John Guy – författare

An intimate, myth-shattering new biography of Mary Queen of Scots by a premier historian that draws on a trove of newly discovered sources.Queen of Scots, the first full-scale biography of Mary in more than thirty years, offers a singularly novel, nuanced, and dramatic portrait of one of history’s greatest women.

John Guy draws on sources -- many previously unstudied -- as varied as the secret communiques of English spies and Mary''s own letters.

Dispelled is the ingrained popular image of Mary as a romantic leading lady, achieving her ends through feminine wiles, driven by love to murder, undone by passion and bad judgment. We come to see her as an emotionally intricate woman and an adroit diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions who sought to control or dethrone her. Guy''s investigation of Mary''s storied downfall throws sharp new light on questions that have baffled historians for centuries, and offers convincing new evidence that she was framed for the murder for which she was beheaded.

“A fierce, scholarly tour-de-force. . . . Hunting the Falcon brilliantly shows how time, circumstance and politics combined to accelerate Anne’s triumph and tragedy."" —Tina Brown, New York Times Book Review

“A sumptuous drama of lust, intrigue, and betrayal, underpinned by the harsh reality of politics.”—Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

A groundbreaking, freshly-researched examination of one of the most dramatic and consequential marriages in history: Henry VIII’s long courtship, short union, and brutal execution of Anne Boleyn.

Hunting the Falcon is the story of how Henry VIII’s obsessive desire for Anne Boleyn changed him and his country forever. John Guy and Julia Fox, two of the most acclaimed and distinguished historians of this period, have joined forces to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways. By closely examining the most recent archival discoveries, and peeling back layers of historical myth and misinterpretation and distortion, Guy and Fox are able to set Anne and Henry’s tragic relationship against the major international events of the time, and integrate and reinterpret sources hidden in plain sight or simply misunderstood. Among other things, they dispel lingering and latently misogynistic assumptions about Anne which anachronistically presumed that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. They reveal how, in fact, Anne was a shrewd, if ruthless, politician in her own right, a woman who steered Henry and his policies, often against the advice he received from his male advisers—and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign.

 Hunting the Falcon sets the facts–and some completely new finds–into a far wider frame, providing an appreciation of this misunderstood and underestimated woman. It explores how Anne organized her “side” of the royal court on novel and (in male eyes) subversive lines compared to her queenly predecessors, adopting instead French protocol by which the sexes mingled freely in her private chambers. Men could share in the women’s often sexually charged courtly “pastimes” and had liberal access to Anne, and she to them—encounters from which she gained much of her political intelligence and extended her authority, and which also sowed the seeds of her own downfall.

 An exhilarating feat of historical research and analysis, Hunting the Falcon is also a thrilling and tragic story of a marriage that has proved of enduring fascination over the centuries. But in the hands of John Guy and Julia Fox, even the most knowledgeable reader will encounter this story as if for the first time.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Henry VIII: The Quest for Fame by John Guy, read by John Banks. Henry VIII''s reign transformed the physical and spiritual landscape of England. Magnificent, tyrannical, a strong ruler, a ''pillager of the commonwealth'', this most notorious of kings remains a figure of extreme contradictions: a devout traditionalist who oversaw a cataclysmic rupture with the church in Rome; a talented, charismatic, imposing figure who nevertheless could not bear to meet people''s eyes when he talked to them. In this revealing new account, John Guy explores how Henry himself understood the world and his place in it - from his sheltered and increasingly isolated upbringing and the blazing glory of his accession; to his desperate quest for recognition, fame and an heir, and the terrifying paranoia of his last, agonising, 54-inch-waisted years - and in doing so casts new light on his choice of wives and ministers, his impact on the European stage, and his extraordinary legacy.

Now a major film, this is a dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians of this period.For centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots has been a figure of scholarly debate. Where many have portrayed her as the weak woman to Elizabeth''s rational leader, John Guy reassesses the young queen, finding her far more politically shrewd than previously believed.Crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months old, Queen of France by age sixteen and widowed the following year, Guy paints Mary as a commanding and savvy queen who navigated the European power struggles of the time to her advantage.Her life was one of drama and conflict - Scottish lords constructed labyrinthine plots to wrest power from her and attempts to prove her claim to the English throne were thwarted by English ministers bent on protecting Elizabeth.My Heart is My Own re-examines the original sources, resulting in a riveting new argument surrounding Mary''s involvement in her husband Lord Darnely''s murder and her subsequent marriage to his suspected assassin.Guy''s accessible treatment of the well-trodden story, his deft storytelling and insightful new arguments provide compelling and dramatic reading.''An absorbing biography . . . meticulously researched . . . scholarly and intriguing'' Peter Ackroyd, The Times''Rarely have first-class scholarship and first-class storytelling been so effectively combined'' John Adamson, Daily TelegraphJohn Guy is an award-winning historian, accomplished broadcaster and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. His previous books include the highly acclaimed dual biography A Daughter''s Love: Thomas and Margaret More a history, Tudor England, which has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide and a biography of Thomas Becket, published in 2012.

From Thomas Becket''s early life as a merchant''s son and his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury to his assassination in the Cathedral itself, this enlightening book brings to life a colossal figure of British history. ''Lively, effortlessly readable, superb. A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history'' The Times ____________________This is the man, not the legend . . . Thomas Becket lived at the centre of medieval England. Son of a draper''s merchant, he was befriended and favoured by Henry II and quickly ascended the rungs of power and privilege. He led 700 knights into battle, brokered peace between warring states and advised King and Pope. Yet he lost it all defying his closest friend and King, resulting in his bloody murder and the birth of a saint. In award-winning biographer John Guy''s masterful account, the life, death and times of Thomas Becket come vividly into focus. ____________________ ''Suspenseful, meticulously researched . . . however well you think you know the story, it is well worth the read'' Financial Times ''Wonderfully moving and subtle. Reading of the assassination is almost unbearably intense and brings tears to one''s eye'' Daily Express ''Compelling, marvellously measured, entertainingly astute, and in places positively moving'' The Independent ''Scintillates with energetic scene-setting, giving us a tactile, visual feel for early medieval England . . . breathes new life into an oft-told tale'' Financial Times

Brought to you by Penguin.An ageing queen, an heirless state, conspiracy all round: here is the court of Elizabeth I as never known before.History has pictured Elizabeth I as Gloriana, an icon of strength and power -- and has focused on the early years of her reign. But in 1583, when Elizabeth is fifty, there is relentless plotting among her courtiers -- and still to come is the Spanish Armada and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. We have not, until now, had the full picture.This gripping and vivid portrait of her life and times -- often told in her own words (and including details such as her love of chess and marzipan) -- reveals a woman who was insecure, human (''You know I am no morning woman''), and unpopular even with the men who fought for her. This is the real Elizabeth, for the first time.© John Guy 2016 (P) Penguin Audio 2016