Today I will write about new books about Tudor personalities. Some of them are already released, and some of them are due to be released.

1. Elizabeth of York (Queenship and Power)  by Alrene Naylor Okerlund

Publisher and date of release : Palgrave Macmillan; Reissue edition (11 Nov 2011)

Pages : 286

Description from Amazon :  This book tells the story of the queen whose marriage to King Henry VII ended England’s Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the 118-year Tudor dynasty. Best known as the mother of Henry VIII and grandmother of Elizabeth I, this Queen Elizabeth contributed far beyond the act of giving birth to future monarchs. Her marriage to Henry VII unified the feuding houses of Lancaster and York, and her popularity with the people helped her husband survive rebellions that plagued his first decade of rule. Queen Elizabeth’s gracious manners and large family created a warm, convivial Court marked by a rather exceptional fondness between the royal couple. Her love for music, literature, and architecture also helped inspire England’s Renaissance.

You may know Arlene Okerund – she wrote a great book about Elizabeth Woodville (mother of Elizabeth of York) : ”Elizabeth: England’s Slandered Queen (England’s Forgotten Queens)”.

2) Bessie Blount: The Story of Henry VIII’s Longtime Mistress by Elizabeth Norton

Publisher and date of release : Amberley Publishing; 1 edition (28 Oct 2011)

Pages : 286

Description from Amazon : Beautiful, young, exuberant, the amazing life of Elizabeth Blount, Henry VIII’s mistress and mother to his first son who came tantalizingly close to succeeding him as King Henry IX. The earliest known, and longest lasting mistress of Henry VIII, Bessie Blount was the king’s first love. More beautiful than Anne Boleyn or any of Henry’s other wives or concubines, Bessie’s beauty and other charms ensured that she turned heads, winning a place at court as one of Catherine of Aragon’s ladies. Within months she was partnering the king in dancing and she rose to be the woman with the most influence over Henry, much to Catherine of Aragon’s despair. The affair lasted five years (longer than most of Henry’s marriages) and in 1519 she bore Henry VIII a son, Henry Fitzroy. As a mark of his importance Cardinal Wolsey was appointed his guardian and godfather. Supplanted soon after by Mary Boleyn, Bessie’s importance rests on the vital proof it gave Henry VIII that he could father a healthy son and through Henry Fitzroy, Bessie remained a prominent figure at court. In the country at large, for proving that the king was capable of fathering a son Bessie prompted the saying ‘Bless’ee, Bessie Blount’ and her position of mother of such an important child made her an object of interest to many of her contemporaries. Sidelined by historians until now, Bessie and the son she had by the king are one of the great ‘what ifs’ of English history. If Jane Seymour had not produced a male heir and Bessie’s son had not died young aged 17, in all likelihood Henry Fitzroy could have followed his father as King Henry IX and Bessie propelled to the status of mother of the king.

About the author : Personally I really love Elizabeth Norton’s books. One of my first book by her was ‘She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England’ – a great read! Elizabeth Norton wrote also such books as ‘Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII’s Obsession’ , ‘Jane Seymour : Henry VIII’s True Love’ , ‘Anne Boleyn in her own words & words of those who knew her’. By the way – the cover looks similar as the one from ‘The Boleyns’ by David Loades.

3) Catherine of Aragon : A Life by Partick Williams

Publisher and date of release : Amberley Publishing (28 Oct 2011)

Pages : 512

Description from Amazon : The tragic story of Henry VIII’s first unfortunate wife. Catherine of Aragon was a central figure in one of the most dramatic and formative events of Tudor history – England’s breach with Rome after a thousand years of fidelity. She lived through traumatic and revolutionary times and her personal drama was played out against dramas of global significance. The heroic and dignified first wife of Henry VIII who was cast aside for reasons of dynastic ambition, but who resolutely and unbendingly stuck to her principles and her dignity at enormous cost to herself. Catherine’s story tells so much about the exercise of power, and about being married to a lover who became – slowly but perceptibly – a tyrant in public life and a monster in his private affairs. Professor Patrick Williams has been immersed in Spanish history for over thirty years and his monumental new biography – the first to make full use of the Spanish Royal Archives – is the result, and presents a very different portrait of Catherine.

About the author :  Patrick Williams is Emeritus Professor of Spanish History at the University of Portsmouth. He has written extensively on Spanish history and his other books include Armada nd Philip II.

4) Jane Seymour by Kelly Hart

As for now, there is no more information about this book ; but you probably know Kelly Hart – she wrote a book about ‘The Mistresses of Henry VIII’. I am looking forward for this book – who knows, maybe we will find there some new evidence?