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| About the Books |
Book One: A Matter of Conscience: the Aragon Years
‘A king must have sons: strong, healthy sons to rule after him.’
On the unexpected death of his brother, Arthur, Henry Tudor becomes heir to the throne of England. The intensive education that follows offers Henry a model for future excellence; a model that he is doomed to fail.
On his accession, he chooses his brother’s widow, Caterina of Aragon, to be his queen. Together they plan to reinstate the glory of days of old and fill the royal nursery with boys. But when their first-born son dies at just a few months old, and subsequent babies are born dead or perish in the womb, the king’s golden dreams are tarnished. Christendom mocks the virile prince. Caterina’s fertile years are ending yet all he has is one useless living daughter, and a baseborn son.
He needs a solution but stubborn to the end, Caterina refuses to step aside.
Book Two: A Matter of Faith: The Days of the Pheonix
Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII is now married to Anne Boleyn, and eagerly awaits the birth of his son. In a court still reeling from the royal divorce and amid growing resentment against church reform, Henry must negotiate widespread resentment toward Anne. But his lifelong dreams of a son to cement his Tudor bloodline are shattered when Anne is delivered of a daughter.
Burying his disappointment, Henry focuses on getting her with child again, but their marriage is volatile and, as Henry faces personal bereavement and discord at court, Anne’s enemies are gathering. When the queen miscarries of a son, and Henry suffers a life-threatening accident, his need for an heir becomes vital. Waiting in the wings is Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting, who offers the king respite from Anne’s fiery passions.
But, when Anne falls foul of her former ally, Thomas Cromwell, and the king is persuaded that Anne has made him a cuckold, Henry strikes out and the queen falls beneath the executioner’s sword, taking key players in Henry’s household with her.
Jane Seymour, stepping up to replace the fallen queen, quickly becomes pregnant. Delighted with his dull but fertile wife, Henry’s spirits rise even further when the prince is born safely. At last, Henry has all he desires, but even as he celebrates, fate is preparing to deliver one more staggering blow.
The virile young prince is now a damaged middle-aged man, disappointed in those around him but most of all in himself. As the king’s optimism diminishes, his intractability increases, and soon the wounded lion will begin to roar.
Book Three: A Matter of Time, the Dying of the Light
With youth now far behind him, King Henry VIII has only produced one infant son and two bastard daughters. More sons are essential to secure the Tudor line and with his third wife, Jane Seymour dead, Henry hunts for a suitable replacement.
After the break from Rome, trouble is brewing with France and Scotland. Thomas Cromwell arranges a diplomatic marriage with the sister of the Duke of Cleves but when it comes to women, Henry is fastidious, and the new bride does not please him. The increasingly unpredictable king sets his sights instead upon Katherine Howard and instructs Cromwell to free him from the match with Cleves. Failure to rid the king of his unloved wife could cost Cromwell his head.
Henry, now ailing and ageing, is invigorated by his flighty new bride but despite the favours he heaps upon her, he cannot win Katherine’s heart. A little over a year later, broken by her infidelity, she becomes the second of his wives to die on the scaffold, leaving Henry friendless and alone.
But his stout heart will not surrender and leaving his sixth wife, Katheryn Parr, installed as regent over England, Henry embarks on a final war to win back territories lost to the French more than a century before. Hungry for glory, the king is determined that the name Henry VIII will shine brighter and longer than that of his hero, Henry V.
Told from the king’s perspective, The Henrician Chronicle shines a torch into the heart and mind of England’s most tyrannical king.
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Judith Arnopp – Author Biography
A lifelong history enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds a BA in English/Creative writing and a Masters in Medieval Studies. She lives on the coast of West Wales where she writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is best known for her novels set in the Medieval and Tudor period, focussing on the perspective of historical women but recently she has written a trilogy from the perspective of Henry VIII himself.
Judith is also a founder member of a re-enactment group called The Fyne Companye of Cambria which is when and why she began to experiment with sewing historical garments. She now makes clothes and accessories both for the group and others. She is not a professionally trained sewer but through trial, error and determination has learned how to make authentic looking, if not strictly historically accurate clothing. A non-fiction book about Tudor clothing, How to Dress like a Tudor, was published in 2023 by Pen and Sword.
She runs a small seaside holiday let in Aberporth and when she has time for fun, likes to garden and restore antique doll’s houses. You can find her on most social media platforms.
Her novels include:
A Song of Sixpence: the story of Elizabeth of York
The Beaufort Chronicle: the life of Lady Margaret Beaufort (three book series)
A Matter of Conscience:
Henry VIII, the Aragon Years (Book One of The Henrician Chronicle)
A Matter of Faith:
Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix (Book Two of The Henrician Chronicle)
A Matter of Time:
Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light (Book Three of The Henrician Chronicle)
The Kiss of the Concubine:
a story of Anne Boleyn
The Winchester Goose:
at the court of Henry VIII
Intractable Heart:
the story of Katheryn Parr
Sisters of Arden:
on the Pilgrimage of Grace
The Heretic Wind:
the life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England
Peaceweaver
The Forest Dwellers
The Song of Heledd
The Book of Thornhold
A Daughter of Warwick: the story of Anne Neville, Queen of Richard III
Marguerite: Hell Hath no Fury (Coming soon)
Webpage:
Amazon Author Page:
Blog:
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STEP INTO THE PAST WITH
3rd October J G (Jane) Harlond
4th October Susan Grossey
5th October Carol Westron
10th October Judith Arnopp
11th October Anna Belfrage
12th October Elizabeth St.John
13th October Nancy Jardine
14th October Helen Hollick
15th October Derek Birks
16th October Cathie Dunn
17th October Amy Maroney
18th October Tony Riches
19th October Cryssa Bazos
20th October C.C (Chris) Humphreys
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| Amazon: FREE ebook! |
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NON-FICTION
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Thank you for hosting me Helen. I really appreciate the support x
ReplyDeleteMy absolute pleasure Judith :-)
DeleteQuite the challenge, to tell Henry's story from his POV! A challenge I am sure you handle magnificently - at least to judge from the excerpts I've read.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna, I put of tackling Henry for years but once I started writing He and I quickly came to an understanding - ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna, Henry VIII is not an easy subject choice, but you handled him very well!
Delete