Books by Jean (Novelist) Plaidy

Richard the Second is losing his hold on the crown and Henry of Bolingbroke, previously exiled by the king, returns to England to claim it. When the king dies, Harry became King Henry the Fifth, and the change is dramatic for both him and Oldcastle.

Richard of Bordeaux, young heir to the throne after Edward the Third, is surrounded by ambitious uncles who believe it would be better for the country if they could take the crown.

Amid glorious celebrations their father becomes Pope, and shortly after Lucrezia is married - but as Borgias the lives of the Pope's children are destined to be marred by scandal and tragedy, and it's a fate that Lucrezia cannot hope to escape ...

With fanatical Philip II on the Spanish throne and the spectre of his Inquisition hovering over Europe, these are dangerous and bloody times in which to live.

These are dark days for England; the Tudor succession hangs precariously in the balance, along with the lives of its people. With the shadow of the dreaded Inquisition looming across the continent from Spain, one family, lead by two brave men - daring Felipe and his cousin, reserved and thoughtful Richard - struggles to survive against the odds.

The tenth novel in Jean Plaidy's Tudor series - the passionate story of Elizabeth I's love affair with Robert Dudley. In the grim recesses of the Tower of London, two captives begin a passionate love affair that will last years but is destined to destroy them;

The ninth of Jean Plaidy's Tudor novels - the story of Princess Mary Tudor, a celebrated beauty and born rebel who would defy the most powerful king in Europe; Mary is unwillingly sent to France to marry the ailing King Louis, leaving behind her true love, Charles Brandon.

News of Thomas a Becket's martyrdom has spread throughout Christendom and the blame is laid at the feet of Henry Plantagenet, King of England.

So on his deathbed William made a will that would ensure his daughter's protection: he promised her hand in marriage to the future King of France. Eleanor grows into a romantic and beautiful queen, but she has inherited the will of a king, and is determined to rule Aquitaine using her husband's power as King of France.

With Spain now united, Ferdinand looked to his daughters to further his ambitions. All too often, Isabella found herself torn between his brilliant plans and her love for her children. During the last years of Isabella's reign it seemed there was a curse on the royal house which struck at the children of the sovereigns.

Married to Ferdinand after continual fears and disappointments, Isabella triumphed over every dangers, convinced of her true destiny.

_____________________The first book in the captivating Spanish Trilogy, focusing on the remarkable lives of Spain's most famous monarchs. In the 15th Century, Spain is full of intrigue and threatened by civil war.

Frivolous and reckless, she flouts the strict and demanding etiquette of the glittering court, and discovers the true nature of love, hate and jealousy. But the clouds of revolution are overhead, and Marie Antoinette, who only wishes to enjoy life, learns too late that the price of her enjoyment is very high...

No longer the well-beloved, Louis XV is becoming ever more unpopular - the huge expense of his court and decades of costly warfare having taken their toll. As the discontent grows, Louis seeks refuge in his extravagances and his mistress, the powerful Marquise de Pompadour.

France eagerly awaits the day the young King, Louis XV, comes of age and breaks free from the rule of his ministers. From the gentle persuasions of Madame de Mailley to her overtly ambitious sister, Madame Vintimille, France stands by and watches a King ruled by his women...

The news of Henry III's death reached his son Edward on the long road home from the Holy Land. Through all the years of his reign, through stark personal tragedy and chill forebodings as his son grew into a weak, corrupted price, Edward I strove to weld a nation united from England, Scotland and Wales.

Marguerite, eldest daughter of the Count of Provence, had married a king of France - and now her sister Eleanor is determined to make just as grand a match. A good and generous husband but a weak king, he rules a nation that still remembers his cruel and foolish father, King John.

The young Queen, as well has having to endure her constant pregnancies, is in perpetual revolt against any encroachment on her position - and Albert is doing just that. Despite attempts on her life and crises like the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, her family - Albert and their nine children - is her prime concern.

Yet the last years of her reign are to be momentous years. The court at Windsor, Balmoral, Osborne or Buckingham Palace is perpetually shocked by the Prince of Wales, forever in pursuit of horses, women and scandal, the heady harbinger of Edwardian years to come.

Edward the Second's first act on coming to the throne is to recall Piers Gaveston from exile, and the new king's devotion to the shrewd and avaricious young man soon becomes a scandal.

At the age of thirty-two, Richard the Lionheart has finally succeeded Henry II to the English throne. Leaving England to begin his crusade, Richard's kingdom is left in the hands of his brother, John, who casts covetous eyes on the crown, and his sister, Joanna, who is willing to defy even a king.

Whilst the young King Henry VIII basks in the pageants and games of his glittering court, his doting queen's health and fortunes fade. Henry's affection for his older wife soon strays, and the neglected Katherine decides to use her power as Queen to dangerous foreign advantage.

On the death of Henry the fifth, a nine-month-old baby is made King of England. Gloucester, a man of poor judgment, greedy for wealth and power, has other ideas. In Lancastrian England and war-torn France, there are three women whose lives are to have a marked effect on the future.

Jean Plaidy's Tudor series continues with the scandalous and heartbreaking story of Margaret Tudor, a princess who leaves England for Scotland and whose future was used to end war and unite kings. When King Henry VII negotiates peace with Scotland, his daughter's hand in marriage to James IV is the ultimate prize.

The stirring story of Henry VIII's final marriage, to Katharine Parr. Katharine Parr has unwittingly become the last pawn in King Henry VIII's ambitions for an heir.

Another splendid Tudor novel from Jean Plaidy - departing from her usual tales of passions and scandal in the court of Henry VIII, Saint Thomas's Eve tells the story of Sir Thomas More and his ambitious daughters. Henry VII once warned his son, the future King of England, not to trust Thomas More;

The fifth book in Jean Plaidy's Tudor series telling the tragic stories of two Queens betrayed and beheaded - Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Unlike Mary, Anne refuses to become even a King's mistress. So when Anne returns to the English court of Henry VIII, it is the King who is led a dance by this mysterious young beauty.