April 1579. When two ships meet off the Pacific coast of New Spain, an enslaved woman seizes the chance to escape. But Maria has unwittingly joined Francis Drake’s circumnavigation voyage as he sets sail on a secret detour into the far north. Sailing into the unknown on the Golden Hind, a lone woman among 80 […]
Maria: the African woman who sailed with Drake on the Golden Hind
Nikki Marmery, the author of On Wilder Seas, was inspired by a throwaway line in a 16th-century manuscript to resurrect the hidden life of an African woman taken on board the Golden Hind as spoils of – if not war, then piracy. She tells Historia how she reconstructed Maria’s life. On Wilder Seas is the […]
Thomas Howard, the man behind the Tudors
Thomas Howard, a minor East Anglian landowner’s son, survived the Wars of the Roses and the reigns of six kings to become Duke of Norfolk and, arguably, one of the most influential figures of the early Tudor period. Yet his achievements have been largely forgotten 500 years after his death. His biographer, Kirsten Claiden-Yardley, aims […]
The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson
Elizabeth of York, her life already tainted by dishonour and tragedy, is now queen to the first Tudor king, Henry the VII. Joan Vaux, servant of the court, straining against marriage and motherhood and privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and her senses, […]
Destiny’s Tide by JD Davies
Jack Stannard has spent his whole life at sea, enduring savage beatings from his father and the furious aggression of whip-cracking storms. But a more cruel and dangerous foe is on the horizon. When Henry VIII dissolves the monasteries and wages war against France and Scotland simultaneously, Jack must take up his family destiny at the head […]
All at sea in Tudor England
The Tudor navy and its complications were an inspiration for award-winning historian and novelist JD Davies. He tells Historia about researching his new novel, Destiny’s Tide.
The Serpent’s Mark by SW Perry
The Serpent’s Mark by SW Perry
Historia interviews: Alison Weir
Historia interviews author Alison Weir about her novel Anna of Kleve