Sophie Shorland – författare

'A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama... refreshing.' THE TIMES'A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait... Wittily written and rich in detail' Miranda SeymourDespite Catherine of Braganza's crucial place in British history, and that of its Empire, she has since been overshadowed by stories of the king's many mistresses and forgotten as Charles' boring, powerless wife. This could not be further from the truth.In an absorbing narrative, historian Sophie Shorland not only tells the full story of this long-overlooked figure and her difficult relationship with Charles II, but also reveals how Catherine changed the country in ways both large and small: part of her dowry was Bombay, Britain's first territory on the Indian subcontinent; she also popularised trousers for women, Baroque art and music, and - perhaps most long-lastingly - tea drinking.

'A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama... refreshing.' THE TIMES'A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait... Wittily written and rich in detail' Miranda SeymourCatherine of Braganza - Boring? Plain? Ineffectual? Think again.Charles II's wife was a trouser-wearing tastemaker who introduced tea drinking, popularised card games and championed baroque fashion and art. Her salon culture was infamous for its parties, theatricals and frequent trips to the pub. A Catholic queen in a strictly Anglican country, she was the diplomatic bridge between an unstable Britain and the European mainland, and carefully navigated the treacherous political landscape of Restoration England.In this illuminating portrait historian Sophie Shorland brings Catherine vividly to life for the first time, revealing a woman who defied the limitations imposed upon her to have a profound impact on the world around her.Previously published as The Lost Queen.

The throne of England hung in the balance, and every prince in Europe wanted to claim it.When Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558 she became the most eligible woman in Europe. All saw the same prize: marry Elizabeth, rule England. Ambassadors flooded her court, armed with portraits, jewels and marriage proposals from princes, archdukes and kings. Sweden promised mountains of silver. Spain offered imperial protection. Austria pledged powerful alliances. Even Ivan the Terrible - already twice married - sent envoys bearing gifts and threats in equal measure.For nearly five decades, Elizabeth kept them all waiting. She contrived to play each suitor against the other to her own end. A persistent Erik XIV wrote love letters for a decade, convinced he could win her hand. She strung along the charming French Duke of Alençon, exchanging rings before wriggling free with an alliance secured. Meanwhile, Robert Dudley, never far from Elizabeth's side, became the favourite who made foreign ambassadors tremble with envy.Written with historian Sophie Shorland's unique eye for a gossipy aside, morbid titbit and acerbic wit, and drawing on ambassadorial dispatches, secret intelligence reports and Elizabeth's own letters, All the Queen's Men reveals how Elizabeth I turned the competition for her hand into foreign policy - using courtship as diplomacy, flirtation as statecraft, and her perpetually single status as the key to England's survival in the tangled web of European politics.