Faithful Traitor: Now Available for Pre-Order!

Margaret Pole is no stranger to fortune's wheel. From her childhood as firstborn of the heir apparent of England, she was brought low as the daughter of a traitor. After years of turmoil as the Tudor dynasty made its roots, Margaret finds favor with her cousin, King Henry VIII. 

Will the remnant of the York dynasty thrive under this tempestuous king or will Margaret discover that there is a price to pay for having an excess of royal blood? 

Step into Tudor England . . . .

Why Children Love the Titanic

As a voracious reader who has loved history for as long as I can remember, I could not resist the temptation to write a historical fiction book for children. The inspiration for Over the Deep is obviously the tragedy of the Titanic, but it is also more than that. I wanted to look at this ship and its only voyage from the point of view of a child, so that my young readers would feel as though they were on board.

From years of experience with my own children and volunteering in their school library, I knew that young readers are drawn to nonfiction much more than many parents give them credit for. While light reads such as Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid would sell like hotcakes at book fairs, children made different selections when they entered the library on their own. Sure, these fun graphic novels still flew off the shelves, but a stunning number of children choose books about animals, historic figures, and places they've never seen. One of the most popular topics: the Titanic.

The story of the Titanic has captivated several generations at this point, and the youngest is no exception. When I work with preschoolers, those 32 page easy readers on the Titanic get dog-eared and worn in no time. With poor immigrants, rich icons of the age, and the builders of the greatest ship of all time on board, the Titanic offers a story to captivate any reader, young or old. Of course, what the younger readers are looking for is not the romanticized story that we get in the major motion picture, so Over the Deep is something quite different.

Understanding children's love of fun facts, I have injected Over the Deep with tidbits about the historical figures on board, facts about the ship itself, and a timeline of actual events. These are told through the character of Edwin, a 10 year old Welsh boy who has a personal story to go along with his exploration of this great engineering marvel. This balanced blend of facts and fiction was created to appeal to kids, sparking their interest in reading and history. Through Edwin, readers are taken on a tour of the great ship and learn about the people, resources, and planning that went into it. And they see it all fall apart.

If you have a child who loves history, adventure, or survival stories, they will love Over the Deep. For a limited time, you can get it on Kindle for only 99c/99p!

The Quiet Strength of Elizabeth of York

Elizabeth of York is a name that is not widely known outside of the circles of history enthusiasts. Those of us that know and love her recognize the importance of the decisions that she made and the role that she played, even if that role was one that left her in the background. Elizabeth's personal decision to choose peace and the greater good of her kingdom over personal glory and ambition was vital to England's future and was a form of self sacrifice that few of her ancestors had been willing to make.

The Wars of the Roses began due to familial infighting between the descendants of Edward III, each certain that they would be more capable of leading the kingdom but also hungry for the riches and power that the monarchy would bring them. Two child kings, Richard II and Henry VI, proved themselves unable to successfully rule or to hold on to their power in the face of violent enemies. Once Henry IV demonstrated that the throne was up for grabs when he deposed his cousin Richard, he set a dangerous precedent that would eventually end the Plantagenet dynasty.

Battle of Towton (Graham Turner):
pivotal victory for Elizabeth's father, Edward IV

When this happened and the last Plantagenet king was killed on the battlefield near Bosworth, Elizabeth of York was left as the York heiress betrothed to the conquering Tudor king. While one might argue that Elizabeth had little choice over whether or not to marry Henry Tudor, the decisions that she did make demonstrated her support of him and his claim.

She did not press her own family's claim. This may seem like a minor point at a time when women were expected to stay home and bear heirs, but it was far from the world that Elizabeth had been raised in. From the times that her family had to enter sanctuary due to the vicious forces of Margaret of Anjou to the political scheming of her own mother, Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York had not been raised to believe that royal women had no power.

Tower of London

Even if she did not wish to rally troops to herself, Elizabeth had a number of options besides submitting to a Tudor husband and mothering a new dynasty. We have no way of knowing what she believed to be true of her brothers at this time. Some believed them to be dead at the hand of her uncle, Richard III, and she does not seem to believe that she was usurping their position. Therefore, we will assume that she believed them dead. That still left Edward of Warwick, Elizabeth's cousin and son of George of Clarence, as the male with the most royal blood coursing through his veins. Unfortunately, he was young and his father had been executed for treason. That would not have made it impossible for Elizabeth to be more insistent upon his rights, but she was not - even when Henry had young Edward imprisoned within the Tower.

The de la Pole brothers, the oldest of which had been Richard III's heir after the death of his son, were also strong possibilities. In fact, John de la Pole did later rebel against Henry VII, but not with Elizabeth's support. She chose peace over rallying behind her York cousins and was committed to creating a thriving new dynasty that would largely forget about her.

York Princesses

Despite Elizabeth's efforts, the Tudor dynasty would quickly die out. Her infamous son, Henry VIII, shocked the world with his reformation of the English church, many marriages, and failure to leave a robust son to carry on his name. Would his reign have been the bloody tragedy that it became if Elizabeth had survived longer to train him in a quieter and more peaceful method of rule? His daughter, Elizabeth I, named for her grandmother and much more famous, would prove the final blow to the Tudor dynasty by refusing to marry or even name a successor for her crown. She left the kingdom ripe for civil war that her grandmother had worked so tirelessly to end.

Perhaps this Plantagenet princess who became a Tudor queen deserves a bit more credit for her quiet strength that saved England from more bloody battles for supremacy.

Read more about Elizabeth of York in Plantagenet Princess Tudor Queen.

Available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook.

FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

What Killed Elizabeth of York?

Elizabeth of York
Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

On February 11, 1503, her thirty-seventh birthday, Elizabeth of York died just days after giving birth to her eighth child. The baby girl had been named Catherine, which seems appropriate considering it is likely that her parents decided to have another child when their firstborn son, Arthur, died unexpectedly. He had been briefly married to Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VII was left with his only remaining son, another Henry, as his heir. A single son was a shaky foundation to build a dynasty upon. Therefore, Elizabeth risked another pregnancy, despite problems experienced with earlier confinements. The risk proved an unrewarding one when the child was born a girl and even more so when both mother and baby died within days.

It is easy to assume that Elizabeth of York died from what was termed childbed fever, as so many woman of her time did. Unsanitary conditions and limited understanding of what caused infection often resulted in the introduction of infection to the womb by efforts intended for healing. Other treatments, such as bleeding, often only made a patient's health decline more quickly. There are reasons to believe that Elizabeth's death was not quite so simply explained.

Evidence of illness long before Elizabeth's labor brings into question the diagnosis of childbed fever in this case. It could be that another complication besides infection, but just as treatable in our modern age, was Elizabeth's true cause of death. Some pieces of evidence that we can look at include Elizabeth's complications with previous pregnancies, her actions during her last pregnancy, and her medical complaints that do not fit a case of childbed fever.

Prince Arthur Tudor

Only eight months after the royal wedding, Elizabeth had given birth to Prince Arthur, a baby expected to complete the healing and unification begun by his parents. It is recorded that Elizabeth suffered an ague after his birth. This vague description tells us only that she suffered a fever of unknown severity. The situation was apparently more serious in 1499 when she gave birth to Prince Edmund. Whatever difficulties took place, it is recorded that there had been "much fear for her life." It is after this that Elizabeth does not risk another pregnancy until the death of Prince Arthur brings about a change of heart.

Although Elizabeth believed it was right and even her duty to provide England with another prince, there is evidence that she struggled with doing so long before her labor came early. In November and December of 1502, records show that Elizabeth paid for visits from medical professionals. Whether this was due to concerns for the child, herself, or both, is unknown. Even more telling, the pious queen employed the skills of an astrologer, something that she had not done before. She seemed to be looking for additional reassurance that she and her child would thrive.

Tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
Photo Credit: Westminster Abbey

Despite the fact that she may not have been in optimal health, Elizabeth undertook a progress during her pregnancy, almost as though she felt she were running out of time. She had not previously traveled often without her husband, and her route took her on an unusual course. Delays in her itinerary due to poor health indicate that Elizabeth's problems began long before she reached the birthing room. Could something as simple as anemia have resulted in the first Tudor queen's fatigue, headaches, and inability to resist infection? This is proposed in Alison Weir's Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and her World, and it fits what we know of Elizabeth rather well. It is heartbreaking to think that such a mundane health issue could have led to her death.

Elizabeth was forced to give birth within the confines of the Tower of London, a location that was most assuredly not her first choice given the disappearance of her brothers from that place two decades earlier and her cousin Edward of Warwick's controversial imprisonment and execution more recently. When she went into premature labor, her prepared confinement rooms at Richmond went unused and a Tower chamber was secured for her. After her death, Henry had Elizabeth laid to rest in the Lady chapel at Westminster, which Henry had just decided to rework to include a tomb a month earlier. When he died in 1509, Henry joined her there, having never remarried.

Historic Places: Liverpool

Compared to some cities in Britain, Liverpool may be relatively young. It is not listed in King William's Domesday book as a surprising number of modern cities are. The Liverpool and surrounding area is simply referred to as West Derby Hundred, a hundred being made up of 100 'hides' or the amount of land necessary to support a family. The Conqueror sent Roger de Poitou to provide Norman control over Liverpool and Manchester. His motte and bailey castle was sure evidence that the Normans had arrived in Derby.

The city of Liverpool was officially founded somewhat later in 1207, drawing people from the surrounding countryside into the bustling market town. Little evidence is seen of this early settlement today. The wooden castle has long since disappeared, abandoned when King John issued the city charter. Liverpool is left with many street names that point to its medieval past, such as the Castle Street that used to lead to its namesake.

During the Georgian era, the muddy pool that gave the city its name was filled in to make room for greater industry. Anyone who lived there before the 18th century would certainly not recognize it today with gargantuan brick warehouses lining the Mersey and sprawling homes and businesses that caused the city population to grow to 15 times its size from 1700 to 1800. Shipping in the famous Triangle Trade filled Liverpool with a new class of wealthy merchants who built impressive Georgian mansions, many of which can still be seen today. Sugar brought in from the West Indies during this time led to a Liverpool doctor being the first to diagnose a well known modern disease: diabetes.

Adolf Hitler spent time in Liverpool before World War I, visiting his brother's family who lived there. He stayed long enough to be rejected by several of Liverpool's art schools and be advised by his sister-in-law to trim his mustache into the one we would recognize. Around 1913, Adolf's brother left his wife in Liverpool to join his brother in Germany. His wife took their son and immigrated to America, where he would later join the army in the fight against his uncle. Isn't history fun?

Anyway, back to Liverpool.

The Liverpool of today is an eclectic mix of old and new. Since more people tend to be interested in more recent pop culture than my own favored eras, you cannot enter Liverpool without hearing stories about the Beatles. We visited The Cavern, where the Beatles put on performances before their crowds grew far too large for the venue. A trip to Strawberry Field and Penny Lane were also on our touristy must do list. We even passed the shelter in the middle of the roundabout. (I couldn't help but wonder what all the local school children thought of buses filled with people stopping every day to take pictures with a street sign.)

Before visiting, I did not realize that Liverpool is the home of the largest cathedral in Britain. It is a quite different structure than the medieval churches that come to mind when one thinks of cathedrals, though it is built in a throwback style. It is difficult to comprehend the scale of this enormous church, until you notice the people standing outside that appear ant-sized compared to the soaring cathedral walls. It was built between 1901-1978 in various phases as the congregation could afford construction. The result is breathtaking. We happened to be going by in the evening.

With only one afternoon to spend in Liverpool, we did a whirlwind tour and prepared to head for the Lake District.