The Children of Henry VIII
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Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.0840922
EAN: 9780345407863
ISBN: 0345407865
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: 1997-07-08
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: 1997-07-08
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Editorial Reviews:
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"Fascinating . . . Alison Weir does full justice to the subject."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
At his death in 1547, King Henry VIII left four heirs to the English throne: his only son, the nine-year-old Prince Edward; the Lady Mary, the adult daughter of his first wife Katherine of Aragon; the Lady Elizabeth, the teenage daughter of his second wife Anne Boleyn; and his young great-niece, the Lady Jane Grey. In this riveting account Alison Weir paints a unique portrait of these extraordinary rulers, examining their intricate relationships to each other and to history. She traces the tumult that followed Henry's death, from the brief intrigue-filled reigns of the boy king Edward VI and the fragile Lady Jane Grey, to the savagery of "Bloody Mary," and finally the accession of the politically adroit Elizabeth I.
As always, Weir offers a fresh perspective on a period that has spawned many of the most enduring myths in English history, combining the best of the historian's and the biographer's art.
"Like anthropology, history and biography can demonstrate unfamiliar ways of feeling and being. Alison Weir's sympathetic collective biography, The Children of Henry VIII does just that, reminding us that human nature has changed--and for the better. . . . Weir imparts movement and coherence while re-creating the suspense her characters endured and the suffering they inflicted."
--The New York Times Book Review
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Their lives and relationships
Comment: Based on extensive research Alison Weir traces the lives of Henry VIII's 3 children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, as well as their cousin, the ill fated nine days queen, Lady Jane Grey.
Weir begins the chronicles with the death of Henry VIII in 1547.
She stresses that the book is not a history of England during the reign of these 4 monarchs but rather an account of their personal lives and the relations between them in the 11 years after Henry's death.
While Mary and Elizabeth suffered from their mothers being removed and themselves disinherited and labelled as 'bastards' (Elizabeth when she was only three), Edward grew up secure in his father's love and protection.
In the introduction to these chronicles Weir discusses the psychological and physical health of Mary.
The onset of puberty had coincided with the separation of her parents and this in turn resulted in a succession of serious illnesses that were most likely psychological in origin, and which she suffered from until the end of her life.
These included severe depression, palpitations, headaches, and what would now be referred to as premenstrual tension and most likely also seasonal affective disorder.
Elizabeth lived with the horrifying memories of her mother's execution when she was only three.
When Elizabeth was eight, Katherine Howard, who Elizabeth had been close to, was executed for adultery which resurrected the scars of the execution of Anne Boleyn.
While her father was cruel to her, and for long periods refused to see her for long periods, Elizabeth was fortunate enough to have come under Katherine Parr's protection and influence.
Edward was intelligent, strong-minded and as fervent a Protestant as his sister Mary was a Catholic, but he could also be cruel.
King Henry's last wife Katherine Parr was a true saint. She showed great love to all of Henry's children and to Lady Jane Grey, who was so cruelly treated by her ruthless and ambitious parents.
Jane Grey was a devout Protestant, kind and intelligent, a gem of a soul, her use as apolitical pawn and her execution being one of the great injustices and tragedies of the history of the England of this period.
Weir tries to present a sympathetic portrait of Mary I, but I believe that for all of the testimonies of Mary's supposed goodness, her importation of the inquisition into England, and the burning of Protestants to try to ruthlessly force Catholicism in England, means she was in the end a bloody tyrant.
Queen Elizabeth always practised religious tolerance and never persecuted anybody on their faith.
When a register of martyrs was printed in 1557, each list ended with the rhyme : "When these with violence were burned to death, we longed for our Elizabeth."
The death of Mary I of England was a great relief to most of her subjects. Queen Elizabeth's accession heralded a golden age in England under that country's greatest monarch.
Alison Weir, as always has done a fine job of capturing the essence of the four sovereigns combining detail with a fine, pleasurable read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Historical Treat
Comment: When Alison Weir is the author, the book is unquestionably accurate and a wonderful read. The children of Henry VIIl were exceptional. Elizabeth and Edward were incredibly intelligent. They always fascinate me. Mary, hummmm, maybe not so much. I love anything Alison Weir writes. I have yet to be disappointed in any of her books.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is real history - not a whitewashed novel. I loved it!
Comment: Recently I've become interested in the Tudors. I've been following the series on television and have also read a few historical novels. This book, however, is different because it is not a novel. It is a biography. All I can say is WOW - truth really is stranger than fiction - and much more fascinating.
It starts with a short history of the three Tudor siblings. Then, we meet King Edward VI I, a child being manipulated by the men in power. We get to know him as he grows more and more aware of his own power. He believes in the Protestant religion and he and his advisers have put restraints on Catholicism. Of course his oldest sister, Mary, who is in her late twenties and has been raised Catholic is unhappy and resists all the new laws, but he is firm in his own beliefs. By the age of 15, though, he is dying. It is a painful and tragic death and takes a long time. The reader is not spared any of the details. In order to keep England Protestant, on his dying bed, he chooses the next in succession - his cousin Lady Jane Grey, merely 15 years old at the time. She didn't want to be Queen, but was forced into it. Her reign was short (only nine days) and tragic. Soon, Mary became Queen.
This all seems so simple, but, it fact it is quite complicated. The book describes the many plots and subplots, intrigues and politics of the time. Long imprisonments and beheadings were common. And later, during Mary's reign, Protestant heretics were burned at the stake. The reader is not spared any of the grisly details. There were times I got the shivers but I was glad this was not whitewashed history. This was real, it happened, and the writing was so good that I felt I was right there. The author managed to insert constant historical references, including actual letters, into the narrative.
I learned a lot. I didn't know that Queen Mary had been married to a Spanish prince. I hadn't realized that the younger sister, Elizabeth, had spent much of her life imprisoned. I didn't understand the complexities of the constant warfare with other countries. And, even though I knew about the division between the Protestants and Catholics, this book really described the ends that Mary went to in order to force Catholicism on the English people.
It's all here, packed into a mere 366 pages. Well, almost. The book ends with Mary's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne. It then simply mentions that Elizabeth enjoyed a 45-year reign. I definitely plan to read some other biography about that reign. But I now have the background to understand it better.
I loved this book and was sorry it ended. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: henry's children
Comment: This was a very well written and entertaining book. It was not dry and historical. I was very engrossed in it and found it a very good read if you are interested in Tudor history. I am glad she she spent time on Mary Tudor, because not as much is written about her or her brother as Elizabeth. I found this to be a very good book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tedious history
Comment: The author demonstrates meticulous research in this book. This is the fourth of her books I have read and find her style clear,dull and somewhat easier to read than the Congrsssional Record.If you are seeking an accurate history with overmuch detail, Alison Weir is the author for you. I prefer a history book with a theme which holds my attention and doesn't wander into taxing paragraphs of detail,dull detail.
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