An enormously entertaining tale of sex, greed, and treachery at the heart of a Tudor regime sheds new light on the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth This history of the Howard family—the Dukes of Norfolk—is marked by treason, beheadings, and incarceration—a dynasty whose pride and ambition secured only their downfall. The wealthiest and most powerful aristocrats in Tudor England—regarding themselves as the true power behind the throne—they were certainly extraordinarily influential, with two Howard women marrying Henry VIII—Anne Boleyn and the 15-year-old Catherine Howard. But in the treacherous world of the Tudor court no faction could afford to rest on its laurels. The Howards consolidated their power with an awesome web of schemes and conspiracies, but even they could not always hold their enemies at bay.