Crack open any world history book and you’ve got enough material to keep you occupied for the next millennium — and I do mean a millennium. Why do you think so many academics specialize in the history of one specific period or place? It’s certainly not because other eras and parts of the world are uninteresting. It’s because humanity has done and experienced far too much for any one person to wade through it all in the handful of decades they have at their disposal.
We mere mortals can’t learn everything about every point in history, but we can dive into stories that explore ages and places we find especially intriguing, or people we never knew existed. And for those of you who find large historical volumes intimidating, fiction is an excellent entry point into any number of historical subjects. But, if you don’t have a specific era in mind, may I suggest venturing to 16th-century Europe?
This 100-year period saw such epochs as the Italian Renaissance, the English Reformation, the Spanish Inquisition, even the unwelcome return of the Black Death, and these seven novels explore the lives of its monarchs, scholars, artists and humble citizens alike.
Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel
In 1520s England, Henry VIII’s lack of a male heir threatens the Tudors’ reign. The king wishes to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn, but the Pope and much of Europe stand against him. Enter Thomas Cromwell, an ambitious man from a poor family with no political influence, who will climb his way to the heights of power in Henry VIII’s court and become one of the strongest advocates for the English Reformation. “A brilliant portrait of a society in the throes of disorienting change, anchored by a penetrating character study of Henry’s formidable advisor,” says The Washington Post.
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Incantation
by Alice Hoffman
From the bestselling author of Practical Magic comes a highly acclaimed, historical tale about the persecution of Jewish people. The flames of the Spanish Inquisition are roaring, and Estrella, like many Spanish Jews, lives a double life as a Catholic. In secret, she’s taught the ancient and mysterious wisdom known as kabbalah by the family raising her. But soon, Estrella learns the truth and the public learns of her family’s secrets. Now, she’ll have to face the unimaginable — lost love and friendship, betrayal and fire. Leaning on the rich history and faith traditions of the age, Hoffman creates a story that can only be described as spellbinding.
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The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis
by Tim Darcy Ellis
It is 1522 in The Spanish Netherlands. Juan Luis Vives, a renowned academic, has fled Spain to avoid the fires of the Inquisition. In England, he takes on the role of tutor to Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. While publicly navigating life as a “New Christian,” Vives is quickly drawn into the dangerous world of London’s Jewish community. With a foot in each world, he is torn between the love of two women. The king and queen separately seek Vives’s assistance to support their opposed demands. He must betray one to help the other, knowing his decision could cost him his life. (Read our review here.)
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Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen
by Alison Weir
16-year-old Catalina is the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She’s engaged to marry Arthur, Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne, but tragedy strikes, and suddenly Catalina — known to the English as Princess Katherine — finds herself engaged to his younger brother Henry and waiting for the boy’s coming-of-age before they can wed. After years of waiting, Katherine has finally secured her crown and place by Henry’s side, but forces beyond her control conspire to destroy both her marriage and tear England apart. Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen is the captivating opening volume in Alison Weir’s dramatic and ambitious six-book series dedicated to the six wives of King Henry VIII.
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Hamnet
by Maggie O’Farrell
Known for her unusual gifts as a healer, Agnes understands plants and potions better than she understands other people. After settling in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband, a young actor whose career is gaining some momentum, his beloved son takes ill with plague. Focusing on a young family consumed by grief and loss, Hamnet reimagines the life of a forgotten boy whose name adorns one of the most celebrated plays in history. Tender, unforgettable and utterly mesmerizing, this historical novel will be impossible to put down.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
The Game of Kings
by Dorothy Dunnett
The year is 1547, and Scotland clings to its independence after a humiliating English invasion. Now, the country’s freedom depends on a man who has been accused of treason: Francis Crawford of Lymond, a crooked nobleman with a talent for murder. Faced with a family that has disowned him and a country that has exiled him, the intelligent but wicked Lymond is determined to clear his name and save his homeland. With a dash of Game of Thrones’s political intrigue and a pinch of Outlander’s romanticism, Dorothy Dunnett’s antihero tale will grip readers.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
The Painter’s Apprentice
by Laura Morelli
Venice, 1510. Maria Bartolini hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a master gilder, but he has other plans for her. Forced to travel far away to serve as an apprentice to a renowned painter, Maria plots to reunite with her lover back home, but the rampant spread of the Black Death means she’s stuck. When the painter’s servants discover the real reason her father sent her away, they threaten to reveal a secret that could ruin her family and her future. Maria hopes to buy their silence, but she can’t quell their insatiable greed for long. She knows she must make sacrifices. Will it be her livelihood, her lover or her life?
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
In 1520s England, Henry VIII’s lack of a male heir threatens the Tudors’ reign. The king wishes to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn, but the Pope and much of Europe stand against him. Enter Thomas Cromwell, an ambitious man from a poor family with no political influence, who will climb his way to the heights of power in Henry VIII’s court and become one of the strongest advocates for the English Reformation. “A brilliant portrait of a society in the throes of disorienting change, anchored by a penetrating character study of Henry’s formidable advisor,” says The Washington Post.
Incantation by Alice Hoffman
From the bestselling author of Practical Magic comes a highly acclaimed, historical tale about the persecution of Jewish people. The flames of the Spanish Inquisition are roaring, and Estrella, like many Spanish Jews, lives a double life as a Catholic. In secret, she’s taught the ancient and mysterious wisdom known as kabbalah by the family raising her. But soon, Estrella learns the truth and the public learns of her family’s secrets. Now, she’ll have to face the unimaginable — lost love and friendship, betrayal and fire. Leaning on the rich history and faith traditions of the age, Hoffman creates a story that can only be described as spellbinding.
The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis by Tim Darcy Ellis
It is 1522 in The Spanish Netherlands. Juan Luis Vives, a renowned academic, has fled Spain to avoid the fires of the Inquisition. In England, he takes on the role of tutor to Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. While publicly navigating life as a “New Christian,” Vives is quickly drawn into the dangerous world of London’s Jewish community. With a foot in each world, he is torn between the love of two women. The king and queen separately seek Vives’s assistance to support their opposed demands. He must betray one to help the other, knowing his decision could cost him his life. (Read our review here.)
Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by Alison Weir
16-year-old Catalina is the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She’s engaged to marry Arthur, Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne, but tragedy strikes, and suddenly Catalina — known to the English as Princess Katherine — finds herself engaged to his younger brother Henry and waiting for the boy’s coming-of-age before they can wed. After years of waiting, Katherine has finally secured her crown and place by Henry’s side, but forces beyond her control conspire to destroy both her marriage and tear England apart. Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen is the captivating opening volume in Alison Weir’s dramatic and ambitious six-book series dedicated to the six wives of King Henry VIII.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Known for her unusual gifts as a healer, Agnes understands plants and potions better than she understands other people. After settling in Stratford-upon-Avon with her husband, a young actor whose career is gaining some momentum, his beloved son takes ill with plague. Focusing on a young family consumed by grief and loss, Hamnet reimagines the life of a forgotten boy whose name adorns one of the most celebrated plays in history. Tender, unforgettable and utterly mesmerizing, this historical novel will be impossible to put down.
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
The year is 1547, and Scotland clings to its independence after a humiliating English invasion. Now, the country’s freedom depends on a man who has been accused of treason: Francis Crawford of Lymond, a crooked nobleman with a talent for murder. Faced with a family that has disowned him and a country that has exiled him, the intelligent but wicked Lymond is determined to clear his name and save his homeland. With a dash of Game of Thrones’s political intrigue and a pinch of Outlander’s romanticism, Dorothy Dunnett’s antihero tale will grip readers.
The Painter’s Apprentice by Laura Morelli
Venice, 1510. Maria Bartolini hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a master gilder, but he has other plans for her. Forced to travel far away to serve as an apprentice to a renowned painter, Maria plots to reunite with her lover back home, but the rampant spread of the Black Death means she’s stuck. When the painter’s servants discover the real reason her father sent her away, they threaten to reveal a secret that could ruin her family and her future. Maria hopes to buy their silence, but she can’t quell their insatiable greed for long. She knows she must make sacrifices. Will it be her livelihood, her lover or her life?
