16th century

Presents a biography on the life of sixteenth-century cartographer, Gerard Mercator, who drew the entire curved earth on a flat surface allowing for more accurate navigation by sailors and scientists.

Uses historical documents to attempt to solve the mysterious death of Lord Darnley, whose murder led to Mary, Queen of Scots, ruin and has baffled historians for centuries.

Examines some of the masterpieces of the sixteenth century held by the National Gallery, London, looking at a variety of types of painting, including large altarpieces, devotional images, furniture decorations, portraits, and others; and provides an account of the procedures, practices, and materials used by Renaissance artists.

Three exiled Portuguese Jewish children secretly practicing their faith in 16th century intolerant London, fight against the poison of prejudice in trying to save the life of Queen Elizabeth's Jewish doctor.

Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon examines the work of artists who flourished in the provinces surrounding Madrid during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a period characterized by imperialism and fervent Catholicism.

"The epic battle over a mathematical concept that shook the old order and shaped the world as we know it. On August 10, 1632, five leaders of the Society of Jesus convened in a somber Roman palazzo to pass judgment on a simple idea: that a continuous line is composed of distinct and limitlessly tiny parts. The doctrine would become the foundation of calculus, but on that fateful day the judges ruled that it was forbidden"--Provided by publisher.

Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII's claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence and cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess who becomes Queen of England upon her marriage to Henry VII)is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter--Sir Richard Pole. For his loyalty, Sir Richard is entrusted with the governorship of Wales, but Margaret's contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors. After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret's world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and "holiest" woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which serves the new masters. Caught between the old world and the new, Margaret Pole has to find her own way as she carries the knowledge of an old curse on all the Tudors.

In 1541, Conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his Lieutenant Francisco Orellana, set off from Quito in seach of South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon and the fabled El Dorado "the golden man" who, rumor said, was drenched in gold each day and washed off in the river every night. Their huge expedition began to disintegrate long before they reached the jungle that was to guide them to the Amazon River. Pizarro and Orellana soon made the fateful decision to separate. While Pizarro eventually returned home barefoot and in rags, Orellana and fifty-seven men continued down the Amazon River into unexplored and unknown areas. Orellana became the first European to navigage and explore the entire length of the world's largest river.

Discusses the history of theater during the time of William Shakespeare, describing how plays were written, funded, and staged, the life of actors and touring, and the differences between outdoor and indoor theaters.