To Hold the Crown - Novel of the Tudors

Informationen zum Autor JEAN PLAIDY is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt. To Hold the Crown is the first book in her nine-book series on the Tudors. Klappentext From exile and war to love and loss—every dynasty has a beginning. Henry Tudor was not born to the throne of England. Having come of age in a time of political turmoil and danger, the man who would become Henry VII spent fourteen years in exile in Brittany before returning triumphantly to the Dorset coast with a small army and decisively winning the Battle of Bosworth Field—ending the War of the Roses once and for all and launching the infamous Tudor dynasty. As Henry’s claim to the throne was tenuous, his marriage to Elizabeth of York, daughter and direct heir of King Edward IV, not only served to unify the warring houses, it also helped Henry secure the throne for himself and for generations to come. And though their union was born from political necessity, it became a wonderful love story that led to seven children and twenty happy years together. Sweeping and dramatic, To Hold the Crown brings readers inside the genesis of the great Tudor empire: through Henry and Elizabeth’s troubled ascensions to the throne, their marriage and rule, the heartbreak caused by the death of their son Arthur, and, ultimately, to the crowning of their younger son, King Henry VIII. “Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama.” — New York Times The Birth of a Prince There was great consternation in the Palace of Winchester on that misty September day, in the year 1486 for the Queen--who was not due to give birth to her child for another month--had started her pains. It was extraordinary for only eight months had passed since the marriage. Everyone had been delighted by the Queen's promise of fruitfulness, and to have given birth nine months after the marriage would have been a most welcome sign, but to do so in eight months was a little disconcerting, though no one could believe for one moment that this might mean anything but the birth of a premature child. Queen Elizabeth was sitting quietly with her sisters, Cecilia aged seventeen and Anne who was just eleven, working on an altar cloth, which the King's mother, of whom they were in considerable awe, had decided was an appropriate occupation for them at such a time when all the favors Heaven could grant them were needed. Even Anne knew--for it was spoken of continually--that it was of utmost importance that the Queen should give birth to a healthy boy. The Queen and her sisters had come through difficult times and still remembered them. They had been pampered and petted by their magnificent and all-powerful father but they had also suffered privations in the Sanctuary at Westminster when they had feared for their lives. If they had learned a lesson from life it must surely be that it was fraught with insecurity and could change drastically in the space of a few days. At last Elizabeth was married to the King and although there had been a period when they had wondered whether Henry Tudor was going to honor his pledges, they now felt comparatively safe; and if the baby who was about to be born was a healthy boy, their chances of making good marriages and living in comfort--and perhaps even of survival--would be greatly increased. As Cecilia stitched at the hem of the Madonna's robe in a silk thread of exquisite blue, she was wondering when her time to marry would come. She hoped her husband would be someone at the King's Court for she did not want to have to go away from home. At one time she had thought she was going to be sent to Scotland to be the Queen of Scots but that had come to nothing in the manner of so many of these proposed marriages. As for Elizabeth herself she had once been destined for the Dauphin of France and for a long time their mother had...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Jean Plaidy
• Editore: Crown Publishing Group
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 07.10.2008
• EAN: 9780307346193
• ISBN: 978-0-307-34619-3
• Pagine: 416
• Dimensioni: 130 mm x 203 mm x 23 mm
• Serie: Novel of the Tudors; A Novel of the Tudors; A Novel of the Tudors; Novel of the Tudors
• Categoria: Narrativa > Romanzi