If like me you’ve been in lockdown (I have underlining health conditions so have had to completely shield since I came out of hospital at the end of March), then I imagine you’ve had to find ways to fill your time! I’ve watched a lot of films (thank god for Netflix, Amazon Prime & Disney+), done some painting here and there and been able to catch up on a load of reading! It’s been such a pleasure to re-read some of my old favourites and I have to confess I also brought a few new history books to add to my collection! In this post I’ll be revealing some of my old favourites and whether I loved them as much as the first time(s) I read them and I’ll also show you my recent buys!
This book in my humble opinion is the ultimate Anne Boleyn biography. There are SO many out there, some good some not so good. This book covers everything, from her childhood at Hever to her later childhood in the courts of France and the Netherlands, all to the halls of Whitehall where Henry courted her to the altar of Westminster Abbey where she was crowned and finally to the Tower of London where she was imprisoned and executed. It’s an incredibly rich biography that doesn’t just explore one period of Anne’s life but encompasses her entire history which I think adds to the Anne that Ives manages to portray, an Anne that I think is as close as is possible to the real Anne, a feat in itself considering the lack of solid evidence about her (we’re not even sure the year she was born!!). Often when I’ve read biographies of Anne, the writer focuses on one aspect of Anne i.e Anne the Seductress or Anne the Reformer, rather than successfully portraying the multi-faceted nature of the woman. Ives however does and I particularly love how he manages to convey how deeply principled and religious Anne actually was; her piety is often lost in the accusations of being a home wrecker and the comparisons to her predecessor the super-Catholic Catherine of Aragon. The research is excellent and the way he intertwines the contemporary and secondary sources into the narrative is superb. Whenever I want to find out a particular detail about Anne, this is the biography I go back to however its been a while since I read the whole thing in it’s entirety, and I’m so glad I did. 10/10, one of my favourites by far!!
So I suppose it’s not really a history book BUT here is some evidence that The Iliad is perhaps based on Greek-Trojan wars that took place; obviously the overall storyline of the epic is fictional but it arguably does have some historical basis. As you can see my copy is pretty old and battered, mostly because I’ve read it so many times, although I also vaguely remember it being thrown around a field when I was at college hence the state of it! I did Classics at college and spent two years studying this epic. I absolutely love it. Many of you will know the film Troy (2004) and the mini-series The Fall of Troy (2018) and I think decades ago there was also a Doctor Who episode about it, but this book is the original text on which those films/tv shows are based . The difference between adaptations and the original is that the book is so much more detailed and so rich with references to other aspects of classical mythology. As with adaptions of other classics, chapters of the book and certain events are usually omitted; due to the complexities of the book I understand why but I do wish an adaption would involve every chapter and every event. The other difference is that in most adaptions, the gods either do not appear or have a limited role. In the book there are whole chapters dedicated to the actions of the gods and interactions between the gods and mortals. The sections of the book about the gods are potentially my favourite and ultimately add to the other chapters that are focused on the mortals because you see how many of their choices are not actually theirs. The gods ultimately decide their fate. It’s beautiful and epic and tragic and I love it. The book is admittedly very heavy and it’s certainly not for everybody but if you have an interest in mythology or classical literature than this might be for you!
They say behind every great man is a greater woman. Sometimes however that woman isn’t a queen or a wife or a mother. Sometimes that woman is a mistress. The occupation of mistress is one of the oldest in the world especially in the realm of popes and kings and this book is about a plethora of women that held that particular occupation with each chapter focusing on a different aspect. One chapter is dedicated to the the political power that some mistresses achieve, whilst another chapter focuses on siring the children of the king and another focuses on the relationship between the mistress and the queen. The chapters are all different and equally fascinating and really explore all the different facets of being a royal mistress. Some of my favourite historical women are included such as Madame de Montespan (chief mistress of Louis XIV of France) and Barbara Villiers Duchess of Cleveland (chief mistress of Charles II of England), both of whom feature heavily. This book is great because it really shows you how historically women have had to wield power in a very specific way, and how sexuality often plays into that. The author Eleanor Herman does it in a way that’s not too academic and she manages to include tons of gossipy scandalous tidbits to keep you entertained! I have to say, every time I’ve read this book, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not the most academic but it’s both historical and fun. There’s a male equivalent titled “Sex with Queens” which I plan on ordering and reading; Queen regnants having lovers is obviously far less prevalent than kings having lovers (thanks patriarchy) but there are some notable male favourites (hello Robert Dudley & Alexei Razumovsky) who I’m sure will be featured!
Not strictly a history book however like The Iliad, it has a historical setting and was written in that specific period so I’m including it! Pride & Prejudice needs no introductions as it’s arguably Austen’s most famous book. It’s hands down my favourite fictional book, has been for years and not just because of the mini-series & film though I adore both! I can’t remember the first time I read this book but I do remember loving Elizabeth Bennett in a way that I had loved very few fictional characters. She’s such a favourite and I will always love the progression of her relationship with Darcy. The Bennett family are also chaotic and wonderful and amuse me every time. The book is just so good and I will never tire of it. If you haven’t already, read it!!
Isabella of France, later Queen & Regent of England is a historical figure that I’ve always been fascinated by. I mean anyone known as the “She Wolf of France” sounds pretty cool in my opinion. The problem is, she’s a very polarising figure and she’s often portrayed as a complete villain. My friend suggested this biography as she’s read it and enjoyed it so I’m looking forward to seeing if Alison Weir falls into the usual trap of vilifying Isabella or if she can accurately portray all of Isabella’s complexity. Once I’ve finished reading my current book, this is the one I’ll be starting!
I have to confess I know very, very little about the Scottish monarchy, and most of my knowledge about it is from the marriage of Margaret Tudor onwards and the whole Mary Stuart fiasco. As you can tell from the title, his book is about the Queens (both consort, regnant & regent) that shaped Scotland from 1034 until the death of Queen Anne in 1714. I was disappointed with myself when I went through all the names and realised I actually know very few. Scotland has a very complex history and these women all played pivotal roles so I’m quite excited to learn as much as I can about them. As a side note, I was actually inspired to buy this book after coming across a tumblr inspired by Scottish royals and noble-women, so if you want to know more, here’s the link: https://scotlandsladies.tumblr.com/
Thank you for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it!! From now on posts should be a little regular – in fact I’m already working on the next one. See you soon
Alexandra x
The Monstrous Regiment of Women 
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