NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For the first time in decades comes a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country. A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.Associated Press In 1485 young Henry Tudor whose claim to the throne was so weak as to be almost laughable crossed the English Channel from France at the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from the family that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half a century later his son Henry VIII desperate to rid himself of his first wife in order to marry a second launched a reign of terror aimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed of possessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generations of division and disorder creating a legacy of blood and betrayal that would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of his country. The boy king Edward VI a fervent believer in reforming the English church died before bringing to fruition his dream of a second English Reformation. Mary I the disgraced daughter of Catherine of Aragon tried and failed to reestablish the Catholic Church and produce an heir. And finally came Elizabeth I who devoted her life to creating an image of herself as Gloriana the Virgin Queen but behind that mask sacrificed all chance of personal happiness in order to survive. The Tudors weaves together all the sinners and saints the tragedies and triumphs the high dreams and dark crimes that reveal the Tudor era to be in its enthralling notorious truth as momentous and as fascinating as the fictions audiences have come to love. Praise for The Tudors A rich and vibrant tapestry.The StarLedger A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.Associated Press Energetic and comprehensive . . . a sweeping history of the gloriously infamou