September 2011
On Sale: September 13, 2011
Featuring: Margaret Beaufort; Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford; Elizabeth Woodville
288 pages ISBN: 1451629540 EAN: 9781451629545 Kindle: B004IK9888 Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa
Gregory teams with two eminent historians to explore the
historical characters in the real-life world behind her Wars
of the Roses novels.
PHILIPPA GREGORY and her fellow
historians describe the extraordinary lives of the heroines
of her Cousins’ War books: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford;
Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV; and Margaret
Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.
In her essay on
Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents,
archaeology, and histories of myth and witchcraft to create
the first-ever biography of the young duchess who survived
two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two
rival courts. David Baldwin, established authority on the
Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville,
the first commoner to marry a king of England for love; and
Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society,
writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of
the House of Tudor.
In the introduction, Gregory
writes revealingly about the differences between history and
historical fiction. How much of a role does speculation play
in writing each? How much fiction and how much fact should
there be in a historical novel? How are female historians
changing our view of women in history?
The Women
of the Cousins’ War is beautifully illustrated with rare
portraits and source materials. As well as offering
fascinating insights into the inspirations behind Philippa
Gregory’s fiction, it will appeal to all with an interest in
this period.