Alison Weir
Alison Weir is a bestselling British historian and historical novelist. She has written numerous books, both fiction and nonfiction. For Five Books, she has recommended both the best Tudor historical fiction as well as her favourite historical novels.
“I think she [Alison Weir] has managed to teach history to more people than Oxford University, because her books are so well written and easy to follow. She is especially good at taking time to explain the world that she writes about, so the reader gets a real feel for what it was like to live in the middle ages. Her books emphasise the colour and pageantry of that era – what everyone wore, what their jewels were like. I love that kind of book.” American historian and novelist Nancy Goldstone in her interview on ‘strong women in bad marriages.’
Books by Alison Weir
Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
by Alison Weir
'Divorced, beheaded, died//Divorced, beheaded, survived' is the rhyme by which we remember what Henry VIII, who ruled England from 1509-1547, did to each of his six wives. He was the second ruler in the new Tudor dynasty, after the death of his father, Henry VII. Historian Alison Weir has done the world a huge service by recreating the lives of Henry VIII's wives by means of a historical novel about each of them, her Six Tudor Queens series. This is the last in the series, about Katharine Parr, the wife who survived Henry. Like all the books in the series, this is a historical novel that appeals to the historian, a reconstruction of a life rather than a lyrical flight of imagination.
Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen
by Alison Weir
This is the fifth book in historian Alison Weir's 'Six Tudor Queens' series. Each one tells the story of one of Henry VIII's wives, via novels. This historical novel is about Katheryn Howard, the last of Henry VIII's wives to be killed or divorced by him. She would be executed like Anne Boleyn, who was her cousin, for adultery.
“This is one of Alison Weir’s best books. I think she has managed to teach history to more people than Oxford University, because her books are so well written and easy to follow. She is especially good at taking time to explain the world that she writes about, so the reader gets a real feel for what it was like to live in the middle ages. Her books emphasise the colour and pageantry of that era – what everyone wore, what their jewels were like. I love that kind of book. Eleanor lived in the 12th century and was a great heiress. She owned Aquitaine, a large duchy in southwest France. She was originally married to the French king, Louis VII. He was two years older than she was, but hers was the stronger personality and he was no match for her. She ran him around.” Read more...
The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages
Nancy Goldstone, Historian
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
by Alison Weir
Q: Your bestselling work of history The Six Wives of Henry VIII was published in 1991, and since then many of your books have been on related subjects. What makes this period so engaging?
A: The characters. They’re dynamic, larger than life. It’s a very dramatic period. Also, we’ve got an unprecedented amount of source material. No details were considered too trivial to be reported by ambassadors. Henry VIII’s great matter brought the royal marriage into public focus for the first time in history. So we have a lot of information. Even so, there are tantalising gaps, and historians can endlessly debate them.
We’ve also got the visual record. We can see something of the magnificence of the Tudor palaces, like Hampton Court. There were wonderful costumes in that era, which grabs many people. And this is the age of the spread of diplomacy and printing.
The Best Tudor Historical Fiction recommended by Alison Weir
Interviews with Alison Weir
The Best Tudor Historical Fiction, recommended by Alison Weir
The Tudor dynasty, which ruled England from 1485 to 1603, has been the focus of extraordinary public attention in recent years, thanks to the success of books like Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and the lavish television drama The Tudors, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. We asked Alison Weir, the author of many bestselling factual and novelistic books on the period, to recommend her favourite works of Tudor historical fiction.
The Best Historical Novels, recommended by Alison Weir
Bestselling British historian and author Alison Weir plunges us deep into the world of walled-up skeletons, Vikings, poisoning, intrigue, witchcraft and rebellion. This is the best of historical novels – books that never compromise on painstaking research.
Interviews where books by Alison Weir were recommended
The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone
The author of The Maid and the Queen takes us on an enjoyable ride through European history, looking at well-connected women who outwitted their husbands or asserted their independence.
