The Tudors

A renowned historian examines some of the most crucial junctions of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Britain—and how they could have gone differently.

Timothy Venning’s series of alternative histories explores the pathways of British events from the Anglo-Saxon Age to the English Civil War. In this volume, he presents an in-depth analysis of the Tudor period. As always, Venning discusses the fateful moments at which History could easily have taken a different turn.

In a fascinating series of “what if” scenarios, Venning presens a detailed look at the possible and likely results. While necessarily speculative, the scenarios are all highly plausible and rooted in a firm understanding of actually events and their context. In so doing, Venning gives the reader a clearer understanding of the factors at play and why things happened the way they did, as well as a tantalizing view of what might have been.

Key questions discussed in this volume include:

Did the pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck ever have a realistic chance of a successful invasion/coup?

If Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIIIs illegitimate son, had not died young, might he have been a suitable King?

What if Edward VI had not died at fifteen but reigned into the 1560s and 70s?

How might the Spanish Armada have succeeded in landing an army in England, and with what likely outcome?