Helen Castor Ordre des livres (chronologique)

The narrative delves into the intense rivalry between Richard II and Henry IV, two cousins whose contrasting personalities shaped a tumultuous period in English history. Richard, a narcissistic ruler, and Henry, a charismatic leader, found their fates intertwined from childhood. As Richard's tyrannical rule led to Henry's exile, their conflict escalated into a dramatic confrontation that threatened the very fabric of the nation. Helen Castor's storytelling captures the complexities of power, masculinity, and ambition, revealing how their intertwined destinies led to profound consequences for England.

Focusing on the historical context, this biography presents Joan of Arc as a dynamic young woman rather than just a legendary figure. Helen Castor vividly depicts her as a fierce warrior involved in the struggles against the English and the internal conflicts of fifteenth-century France, offering readers an engaging and nuanced portrait of her life and the tumultuous times she navigated.

Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible format In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. The Virgin Queen ruled over a Golden Age: the Spanish Armada was defeated; English explorers reached the ends of the earth; a new Church of England rose from the ashes of past conflict; the English Renaissance bloomed in the genius of Shakespeare, Spenser and Sidney. But the image is also armour. In this illuminating new account of Elizabeth's reign, Helen Castor shows how England's iconic queen was shaped by profound and enduring insecurity-an insecurity which was both a matter of practical political reality and personal psychology. From her precarious upbringing at the whim of a brutal, capricious father and her perilous accession after his death, to the religious division that marred her state and the failure to marry that threatened her line, Elizabeth lived under constant threat. But, facing down her enemies with a compellingly inscrutable public persona, the last and greatest of the Tudor monarchs would become a timeless, fearless queen.

With the death of Edward VI in 1553, England, for the first time, would have a reigning queen. The question was: Who? Four women stood upon the crest of history: Katherine of Aragon’s daughter, Mary; Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth; Mary, Queen of Scots; and Lady Jane Grey. But over the centuries, other exceptional women had struggled to push the boundaries of their authority and influence—and been vilified as “she-wolves” for their ambitions. Revealed in vivid detail, the stories of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France, Margaret of Anjou, and the Empress Matilda expose the paradox that England’s next female leaders would confront as the Tudor throne lay before them—man ruled woman, but these women sought to rule a nation.