen Peters
The Thistle and the Rose Jean Plaidy (Princess Margaret Tudor)
Mary, Queen of France Jean Plaidy
Nine Days a Queen by Ann Rinaldi (Lady Jane Grey)
Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guilford Dudley [A Dramatic poem] Almira Seldon
Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey Alison Weir

Mary I (Bloody Mary), Queen of England (1553-1558)

The Time of the Poisoned Queen Ann Dukthas
The Queen's Sorrow by Susannah Dunn
The King’s Daughter by Barbara Kyle
I am Mary Tudor Hilda Winifred Lewis
Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer
Mary, the Infamous Queen Maureen Peters
In the Shadow of the Crown Jean Plaidy

Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

The Queen's Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley
The Virgin Queen's Daughter Daughter by Ella March Chase
The Stolen One by Suzane Crowley
Absolute Elizabeth (Book 2) by Joanna Dessau
Fantastical Marvellous Queen (Book 3) by Joanna Dessau
Red-Haired Brat (Book 1) by Joanna Dessau
Leicester: Fatal deception, or, The progress of guilt [A Drama] William Dunlap
Memoirs of Mary Queen of Socts by Carolly Erickson
The Other Queen Philippa Gregory (focus on Mary Queen of Scots)
Virgin’s Lover Philippa Gregory
Queen’s Fool Philippa Gregory
My Enemy, the Queen Victoria Holt
Elizabeth and the Princess of Spain (Book 3) by Margaret Irwin
Elizabeth, the Captive Princess (Book 2) by Margaret Irwin
Young Bess (Book 1) by Margaret Irwin
Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky
Virgin Robin Maxwell
Queen’s Bastard Robin Maxwell
Wild Irish Robin Maxwell
Beware Princess of Elizabeth Carolyn Meyer
I, Elizabeth Rosalind Miles
England's Mistress Maureen Peters
Peacock Queen Maureen Peters
Proud Bess Maureen Peters
Young Elizabeth Jean Plaidy
Gay Lord Robert Jean Plaidy
Queen of This Realm Jean Plaidy
Story of Elizabeth I Jean Plaidy
Danger to Elizabeth (Book 2) by Alison Plowden
Elizabeth Regian (Book 4) by Alison Plowden
Marruage with My Kingdom (Book 3) by Alison Plowden
Young Elizabeth (Book 1) by Alison Plowden
The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi
The Tudor Wench by Elswyth Thane
The Lady Elizabeth by Allison Weir

Mystery series:
To Shield the Queen
The Doublet Affair
To Ruin a Queen
Queen’s Ransom
Queen of Ambition
Pawn for a Queen
The Fugitive Queen
The Siren Queen
Fiona Buckley
(mystery series in Elizabeth I’s court with Lady Ursula Blanchard)

The Poyson Garden
Twylight Tower
Tidal Poole
Queene’s Cure
The Thorne Maze
The Queene’s Christmas
Fyre Mirror
Fatal Fashione
The Hooded Hawke
Karen Harper
(mystery series featuring Elizabeth I as an amateur sleuth)

Other books featuring the Tudors:

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson
Widow's Kiss by Jane Feather
To Kiss a Spy by Jane Feather
Kissed by Shadows by Jane Feather
Caught in The Act by Betina Krahn
Behind Closed Doors by Betina Krahn
The Queen’s Lady by Barbara Kyle
Lady Gallant by Suzanne Robinson
Lady Valiant by Suzanne Robinson
Lady Defiant by Suzanne Robinson
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

A_TTate · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 23 Location: California

Suzanne Robinson's Lady Gallant, Lady Valiant and Lady Defiant feature Elizabeth and Mary. Jane Feather's "Kiss" trilogy is set in Tudor England with all the politics. Betina Krahn's Caught in The Act and Behind Closed Doors also feature Elizabeth. (And Robinson and Krahn REALLY capture the essence of Tudor England).

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Just updated this list this evening.
I've added suggestions as well as incorporated a few more novels I've found. Probably about 10 titles in all have been added.
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Updated list today, adding several titles by Maureen Peters and Margaret Irwin, mainly.
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

I've just added Robin Maxwell's Madamoiselle Boleyn about Anne Boleyn, which was released 10/17/2007.
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Updated 16 December 2007 to add The Lady Elizabeth by Allison Weir, The Queen's Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley, and In the Shadow of Lady Jane by Edward Charles.
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Updated to add The Sixth Wife by S. Dunn (see Katherine Parr, sixth wife to Henry VIII)
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Added this, even though it's not actually a novel, in the interests of making this list as exhaustive as possible...

King of Nowhere by J. du Rocher Macpherson and L. du Rocher Macpherson (drama, c. 1916)
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

added this new one:

The Secret Bride Diane Haeger (Mary Tudor)
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

Mary · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1243 Location: Brooklyn, CT

Hi Glencora,

Thanks for that list! The Tudor period is probably my absolute favorite, and that list is incredible. I'm going to print it out for my friend who also loves Tudor novels. One addition you might like to make is LEGACY by Susan Kay, which is a fictionalized biography of Elizabeth I. Out of print, but excellent, and available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Susan-Kay/dp/038070322X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206053741&sr=8-2

Thanks,

~~Mary
_________________
So many books, so little time...

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

[quote="Mary"]Hi Glencora,

Thanks for that list! The Tudor period is probably my absolute favorite, and that list is incredible. I'm going to print it out for my friend who also loves Tudor novels. One addition you might like to make is LEGACY by Susan Kay, which is a fictionalized biography of Elizabeth I. Out of print, but excellent, and available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Susan-Kay/dp/038070322X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206053741&sr=8-2

Thanks,

~~Mary[/quote]

Mary thanks, I am glad you like it. I actually have several more books to add, that I will try to get to this weekend (so check back). Thanks for the tip on the Susan Kay book, I'll incorporate that one also.
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

Hi, I added the following to the list. Enjoy.

Henry's Queen by Kit Linford
Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy by Joanna Denny
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford Julia Fox
Vengeance Is Mine: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Lady Rochford--the woman who helped destroy them both Brandy Purdy
An Unchaste Life: Memoirs of a Tudor Queen Anne Cato
Henry VIII's Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Jessie Childs
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

Valkyrie_Vixen · Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 10 Location: MN

I love the Tudor period!! I am obsessed with the kings and queens of old.

I like that new tv series "THE TUDORS" and the movie "THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL"

But I relate to a lot of those people you listed and I actually look up to them...some of them I consider my idols!!

It's so cool that you posted something about this!! Thanks!!
_________________
Be afraid of the darkness in your own heart, rather than the darkness that surrounds you.

rebecca191 · Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 65

You could add these to the list if you want, they are young adult novels so I am not sure if you are only including adult books:

Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer (Katherine of Aragon)
Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky (Elizabeth I)
Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer (Anne Boleyn)
The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi (Elizabeth I)

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory

added: Pour the Dark Wine by Dinah Lampitt (1989)

In Pour The Dark Wine, Dinah Lampitt again shows her ability to interweave fact and fiction to create an historical novel of impact and passion. The story of the rise and fall of the Seymours was dramatic in its own right and her imaginative skills and impeccable research cast new light on one of the most exciting periods in English history.

The Seymours were one of the most powerful families under the Tudors. Jane became Henry VIII's third wife. Thomas married his widow and engaged in an ambiguous relationship with the young Elizabeth while Edward became Protector but ended his life on the scaffold.

This novel reinterprets the role of Jane and looks in detail at the life of Thomas, the most glamorous of the Seymours. Introducing into the story the astrologer Zachary, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Norfolk, who played a pivotal role in the Sutton Place trilogy, Dinah Lampitt has given us her strongest novel yet, a triumph of storytelling based on actual historical fact. (From author's website)
_________________
There is one thing worse than a loveless marriage. A marriage in which there is love, but on one side only.
(Sir Robert Chiltern, Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband)

rebecca191 · Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 65

GlencoraPalliser · Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 5326 Location: Matching Priory