Stories of the Tudors

Handsome, charismatic and a champion jouster, Sir Charles Brandon is the epitome of a Tudor Knight. A favourite of King Henry VIII, Brandon has a secret. He has fallen in love with Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, the beautiful widowed Queen of France, and risks everything to marry her without the King’s consent. Brandon becomes Duke of Suffolk, but his loyalty is tested fighting Henry’s wars in France. Mary’s public support for Queen Catherine of Aragon brings Brandon into dangerous conflict with the ambitious Boleyn family and the king’s new right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. Torn between duty to his family and loyalty to the king, Brandon faces an impossible decision: can he accept Anne Boleyn as his new queen? Links to all my books can be found at https://www.tonyriches.com/

What changed Henry VIII from a renaissance prince into the 'tyrant' we know in his later rule? In this podcast I take a look at the theories and evidence for the possible causes, as well as talk about some of the less well know facts about King Henry.

I chose to write about Mary Tudor, Queen of France, because I’d researched her birth and early life for Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy, about Mary’s father King Henry VII. In the trilogy I’d moved forward one generation with each book, so it appealed to me to write a ‘sequel’ which did the same. I’d become intrigued with Mary’s story of how she risked everything to defy her brother when he became King Henry VIII. My book Mary - Tudor Princess is available from Amazon in audiobook, eBook and paperback editions

Jasper Tudor escapes to Brittany with his young nephew, Henry Tudor. Then after the sudden death of King Edward and the mysterious disappearance of his sons, a new king, Edward’s brother Richard III takes the English Throne. With nothing but his wits and charm, Jasper sees his chance to make young Henry Tudor king with a daring and reckless invasion of England.

Welcome to the first of a series of short podcasts about the stories of the Tudors. My name is Tony Riches. I’m a historical fiction author and specialist in the early Tudors. These podcasts are about the stories I uncovered during my research. Find out more at my website www.tonyriches.com.