Cover of The Favored Queen

The Favored Queen

Wives of King Henry VIII seriesNext:The Spanish Queen: A Novel of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon(2013) →

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII comes a powerful and moving novel about Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, who married him only days after the execution of Anne Boleyn and ultimately lost her own life in giving him the son he badly needed to guarantee the Tudor succession

Read more

Born into an ambitious noble family, young Jane Seymour is sent to Court as a Maid of Honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's aging queen. She is devoted to her mistress and watches with empathy as the calculating Anne Boleyn contrives to supplant her as queen. Anne's single-minded intriguing threatens all who stand in her way; she does not hesitate to arrange the murder of a woman who knows a secret so dark that, if revealed, would make it impossible for the king to marry Anne.

Once Anne becomes queen, no one at court is safe, and Jane herself becomes the object of Anne's venomous rage when she suspects Jane has become the object of the king's lust. Henry, fearing that Anne's inability to give him a son is a sign of divine wrath, asks Jane to become his next queen. Deeply reluctant to embark on such a dangerous course, Jane must choose between her heart and her loyalty to the king.

Acclaimed biographer and bestselling novelist Carolly Erickson weaves another of her irresistible historical entertainments about the queen who finally gave Henry VIII his longed for heir, set against the excitement and danger of the Tudor Court.

Themes
royalty
Subject
history
Audience
adult
Length
medium · 295 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The Favored Queen? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The Favored Queen. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. At the Mercy of the Queen Shares historical fiction, tudors, Tudor
  2. The King's Confidante Shares historical fiction, tudors, Tudor
  3. Secrets of the Tudor Court Shares historical fiction, tudors, Tudor
  4. The Queen's Rival Shares historical fiction, tudors, Tudor

“People who read The Favored Queen tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Vengeance Is Mine: A Novel Of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, And Lady Rochford The Woman Who Helped Destroy Them Both
  2. Mistress of Mourning
  3. Her Mother's Daughter: A Novel of Queen Mary Tudor
  4. To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

“If you want more of the same (historical fiction about royalty), start with these.”

  1. Queen of This Realm
  2. The Secret Bride
  3. The Rose Without a Thorn
  4. Murder Most Royal

“If it was the tudors that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Plain Jane
  2. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
  3. The Last Boleyn
  4. The Concubine

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Phoenix Rising: A novel of Anne Boleyn
  2. Court of Traitors
  3. The Queen's Favourite
  4. The King's Rose