Tudor Book Blog

As with last week’s book of the week I am interested in books on the two often overshadowed (and shortest) reigns of the Tudor dynasty, Edward VI and Mary I. Edward was the long sought after son of Henry VIII. He was the first English monarch to be protestant, and expected his people to follow suit. He introduced the first English Book of Common Prayer in 1549. Mary was Henry VIII’s eldest surviving child whose mother was discarded and she bastardized. She quickly changed all her father and brother had done by attempting to bring her country back to Rome and restore the Catholic Church. Many protestants were executed giving her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”

Here are some interesting books focusing on these two reigns which had some of the most violent and rapid change in the dynasty.

1) The Mid-Tudors: Edward VI and Mary, 1547-1558 (Questions and Analysis in History) by Stephan “examines all the key issues debated by historians, including the question as to whether there was a mid-Tudor crisis…Lee also looks at the Reformation and the Counter Reformation, as well as discussing government and foreign policy.”

Here’s the amazon link. It lets you peek inside! And here’s the link to a short review for this book.

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2) Edward VI and Mary: A Mid-Tudor Crisis?, 1540-58 by Roger Turvey and Nigel Heard ”analyses the idea that there was a crisis in mid-Tudor England through a detailed examination of the domestic, foreign and religious policies of period as well as the economic issues of the time.”

Here’s the amazon link.

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3) The Mid Tudor Crisis by David Loades “argues for the surprising stability of government during the period between 1545 and 1565. There were crises - a confused royal succession, economic problems, the search for Church settlement - but there was not a fundamental threat to the state or society. Mary and Northumberland’s achievements in particular have been under-rated, originally, to magnify by comparison, those of Elizabeth and, in a sense, the “mid-Tudor crises” was the creation of Elizabethan propaganda.”

Here’s the amazon link.

EADT24 has written up a nice article on Anne Boleyn, focusing on Alison Weir’s new book The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. According to that article, “Mystery has surrounded the circumstances leading up to her arrest at the start of that month. Alison points the finger firmly at Master Secretary Thomas Cromwell, the king’s chief minister, for playing on Henry’s fears and “spinning” existing rumours of sexual indiscretion to preserve his position as a royal favourite. It wasn’t, she believes, the king who prompted his queen’s fatal descent.” Interesting theory! I really want to read this one!!!

Here’s the link to the full article. It goes into a lot more detail about the book and worth a read.

Speaking of Alison Weir, I soooo wish I could go on her amazing Tudor Tour next year!

Here are two new reviews I have found:

1) The Constant Princess-follows the early life of Katherine of Aragon, from her marriage to Prince Arthur to her marriage with Henry VIII.

Here’s the link to the review. It’s from the blog “Story Time with Tonya and Friends.”

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2) The second review is about The King’s Rose, a new novel on Katheryn Howard by Alisa Libby.

Here’s the link to the review. It’s from the Book Wind blog.

Happy Turkey Day from the Tudor Book Blog!

I know I have posted a lot of book reviews on Wolf Hall in the past few months, but it has been getting A LOT of press since Mantel won the Booker Man award. I need to get my hands on this book and find out the truth about it for myself!

Here is one more review for it…It comes from The Afterward and has some nice bits and clips from the novel. Here’s the link.

The second is another book I am dying to get my hands on! Eric Ives (who wrote probably the best biography on Anne Boleyn) is tackling another ill-fated queen, Lady Jane Grey. In his biography Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery, Ives looks at the events leading up to Jane’s coronation, followed by her downfall. The reviewer concludes, as “Ives suggests in his introduction one of the most fascinating conjectures in British history is what might have happened had Jane stayed on the throne and the House of Dudley replaced the House of Tudor. As so much of the character of the modern British church and state is of Elizabethan and Stuart date, we cannot know what would have been different but we can know that the world we live in would have been very different.” Hum, interesting thought!

Here’s the link.

Yay!!!! I’m finally done with school until Monday! (Despite the two 15 page papers I have to write….). I am also planning on taking the Christmas Break (starting in just a few weeks!) and really working on the Tudor  Digital Library. I plan on adding a “Museum” section with pictures and information on artifacts still around as well as a huge book section and a primary sources section! More to come!

In the mean time, I still have a ton of email and posts to catch up on, but here are some tidbits

1) Geeb’s Book Club has written up a short review on The Boleyn Inheritance. They state that they enjoyed this one better than Gregory’s other Henry VIII era books. Here’s the link.

2)Stevereads has done a nice review and synopsis on a biography of Anne Boleyn I haven’t heard of. It is titled Anne Boleyn: A Biography by Marie Louise Bruce, and was published in 1972. Despite it being a bit old, Steve seems to have really enjoyed it. He has provided his reasons along with excerpts from the book. He explains that , “Bruce sees Anne Boleyn in the round - she’s never shy of citing a fault or flaw - but she ultimately likes Henry VIII’s bewitching wife and dislikes how historians from Anne’s day to this have piled opprobrium on the poor girl’s pretty head.”

Here’s the link to read more. It’s worth checking out!

3) Publishers Weekly has posted a small blurb on The Queen’s Governess, a new novel on Kat Ashley. Here’s what they say:

“The Queen’s Governess Karen Harper. Putnam, $25.95 (368p) ISBN 978-0-399-15618-2

Katherine Ashley is the daughter of a country squire with no hope of a future, until a chance meeting with Thomas Cromwell gets her sent to Henry VIII’s court as a waiting gentlewoman to Queen Anne Boleyn and a spy for Cromwell. When Boleyn comes to an untimely end, Ashley becomes tutor and servant to her daughter, Elizabeth, and accompanies the girl throughout her trials and tribulations before she finally takes her father’s throne and goes on to become England’s greatest queen. Rarely does a work of historical fiction endeavor to cover so much territory—Ashley lives through the reigns of four Tudors—but Harper’s diligent research, realistic portrayal, and insider/outsider heroine will hook those who can’t get enough of England’s turbulent history. Readers familiar with the period will feel at home and even manage some sympathy for men like Cromwell and Henry VIII. Still, bestseller Harper (Mistress Shakespeare) maintains her focus on the roles of women—both powerful and powerless—in Tudor England, resulting in another enjoyable proto-feminist historical romp. (Jan.)”

Here’s the link to the site.

I still have a lot of catching up to do on the site since i have been MIA this week! Sorry, I only have two weeks left in school so it has been really crazy! I will have most of Dec. to catch up and finish working on the Tudor Digital Library and Museum.

Now for the reviews:

1) Kimberly Eve has done a nice write-up on Alison Weir’s latest work The Lady In the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. She gives some nice examples from the text. Here’s the link.

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2) and 3) These are from the same source! Catholic Exchange has reviewed Thomas Cromwell: The rise and fall of Henry VIII’s most notorious minister and House of Treason: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Dynasty. Both are by Robert Hutchinson. I haven’t read the one on Cromwell but have thumbed through The House of Treason, a book covering the Howards more than the Tudors. The review gives some good information on each. These are two Tudor books you don’t hear a lot about, so the review is worth checking out!

Here’s the link.

Those who read about Tudor times generally hear about Henry VIII and his six wives, “Bloody Mary,” or the  ”Virgin Queen” Elizabeth I. The sisters of Henry VIII are often overshadowed by these other Tudor personalities. However, Mary and Margaret Tudor lived extremely “Tumultuous” lives as covered in Maria Perry’s book The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France. She chronologically covers the lives of these sisters, from birth to reigning as queens of Scotland and France. Both remarried after the deaths of their first husbands and were very unconventional for the time.

Margaret Tudor

Margaret as Queen of Scotland

Margaret Tudor was born on Nov. 28, 1489. She was the eldest daughter of King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth (of York) of England. In 1502 Margaret married James IV of Scotland. Upon his death in 1513, Margaret became guardian of their sons James and Alexander. In 1514 she married into the powerful Douglas family. Margaret bore Douglas a daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas (later a favorite at the court of her uncle, King Henry VIII). However, the marriage was not happy and divorced Douglas in 1527 (much to her brother, King Henry VIII’s disapproval). In 1528 she married Henry Stewart, another unhappy marriage. Towards the end of her life, Margaret became friends with Mary of Guise, her son James V’s wife from France. With Mary’s help, Margaret and Stewart were reconciled. She died in 1541 from a stroke.

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Mary Tudor

Mary Tudor with her second husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

Mary Tudor was born on March 18, 1496 to King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York. In 1514 she married the aging King Louis XII of France. He died in Jan. 1515 on New Years Day freeing Mary to marry again. She chose Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and married in secret. When her brother, King Henry VIII found out, he was not happy. Despite this rough start, the couple were happy and were eventually forgiven by the King. She bore Brandon three children. Her eldest daughter, Lady Frances Brandon, was the mother of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, the nine days queen. Mary died on June 25, 1533.

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I really enjoyed this book and am excited to share it with you this week (even if it is a little late…).

Here’s the link to a nice review for the book and Here’s the amazon link.

Sorry posts have been slow lately. I have about 5000000000000 papers due in the next three weeks…ugh. But, I will try to update as often as possible!

The Anne Boleyn Files has posted a new review on “The Early Loves of Anne Boleyn.” I’m really interested in reading this one! Claire highly recommends this new work, stating that, “I really enjoyed Wilkinson’s insights into Anne’s life at the Hapsburg and French courts, her relationships with Percy and Wyatt, and who these men actually were.”

Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Here’s the link to the full review.

By the way, I haven’t forgotten about this week’s book of the week! I have a good one in the works and will hopefully have it up tomorrow!

Elizabeth’s Women by Tracy Borman is a book I have mentioned sevearl times on the blog. It looks to be really interesting! I have found a new review for it. I really liked this quote from the review (which is actually quite accurate), “Who gets to help Elizabeth undress becomes more important than who happens to be pope.”

Here’s the link to the review.

Brandy Purdy, author of The Boleyn wife about Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, has done an interview at The Lady Gwyn’s Kingdom. She talks about why she chose Jane Boleyn as her subject, as well as her feelings on Jane now that has researched her and written about her life. This new novel will be released in January.

Here’s the link.

Speaking of the Boleyns…here’s the link to a new Other Boleyn Girl Review!

The Lady Gwyn’s Kingdom is also having its first book giveaway! The Spanish Bride by Lauren Gardner is about Katherine of Aragon and is free to one lucky winner! Here’s the link for more on the giveaway.

Here is a VERY interesting book I recently found!

Severance by Robert Olen Butler delves into the theory that a head can remain conscious for up to 90 seconds after decapitation. The book consists of short stories which include some famous Tudor figures like Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary Queen of Scots.

Here is the link to a review of the book which has an excerpt. And here is the amazon link where you can look inside the book.

The Stolen One is a fictional account of Mary Seymour’s life. Daughter of Thomas Seymour and Catherine Parr, Mary has disappeared from the pages of history. Author Suzanne Crowley has taken up her pen to create a novel around it. The article (linked below) tells a bit about the author, as well as what has inspired her. It also gives a glimpse into her next project!

Here’s the link.

According to several news posts, “Dr Starkey will bring his infectious enthusiasm to St Mary & All Saints Church in Windsor End on December 2. The talk starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £20 and £12 for students.” I bet it will be entertaining! Wish I could go!

Here’s the link to the article for more information.

OHS Library Book Blog is holding a discussion board on Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl. There is also a nice write up about the novel.

Here’s the link.

1) The Maiden’s Court has written a new review for the Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. The book follows and is narrated by Anne of Cleves, Kateryn Howard, and Jane Boleyn Lady Rochford. Each woman falls victim to “The Boleyn Inheritance” in different ways…

Here’s the link to the review.

2) Tea at Trianon has written a review for Leanda de Lisle’s new work on the Grey sisters, Mary, Katherine, and Jane. According to the review, “Leanda de Lisle traces this sometimes confusing web of succession, with the plots of attempted coups and subterfuges of secret marriages as clearly as possible (with name changes and so many Mary’s and Catherine’s). She corrects many erroneous interpretations (of Lady Jane Grey as victim or of her mother Frances as an evil woman, etc) effectively, and demonstrates Elizabeth I’s cruelty to Katherine and Mary, imprisoning and separating them from their well-beloved husbands and Katherine from one of her sons.”

Here’s the link.

3) BCF Book Reviews has reviewed Joanna Denny’s new book Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England’s Tragic Queen. The reviewer seemed to really enjoy the book, stating “It has obviously been very well researched, and Denny is clearly a Boleyn enthusiast, with a lot of passion for her subject.  However, this is a double edged sword.  While I firmly believe that it is important for any biographer to really care about their subject, Denny’s own view means that this book is extremely biased.”

Here’s the link to the review.

The Wall Street Journal has compiled a great article about How to Write A Graet Novel featuring Tudor author Hillary Mantel, as well as other best selling novelists. Here’s what Hillary Mantel says about writing:

“British novelist Hilary Mantel likes to write first thing in the morning, before she has uttered a word or had a sip of coffee. She usually jots down ideas and notes about her dreams. ‘I get very jangled if I can’t do it,’ she says. She’s an obsessive note taker and always carries a notebook. Odd phrases, bits of dialogue and descriptions that come to her get tacked to a 7-foot-tall bulletin board in her kitchen; they remain there until Ms. Mantel finds a place for them in her narrative.

Ms. Mantel spent five years researching and writing the book, “Wolf Hall,” her Booker Prize-winning Tudor drama set in the court of Henry VIII, out in the U.S. this month. The trickiest part was trying to match her version to the historical record. To avoid contradicting history, she created a card catalogue, organized alphabetically by character. Each card contained notes showing where a particular historical figure—such as protagonist Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s adviser—was on relevant dates.

‘You really need to know, where is the Duke of Suffolk at the moment? You can’t have him in London if he’s supposed to be somewhere else,’ she says.

One day, she was in a panic over how she would fit everything she needed to into the novel. She took a shower—her usual head-clearing ritual. ‘I burst out of the shower crying ‘It’s two books!” says Ms. Mantel, who is writing a sequel that will end with Cromwell’s beheading in 1540.”

Here’s the link to the full article.

Hey guys! Sorry posts have been slow lately, but I have three big papers due this week! :0 I’ve also been working hard getting the Tudor Digital Library up and running, as well as answering the great reference questions already submitted. There are some good ones so be sure to check it out and send in your questions!

I have a ton of really good stuff to post and will post at least part of it later tonight!

The Lisle Letters are a composition of 3,000 letters written to and from Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle (an illegitimate son of Edward IV), his family and household, while he was lord deputy of Calais from 1533 to 1540. In 1540 several members of the Plantagenet household in Calais were arrested on suspicion of treason, on the charge of plotting to betray the town to the French. Suspicion unavoidably fell upon Arthur as well, and he was recalled to England and arrested on May 19 1540. The actual conspirators were executed, but there was no evidence connecting Arthur with the plot. Nevertheless he languished in the Tower of London for two years until the king decided to release him. However, upon receiving news that he was to be released Arthur suffered a heart attack and died two days later. The 18th-century historian Francis Sanford commented “[Henry VIII's] Mercy was as fatal as his Judgments.”

King Edward IV, father of Arthur Plantagenet

Lady Lisle, Wife of Arthur Plantagenet

However, many of his letters still survive and have been bound together to form the Lisle Letters. This composition is available at many libraries, as well as through ILL—I would recommend that since it costs about 500 dollars online! :

Here’s the amazon link for more on the book, such as page numbers,

And here’s a nice post on the book.

In this post, the author states, “It was in the so-called Lisle Letters, edited by Muriel St Clare Bryne, that I first found about the existence of the correspondence and the family. You can find more information in the excellent abridged version. The letters are dense and reveal far more than a partial description of the participants’ world; at times you can almost catch a shape, a scent, a sensation, as though someone out of that world is stepping across the field of vision.”

Here’s a link to the abridged version as well. (It’s available in full text on Google Books here!)

I have expanded Everything Tudor to include the Tudor Digital Library and the Reference Blog “Ask the Tudor Librarian.”

Here, there will be pages on many Tudor Books as well as a reference blog where readers can submit book questions, get help with research, etc. by submitting their question to the Tudor Librarian. Other readers can also help answer these questions.

I’m really excited about this new page! There is already a reference question posed, so head over and see if you can help answer it!

Hope all my readers enjoy it!

Here’s the link to the new page.