THE WHITE PRINCESS

I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's books, so it will come as no surprise that I read her newest book, The White Princess, as soon as it was available. 

The White Princess is the latest entry in the Cousins' War series.  Caught between loyalties, the mother of the Tudors must choose between the red rose and the white.  Elizabeth of York, daughter of the White Queen, must marry Henry Tudor upon his victory on the battlefield.  When a young man leads his army and invades England, Elizabeth will have to choose between her husband and the boy who claims to be her lost brother.  This is the story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York: parents to King Henry VIII.

The Cousins' War Series:
The White Queen
The Red Queen
The Lady of the Rivers
The Kingmaker's Daughter
The White Princess

Want more historical fiction reads in the years prior to the Tudors reign? 

Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell - Nicholas Hook is haunted by what he has failed to do and banished for what he has done.  Now a wanted man in England, he fights as a mercenary archer in France.  After surviving the massacre at Soissons, he heads home to England.  Instead of a capture and death, he is discovered by Henry V, King of England and joins the royal army.  This leads Hook back to France as Henry attempts to claim the French crown.

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper takes place in a time of political unrest.  Varina Westcott, a candle maker for court and church, agrees to perform a secret service for Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII.  She will carve wax figures of four dead children: two of Elizabeth's children lost in infancy and her two brothers, the Princes of the Tower.  Then, news comes of the unexpected death of Prince Arthur, the heir to the throne.  Elizabeth suspects that Arthur was murdered and sends Varina to investigate.  As she uncovers one clue after another, she begins to fear that the conspiracy is more ambitious than the queen had imagined.
Looking for more information on the Cousins' War and/or the predecessors to the Tudor family?  Check out the nonfiction works below.

The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir: For much of the fifteenth century the Lancaster and York families were locked in battle for control of the British throne.  Kings were murdered and deposed and armies marched on London.  The war between these to royal houses is one of the longest and most complex in British history.

Elizabeth of York: the Mother of Henry the VIII by Nancy Lent Harvey is the biography of Elizabeth of York, daughter of a King and mother to another.

Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens by Lisa Hilton - England's medieval queens were instrumental in shaping the history of England.  From Matilda of Flanders, William the Conqueror's queen, to Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor consort, England's queens helped build the nature of the monarchy.  This work examines the lives of the twenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 and 1503.

The Year of Three Kings by Giles St. Aubyn takes a look at the House of York, more specifically the three rulers of 1483: Richard III, Edward IV, and Edward V.

Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the War of the Roses by Sarah Gristwood covers the histories of Margaret of Anjou (Henry VI), Cecily, Duchess of York, Elizabeth (Edward IV), Anne (Richard III),
Margaret of York (Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy), Elizabeth (Henry VII), and Margaret Beaufort.

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