Tracy Borman Books in Order

This biography follows Henrietta Howard, who became George II's mistress while serving his queen. Borman explores her difficult marriage, place within the royal household and efforts to find independence in a court governed by influence and personal loyalty.

Borman examines Elizabeth I through the women who shaped her life, from Anne Boleyn and her childhood guardians to rivals and trusted attendants. Their relationships reveal how the queen's character and political choices developed within a wider female world.

This biography reconstructs the life of Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, from limited medieval evidence. It explores her political influence, family relationships and independence, considering how her ambitions helped shape and strain the emerging Norman dynasty.

The deaths of the Earl of Rutland's sons at Belvoir Castle lead to accusations of witchcraft in early seventeenth-century England. Borman investigates the case within a wider culture of fear, religious tension and powerful political interests.

Borman traces Thomas Cromwell's rise from modest origins to become Henry VIII's chief minister. Examining his political influence alongside his private life, the biography follows the ambitions and decisions that transformed England and left him exposed to royal power.

This illustrated history follows the Tower of London from its Norman beginnings through centuries of royal ceremony, imprisonment and violence. Borman connects the fortress's changing roles with the people and events that made it a symbol of English power.

Borman looks behind Tudor public ceremony to examine how the royal family ate, dressed, slept and lived. Accounts from attendants and other contemporary witnesses reveal intimate routines and relationships within households whose private lives were closely bound to power.

This study approaches Henry VIII through the men around him, including friends, servants, ministers and rivals. Borman examines how those relationships shaped his personality, royal decisions and changing reputation beyond the familiar story of his six wives.

Healer Frances Gorges is drawn into James I's court, where her herbal knowledge makes her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft. As royal schemes and the Gunpowder Plot gather around her, friendship and romance offer uncertain protection.

Frances Gorges returns to James I's court with a family to protect and old suspicions still surrounding her. Renewed ties to Princess Elizabeth draw her into royal rivalries, religious persecution and conspiracies that make every alliance dangerous.

This illustrated account traces Kensington Palace's transformation from a private house into a royal residence. Borman follows the monarchs and families who lived there, showing how domestic life and public history shaped the palace across three centuries.

Frances Gorges hopes her family has finally found security as James I's attention turns elsewhere. But ambitious newcomer George Villiers brings fresh intrigue to court, threatening Frances and her husband as he pursues influence without regard for those he harms.

Borman surveys the British monarchy from William the Conqueror onward, tracing rulers whose strengths and failures reshaped the institution. Individual lives connect with battles, succession disputes and political change to explain how royal power survived across the centuries.

Tracy Borman examines Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I together, tracing how a mother executed during her daughter's childhood still shaped her reign. Their linked lives reveal struggles over religion, power, marriage, and women's place at the Tudor court.

Tracy Borman revisits Elizabeth I's disputed succession through alterations to William Camden's manuscript. Rival claimants, political maneuvering, and questions about James's endorsement reveal how control over the historical record helped shape the end of the Tudor dynasty.

Thomas Boleyn's ambitions draw his family into Henry VIII's court, where his daughters' futures become entangled with royal desire. Through loyal servants and dangerous rivals, the novel follows a household whose growing influence carries an increasingly terrible cost.