The Tudors ruled England for little more than a century, but no other dynasty has so impressed itself on the English consciousness. Bluff King Hal and Good Queen Bess are part of folklore and remain among the very few English monarchs immediately recognizable to most English people. In a personal rather than political history, Alison Plowden tells the story of the five Tudor monarchs, as well as lesser known members of the family. It is the story of four turbulent, passionate, tragic and prodigious generations.