Tudor Book Blog

History Undressed has posted the first part of a short story titled The Tudor Courtier’s Journey. It is interestingly written so that the reader is literally in the story, using the “you” form rather than the he/she form. Here’s the link to read part one.

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Author Sandra Worth has written a new novel titled The Pale Rose of Summer. It is about Lady Catherine Gordon, the wife of “Richard, Duke of York.” The story follows her as she meets and marries the young prince who miraculously escaped from the Tower of London. He is recognized as the King of England by many Europe’s crowns, including Scotland’s which warmly welcomes him. After his defeat by Henry VII, Catherine is held captive at the Tudor court. “Henry VII fell in love with the twenty year old beauty the moment he laid eyes on her, and remained besotted with her to the end of his days. Catherine never succumbed to the lure of riches and royal power…she stood by her husband so loyally, with such grace, dignity, and loving devotion, that she won the admiration of a nation.”

You can read more about this novel here.

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On The Tudor Trail has posted an exclusive interview with author Alison Weir! The two discuss all sorts of aspects of the Tudor period, including what Weir thinks was and still is the lure of Anne Boleyn as well as which is her favorite Tudor Queen. You may be surprised by the answer!

Here’s the link to read the full interview.

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Here is a nice review for a newish novel, The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham.  Don’t let the 18th century cover fool you, this is apparently a well researched and well written novel. According to the review, “Higginbotham follows Kate Woodville – younger sister of Elizabeth Woodville, wife to Edward IV – and her husband Henry (Harry) Stafford, Duke of Buckingham.  The historical research put into this novel is impeccable; anytime there is a lengthy list of characters, an in depth author’s note describing liberties and truths in the text, and a bibliography, I feel like I’m in good hands.”

Here’s the link to read more.

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Also, don’t forget to enter the Tudor Book Blog September giveaway to win a copy of Wolf Hall! More information here.

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I received an e-mail from author D.L. Bogdan with a bit of information on her next novel Rivals in the Tudor Court. It won’t be released until May 2011. There isn’t really any other information about it, but I will post as soon as I find out something!

I recently reviewed her first novel Secrets of the Tudor Court (now that I see her next novel the title makes a bit more sense!) You can read my review here. I really enjoyed it and gave it four out of five Tudor Roses.

I also discovered Bogdan’s website titled Herstory Vs. History. I really enjoyed some of her posts, many of which will be helpful to you budding authors out there. Here’s the link to it.

Author Philippa Gregory talks about turning historical facts into best sellers in this new article. She also discusses The Other Boleyn Girl, her first successful novel, and her latest, The Red Queen.

Here’s the link to the full article.

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Now for Two Reviews:

Bookworm’s Dinner (hehe love the name) has done a review for Young Bess: The Girl Who Would be Queen by Margaret Irwin. The reviewer explains that “Much of the book is devoted to the Seymour brothers…The book didn’t really turn around for me until almost half way through. The fact that I enjoy reading about Queen Elizabeth and look forward to the entire trilogy saved me from abandoning this one early.”

Here’s the link to the full review.

I must admit that I had started reading this one and about 1/3 of the way through got bored and stopped. Perhaps I will pick it back up in the future since this reviewer seems to have felt the same way but ended up enjoying it anyway!

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On the Tudor Trail, a new favorite blog of mine, has posted a short review for The Early Loves of Anne Boleyn by Josephine Wilkinson. According to Natalie, ”

I would not recommend this as a staring point for researching Anne Boleyn as it focuses on her relationship with the above men and is therefore not an in depth account of her life. On the other hand, if you’re familiar with Anne’s life but are looking for some details about her relationships prior to marrying Henry VIII then you will enjoy this book.”

Here’s the link to her full review.

I have been really curious about this book, so I will be sure to pick it up. I didn’t want to read another book about The Divorce, so I think this might be a good one as it seems to focus on Anne’s early life rather than her later life.

I am very excited to post our first author guest post by author Jeane Westin. Her new novel His Last Letter chronicles the relationship of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. In addition to sending me a book for our recent giveaway, Jeane Westin has written a nice post about her inspiration and writing process for her new novel:

What inspired you to write His Last Letter: Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester?

As with most ideas, it was gestating for somewhat longer than human babies. I’ve always been curious about all the blanks in Elizabeth ’s and her Sweet Robin’s lives, all that we didn’t know and were never apt to discover. Of course, I’ve been fascinated by Elizabeth Tudor as a queen and as a woman for as long as I can remember. After I finished writing The Virgin’s Daughters:In the court of Elizabeth I, I was surprised at how much Elizabeth had intruded. It was a story about the book ends of her reign and two of her ladies-in-waiting, but Elizabeth seen through the eyes of these two ladies seemed to grow in importance beyond what I had planned. But the queen would not be denied. It was obvious that I had to write about her and Robin next, but so little was known about their private life together. Where would I start?

As it happened, I started at the end and with the last letter Elizabeth received from Leicester as he lay dying shortly after the Armada defeat. She wrote on the letter…His Last Letter…and stored it away in her treasures chest where it was found after she died in 1603. It is now in the UK archives.

I read the letter (which I have included in facsimile at the back of the book ) and its translation, since the writing is very difficult for modern eyes to follow. He says the pysick she sends him works very well and includes a kiss for her foot. But was this all? Was this enough to cause her to lock herself in the royal apartments without food or drink for three days until her worried councilmen fearful for her broke her doors down? After a lifetime together, after all the whispers and rumors of being lovers, after the shrieking quarrels and tearful reunions played out for all the court to see and hear, was that all he wrote?

I couldn’t believe it. There must have been another page that Elizabeth could not allow to survive if her reputation as the Virgin Queen was to live on after her…a page so full of love that she had to memorize and then destroy it.

I found that so much of what happened in the last three most important and dangerous years of Elizabeth’s reign (1585-8) and Leicester’s part in them was tied to all that had happened between them in the three plus decades that had gone before. Their story of love and longing unraveled alongside the story of England itself during those years of change, upheaval and threats of war from Spain, the superpower of the day.

Most of all, His Last Letter is the story of their impossible love and of Elizabeth ’s triumph as queen and great loss as a woman. When she burnt the second page of her Sweet Robin’s last letter, she broke her woman’s heart for good.

What is your writing process?

My writing process is far less interesting than royal courts and love affairs. I write in the morning and early afternoon at a desktop computer in my office with the door closed and the world shut out. I play music of the Tudor period. or baroque classical which I find mind-soothing. I usually have photos of portraits of my subjects pasted on book shelves around my desk and post-its that seem to grow in number every day. I have a wall and a half of bookcases that stretch up to the ceiling. They hold my personal keepers and many Tudor period research books, some stretching back to the 1800s. In the afternoon I read for research from a pile of books beside my favorite chair again with the ever present post-its to write down a fact, date, or spelling that I’m apt to forget; these later join the others stuck about my computer desk.

I break for a two-mile walk in a nearby park, which gives both my back and my head a a rest.

In the evening I read for pleasure and watch old, or not so old movies on TV. Right now I’m reading Philippa Gregory’s new book “The Red Queen,” next up is “The Scarlett Contessa,” by Jeanne Kalogridis.

My writing life is not quite so dull as it sounds, but the discipline is necessary to write a book I’m proud of. Yet, real life is never as exciting as my fiction life…stepping into the marble halls of Whitehall Palace or the dungeons of The Tower of London. That’s what keeps me coming back to the page every day to discover what happened.

Thanks to all at the Tudor Book Blog for inviting me to discuss His Last Letter. If any readers have further questions, I invite them to visit my website www.jeanewestin.com and leave their question in my mailbox.

Apparently vampires over overtaking the Tudor world! I have found another vampire book set in Tudor times titled Kiss of the Rose.

Author Kate Pearce has done an interview on the novel here. She explains that this is the first in a Tudor Vampire Chronicle which will follow the wives of Henry VIII. She states that,

“I’m a history major so I actually try to tie the real history of each queen into the story. For example in the first book, King Henry VIII really is trying to get rid of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. That is the starting point for my story too. Henry wanted a son to succeed him, and was trying to escape Katherine so that he could dally with Anne Boleyn, I added a paranormal element both for why someone wants to kill Henry and for the appearance of Anne Boleyn. I love to mix it up using the real history.

Robin sent me a link to a new article about Karen Harper and her novel The Queen’s Governess. According to the article, “‘It’s a story that gives a fresh glimpse into the making of Elizabeth Tudor…a touching mother-daughter story, a ghost story, a story of one woman’s rise to power in treacherous times.’” I haven’t read this one yet, but am interested in reading the “Lady Elizabeth” story from the perspective of Kat Ashely.

Here’s the link to the full article.

Alison Weir is hosting an amazing tour next year focused on her Tudor books. She was kind enough to send me some of the information including the itinerary and the costs. I have also made a page for the tour here (for extras like the costs and another copy of the itinerary.

Here’s the itinerary:

ALISON WEIR`S TUDOR TREASURES

An exclusive, fully-escorted tour of Tudor England led by Alison Weir as Study Director.

9^th to 18^th June 2011

This will be the first in a series of tours linked to Alison Weir’s books. Each tour will be unique.

Alison Weir’s Tudor Treasures will take you on a comprehensive eight-day tour of Tudor England, visiting many fascinating and significant historic sites connected with the Tudors and other British monarchs. The tour will be will be accompanied throughout by Alison Weir as Study Director, and by Historic Royal Palaces’ Guide Lecturer, Siobhan Clarke. Guests will enjoy the services of an experienced Tour Manager throughout.

The Tour will also include guest lectures from eminent historians Sarah Gristwood, Tracy Borman and Kate Williams, who, together with Alison Weir, often team up together as the History Girls for a wide range of author events and appearances on BBC radio.

Guests will be accommodated in superior hotels, many of which are themselves historic buildings, with a number of dinners, talks and events laid on.

An unmissable opportunity for anyone who is interested in Tudor history – with a few tasters of Jacobean England - this tour will enrich your knowledge of the period and provide you with an unforgettable experience of the Golden Age of English history.

Tour overview: After a welcome reception and meal on the first night, you will visit Penshurst Place, the seat of Sir Philip Sidney, then Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, where you will stay overnight and enjoy an included dinner. Returning to London, you will tour the Tower of London, before departing for the glorious Cotswolds to see Sudeley Castle, where Katherine Parr died and is buried. After a visit to mysterious Baddesley Clinton, you will stay for two nights at ancient Coombe Abbey (one dinner included), whilst visiting Harvington Hall, which boasts several Elizabethan priest holes, and spending time at Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, where you will tour the Bard`s Birthplace by candlelight. Then on to the spectacular Peak District of Derbyshire, where you will stay at the elegant Cavendish Hotel on the magnificent Chatsworth estate, and visit imposing Hardwick Hall, Bolsover Castle, splendid  Chatsworth House itself, and Haddon Hall, scene of a famous Tudor love story. Returning south, you will stop to view the haunting ruins of Elizabethan Kirby Hall, then tour Hatfield House and see its Old Palace, where Elizabeth I spent much of her youth and where, in 1558, she learned that she was queen of England. You  will spend a day at Hampton Court Palace, where you will enjoy a private tour with a guide in Tudor costume. Our own tour will end that evening with a farewell dinner at Shakespeare`s Globe Theatre in London.

Alison Weir will accompany the tour each day as tour leader, and will assist with guiding and questions.

ITINERARY

Thursday, 9^th June

Guests gather at 5.30pm for welcome drinks and introductions at the 4-star Rubens at the Palace (www.rubenshotel.com), a luxury boutique hotel ideally situated opposite Buckingham Palace in the heart of London in an excellent location for sightseeing and enjoying all the amenities that England’s capital has to offer. This will be the London base for our tour.

This will be followed by a short presentation by Alison Weir: An Introduction to the Tudors. Afterwards, we gather for a welcome dinner at the Ebury Wine Bar (www.eburywinebar.co.uk), one of the most successful and popular restaurants in London, with lots of atmosphere and a witty and sustained ‘trompe l’oeil’ décor and starred cuisine. The cooking – a blend of traditional and innovative dishes – has won huge acclaim among gourmets and the ‘gastro media‘.

Overnight: Rubens Hotel

Friday, 10^th June

We travel by coach to Penshurst Place (www.penshurstplace.com).

Penshurst Place is one of England’s finest historic, houses set in the Weald of Kent’s peaceful rural landscape. The medieval house with its magnificent Baron’s Hall dates from 1341 and is one of the finest examples of 14th century architecture. Later additions have seen Penshurst Place grow into an imposing defended manor house containing state-rooms filled with a remarkable collection of tapestries, paintings, furniture, porcelain and armour. Penshurst has been the ancestral home of the Sidney family since 1552 and successive generations have shaped its development. Penshurst’s most famous son, Sir Philip Sidney, the chivalrous soldier poet, was a symbol of loyalty and bravery in the Elizabethan era. We will enjoy a private guided tour of the house, and there will be time to visit the lovely gardens and toy museum.

We then take the coach to romantic thirteenth-century Hever Castle (www.hevercastle.co.uk), the family home of Anne Boleyn, later restored by William Waldorf Astor, where there will be time for an independent lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit this lovely castle with its magnificent interiors, its fascinating collection of Tudor royal portraits and its beautiful Italianate award-winning gardens. Audio guides will be provided, and Alison Weir will accompany the group through the castle.

Guests will stay overnight at Hever Castle, where they will be accommodated in individually furnished luxury rooms in the `Tudor Village` (below), the Astor Wing built in the early twentieth century as service quarters.

In the evening, Alison Weir will give a talk on The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, which will be followed by an elegant dinner in the Tudor Suite dining hall.

Saturday, 11^th June

We leave Hever after breakfast and return to London, where, after an independent lunch, we visit the Tower of London (www.hrp.org.uk). On the way, Alison Weir will speak about Traitors of the Tower.

Her Majesty`s palace and fortress of The Tower of London is Britain`s leading historic visitor attraction. This ancient fortress was founded by William the Conqueror and almost a thousand years of British history have been played out within its walls. Standing guard by the River Thames, The Tower is an impressive London landmark. Its stones are steeped in history, and its walls house many secrets, as well as the world-famous Crown Jewels. Several people lost their heads in the Tower, which held famous prisoners such as Anne Boleyn, Edward V, Guy Fawkes and Sir Thomas More. There is so much to see at the Tower including the Yeomen of the Guard (or `Beefeaters`), the Ravens, Henry VIII’s armour, instruments of torture and the Traitors` Gate.

On arrival at the Tower of London, Alison Weir will give an orientation talk and an overview of the Tower`s often grim history. We are planning some privileged access to parts of the Tower not normally open to visitors, and there will be an opportunity to see the real scaffold site – not the supposed one on Tower Green – where three Tudor queens were beheaded, the Royal Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, where they are buried, the massive White Tower, built in the eleventh century, and much more. Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke will guide you, and there will be free time to explore on your own.

After we have returned to the hotel by coach, Alison Weir will give a talk about Lady Jane Grey: The Tragic Story of the Nine-Days Queen.

Independent dinner.

Overnight: Rubens Hotel.

Sunday, 12th June

We depart after breakfast by coach to Sudeley Castle (www.sudeleycastle.co.uk) in Gloucestershire, the home of Katherine Parr, who died there and whose tomb may be seen in the chapel. On the way there, Alison Weir will speak about The Lady Elizabeth: Elizabeth I`s Perilous Path to the Throne.

Sarah Gristwood, author of the best-selling books Arbella: England`s Lost Queen and Elizabeth and Leicester, will accompany the tour from today until Friday.

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Cotswold Hills, Sudeley Castle is steeped in history. With royal connections spanning a thousand years, it has played an important role in the turbulent and changing times of England’s past. Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Queen Elizabeth I and Richard III have all played a part in Sudeley’s story. Fascinating exhibitions in the sixteenth-century wing explore the castle`s history, and there are interesting royal portraits. You will also see St Mary’s Church, where Katherine Parr lies buried, the award-winning gardens and the soaring medieval ruins.

At Sudeley Castle, we will enjoy a private guided tour.

We then drive to nearby Winchcombe (www.winchcombe.co.uk) for an independent lunch. The ancient Saxon town of Winchcombe is situated in a beautiful valley in the Cotswold Hills. The inns, restaurants, tea rooms and shops set among Winchcombe’s three main streets are full of the character of times past.

After lunch, Alison Weir will talk about Katherine of Aragon as we drive to Baddesley Clinton (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-baddesleyclinton).. , a medieval moated manor house with hidden secrets. Here, you will see priest holes that bear witness to the religious conflicts of the Tudor age. The house is much as its Elizabethan owner left it, and is set in pretty gardens and meadows.

After leaving Baddesley Clinton, we drive to luxurious, historic Coombe Abbey (www.coombeabbey.com), where we will stay for two nights. Originally a twelfth-century Cistercian Abbey nestling in England’s historic heartland in Warwickshire, Coombe Abbey has also been a Tudor moated manor house and a Gothick fantasy. It has now been restored to its former glory, and is set in glorious gardens within 500 acres of breathtaking parkland.

On the coach, Alison Weir will speak about Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen.

In the evening, there will be a group dinner at the hotel, after which Alison Weir, Siobhan Clarke and Sarah Gristwood will host a debate:  The Tudors in Film and Fiction.

Overnight: Coombe Abbey.

Monday, 13^th June

In the morning we visit Harvington Hall (www.harvingtonhall.com) for a private tour. On the way, Siobhan Clarke will speak about The Elizabethan Recusants

Harvington Hall (below) is a charming moated medieval and Elizabethan manor-house south-east of Kidderminster. Many of the rooms still have their original Elizabethan wall-paintings and the Hall contains the finest series of priest-holes anywhere in the country.

Afterwards the coach will take us to Stratford-upon-Avon (www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk). On the way, Sarah Gristwood will give us an introduction to Shakespeare`s Stratford

Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, is steeped in culture and history. Set in the beautiful rural Warwickshire countryside, on the banks of the river Avon, it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK, a market town with more than 800 years of history containing many ancient buildings that would have been familiar to Shakespeare himself.

After an independent lunch, there will be free time in Stratford, after which there will be free time to visit the various historic Shakespeare properties in the town (ticket included). Later in the afternoon, we will drive to Anne Hathaway`s Cottage, the home of Shakespeare`s wife, for a guided tour. A special programme is being planned, including a candle-lit evening tour of Shakespeare`s Birthplace (above) (further details to come).

Overnight: Coombe Abbey

Tuesday, 14^th June

We leave Coombe Abbey for Hardwick Hall (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hardwickhall) in Derbyshire, a region of England renowned for its beautiful scenery and spectacular Peak District. On the way, Sarah Gristwood will speak about Arbella, England`s Lost Queen.

Hardwick Hall is one of the most splendid houses in England. It was built by Bess of Hardwick in the 1590s, and unaltered since, yet its huge windows and high ceilings make it feel strikingly modern. Outside, stone gleams and glass glitters in the light. Its six towers make a dramatic skyline. Climbing up through the house, from one spectacular floor to the next, is a thrilling architectural experience. Rich tapestries, plaster friezes and alabaster fireplaces colour the rooms, culminating in the hauntingly atmospheric Long Gallery.

Guests can also visit the nearby ruins of Hardwick Old Hall (www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/hardwick-old-hall).

After an independent lunch break at Hardwick Hall, we drive to Bolsover Castle (www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/…/bolsover-castle/) .

Set on a hilltop overlooking the Vale of Scarsdale, Bolsover Castle enjoys panoramic views over the beautiful Derbyshire countryside.There is a fairytale quality to Bolsover. Its highlights include the sumptuously painted walls and ceilings of the Little Castle, intricately carved fireplaces and the magnificent indoor Riding School.

On the way to our hotel, Siobhan Clarke will talk about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, who was niece to Henry VIII and mother of Lord Darnley.

Our hotel for the next two nights will be the Cavendish Hotel in Baslow (www.cavendish-hotel.net), or similar (details to be confirmed). Set on the Chatsworth Estate, within easy walking distance of the Park and surroundings, the highly commended Cavendish Hotel and Restaurant is famous for its excellent food and regularly changing menu. All twenty-three luxuriously appointed bedrooms have unique and truly magnificent views over the Chatsworth Estate; many have antique furniture, fine art and decor chosen by the Duchess of Devonshire, and feature every modern facility.

Included dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Cavendish Hotel, Baslow

Wednesday, 15^th June

After breakfast, we visit nearby Chatsworth House (www.chatsworth.org), the magnificent home of the Duke of Devonshire. On the way, Sarah Gristwood will speak about Bess of Hardwick.

Built originally by the legendary Bess of Hardwick, magnificent Chatsworth House offers visitors a treasure trove of modern and historic artefacts. Wandering around the three floors, the visitor can see magnificent displays of art, furniture, sculptures and paintings housed in ornately decorated rooms, from the grandeur of the first Duke’s Painted Hall and State Apartments with their rich decoration and painted ceilings, to the 19th century Library, Great Dining Room and Sculpture Gallery. There is just as much to see outside with 1000 acres of gardens that have been described ‘one of the best and most vibrant gardens in Britain’.

At Chatsworth, there are various options for independent lunch, after which we drive to romantic Haddon Hall (www.haddonhall.co.uk) for a guided tour.

Haddon Hall, the Derbyshire home of the Manners family, is one of the finest medieval and Tudor houses in England. Steeped in history and romance, the battlemented house is trapped in time - it has hardly changed for over 400 years. Set on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Wye, the Hall was the setting for Dorothy Vernon’s elopement with John Manners, the son of the Earl of Rutland, in 1558, and today the door through which she escaped is still named after her. The house was eventually left to Dorothy on her father’s death and has been in the Manners family ever since.

Dr Tracy Borman will join us for the visit, and will tell the story of Dorothy Vernon.

Independent dinner.

Overnight: Cavendish Hotel.

Thursday, 16^th June

After breakfast, we drive south into Northamptonshire for a visit to Kirby Hall (www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/kirby-hall). On the way, Alison Weir will talk about Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley.

On arrival at Kirby Hall, we will again be joined by Dr Tracy Borman, who will give us an introduction to the Hall and a brief talk on its former owner, Sir Christopher Hatton, the `Dancing Chancellor`, and the world of the Elizabethan court.

Kirby Hall is one of England’s greatest Elizabethan and 17th century houses, and was the home of Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I.  Although this vast mansion is partly roofless, the walls show the exceptionally rich decoration that shows how successive owners were always in the forefront of new ideas about architecture and design. The Great Hall and state rooms remain intact, refitted and redecorated to authentic 17th and 18th century specifications. There will be time to wander around the recently restored great gardens with their elaborate ‘cutwork’ design complete with statues and urns.

We then leave Kirby Hall for Hatfield House (www.hatfield-house.co.uk), for an independent lunch and guided tour. On the way, Sarah Gristwood will speak about Elizabeth and Leicester

Hatfield House in Hertfordshire is a fine Jacobean mansion in a spectacular countryside setting. Built by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I from 1607 to 1611, it boasts a marvellous collection of pictures, furnishings and historic armour. The Estate has been owned by the Cecils, one of England’s foremost political families, for 400 years. Visitors will also see the Royal Palace of Hatfield (built c. 1485) in the West Garden. Here, Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood. In the Park, an oak tree marks the place where the young Princess Elizabeth first heard of her accession to the throne in 1558. The Garden at Hatfield House dates from the early 17th century when Robert Cecil employed John Tradescant the Elder to collect plants for his new home. The West garden includes a scented garden, herb garden and knot garden.

As we return to London, Alison Weir will preview her forthcoming biography, Mary Boleyn - the Great and Infamous Whore?

Tonight, at the hotel, our special guest, Kate Williams, will give a talk: England`s Mistress: The Astonishing Story of Lady Hamilton.

Independent dinner to follow.

Overnight Rubens Hotel

Friday, 17^th June

After breakfast, we drive to Hampton Court Palace (www.hrp.org.uk), where we will spend the day. On the way, Alison Weir will speak about Henry VIII: King and Court.

Hampton Court is one of the finest palaces in the world. Over 500 years of history can be explored through this magnificent complex of state apartments, whose previous owners include Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. One of the most impressive sights is the Great Hall, England`s last and greatest medieval royal hall, decorated with priceless tapestries. The palace is set in wonderful gardens, where you will find the world`s most famous maze and William III`s Privy garden, now restored to its 1702 glory.

In the morning, Alison Weir will guide us around the Tudor kitchens, then Siobhan Clarke will lead a tour of the beautiful gardens, the Great Vine and the Royal Tennis Court. This will be followed by free time for an independent lunch, for which there are many options locally, and perhaps a horse-drawn carriage ride around the palace gardens.

After lunch, Siobhan, wearing authentic Tudor costume, will guide the group around Henry VIII`s state apartments. This will be followed by more free time to enable guests to explore other parts of the palace.

On the drive back to the hotel, Alison Weir will speak about The Monstrous Regiment of Women: Queens and Commoners in the Tudor Age.

In the evening, there will be a farewell dinner at Shakespeare`s Globe Theatre in London, followed by a light-hearted quiz, with prizes – and surprises!

Overnight: Rubens Hotel.

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If you are interested in this tour, check out the Tudor Tours page which lists the prices as well as the tour personnel, as well as Alison Weir’s website which will soon have more information.

This looks like an AMAZING tour. I really hope I can pinch pennies (being a broke Grad Student) and get a spot on it!

Alison Weir has done an interview on NPR discussing some of her past works. She has a short Q&A as well as reveals her upcoming works: A bio on Mary Boleyn and a novel on The Princes in the Tower. Here’s the link.

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I found a review for an older book, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, by Robin Maxwell. I read it a while back and thought it was ok (not nearly as good as Mademoiselle Boleyn). The best part of the novel to me were the interludes which flash forward in time to Elizabeth, now Queen, receiving and reading her mother’s diary. Eve, the reviewer “liked that the author tried to humanize Anne and Elizabeth, but in doing so they lost their bite. While I believe both were capable of love, they were primarily political animals. The watered-down version of both women portrayed in this book does not do either of them justice.”

Here’s the link to her full review.

This blog also offers a lot of other reviews on Tudor books (both fiction and non-fiction) and is definitely worth a look!

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Here is another article on G.W. Bernard’s Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions. I have decided to up it on my “must read” list because each review/article I read makes me want to read it more! I doubt he will convince me Anne was guilty, but it is sure to be an interesting read! According to this article, “of the conclusions [the author] draws from this latest evidence, Bernard says, “It’s a hypothesis – not a proof. In a court of law you might not condemn her for the crime, but I don’t think you’d acquit her either.”"

Here’s the link.

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Speaking of Anne Boleyn, I have linked to an interesting article about the Swordsman of Calais at the Tudor Times Blog. Click here to see more.

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Finally, Historical Novel Review has posted a review fro Philippa Gregory’s The Other Queen. The novel focuses on the captive Mary Queen of Scots and her captor Bess Hardwick (a friend of Elizabeth I’s). According to the review, “Anyone interested in the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots, but doesn’t mind the liberties taken with Bess’s character will enjoy this book. However as a fan of Bess of Hardwick and her triumph over personal trials, it wasn’t very compelling.”

Here’s the link to the full review.

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I have some pretty interesting things to share with you guys this week, now that the giveaway is over!

First off, I have decided to do some type of giveaway every month, whether it is a book or an item from the store. I am adding a spot on the right hand sidebar which will tell each month’s giveaway and the upcoming month’s giveaway. Next month’s giveaway will be His Last Letter. The author, Jeane Westin, will be doing a special author post her in August to coincide with the book giveaway!

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I discovered a wonderful site this past week  called Tudor Talk. It is run by Virginia, coincidentally the winner of our giveaway this month! Rather than simply posting on her blog, she dos podcasts. I spent all day Mon. listening to them. She does book reviews, interviews, as well as reviews movies. She also started reviewing “The Tudors,” beginning with episode one. It is very interesting and fun to listen to, so check it out here!

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The Everything Tudor Wiki is really taking off! I am very excited about it. The members and I are having a wonderful time discussing everything to do with the Tudors. Be sure to check it out here!

Also, in the Tudor Book Club we are moving on to Chapters 4, 5, and 6 in The Lady Elizabeth next week, so make sure to join in as we discuss them!

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Here are two reviews I have been meaning to post for two weeks! The first is a review is special. It is by author Philippa Gregory and is on G.W. Bernard’s Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions. In this new look at Anne, Bernard offers up the possiblity that Anne did commit adultery, as she was condemned for. According to Gregory in the review, “Bernard’s Anne Boleyn is a fool for love. There are many, many other versions of this woman, and as Bernard has powerfully demonstrated, there is evidence to suit them all, but nothing to prove any. She remains for us — as she was for the Tudors — a whore for some, a saint for others, a virago, a victim, a complex woman.”

Here’s the link to the full review.

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The second is of Jean Plaidy’s To Hold a Crown. This story focuses on Henry VII, as well as looks into Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. According to the reviewer, “while I enjoyed the novel, I found it deeply disturbing–though this is no fault of the writer.  These were disturbing times (to the modern reader, at least) and I was suitably disturbed.  I was disturbed by the women who were nothing but pawns and creatures to be mated…”

Here’s the link to the review.

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I have a ton of e-mail to go through, so keep an eye out for more posts this week!

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I have had the recent pleasure of e-mailing with one of my favorite authors, Alison Weir this week. As you may know, we are presently reading her novel The Lady Elizabeth in our Tudor Book Club. She was kind enough to send me a copy of an interview she did back in 2008 on the novel. Here’s what it says:

Interview: The Lady Elizabeth

In an interview marking the publication of your first novel, Innocent Traitor, about the life and death of Lady Jane Grey, you mentioned that you’d been writing historical novels “for fun” since the 1960s, then putting them away in the drawer to concentrate on your straight historical work.  Did your current novel, The Lady Elizabeth, have its origins as one of these novels?  And if so, is this a source from which you’ll continue to draw?

No, the suggestion for this novel came from my editor, Anthony Whittome, and I`m indebted to him for it, as it`s a subject that had enormous instant appeal for me. But there are quite a few other novels hidden away in my drawer - some of them unfinished, quite a few about Anne Boleyn, and several more crying out to be rewritten! I`m working on one in my spare time (which is a slow process, as I have so little spare time), and it`s like nothing I`ve ever done before. I think it`s important for a writer and historian like myself to have extra-mural projects that are just for me, because history was a hugely enjoyable hobby for many years before I got into print, and I want it to remain that, as well as a profession.

In an Author’s Note to The Lady Elizabeth, you write: “I am not, as an historian, saying that it could have happened; but as a novelist, I enjoy the heady freedom to ask: What if it had?”  Can you expand a bit on this “heady freedom” and on the working dynamic or tension between Alison Weir the novelist and Alison Weir the historian?

There is no tension, aside from the historian in me being determined to stick to the facts as faithfully as possible in my novels. Yes, it is incredibly liberating to be able to fill in the gaps in our knowledge and get inside the heads of historical characters, and it`s also gripping to have the freedom to construct a tale from fragments of gossip or romantic legends, which a historian should be wary of doing; but at the same time, what you come up with as a novelist must be credible and convincing within the context of the known facts and the cultural, social and moral ethos of the period, which I fear is something that some historical novelists don`t seem to think is important, or are not aware of. It`s therefore an advantage to be a historian and to have studied the subject in depth.

The Lady Elizabeth traces the life of England’s most famous queen from her childhood to the moment of her ascension to the throne following the death of her half-sister, Mary.  Not to put the cart before the horse, but will you be carrying your fictional biography of Elizabeth forward?  Can we expect a sequel?

Yes, but not immediately, as I will be writing two other novels first. The sequel to The Lady Elizabeth will be The Phoenix and the Bear, and it will pick up the tale from where the first novel leaves off, at the time of Elizabeth I`s accession, and chronicle the love story of the Queen and Robert Dudley. The other novels will be The Eagle and the Lion, about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Prince From The Tower, about Elizabeth of York, the pretender Perkin Warbeck, who called himself King Richard IV of England, and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower.

I know that in Tudor times, children were often considered to be, and treated as, miniature adults.  But the young Elizabeth as you portray her really seems to have been more than just the product of her social environment—there is a remarkable adult perspicacity to her insights and judgments from a very young age.

That is historically true. Elizabeth was indeed formidably intelligent and highly precocious. We know that through her early letters (one of which is quoted, in slightly modernised English, in the novel) and her recorded utterances. There was little concept then of childhood as a separate phase of development: children were to be civilised as soon as possible so as to be able to take their place early on in the adult world. This makes sense when you remember that life-expectancy was shorter (around thirty for women, 63 for men), infant mortality was high, and girls could be married and cohabit at twelve, boys at fourteen, while boys could fight in battle as young as age eleven. And children were schooled early on to have an awareness of religion, morality and death. When people question the precocity of these Tudor princesses, I often quote the example of Anne, the three-year-old daughter of Charles I, who, on her deathbed in 1640, prayed unprompted, `Lighten mine eyes, O Lord, lest I sleep the sleep of death.` It was an entirely different mindset from today, but children are like sponges: whatever you fill them with, they will soak up.

How would you compare Elizabeth with your previous subject, Lady Jane?  In some respects they seem very similar, yet it’s difficult to imagine Elizabeth was ever as naïve or blind to political realities as her younger cousin.

When I began writing The Lady Elizabeth, I feared I was in some peril of writing a very similar book to Innocent Traitor, because Elizabeth Tudor and Jane Grey were young Tudor princesses, both dangerously near in blood to the throne, both had difficult childhoods and devoted nurses, both were incredibly intelligent and clever, being the products of a forward-thinking Renaissance education, and both converts to the Protestant faith in an age of religious dogmatism in which heretics were burned at the stake. And they were both feisty red-heads! Yet their characters were so dissimilar, and their ambitions too. Elizabeth wanted power and to be the star of the court; Jane was a scholar who wanted to be left in peace with her books, and the prospect of queenship was repellent to her. Elizabeth was a survivor, Jane wasn`t. And the courses – and outcomes - of their lives were very different. They were surrounded and influenced by different characters. Elizabeth, bastard status apart, was essentially a princess, Jane a private gentlewoman.  And yes, Elizabeth was far less naïve than Jane, and had a far more astute grasp of Tudor realpolitik.

Tell us a bit about your technique of using original quotations, modified for the contemporary ear, as much as possible in dialogue.  What is the source of the quotes that you use?  How rich in primary-source material is the historical record of the Tudor era?

The sources of the quotes I use are far too numerous to mention! I can do no better than refer you to the extensive bibliographies in my non-fiction books, notably Children of England.  The Tudor period is incredibly rich in source material, and for the first time there is a wealth of evidence for the private lives of royalty. So I have based many quotes, and often whole conversations, on the contemporary record, although I have modified the language in places so that it fits seamlessly into a modern text. I`ve been working with Tudor sources for more decades than I care to remember, so I am very familiar with spoken and written idioms, to the extent that I have adapted speech from many sources for my novels, sometimes out of context.

In Innocent Traitor, you wrote from the first-person perspective of Lady Jane.  Now, for The Lady Elizabeth, you’ve switched to a third-person perspective.  Why?

My publishers wanted me to! But I have found that it is quite possible to write from a character`s viewpoint in the third person, and that the third person allows for greater flexibility.

Your portrayal of Elizabeth’s relationship with the ambitious rogue Thomas Seymour seems likely to stir controversy. How could her governess, Kat Astley, have allowed the situation to go on for so long?  And finally, was this the strongest influence on her determination to remain unmarried?

I don`t want to give away too much here, but suffice it to say that most of what happened between Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour is a matter of historical record, as is Kat Astley`s involvement, about which I have my own theory, which is explained and justified in the Author`s Note at the end of the book, as is the controversial aspect of my story, which is also based on (rather more dubious) contemporary sources. Elizabeth had resolved never to marry long before this episode, but I am sure that her experience with Seymour went a long way to cement that resolve.

One thing that episode underscores is the imbalance between male and female power at that time, even for a young girl of Elizabeth’s lofty status.

It doesn`t come across that way to me. As the law stood, it was high treason for any man to marry Elizabeth, and for her to enter into such a marriage, without the Council`s consent. That, to me, is the issue that underscores the Seymour episode.

Why did Elizabeth come to embrace the Protestant faith so strongly when her half-sister, Mary, was such a devout Catholic?

Elizabeth had been brought up and educated by religious reformers, and was influenced by them and by her stepmother Katherine Parr, while Mary (who was much older) had been educated under the auspices of her mother, the devoutly Catholic Katherine of Aragon, who had instilled in her a deep devotion to the old faith. I am convinced that, having had such a desperately unhappy life after her father, Henry VIII, repudiated her mother, Mary clung to the faith of her childhood not only because of her religious convictions but also because it represented the old ways in which she had been brought up, and the security she had known as a child. Elizabeth`s mother, Anne Boleyn, had been a champion of reform and religious tolerance, and that may have had a bearing on her own views.

Surrounded by fanatical believers of one faith or another, Elizabeth as you portray her seems surprisingly modern in her recognition that religious belief should ideally be a private matter . . . even though circumstances compelled her to behave otherwise.

Yes, she was remarkably enlightened for her day, which is why I admire her so much. I have used her own words to illustrate her religious views. She really did say, as queen, that she would not make windows into men`s souls, and that `there is only one Jesus Christ; the rest is a dispute over trifles`. I have used these and other insights to inform her developing opinions in the novel.

What is the true story behind Queen Mary’s pregnancy?  It seems like such a bizarre episode.

The story is just as I tell it in the book. Mary did have a phantom pregnancy, and it was not until eleven months had passed and the gas in her abdomen began to dissipate that she was forced to accept the fact. When I researched this episode for  Children of England,, I referred the matter to a senior gynaecologist, who confirmed that it was indeed a phantom pregnancy, and that a woman can long for a child so much that she can deceive her body into producing all the signs of pregnancy. It`s a condition that is virtually never seen these days because of the advent of early ultrasound scanning.

One of the most enigmatic and tragic figures in your novel, as in the history itself, is Elizabeth’s half-brother, Edward.  What is your take on him?  What kind of king would he have made had he not died so young?

My take on Edward is that he was a little boy who had grown up in splendid isolation because he was the precious, longed-for heir to England, and that consequently he was cold, devoid of emotion, unduly precocious and conscious of his position and the need to emulate his father Henry VIII, and priggishly fervent in the reformed faith. Had he lived, I am convinced that he would have been as fanatical a Protestant as Mary Tudor was a Catholic, and that he would have been another autocratic king like his father.

As in Innocent Traitor, you continue to portray Henry VIII with unusual sympathy.  For all his excesses and cruelties, he seems himself a victim, caught in a snare that was by no means entirely of his own making.

Yes, I do see Henry VIII to some extent as a victim of fortune; it was the frustrations and disappointments in his life that made him what he was. His quest for a son was a political imperative, his quest for love in a fruitful marriage a personal one. Of course, much of the novel is written from Henry`s point of view, and Elizabeth`s, so it is bound to be sympathetic, although I have tried to convey to readers that there is a darker thread to the story than these subjective aspects might convey. However, popular misconceptions about Henry VIII are still widespread, and it seems to be my life`s mission to debunk the caricature of modern myth without detracting from the less lovable aspects of this King!

Is there any possibility that Elizabeth was not really his daughter, as was rumoured at the time?

No. Henry himself never questioned it, nor was the issue ever raised at the time of Anne Boleyn`s imprisonment and trial, when it could have been used against her to advantage. Many people commented on Elizabeth`s likeness in character to Henry, observing that it was plain to see whose daughter she was, and you only have to compare their portraits, and facial profiles, to see the familial similarity.

What, in your opinion, is the best, most accurate film portrayal of Elizabeth?  Not just in terms of historical accuracy, but in capturing the essence of her personality and character.

Without a doubt, Glenda Jackson in Elizabeth R (BBC, 1971). Her consummate skill as an actress conveys the many complex facets of Elizabeth`s character. Moreover, the series is well researched and the script based on original sources. After that, Helen Mirren, who is a fine actress. You can forget the rest!

What about the Showtime series The Tudors? How would you grade it for historical accuracy?

I have to confess that I enjoyed it, purely as a drama, and there were some aspects that were very creditably done, such as the recreations of the Tudor palaces (in particular the temporary palace built for the Field of Cloth of Gold), shifts in foreign alliances, and the tortuous negotiations in respect of the `Great Matter`. I think that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers gave a fine performance as Henry VIII, but why on earth couldn`t they have made more effort to have him looking like Henry, or ageing commensurately? Sam Neill was good as Wolsey (apart from the startling scene in which he commits suicide – it`s odd, but I`ve never read about that in any history book) and Jeremy Northam was a believable Thomas More. The actress playing Katherine of Aragon was excellent (although once again we have a Katherine with dark hair – don`t film-makers ever look at portraits?) and Natalie Dormer portrayed a very convincing Anne Boleyn. But there were many laughable - and unforgiveable – errors, far too numerous to mention here (although I must cite the confused portrayal of Henry VIII`s sister Mary), and there wasn`t a single female costume that was right for the period, while the men`s costume was generally thirty to forty years too late. Given the budget, surely they could have made a little more effort to get it all right?

In an interview, you mentioned that you were writing a novel about Katherine Howard.  Is that still in the works?

No, sadly Philippa Gregory got there first with The Boleyn Inheritance, hence The Lady Elizabeth. But I don`t rule it out for the future, in fact it`s my ambition to write a series of novels on Henry VIII`s wives, novels that are based on the extensive research that I have done over so many years. But for the present, the market is too crowded, so that project has had to be shelved. One day, I hope, I`ll be able to write those books.

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Thank you so much for providing me with this wonderful interview!

For those of you who have read this novel or are currently reading it, please join us at the Tudor Book Club where we are currently discussing it!

Here’s a review for The Autobiography of Henry VIII. This is a long and interesting novel written from the point of view of Henry. I really enjoyed this novel as did the reviewer who said, “The novel is strong and well-written.  Henry VIII’s narrative is fascinating and rich with him explaining everything that occurred in his life.  You almost believe that the real Henry VIII wrote this journal.  The novel presents every incident in his life in great detail from what food he ate at a banquet with Anne Boleyn to his sexual romps with Catherine Howard.  The novel presents a pious, courageous, and stubborn Catherine of Aragon, a kind and surprisingly smart Anne of Cleves, a deliciously selfish wanton with surprising insight in Catherine Howard, and a loyal, loving, and maternal figure in Catherine Parr.  Where it struggles is in the portrayal of Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.  It makes Anne Boleyn a total sinner who Henry believes a true witch with no good qualities and Jane Seymour a perfect saint.  Yes, the novel is seen from Henry VIII’s point of view where he probably believed Anne was a sinner and Jane was a saint, but it can get frustrating to read Anne as this evil person ignoring any good qualities she had.”

Here’s the link to the full review.

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The Burton Review has done a nice review for David Loades’ Six Wives of Henry VIII. Marie gives great summaries on each of the wives as Loades approcahed them. She concludes that “Although I do enjoy Alison Weir’s writing, the main difference I found in this text by David Loades is that he uses less ’supposedlys’ and sticks to facts and not conjecture. Those readers wanting a more detailed account of all the events relating to the wives and the times would not get much of a good taste in Loades summary…I enjoyed the sporadic moments on when I felt I learned something new, but I would not recommend this for the very seasoned Tudor reader because of the lack of insight. Alternatively, this would be a fantastic non-fiction read for those who would like to learn a few facts about Henry VIII’s wives without having to suffer through a five hundred page account such as the books by Starkey, Weir, and Fraser.”

Loades’ version is the only one I have not read in this list, and I think I might pass on it for now. But if you know little about the Six Wives, this sounds like it could be a good book for you!

Here’s the link to the full review.

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Speaking of the Six Wives, here’s a review for David Starkey’s version. I have personally read this one. I would not recommend reading it straight through, but it is an excellent source for research. He leaves absolutely no detail out. The reviewer brought up a good point in the review that seems a bit biased in dealing with the wives. For example, he ”writes sympathetically about Katherine Howard. She is usually regarded as a rather stupid tecenager, but Starkey’s book shows that she really wasn’t stupid. She also had a mind of her own and spoke up for some people whose lives were in danger” while he “appeared to dislike Jane Seymour.”

The reviewer seems to agree with me that Starkey’s writing style can be a bit tedious as he leaves nothing out and does jump to some far fetched conclusions at times. However, in my opinion, for a reference book it is excellent.

Here’s the link.

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I have mentioned the Morland Dynasty series a few times on the blog, and have recently found a review for the latest book Dark Rose. According to Amy at Passages to the Past, “I gotta say that book two was rather disappointing. Set during the reign of Henry VIII, The Dark Rose takes us on a journey through the lives of the Morlands, in particular Paul (the matriarch Eleanor’s great-grandson) and his niece Nanette during this tumultuous time in England’s history. And you would think that being set in Tudor times that the book would be exciting, riveting but I found it just plain boring and sometimes a bit unbelievable. It wasn’t a bad read necessarily, just not a great one.”

I have read mixed reviews on this book. I have not read this series myself, but the reviewer seemed to really love the first book and is going to read the thrid (which comes out later this year). Hopefully she will like it better!

Here’s the link to the full review.

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 Finally, I have two interviews with author Cinsearae S., who recently released Boleyn: Tudor Vampire. In the first interview, she says that she was inspired by history and Shotime’s The Tudors. She explains that after “watching the series a couple of times, my muse smacked me in the head and said, ‘Why not let Anne Boleyn get a little revenge?’” The interview also offers a nice excerpt from the book. Here’s the link.

The second interview includes a nice synopsis of the story as well as some detail about other characters such as George Boleyn and Mark Smeaton. It also talks about some future works of the author. Here’s the link to it.

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I have a few new things to post today. I have been getting really behind in my e-mail so I apologize!

First off, I feel pretty silly but I just scrolled down to the bottom of my dashboard page and saw the “Incoming Links” section where other blogs have linked to mine in posts. I just wanted to thank you to everyone who did so (Historical Tapestry, Anna’s Book Blog, Tanzanite’s Shelf and Stuff, and all the others)! I really appreciate it!

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Secondly, I have been asked to hold a book giveaway for Jeane Westin’s latest novel His Last Letter. It is about Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. It looks like it is going to be really good! I am also doing a review for it soon, as well as hosting a guest post by the author. I am super excited! It will be my first author guest post, and I have been wanting to have a giveaway again, so I will post more on this soon!

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If you like Harry Potter and the Tudors, I found a fanfic for you! Anne Boleyn: Witch Queen is a fun story where the young Anne goes to Hogwarts and learns to be a witch. Here’s the link. I always love Tudor fiction, so if you have a story please send it in and I will read/post!

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Now for some reviews:

Here’s a review for To the Tower Born. The story about Elizabeth of York and her best friend Nell Caxton. According to the reviewer, “I have read what I consider a lot of historical fiction related to the Tudors.” Many of the comments agree. I have not heard a lot about this book before, but I am intrigued now. I have a love for the Wars of the Roses ear as well, so I think this might be one for me! Here’s the link to the full review.

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The Dark Rose, part of the Morland series, has recently been reviewed at the Yankee Romance Reviews blog. According to the reviewer, “The author has given us a wonderfully rich story full of love and devotion, hate and conflict, pride and prejudicism that are vividly detailed to ensnare you right from the beginning and keep you hooked all the way to the very end. A story based on fact that is embellished just beautifully to not only give you a much needed lesson in history but to capture your emotions and wring them out like a wet rag.”

I really like that this is a series of books set in a fascinating time period, but not focused on king Henry VIII or other famous persons. It gives the reader a different perspective. I really want to read them!

Here’s the link to the full review.

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The Damsels in Regress Blog has posted a nice review of Alisa Libby’s novel The King’s Rose, following the life of Katheryn Howard. The blog will also be hosting and interview and book giveaway soon, so check it out! Here’s the link.

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I have a ton more reviews and news to post, so check back soon!

Here are two interesting article I came across last week:

According to a new article, David Starkey, author of Henry: Virtuous Prince and Six Wives, he is now suffering from hearing loss. However, he says it will not interfere with the filming of his next installment of his series on Henry VIII.

Here’s an article with more detail.

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Henry VIII is back at the Globe, the first time in some 397 years (it hasn’t been preformed there since the last production caused a fire burning down the theatre…). What’s On Stage has a great article about the new production with several reviews on the performers, costumes, and overall success of the play.

Here’s the link.

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I am currently working on a nice long post of new reviews as well as this week’s Book of the Week, so check back soon!

I found a “new” book the other day titled The King’s Reformation. Now when I say “new” I mean new to me. It was published in 2005. However, it caught my attention because it is by G.W. Bernard, the author of the new and a bit controversial book titled Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions.

According to the product description, “Bernard…demonstrates that Henry’s reformation of the English church involved more complex motives and methods than his desire for a new wife and an heir…[offering] a magisterially exhaustive account of Henry’s religious reforms, his opponents, and his supporters, as well as the ways that Henry’s policies led to the political and religious reformations of Thomas Cranmer and Oliver Cromwell. This is a first-rate account of a controversial king and his role in the development of the English church.”

Here’s the amazon link for more info.

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As one who is almost done with their Masters Program in Library and Information Science, I found this short article quite appealing. A librarian from the Tulsa Library has written a short bit on some of her favorite Tudor Books. The lists includes those by Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory.

Here’s the link to check out her recommendations.

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I found a new article on the new novel No Will But His, following the tragic tale of Katheryn Howard. When discussing her new novel, author Sarah Hoyt explained that “I got the idea while having an email argument with my editor about whether Kathryn Howard was just a dumb slut or not.” In this new article I found discussing the novel, the author goes into some detail about her ideas on Katheryn and the work that went into the novel.

Here’s the link.

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Here’s the link to a nice review for Alison Weir’s Innocent Traitor. This novel is told from the point of view of Jane Grey as well as those around her. For the most part the reviewer seemed to like the book, though she could tell Weir had a background in non-fiction, making some parts a bit “stiff.”

Here’s the link for the full review.

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Author Brenda Rickman has written in at the Historical Tapestry Blog on why she loves Hampton Court. I absolutely love this place! It is probably one of my absolute favorite places in the world! She agrees, saying that when she left the palace, she “was fairly certain I had enough to inspire a Tudor story. As it turns out, I was right. That Tudor story is The Heretic’s Wife.”

Here’s the link.

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I have found a new review for The White Queen, Philippa Gregory’s latest novel. The reviewer didn’t seem to care for it too much and actually offered another book for those interested in the subject. Here’s some of what they said, ”Unfortunately, Gregory decides to take the least believable route. Inspired by the whispers of witchcraft that surrounded the Woodville family (which was supposedly descended from a water goddess), Gregory portrays Elizabeth Woodville, her mother, and daughter Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII) as practitioners of wizardry.”

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And finally, I have found a very interesting article on Miranda Raison, now playing Anne Boleyn in both Shakespeare’s Henry VIII and the new play Anne Boleyn. Both will be performed back to back at The Globe. According to Raison, “I see her as a complex, at times bewildering young woman,” he says. “She was sexually fearless in a dangerous male world, driven by a religious vision. But there was nothing Puritanical about her…”

For more, check out the article here.

I have found a review for the novel No Will But His, following the story of Katheryn Howard. She lost her head for adultery while married to Henry VIII. According to the review, “This novel is extremely well-written and the personality and nature of Catherine Howard shines through.  Sarah A. Hoyt offers to readers a Catherine Howard that is root worthy and a true heroine where other novels have portrayed her as a either a sex kitten or a dimwitted idiot.”

Here’s the link.

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The Burton Review has done a nice interview with D.L. Bogdan. She is author of the new novel Secrets of the Tudor Court. It follows Mary Howard as she serves Anne Boleyn and her marriage to Henry Fitzroy. The interview asks such questions as “What inspired you to tell the story of Mary Howard? Where had you first encountered her?” and “Although your novel includes some of the famous myths regarding the Tudor courts, such as Anne Boleyn’s sixth finger, what are your personal thoughts on them?” Interesting stuff!

Here’s the link.

http://www.theburtonreview.com/2010/04/giveaway-interview-of-dlbogdan-author.html

Alison Weir is speaking about her latest work The Lady in The Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn on May 19th. The site where she is speaking on May 19th is called the Turret House and “is the most fully intact part of 16th-century Manor Lodge…and was once home to the fourth and sixth Earls of Shrewsbury and Bess of Hardwick, and Mary, Queen of Scots.”

Here’s the link to an article about the Turret House, and here’s the link to her site for more info. on her speaking events including a talk on the Six Wives of Henry VIII and one on Jane Grey.

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Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan follows Mary Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk and wife (eventually) of Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII. The story is full of adventure for Mary as she arrives at court to serve Anne Boleyn and eventually married Henry Fitzroy.

Here’s the link to the review

I have been given a copy of this book by the publisher and will be reviewing it as soon as I finish my review for The Sisters Who Would Be Queen. Only a week left for school and I will be back on track with my reviews! Yay!

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The Examiner has a nice author profile for Diane Haeger. She is author of several Tudor-related books including The Secret Bride (following Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon) and The Queen’s Mistake (following Katheryn Howard).

Here’s the link to her profile.

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I stumbled across a fanfic site for the Tudors! I really enjoy these, as some people come up with some great stuff! Here’s the link if you want to check it out. If anyone has any fanfiction or other fictional writing related to the Tudors, please send it in and I will post it to our site’s Tudor fiction page. You can contact me here.

The Ten Pages of More Blog is doing a nice live book/read-along of Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. It starts here; Just scroll down to the bottom of the page to #1. Each post covers a few more pages and gives nice overviews and quotes of what is going on in the story. I have been really wanting to do this over at the Live Book Blog, but alas, time has kept me from doing it! Perhaps when things settle down more this summer I can resume!

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Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII is being performed at the Globe starting May 15th. Here’s an article discussing it with info. on how to get tickets!

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There is drama in the world of historical scholarship (besides the normal drama from the history itself). Dr. David Starkey, made famous by his historical works on Henry VIII, hist six wives, and Elizabeth, has recently come out to say that female historians write “‘historical Mills and Boon…’” are “‘usually quite pretty’ and keen to show off their good looks on their book covers…” and have names that “‘usually begin and end with A.’” The article (linked below) discusses who some of these women writers might be, as well as their responses to Starkey’s strange comments.

Here’s the link.

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The Mary Tudor: Renaissance Queen Blog has raised an interesting question: Are we demoting Mary by referring to her simply as “Mary Tudor”?

The post discusses some of the recent scholarly work done on the subject such as Professor Peter Marshall’s (of the University of Warwick) article for The Times Literary Supplement. He concludes that “Mary is the only English monarch routinely known by her family name rather than her regnal number. It’s as if she wasn’t really a proper queen at all, her rule an interruption to the proper numerical progress of monarchical history.” It is a really fascinating post and article (both linked below). It is quite enlightening on a topic I hadn’t really thought about before!

Here’s the link to the blog post.

Here’s the link to the article.

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The last Shardlake Mystery, Heartstone, by C.J. Sansom, is due to be released on Sept. 3, 2010 in the UK. It is set in Tudor England and follows the detective Matthew Shardlake. For a short synopsis of it, follow this link.

Here’s the amazon.co.uk link for more info.

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Passages to the Past has a guest post by author Stephanie Cowell discussing the writing process for historical fiction. throughout the article she discusses different issues that arise when writing historical fictions, such as “On the chat groups for historical fiction writers, the subject which arises again and again (always drawing the cyberspace equivalent of blood) of how much the historical novelist is allowed to invent.” She concludes that “we take a person who once really lived and blend fact and fiction and love and skill and hope it will speak to some readers.”

To read more, follow this link.

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I ran across a new article about author Brenda Vantrease, author of The Heretic’s Wife, today. This novel chronicles Kate Gough’s ups and downs during the Reformation. According to the article, “Vantrease is a master of the intricacies of good historical fiction. Her narratives are deftly woven — the history accurate yet finely detailed, the storytelling layered with depth and emotion (and with healthy doses of romance and sex thrown in). As she has before, Vantrease presents a range of characters, and in The Heretic’s Wife, she takes on their multiple points of view.” I really enjoyed this article and am really interested to add this book to my Tudor Book Challenge list this year!

Here’s the link to the full article.

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Author David Loades is doing a free post grad workshop at the University of Liverpool entitled, ‘The English Reformation: Religion and the World.” It will be in June. If you would like to attend you must make a reservation (by contacting the Univ. of Liverpool’s history department) ahead of time.

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Claire at the Anne Boleyn Files has written up a very detailed review for Katherine The Queen, Linda Porter’s latest book. According to Claire, “I was dying for this book to be released because I loved Porter’s book on Mary I (”Mary Tudor: The First Queen”), which, I would go as far as to say, is THE Mary I biography and a complete guide to the Queen. Porter’s book on Katherine Parr is just the same, a must-read for those who want to know more about Henry’s sixth and final wife, and a complete guide to Katherine’s life, from a background on her family to the discovery of Katherine Parr’s tomb at Sudeley Castle in the late 18th century. It covers everything, nothing is missed, and I heartily recommend it.”

Here’s the link.

Everyone knows that Henry VIII had six wives, and most know that he broke with the Catholic Church to form the Church of England. However, many do not know that Henry was a poet and song writer.

In my internet perusing earlier today I found a very entertaining article on Henry’s writing. It is published by The Economic Voice and written by Janina Davison-Forder. Since I discuss many “Tudor” authors here, I thought it only befitting to dedicate a post to one of the original Tudor authors: Henry VIII.

Among talking about the six wives, the article discusses one of the most famous songs attributed to Henry VIII: Greensleeves (is it ironic that as I am typing this Greensleeves is playing in my itunes?). Now, many historians debate whether or not Henry actually wrote it, however myth and legend attribute it to him.

According to the article, “It is said that the folk song ‘Greensleeves’ came about during Henry’s courting of his second wife Anne Boleyn. Henry had many a trouble trying to convince Anne Boleyn to become his queen. In hopes of wooing the pending victim of decapitation, Henry took quill in hand and penned the lyrics that we have seen put to music, becoming Greensleeves long after his death. The title Greensleeves we believe came into being as Anne Boleyn was a lover of green and like most Tudor women, wore long sleeves that covered the wrists.”

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It also discusses Pastyme With Good Company, explaining that it is Henry summarizing his court in his early reign. The article also discusses Thomas Wyatt’s poetry (Whoso List to Hunt, for example, thought to be written about Anne Boleyn).

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Another not so famous Tudor poet mentioned is Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. The article explains that “Suffolk also wrote his fair share of rhyming lines of language. One example we see is his epitaph for Henry Howard Earl of Surrey upon his death following a journey to Falmouth at instruction of the king which he sadly did not complete;

‘A tongue that serv’d in foreign realms his king,

Whose courteous talk to virtue did influence

Each noble heart; a worthy guide to bring.’”

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This is a really interesting article, not to mention an entertaining read. Here’s the link. Also, check below for clips from some of the above mentioned poems/songs.

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Greensleeves - I can’t help just loving this version!

Pastyme With Good Companye - This is also my favorite version of this one!

There are so many other beautiful ones! If you want to hear more, check our misssunnydale’s youtube channel!

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