If you have been following the tv series ‘The Tudors’ you may be interested in looking at the novels of C J Sansom.

These novels are murder mysteries set in the time of Henry VIII. The central character is Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer who becomes reluctantly embroiled in the intrigues and politics of the day. Through his investigations , Shardlake encounters characters from all walks of life and we are provided with a fascinating insight into what life was really like for ordinary folk in Tudor times. We see how the religious upheavals of the day affected people from all levels of society. There are four novels in the series to date, these are

• Dissolution(2003)
• Dark Fire (2004)
• Sovereign(2006)
• Revelation(2008)

In the novels we get a glimpse of court life and we meet many of the famous historical figures of the day. However we are not presented with the sanitised view so often see in movies. We see not just the glamour of the royal court but also the sheer brutality of life at the time.

I think these books have great appeal because they combine fact and fiction in a very entertaining fashion. It is certainly a very enjoyable way to study history.