Royalty in History

[livviebway]

Jeez, each year a new fiction book about Marie Antoinette. I remember last year I walked into my college bookstore to find a book called "The Secret Diary of Marie Antoinette." I seem to recall another book the year before that. I walked in this year and found another new fiction book whose title I forget also about Marie Antoinette. I'd like to blame the movie, but it's only a year old.

[Deleted]

I'm going to see Elizabeth: the Golden Age with a guy from work this weekend. I'll report back how it is. (And how accurate)

[octoberwitch]

Eleanor of Aquaintaine is one of my favorite historical Queens. Duchess of her own French dominions, married to two kings and the mother of two more kings, she was a very powerful woman. I like Alison Weir's biography of her.

I also like Alison Weir's book about the two Princes lost in the Tower of London. The age long question: Were they killed by their uncle Richard III or by their brother in law Henry VII? Josephine Tey wrote a wonderful mystery regarding the same.

[augurey]

The talk in Natalie Portman's thread reminds me that I need to find better biographies on the Tudors- Phillipa Gregory's series are really entertaining but apparently full of errors. The couple of books I checked out at the library were really dry.

Strangely enough, the Tudor I'm most fascinated with is poor Edward VI. He never had a chance, he was just a pawn. There is very little written about him, and it seems the few people who could have loved him were kept away.

[octoberwitch]

The Show the Tudors is choc full of historical errors. Henry VIII had TWO sisters, not one. His sister Margaret married the King of Scotland, not the King of France. And it goes on and on.....

[luciano]

The couple of books I checked out at the library were really dry.

Which books have you read?

ETA: The Tudors is just a big ol' mess, from what I've seen.

[octoberwitch]

augurey said:

The talk in Natalie Portman's thread reminds me that I need to find better biographies on the Tudors- Phillipa Gregory's series are really entertaining but apparently full of errors. The couple of books I checked out at the library were really dry.

Strangely enough, the Tudor I'm most fascinated with is poor Edward VI. He never had a chance, he was just a pawn. There is very little written about him, and it seems the few people who could have loved him were kept away.

You might like books by Allison Weir about the Tudors and the Stuarts or Mary Queen of Scott by Lady Antonia Fraser. Good reads!

[Deleted]

You may also like Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Not dry at all, but serious history, unlike Philippa Gregory, who's entertaining but usually too close to the "historical romance" category, IMHO.

ETA: octoberwitch, I love your avatar! Is that Knut?
Guin, did you like the movie?

[octoberwitch]

tennisfan said:

You may also like Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Not dry at all, but serious history, unlike Philippa Gregory, who's entertaining but usually too close to the "historical romance" category, IMHO.

ETA: octoberwitch, I love your avatar! Is that Knut?
Guin, did you like the movie?

Yes, it is Knut! Polar Bear power! ;D

[Deleted]

Yes-it was pretty good. It jumped around a bit, and I really, REALLY wish we had seen more of Mary, Queen of Scots. But it was pretty entertaining, and the costumes were DIVINE.