{"title":"Books by Sophie Shorland","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781838956394","title":"The Lost Queen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama... refreshing.' \u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eWittily written and rich in detail' Miranda Seymour\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44581266194610,"sku":"9781838956394","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781838956394_014cae5c-8b07-404d-b5a9-8e6ba40cbc4b.jpg?v=1786028411"},{"product_id":"9781838956417","title":"Queen Catherine’s Court","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama... refreshing.' \u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eWittily written and rich in detail' Miranda Seymour\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatherine of Braganza - Boring? Plain? Ineffectual? Think again.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCharles 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePreviously published as \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Queen\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55205873418613,"sku":"9781838956417","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781838956417.jpg?v=1786028412"},{"product_id":"all-the-queen-s-men","title":"All the Queen’s Men","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe throne of England hung in the balance, and every prince in Europe wanted to claim it.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen 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 with portraits, jewels and proposals. Sweden promised silver, Spain imperial protection. Even Ivan the Terrible sent gifts and threats in equal measure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor nearly five decades, Elizabeth kept them all waiting, playing each suitor against the other. Erik XIV wrote love letters for a decade; she exchanged rings with the charming Duke of Alençon before wriggling free with an alliance; and Robert Dudley, ever at her side, became the favourite who made foreign suitors tremble with envy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten with historian Sophie Shorland's eye for a gossipy aside, morbid titbit and acerbic wit, All the Queen's Men reveals how Elizabeth turned the competition for her hand into foreign policy - using courtship as diplomacy, flirtation as statecraft and her single status as the key to England's survival in the tangled web of European politics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57510231146869,"sku":"9781838956424","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781838956424.jpg?v=1787130569"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sophie-shorland.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}