Alison Weir Popular Books

Alison Weir Biography & Facts

Alison Weir (née Matthews) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written numerous works of historical fiction.Her first work, Britain's Royal Families (published in 1989), was a genealogical overview of the British royal family. She subsequently wrote biographies of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France, Katherine Swynford, Elizabeth of York, and the Princes in the Tower. Other focuses have included Henry VIII and his family and England's Medieval Queens. Weir has published historical overviews of the Wars of the Roses and royal weddings, as well as historical fiction novels on English queens, including each wife of Henry VIII. Early life Weir was brought up in Westminster, London. She has been married to Rankin Weir since 1972, and now lives in Surrey. She described her mother as "a genuinely good person with heaps of integrity, strength of character, humour and wisdom, and has overcome life’s trials with commendable fortitude."Weir recalls how, at the age of fourteen, she read Lozania Prole's Henry's Golden Queen, a "really trashy" novel about the life of Catherine of Aragon. She then became interested in the field of history.She was educated at City of London School for Girls and North Western Polytechnic, becoming a history teacher. She opted to abandon teaching as a career after a disillusion with "trendy teaching methods", so she worked as a civil servant, and later as a housewife and mother. Between 1991 and 1997, she ran a school for children with learning difficulties. Career Non-fiction In the 1970s, Weir spent four years researching and writing a biography of the six wives of Henry VIII. Her work was deemed too long by publishers, and was consequently rejected. A revised version would be published in 1991 as her second book, The Six Wives of Henry VIII. In 1981, she wrote a book on Jane Seymour, which was again rejected by publishers, this time because it was too short. Weir finally became a published author in 1989 with Britain's Royal Families, a compilation of genealogical information about the British Royal Family. She had revised the work eight times over a twenty-two-year period, and decided that it might be "of interest to others". After organising it into chronological order, The Bodley Head agreed to publish it. Weir would not start writing full-time until the late 1990s. While running the school for children with learning difficulties, she published the non-fiction works The Princes in the Tower (1992), Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses (1995), and Children of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII (1996). Now writing books full-time, she produced Elizabeth the Queen (1998) (published in America as The Life of Elizabeth I), Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England (1999), Henry VIII: The King and His Court (2001), Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley (2003), and Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England (2005). Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and his Scandalous Duchess followed in 2007, and The Lady in The Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn in 2009. Traitors of the Tower came out in 2010. The following year, she completed The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings and Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings, the first full non-fiction biography of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn. In 2013 she published Elizabeth of York – A Tudor Queen and Her World, a biography on Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII. Weir has written two books on England's Medieval Queens: Queens of Conquest published in 2017 and Queens of the Crusades, published 5 November 2020 by Random House.Many of Weir's works deal with the Tudor period, which she considers "the most dramatic period in our history, with vivid, strong personalities... The Tudor period is the first one for which we have a rich visual record, with the growth of portraiture, and detailed sources on the private lives of kings and queens. This was an age that witnessed a growth in diplomacy and the spread of the printed word." Fiction Weir wrote historical novels while a teenager, and her novel in the genre of historical fiction, Innocent Traitor, based on the life of Lady Jane Grey, was published in 2006. When researching Eleanor of Aquitaine, Weir realised that it would "be very liberating to write a novel in which I could write what I wanted while keeping to the facts". She decided to make Jane Grey her focus because she "didn't have a very long life and there wasn't a great deal of material". She found the transition to fiction easy, explaining, "Every book is a learning curve, and you have to keep an open mind. I am sometimes asked to cut back on the historical facts in my novels, and there have been disagreements over whether they obstruct the narrative, but I do hold out for the history whenever I can."Her second novel is The Lady Elizabeth, which deals with the life of Queen Elizabeth I before her ascent to the throne. It was published in 2008 in the United Kingdom and United States. Her next novel, The Captive Queen, was released in the summer of 2010. Its subject, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had been the subject of a non-fiction biography by Weir in 1999.Traitors of the Tower is a novella written by Weir and published on World Book Day 2010. Working with Quick Reads and Skillswise, Weir has recorded the first chapter as a taster and introduction to get people back into the habit of reading. Weir published The Marriage Game, a historical novel featuring Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, in June 2014.In May 2016 her novel Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen was published, the first of a six-book series on the theme of Six Tudor Queens, each covering one of Henry VIII's six wives. The final novel in the series, Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife was published in May 2021. Writing style Weir's writings have been described as being in the genre of popular history, an area that sometimes attracts criticism from academia; according to one source, popular history "seeks to inform and entertain a large general audience... Dramatic storytelling often prevails over analysis, style over substance, simplicity over complexity, and grand generalization over careful qualification." Weir argues that "history is not the sole preserve of academics, although I have the utmost respect for those historians who undertake new research and contribute something new to our knowledge. History belongs to us all, and it can be accessed by us all. And if writing it in a way that is accessible and entertaining, as well as conscientiously researched, can be described as popular, then, yes, I am a popular historian, and am proud and happy to be one." Kathryn Hughes, writing in The Guardian, said of Weir's popular historian label, "To describe her as a popular historian would be to state a litera.... Discover the Alison Weir popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Alison Weir books.

Best Seller Alison Weir Books of 2024

  • A Marriage of Lions synopsis, comments

    A Marriage of Lions

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    The Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you know you are in for a sumptuous ride'Daily TelegraphEngland, 1238Raised at the court of King...

  • Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen synopsis, comments

    Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen

    Alison Weir

    Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir tells the tragic story of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, a nineteenyearold beauty with a hidden past, in this fifth novel in the sw...

  • Queens of the Age of Chivalry synopsis, comments

    Queens of the Age of Chivalry

    Alison Weir

    Packed with dramatic true stories from one of European history’s most romantic and turbulent eras, this epic narrative chronicles the five vividly rendered queens of the Plantagene...

  • Changeling synopsis, comments

    Changeling

    Philippa Gregory

    Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of this first in a fourbook teen series from the #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.The year is 1...

  • Cesare Borgia synopsis, comments

    Cesare Borgia

    Sarah Bradford

    THE FULL STORY BEHIND THE BORGIAS, NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA STARRING JEREMY IRONS'Either Caesar or nothing' was the motto of Cesare Borgia, whose name has long been synonymous with evi...

  • The Silken Rose synopsis, comments

    The Silken Rose

    Carol McGrath

    They called her the SheWolf From Provence. She'd shape the destiny of England ...Fans of Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Philippa Gregory, will devour this compelling new novel, star...

  • Charles I synopsis, comments

    Charles I

    Mark Kishlansky

    The tragedy of Charles I dominates one of the most strange and painful periods in British history as the whole island tore itself apart over a deadly, entangled series of religious...

  • Sisters of Treason synopsis, comments

    Sisters of Treason

    Elizabeth Fremantle

    From the author People called “a mustread for Philippa Gregory fans,” a “terrifically entertaining” (The Sunday Times, London) novel about two sisters who must survive life in the ...

  • The Languedoc Trilogy synopsis, comments

    The Languedoc Trilogy

    Kate Mosse

    Kate Mosse's internationally bestselling Languedoc Trilogy now in a single eBook format.LABYRINTH1209. Seventeenyearold Alaïs Pelletier is given a mysterious book by her father, w...

  • Daughters Of The Grail synopsis, comments

    Daughters Of The Grail

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    Thirteenth century France. Bridget has grown up mastering the mystical gifts of her ancestor, Mary Magdalene, whose unbroken female lineage has kept a legacy of wisdom alive for a...

  • The Swan-Daughter synopsis, comments

    The Swan-Daughter

    Carol McGrath

    'A wise and lyrical evocation of the lives of women in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest... A captivating read' SARAH BOWERThe second instalment in Carol McGrath's captivating T...

  • The Lady Elizabeth synopsis, comments

    The Lady Elizabeth

    Alison Weir

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER A masterful novel exploring the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen, from acclaimed historian Al...

  • Watch the Lady synopsis, comments

    Watch the Lady

    Elizabeth Fremantle

    From “a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction” (People), comes the mesmerizing story of Lady Penelope Devereuxthe daring young beauty in the Tudor court, who inspired ...

  • The Running Vixen synopsis, comments

    The Running Vixen

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    The beloved second book in The Wild Hunt series: stunning historical detail, beguiling characters and superb storytelling. A forbidden love takes England to the brink of war...1126...

  • The Passionate Tudor synopsis, comments

    The Passionate Tudor

    Alison Weir

    The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the dramatic and poignant life of King Henry VIII’s daughterinfamously known as Bloody Marywho ruled E...

  • The Last White Rose synopsis, comments

    The Last White Rose

    Alison Weir

    New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir explores the turbulent life of Henry VIII’s mother, Elizabeth, the first queen of the Tudor dynasty, in this “superbly readable a...

  • The Handfasted Wife synopsis, comments

    The Handfasted Wife

    Carol McGrath

    'Moving, and vastly informative, a real page turner of a historical novel' FAY WELDONThe first instalment in Carol McGrath's captivating The Daughters of Hastings trilogy!'This nov...

  • The Coming of the Wolf synopsis, comments

    The Coming of the Wolf

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    Shortlisted for the RNA Historical Romantic Novel AwardThe longawaited prequel to Elizabeth Chadwick's beloved first novel The Wild Hunt'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you ...

  • The Poison Bed synopsis, comments

    The Poison Bed

    Elizabeth Fremantle

    A spellbinding thriller set in the Jacobean Court of 1615 surrounding a famed couple imprisoned on suspicion of murderbut was it Lord Robert or Lady Frances who committed the crime...

  • The Love Knot synopsis, comments

    The Love Knot

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    The year is 1140 and England is torn by the strife of civil war. Oliver Pascal chances upon a village raided by mercenaries and rescues the survivors: an orphaned boy, who is the ...

  • Lives of Roman Christian Women synopsis, comments

    Lives of Roman Christian Women

    Carolinne White

    'Perpetua shouted out with joy as the sword pierced her, for she wanted to taste some of the pain and she even guided the hesitant hand of the trainee gladiator towards her own thr...

  • The History of the Franks synopsis, comments

    The History of the Franks

    Gregory Of Tours & Lewis Thorpe

    Written following the collapse of Rome's secular control over western Europe, the History of Gregory (c. AD 539594) is a fascinating exploration of the events that shaped sixthcent...

  • The Leopard Unleashed synopsis, comments

    The Leopard Unleashed

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    'Meticulous research and strong storytelling'Woman & Home The heartpounding end to The Wild Hunt series: stunning historical detail, beguiling characters and superb storytellin...

  • The Life of Elizabeth I synopsis, comments

    The Life of Elizabeth I

    Alison Weir

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An intimate, captivating portrait of Queen Elizabeth I that brings the enigmatic ruler to vivid life, from acclaimed biographer Alison Weir“An extraordin...

  • Viking Age Iceland synopsis, comments

    Viking Age Iceland

    Jesse Byock

    Medieval Iceland was unique amongst Western Europe, with no foreign policy, no defence forces, no king, no lords, no peasants and few battles. It should have been a utopia yet its ...

  • Pleasing Mr Pepys synopsis, comments

    Pleasing Mr Pepys

    Deborah Swift

    Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed ...

  • A Marriage of Fortune synopsis, comments

    A Marriage of Fortune

    Anne O'Brien

    'A compelling tale of a family caught up in the turmoil of the Wars of the Roses... Be warned: it's dangerously addictive' TRACY BORMANEngland. 1469.A fortunate marriage will chang...

  • The First Bohemians synopsis, comments

    The First Bohemians

    Vic Gatrell

    The colourful, salacious and sumptuously illustrated story of Covent Garden the creative heart of Georgian London from Wolfson Prizewinning author Vic GatrellSHORTLISTED FOR THE ...

  • Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II synopsis, comments

    Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II

    Paul Doherty

    The story of a queen known as 'the shewolf' and a fresh view of an infamous murder...In a colourful nonfiction narrative, which provides an evocative setting for a scramble for wea...

  • The Conquest of New Spain synopsis, comments

    The Conquest of New Spain

    Bernal Diaz Del Castillo & John Cohen

    Vivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a firstperson account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by the ruth...

  • Disobedient synopsis, comments

    Disobedient

    Elizabeth Fremantle

    A riveting novel based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschithe greatest female painter of the Renaissanceas she forges her own destiny in a world dominated by the will of men....

  • Russian Thinkers synopsis, comments

    Russian Thinkers

    Isaiah Berlin & Henry Hardy

    Few, if any, Englishlanguage critics have written as perceptively as Isaiah Berlin about Russian thought and culture. Russian Thinkers is his unique meditation on the impact that R...

  • The Irish Princess synopsis, comments

    The Irish Princess

    Elizabeth Chadwick

    Her father's only daughter. Her country's only hope. Ireland, 1152The King of Leinster, awaiting news of his newborn child, is disappointed to hear he has a daughter. Diarmait MacM...

  • The Hollow Crown synopsis, comments

    The Hollow Crown

    Miri Rubin

    There is no more haunting, compelling period in Britain's history than the later middle ages. The extraordinary kings Edward III and Henry V the great warriors, Richard II and He...

  • Anna of Kleve, The Princess in the Portrait synopsis, comments

    Anna of Kleve, The Princess in the Portrait

    Alison Weir

    The surprising and dramatic life of the least known of King Henry VIII’s wives is illuminated in the fourth volume in the Six Tudor Queens seriesfor fans of Philippa Gregory, Hilar...

  • The Stolen Crown synopsis, comments

    The Stolen Crown

    Carol McGrath

    'A superb book, illuminating a fascinating and turbulent era. It is the figure of Matilda who rightly commanded the stage in all her power and complexity' Nicola Cornick'Packed wit...

  • Queens of the Conquest synopsis, comments

    Queens of the Conquest

    Alison Weir

    In the first volume of an exciting new series, bestselling author Alison Weir brings the dramatic reigns of England’s medieval queens to life. The lives of England’s medieval queen...

  • The Betrothed Sister synopsis, comments

    The Betrothed Sister

    Carol McGrath

    'The Betrothed Sister is like one of its own rich embroideries, cut from the cloth of history and stitched with strange and passionate lives' EMMA DARWINThe final instalment in Car...

  • The Iron Wall synopsis, comments

    The Iron Wall

    Avi Shlaim

    Avi Shlaim's The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World is the outstanding book on Israeli foreign policy, now thoroughly updated with a new preface and chapters on Israel's most rec...

  • Mistress Cromwell synopsis, comments

    Mistress Cromwell

    Carol McGrath

    Did you love WOLF HALL, BRING UP THE BODIES and THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT? If so, you'll be gripped by MISTRESS CROMWELL: discover the powerful story of the woman in the shadows . ....

  • Innocent Traitor synopsis, comments

    Innocent Traitor

    Alison Weir

    “An impressive debut. Weir shows skill at plotting and maintaining tension, and she is clearly going to be a major player in the . . . historical fiction game.”The IndependentI am ...

  • Queens of Jerusalem synopsis, comments

    Queens of Jerusalem

    Katherine Pangonis

    The untold story of a trailblazing dynasty of royal women who ruled the Middle East  and how they persevered through instability and seize greater power.In 1187...

  • Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen synopsis, comments

    Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen

    Alison Weir

    Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic sixbook series in which each novel covers one of King He...