As the daughter of king henry viii and katherine of aragon, mary tudor lived a charmed life for a time. Mary tudor, her first book, was one of five shortlisted titles for britain s prestigious annual the first biography prize. Princess, bastard, queen by anna whitelock new york. Catholic england under mary tudor by eamon duffy 249pp, yale. Anna whitelock has done an admirable job of balancing all of these factors and presented a book about mary tudor that reads like a historical novel but there is very little fiction in what she writes. Mary tudor, her first book, was one of five shortlisted titles for britains prestigious annual the first biography prize. Anna whitelocks assured, impassioned and absorbing debut tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one minute, feted by the courts of europe, and a disinherited bastard the next.
This book seeks to resurrect the remarkable story of mary, the first queen of england. She was a kings daughter, she was a kings sister, she was a kings wife, she was a queen, and by the same title a king also. To her credit, anna whitelock set out to cast queen mary in a different light. Englands first queen bloomsbury 2009 us mary tudor. She won her rightful throne,married her prince and returned the country to roman. In brilliant detail, whitelock reveals that mary tudor was not the weakwilled failure as so often rendered by traditional narratives but a complex figure of immense courage, determination, and humanity. Anna whitelock sets out to redeem queen marys reputation in mary tudor. Princess, bastard, queen 9781400066094 by whitelock, anna and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices.
Princess, bastard, queen hardcover by anna whitelock. Within it, the author quotes john white, bishop of winchester, in his sermon at marys funeral. Anna whitelocks absorbing debut tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one moment, and a disinherited bastard the next. Princess, bastard, queen, anna whitelock sets out offer a picture of english first queen regnant as something other than the weakwilled failure as so often rendered by traditional narratives, but a complex figure of immense courage, determination, and humanity. She won her rightful throne,married her prince and returned the country to roman catholicism. Now, in this impassioned and absorbing debut, historian anna whitelock offers a modern perspective on mary tudor and sets the record straight once and for all on one of historys most compelling and maligned rulers. Queen mary tudor of england who reigned from 1553 to 1558 will forever live in history as bloody mary, for the number of protestants put to the flames during the reign of this unbendingly catholic monarch. Princess, bastard, queen, is a study of the life and times of great britains queen mary i, better known to history as bloody mary. However, i found it kind of tedious to get through. Rather than repeat the claim of others that she was the bloodiest and most ruthless of english monarchs, whitelocks intention was to show mary as a woman marked by suffering, devout in her faith and.
With this tudor biography we are thrusted quickly into the anneboleynhater world. She was the winner of the 2010 arts club emerging writer award and was shortlisted for the biographers club best first biography prize. May 04, 2009 mary tudor was the first woman to be crowned queen of england. Though often overshadowed by her longreigning sister, elizabeth i, mary lived a life full of defiance, despair, and triumph. Princess, bastard, queen anna whitelock she was the first woman to inherit the throne of england, a key player in one of britains stormiest eras, and a leader whose unwavering faith and swift retribution earned her the nickname bloody mary. In this inviting biography, british historian whitelock presents a more favorable queen. Princess, bastard, queen follows her previous work on mary i with a life of elizabeth i in which she attempts to give the standard biographical details a fresh look by way of focusing on the intimate side of the queens life. Her accession, in the summer of 1553, took place against the odds and it was, in many ways, emblematic of her life. This is a pageturning, revisionist history of the villainised and misu.
Theres not that much reading material available on queen mary tudor so i was anxious to read this book. Princess, bastard, queen presents bloody marys biography in such a way as to martyr katherine of. Rather than repeat the claim of others that she was the bloodiest and most ruthless of english monarchs, whitelocks intention was to show mary as a woman marked by suffering, devout in her faith and exceptional in her courage. Elizabeths long reign, fascinating relationships and excellent selfpromotion i. From an early age, mary tudor 15161558 was shamelessly used as a pawn in european. Marys death anniversary is celebrated as elizabeths accession day have been grist historians, novelists and movie directors. It is an interesting exercise to see how each writer views the subject and. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read mary tudor.
In the summer of 1553, against all odds, mary tudor was the first woman to be crowned queen of england. So whitelock divides the book into sections based on these parts of marys life. Minute details would be penned about occasions such as marys coronation while other important events marys handling of lady jane grey, the loss of calais, etc. Mary tudor was the first woman to be crowned queen of england. Jun 14, 2009 anna whitelock s mary tudor and eamon duffys fires of faith leave noel malcolm asking. I empathize with anna whitelock s feeling that she has written the book she always wanted to write about mary i, first queen regnant of england, who really proved her father wronga female could rule england, administer the realm, defeat rebellions, and deal with war and peace. Englands first queen by anna whitelock and fires of faith. Princess, bastard, queen, anna whitelock sets out to offer a picture of english first queen regnant as something other than the weakwilled failure as so often rendered by traditional narratives, but a complex figure of immense courage, determination, and humanity.
Mary tudor highly deserves a more appropriate title than history gives her and this bio really shows who she really was. The heir of the tudor dynasty in england and a daughter of spain. It was, in many ways, emblematic of a life of both fortune and adversity, of both royal favor and profound neglect. She was a kings daughter, she was a kings sister, she was a kings wife. Mary tudor by anna whitelock, 9781400066094, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Princess, bastard, queen, anna whitelock sets out offer a picture of english first queen regnant as something other than the. Mary tudor englands first queen mary tudor princess bastard queen anna whitelock mary tudor book stack. University of london history lecturer whitelock asserts that mary tudors. Aug 31, 2010 with this tudor biography we are thrusted quickly into the anneboleynhater world. An engrossing, unadulterated biography of bloody maryelder daughter of henry viii, catholic zealot, and englands first reigning queen mary tudor was the first woman to inherit the throne of england.
She was the first woman to inherit the throne of england, a key player in one of britains stormiest eras, and a leader whose unwavering faith and swift retribution. Anna whitelock s absorbing debut tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one moment, and a disinherited bastard the next. Princess, bastard, queen presents bloody mary s biography in such a way as to martyr katherine of aragon and mary tudor while throwing the whole mess of blame on to anne boleyns doorstep. Author whitelock, anna subjects mary i, queen of england, 15161558 kings and rulers queens england biography. Princess, bastard, queen, an engrossing account of her tumultuous life and how it impacted her role as monarch. Anna whitelock, an acclaimed young british historian, chronicles this unique womans life from her beginnings as a heralded princess to her rivalry with her sister to her ascent as ruler. Mary tudor, known almost indelibly to history as bloody mary for her religious persecutions, has had the good fortune to be the subject of several intelligent studies lately, including this one. Anna whitelock s assured, impassioned and absorbing debut tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one minute, feted by the courts of europe, and a. Anna whitelock an unadulterated look at bloody maryelder daughter of henry viii, catholic zealot, and englands first and most murderous queenargues that history has treated the muchmaligned monarch unfairly. Anna whitelocks assured, impassioned and absorbing debut tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one minute, feted by the courts of europe, and a disinherited bastard the next originally published.
She was also the winner of the arts club emerging writer award in 2010. Princess, bastard, queen by anna whitelock goodreads. Englands first queen tells the remarkable story of a woman who was a princess one minute, feted by the courts of europe, and a disinherited bastard the next. Anna whitelock an unadulterated look at bloody mary elder daughter of henry viii, catholic zealot, and englands first and most murderous queen argues that history has treated the muchmaligned monarch unfairly. The purpose of anna whitelocks book is not to recount what to many are the well know general facts of marys life and reign, but rather to delve beneath the surface of these images and bring forth mary tudor, the human being, and what was going on in her heart and mind while she progressed through the events that most coming to this book with. Sep 01, 2009 mary tudor highly deserves a more appropriate title than history gives her and this bio really shows who she really was. Mary tudor by anna whitelock and fires of faith by. This acclaimed book by anna whitelock is available at in several formats for your ereader.
Whitelock reveals that mary tudor was not the weakwilled failure as so often rendered by traditional. Englands first queen by anna whitelock 368pp, bloomsbury. An engrossing, unadulterated biography of bloody mary elder daughter of henry viii, catholic zealot, and englands first reigning queen mary tudor was the first woman to inherit the throne of england. Princess, bastard, queen in new york journal of books. Random house, 2009 felt this book was very unevenly written. Mary tudor, her first book, was one of five shortlisted titles for britain s prestigious annual.
The purpose of anna whitelock s book is not to recount what to many are the well know general facts of mary s life and reign, but rather to delve beneath the surface of these images and bring forth mary tudor, the human being, and what was going on in her heart and mind while she progressed through the events that most coming to this book with. Princess, bastard, queen by anna whitelock first woman to be queen of england more information find this pin and more on yes we can. Summary an unadulterated look at bloody maryelder daughter of henry viii, catholic zealot, and englands first and most murderous queenargues that history has treated the muchmaligned monarch unfairly. Princess, bastard, queen ebook written by anna whitelock. There is a family tree, a beautiful selection of color photos and an extensive bibliography in this book. It is in these elements that whitelock excels and provides a book that will challenge the presuppositions that many may bring to the reading. Not the bloody mary of legend but a trailblazer for queenship in england,a courageous,intelligent and very capable queen who accomplished most everything she set out to do. She was the first woman to inherit the throne of england, a key player in one of britains stormiest eras. While she mary tudor receives considerably less press than her more glamorous younger halfsister. Princess, bastard, queen presents bloody marys biography in such a way as to martyr katherine of aragon and mary tudor while throwing the whole mess of blame on to anne boleyns doorstep. Author anna whitelock presents a very sympathetic portrait of mary. Anna whitelock the freelance history writer notes and.
Princess, bastard, queen by anna whitelock 2010, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Princess, bastard, queen by anna whitelock first woman to be queen of england. Go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. Reigning through one of britains stormiest eras, she earned the nickname bloody mary for her violent religious persecutions. It tells of her spanish heritage and the unbreakable bond between mary and her mother, katherine of aragon. Im in the midst of reading several biographies of mary tudor which ive had on my bookshelves for a long time.
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