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Websites

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

People in History
www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/
History_n2/a.html
An excellent website that has biographies of key 16th-century individuals in areas such as culture, science and religion.

16th-century Renaissance
www.luminarium.org/renlit/
renaissanceinfo.htm
The 'Royalty' section of this site has a wide range of relevant links to biographies of all the 16th-century royals, as well as the poems of Elizabeth I and Henry VIII.

Books

Who's Who in Shakespeare's England by Alan Palmer and Veronica Palmer (Methuen, 2000) £12.99
More than 700 biographies of the leading figures of the Shakespearean era, not only in theatre and the arts, but also in politics and the Church.

Henry VII by S B Chrimes (Yale University Press, 1999) £15.95
A sound academic study that explores the first Tudor king's ability to reform the institutions of central government.

Henry VIII: King and court by Alison Weir (Jonathan Cape, 2001) £20
A detailed study that sets a personal biography of Henry VIII against the cultural, social and political background of his court.

The Private Life of Henry VIII by David Starkey (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000) £25
A lively and readable account of the intrigues of the court of Henry VIII.

Henry VIII by J J Scarisbrick (Yale University Press, 1997) £16.95
The classic biography, academic but still fresh and full of insights.

The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd (Vintage, 1999) £8.99
Well-written and accessible account of the politician who had to choose between his king and his God.

Edward VI by J Loach (Yale University Press, 1999) £25
An important academic study of the boy king and his regents.

Mary Tudor: A life by D M Loades (Blackwell, 1992) £17.99
How this pious and gentle woman aroused an antipathy that survives until the present is the central question in this biography.

Bloody Mary by Carolly Erickson (Robson Books, 2001) £8.99
Accessible account of the life and times of Mary I.

Elizabeth by David Starkey (Vintage, 2000) £7.99
Beautifully written and thrilling account of how the young Elizabeth survived the hazards of Tudor politics to become queen.

Queen Elizabeth I by J E Neale (Pimlico, 1998) £12.50. Currently out of print; may be available through libraries and specialist bookshops.
Although dated, this is a clear and scholarly account of the complex politics of the last Tudor sovereign.

The First Elizabeth by Carolly Erickson (Robson Books, 2001) £8.99
Popular account of the life and times of Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth and Essex by Lytton Strachey (Penguin, 2000) £4.99
Originally published in 1928, Strachey's waspish account is not completely accurate but does capture the spirit of court life at the end of the Tudor period.

Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser (Phoenix Press, 2001) £14.99
The best and most detailed biography of a historical figure who continues to capture the popular imagination.

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