aka The John Dee Chronicles
J.A. Downes 
The Royal Match That Never Was: Mary Tudor’s Failed Betrothal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Introduction Imagine if history had taken a different turn: what if Mary I of England had become Holy Roman Empress instead of the feared ‘Bloody Mary’ of English memory? For four crucial years during the 1520s, this alternative timeline … Read more
In 1536, Henry VIII accused his second wife Anne Boleyn of adultery with five men, including her own brother George Boleyn, leading to her execution on May 19, 1536 – just 11 days after her marriage was declared invalid and only 4 months after miscarrying what would have been Henry’s hoped-for male heir.
From Resurrection: The Heresy of a Jesuit: “They plunged across the stream, man and horse in perfect harmony, galloping for their lives. His tattered and mud-splattered cape streamed behind him, and his breeches bore the scratches and rips that headlong flight through dense woodland had inflicted. And yet, his mind sang with exhilaration that approached … Read more
From Speculation: Undercurrents of Treachery: “In the twilight of Henry VIII’s reign, England’s treasury lay empty, drained by war with France and Scotland. The King’s solution was as simple as it was devastating: debase the silver coinage by mixing the precious metal with copper, creating more coins from the same weight of silver. What began … Read more
Elizabeth I owned over 3,000 dresses and changed her outfit multiple times daily as part of court ceremony, with her wardrobe valued at over £100,000 – more than the annual revenue of many European kingdoms at the time. This extraordinary collection wasn’t merely vanity – it was a calculated display of power and wealth that … Read more
The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 came after Elizabeth’s famous speech at Tilbury on 9th August, where she declared ‘I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ to inspire troops preparing for invasion.
Elizabeth I spoke six languages fluently – English, French, Italian, Latin, Greek, and Spanish – and personally translated works including Boethius’s ‘Consolation of Philosophy’ and corresponded directly with foreign ambassadors in their native tongues.
When Elizabeth ascended to the throne on November 17, 1558, at age 25, England was virtually bankrupt with a debt of over £300,000 (equivalent to millions today) and torn by religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.
From Insurrection: Weddings can be murder: “Kat Arden shifted uncomfortably on her side-saddle as the grey palfrey picked its way up the stony path. An evening chill was developing, and she tried to burrow deeper into her woollen travelling cloak for extra warmth. Twitching the reins, she guided the horse past a leafless bush and … Read more
Elizabeth I’s 1559 Religious Settlement required all clergy and officials to swear an oath recognising her as ‘Supreme Governor’ (not ‘Head’) of the Church of England – a deliberately gender-neutral compromise since many believed women couldn’t head the church. Only one Marian bishop, Anthony Kitchin of Llandaff, took the oath.