The Complete Tudor Novels, 1 - 9, 11 - Jean Plaidy Audiobook

Written by Jean Plaidy
Read by Jilly Bond, Clifford Norgate, Anne Flosnik, Rosalyn Landor, Canada Gubbins
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

This is an (almost) complete series…

There are eleven Tudor novels by Jean Plaidy in a series spanning sixteenth-century England. They are listed in chronological order, not publishing order. Three books are new downloads from Overdrive, all others were previously uploaded as torrents, all but one of them recorded by Isis Audio. One book, The Thistle and the Rose is RNIB/CBIB. It was very poor quality so got a cleanup. Many are uploaded as found. .

One book, 10. The Spanish Bridegroom (1954) aka For a Queen’s Love
May not have been recorded. It is not in the RNIB catalog.

1. To Hold the Crown Aka Uneasy Lies the Head (1982)
In this sweeping tale of marriage and power, love and heartbreak, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York’s troubled ascension to the throne of England ultimately launches the Tudor dynasty….NOTE, the last chapter is 17 NOT 18 as announced by the narrator.

2. Katharine of Aragon aka Katharine, the Virgin Widow (1961)
In the eyes of the world, Katharine of Aragon was a precious object to be disposed of for the glory of Spain. Her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, send her to England to become the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales. But soon her frail husband was dead, and a fateful question loomed: Was the marriage consummated, or was the young widow still a virgin? On that delicate point hinged Katharine’s—and England’s—future. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings was her willful, handsome brother-in-law, bold Prince Henry, who alone had the power to restore Katharine’s lost position—but at what cost?

3. The Shadow of the Pomegranate (1962) 08:49:27
The marriage of Katharine of Aragon and King Henry VIII was a right royal match. England loved the young lovers, but hardly were they wed when powerful people in Henry’s court were spinning webs of intrigue around the innocent royal pair. Spanish spies, the Pope’s men, the Queen’s seductive ladies-in-waiting, and especially the King’s brilliant advisor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey — all were obsessed with one question: Would Queen Katharine be able to give Henry the healthy son he so desperately wanted? Everything depended on the answer, especially the destiny of Queen Katharine herself.

4. The King’s Secret Matter (1962) 12:20:24
The twelve-year marriage of Henry and Katharine has declined from an idyllic union into an uneasy stalemate. The king’s love for his aging queen has grown cold, and he is angry with her failure to give him the heir to the throne he desperately wants. When the seductive Anne Boleyn arrives at court, the king is captivated by her dark beauty and bold spirit and becomes obsessed with the desire to possess her. With his chief advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, the king devises a secret plot to declare the marriage with Katharine null and void. But Katharine refuses to surrender to his wishes and fights desperately to retain her title and safeguard her daughter, Mary. The ensuing power struggle is one of the turning points in English history,

5. Murder Most Royal (1949) aka King’s Pleasure
One powerful king. Two tragic queens. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn and innocent Catherine Howard meet with the all-consuming—and fickle—passions of tempestuous King Henry VIII.

6. Saint Thomas’ Eve (1954) aka The King’s Confidante
The King’s servant, but God’s first. The English lawyer Sir Thomas More rises to become King Henry VIII’s most trusted advisor, but his refusal to recognize Henry as the supreme head of the Church of England ends his political career . . . and leads to his trial for treason.

7. The Sixth Wife (1953) abridged 5hrs 40min
Dangerous court intrigue and affairs of the heart collide during the story of Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six queens.

8. The Thistle and the Rose(1963)
The story of Princess Margaret Tudor, whose life of tragedy, bloodshed, and scandal would rival even that of her younger brother, Henry VIII.

Princess Margaret Tudor is the greatest prize when her father, Henry VII, negotiates the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with neighboring Scotland. The betrothal is meant to end decades of bloody border wars, but it becomes a love match: To Margaret’s surprise, she finds joy in her marriage to the dashing James IV of Scotland, a man sixteen years her senior. But the marriage, and the peace it brings to both nations, does not last. When King James is struck down by the armies of Henry VIII, Margaret—Princess of England, but Queen of Scotland—finds herself torn between loyalty to the land and family of her birth and to that of her baby son, now King of the Scots. She decides to remain in Scotland and carve out her own destiny, surviving a scandalous second marriage and battling with both her son and her brother to the very end. Like all the Tudors, Margaret’s life would be one of turmoil and controversy, but through her descendants, England and Scotland would unite as one nation, under one rule, and find peace.

9. Mary, Queen of France (1964)
The story of Princess Mary Tudor, a celebrated beauty and born rebel who would defy the most powerful king in Europe—her older brother Henry VIII, and one of the few people whom he adores unconditionally. Known throughout Europe for her charm and good looks, Mary is the golden child of the Tudor family and is granted her every wish.

Except when it comes to marriage. Henry VIII, locked in a political showdown with France, decides to offer up his pampered baby sister to secure peace between the two mighty kingdoms. Innocent, teenage Mary must become the wife of the elderly King Louis, a toothless, ailing man in his sixties. Horrified and furious, Mary has no choice but to sail for France. There she hones her political skills, bides her time, and remains secretly in love with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. When King Louis dies after only two years of marriage, Mary is determined not to be sold into another unhappy union. She must act quickly; if she wants to be with the man she truly loves, she must defy the laws of church and state by marrying without her brother’s permission. Together, Mary and Charles devise a scheme to outwit the most ruthless king in Europe and gain their hearts’ desire, not knowing if it will lead to marital bliss or certain death.

10. The Spanish Bridegroom (1954) aka For a Queen’s Love
I can not find reference to any recording.

Power-hungry monarch, cold-blooded murderer, obsessive monster—who could love such a man? Set against the glittering courts of sixteenth-century Europe, the Spain of the dreaded Inquisition, and the tortured England of Bloody Mary, this is the story of Philip II of Spain—and of the women who loved him as a husband and father.

11. Gay Lord Robert (1955) aka Lord Robert / A Favorite of the Queen: The Story of Lord Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I
Torn between her heart’s passion and duty to her kingdom, Elizabeth I must make a decision that will shape her country and place her name in history forever.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was the most powerful man in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Handsome and clever, he drew the interest of many women—but it was Elizabeth herself that loved him best of all. Their relationship could have culminated in marriage but for the existence of Amy Robsart, Robert’s tragic young wife, who stood between them and refused to be swept away to satisfy a monarch’s desire for a man that was not rightfully her own. But when Amy suddenly dies, under circumstances that many deem to be mysterious at best, the Queen and her lover are placed under a dark cloud of suspicion, and Elizabeth is forced to make a choice that will define her legacy.