Lives of the Queens of England: From the Norman Conquest

by Agnes Strickland

The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge.Original Harper

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography

808 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1844

About the author

Agnes Strickland was an English historical writer and poet. She began her literary career with a poem, "Worcester Field," followed by "The Seven Ages of Woman and Demetrius."

Abandoning poetry, she produced Historical Tales of Illustrious British Children (1833), The Pilgrims of Walsingham (1835), and Tales and Stories from History (1836). Her chief works, however, are Lives of the Queens of England from the Norman Conquest and Lives of the Queens of Scotland, and English Princesses (8 vols., 1850–1859), Lives of the Bachelor Kings of England (1861), and Letters of Mary Queen of Scots, in some of which she was assisted by her sister Elizabeth. Strickland's researches were laborious and conscientious, and she remains a useful source. Her style is not as objective as most modern historians, but gives a valuable insight into the mores of her own time.

Most of the Strickland sisters' historical research and writing was done by Elizabeth. Elizabeth however refused all publicity and Agnes was put forward as author. Their biographical works are fine representations of the larger body of biographies written by Victorian women, a significant subset of Victorian biography with unique characteristics, including the focus on female subjects and inclusion of information that was more "social" in nature, such as dress, manners, and diet.

Reviews

[Adrienne Dillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strickland's prose is riveting and I must admit to really enjoying her witty and, often cutting, style. She certainly has her favorites and Jane Seymour is not one of them. This was written well before the efforts to rehabilitate Lady Rochford's reputation began so, of course, it contains the usual tropes about her...some quite obviously made out of whole cloth. No, Jane Boleyn did not confess to perjuring herself against her husband and sister-in-law on the scaffold. At least Jane is not blamed for Katherine Howard's dalliance with Culpeper. Her only crime is not better educating her mistress on the dangers of it. This is a must-read for anyone interested in seeing how the perceptions of Henry VIII's wives have changed over the last centuries.

[Kay Ellicott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. I have been looking for it for years and it didn't disappoint.