Agnes Strickland

Born in Suffolk in 1796, Agnes Strickland grew up in a literary family and wrote alongside several of her sisters. She first published poetry and children’s writing, but she found her lasting subject in British history.

She is best known for Lives of the Queens of England, a multi-volume series that made her one of the most widely read historical writers of the 19th century. She later followed it with works on the queens of Scotland and the princesses of England, building a reputation for lively, character-driven history based on letters, memoirs, and other historical sources.

Strickland died in 1874, but her books remained popular for decades because they made the past feel personal and dramatic. For listeners who enjoy royal biography, court intrigue, and Victorian narrative style, her work still offers a rich doorway into British history.