One of the most engaging, interesting and intriguing periods of England's history would arguably have to be the Tudor period.
The Tudors, a family of Welsh-English background, ruled the island for 118 years (1485-1603) including the reigns of two of the most controversial and powerful monarchs ever to sit upon the throne: King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, his daughter.
The Tudor period was one of plots, murder, execution, lascivious sexuality, war, religious-turmoil, constitutional change, great triumphs, terrible deeds and suffering all fuelled by greed, ego, pride, hubris, lust and desire. Typical human traits really.
There is a very good quality Showtime series called, The Tudors which does an excellent job of depicting the Tudor Court and its characters like Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey, the Duke of Suffolk, Henry VIII himself, and his wives of course, a few of whom he had beheaded. It's a fascinating series, cast and acted well, with spectacular sets. Well-worth a look, but that's not what this post is about...This is about Lockdown reading book five:
The book revolves around Mary Howard, the daughter in law of Henry VIII, she was married (at 13 or 14) to Henry's illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy (1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset).
Assigned to attend King Henry's mistress, Anne Boleyn who later lost her head, she arrived at court an innocent girl. She soon found herself a pawn in a tangled web of lies, betrayal, deceit and ambition as part of a plot begun by her power-hungry family.
Serving in the Tudor Court was never straightforward and becoming entangled in plots often ended poorly, with the loss of one's head at the Kings order, banishment or time in the Tower of London. Henry VIII was capricious, flighty and quick to turn on those he once claimed to love, as many of his wives, and trusted advisors found out.
This book follows the twists and turns of the Tudor court and the plot Mary's father, the Duke of Norfolk, devised to further his families standing specifically through Mary. The plot eventually leads to disaster for Norfolk and his son and Mary was left to live out her life in solitude finally dying in 1557 at the age of 37-38 (unconfirmed).
I'm a fan of the Tudor Court; It was all of the bad a person could be rolled into the one location and the ramifications of plots and intrigue begun there changed many things, not least of which was the impact upon the Roman Catholic hold in England at the time.
Henry VIII was regarded to be a good king, charismatic, educated and attractive but he was a terrible person it seemed, one who couldn't seem to control his carnal desires. His reign is also known for dramatic changes to the English constitution and Henry often beheaded rivals on (trumped up) charges of treason, and no trial, to eliminate them. Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer, some of Henry VIII's most trusted advisers and administrators, all felt the king's wrath among many, many, many more including some of his wives.
Unfortunately King Henry VIII isn't much remembered for anything of a good nature though, and the Tudor Court is regarded to have been a corrupt, dangerous place and certainly one where a person's lascivious desires could be played out...If one dared.
I found myself feeling sorry for Mary who was brutally manipulated against her will by her father and brother and never really allowed to enjoy a happy life. As a woman in those times she would have had little choice but to play along or suffer, usually deadly, consequences.
The author does a great job delivering the often complicated plots to the reader and giving the feeling one is a silent observer, right in the room with the players. I don't think it would be easy to do so, especially with the Tudor Court, and so she gets points for accomplishing that.
This is a good book, and I'll be delving into some of the authors others, also on the Tudor reign.
If you are interested you can read the posts about book one, book two, book three and book four here.
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