Ever since I read Elizabeth I: The Red Rose of the House of Tudor from The Royal Diaries middle grade series in 4th grade, I have always been interested in Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII, and the rest of the Tudor Dynasty. I always love reading historical fiction as well as non-fictional biographies about the political and religious upheaval of the Tudor court as well as how they affected the lives of England’s people of the era.
Nonfiction Recs
Fires of Faith: The Coming Forth of the King James Bible by Lee Groberg, Mark Goodman, and Mitch Davis – This picture book follows a documentary DVD made by BYU about the reformers and martyrs during the turbulent reigns of the Tudor monarchs.
Henry: The Prince Who would Turn Tyrant by David Starkey – An account that follows the King Henry VIII that we are not too familiar with; his early years where he fought jousts, combatted in battle, and assumed a crown that once belonged to his elder brother.
Margaret Tudor: The Life of Henry VIII’s Sister by Melanie Clegg – Read about the life of one of the lesser known, yet powerful women of the Tudor Era, one of the sisters of King Henry VIII.
The Plantagenets, The Kings Who Made England by Dan Jones – Read about where the Tudor Dynasty began during the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Plantagenet and York.
The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir – One of the best accounts Tudor history I have read, this book gives great detail about the lives and challenges faced by the four heirs of Henry VIII: Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
Fiction Recs
Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey by Nicola Tallis – Learn about the brief rise and dreadful fall of the seventeen year-old, nine-day queen Jane Grey in this gripping tale.
Doomed Queen Anne (Book #3 in the Young Royals series) by Carolyn Meyer – This middle reader is a good introduction to the life and fall of Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, who was the first queen of England to be executed.
The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick – Read a tale that re-imagines the fate of the disappearance of the daughter of Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife Katherine Parr and her fourth husband Thomas Seymour. This story spans between the Tudor Era and the present-day.
The Thistle and The Rose (Book #8 in the Tudor Saga) by Jean Plaidy – Famous Tudor historian and author Jean Plaidy writes a gripping account of Henry VIII’s sister Margaret and her Scottish alliance.
The Six Tudor Queens Saga by Alison Weir – These novels are from the first-person POV’s of each of the six wives of Henry VIII. Not only is this a good way to learn about each of the women who influenced England during the Tudor Era, but also the history of the period.
Books Written from Era
Book of Martyrs by John Foxe – Protestant reformer John Foxe outlines accounts of the religious reformers of the 16th century and the sacrifices they made for their beliefs.
The Lamentation of A Sinner by Queen Katherine Parr – This was a famous book presented by the sixth wife of Henry VIII Katherine Parr to her husband in the year in 1547.
Shakespeare’s Sonnets by William Shakespeare – A collection of sonnets from the most famous writer/playwright of the age published the final year of the Tudor reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
The Works of Sir Walter Raleigh by Walter Raleigh – This site lists the selected collection of writings by a famous explorer of the age and one of Queen Elizabeth I’s court favorites.
Utopia by Sir Thomas More – This 1516 classic by one of the greatest humanist’s of Henry VIII’s reign highlights the moral corruptness of society and outlined examples for possible reform.
Ashley Weaver 