Thank you to Netgalley for providing with a free ebook copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Description:
Why did Henry VIII marry six times? Why did Anne Boleyn have to die? Why did Elizabeth I’s courtiers hail her as a goddess come to earth?
The dramas of courtly love have captivated centuries of readers and dreamers. Yet too often they’re dismissed as something existing only in books and song–those old legends of King Arthur and chivalric fantasy.
Not so. In this ground-breaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty. From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant’ of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the Tudors re-enacted the roles of the devoted lovers and capricious mistresses first laid out in the romances of medieval literature. The Tudors in Love dissects the codes of love, desire and power, unveiling romantic obsessions that have shaped the history of the world.
My Thoughts:
Like many people, I am fascinated by the Tudors. Part of it is the drama. Even the most outlandish modern soap opera wouldn’t have a husband order the beheading of two wives, and these were real people! But, some of the drama is lost when you know it’s coming. I think, what keeps me coming back for more is that I am a very character-focused reader, and “characters” don’t get much more complex than the Tudors. Since there are so many conflicting accounts and interpretations of events, one version’s villian is the next’s hero.
In the middle ages, the stories of King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot were the lens through which love was viewed. Gristwood delves deeply into how these beliefs lead the Tudors to make irrational decisions, as well as using it as a tool to exercise their power.
This was a thouroghly researched book. Gristwood does a great job of guiding the reader to understand her conclusions, while still remaining an objective narrator. She helps the reader to look beyond their 21st century ideaology to understand medievel viewpoints. Nonfiction can read rather clinical to me, but Gristwood has an engaging voice, that feels like she’s having an intellectual conversation with the reader.
The only thing I found confusing was the sheer volume of people discussed in the book. I always struggle with this in books spanning over a long period of time in history. First of all, there tends to be a lot of similar names. Secondly, most titles are inherited, so as time progresses the same person is referred to by a different name or the same name could be different people. Obviously, Gristwood cannot control this, I just know that I personally get frustrated by this at times, and thought it was worth noting.
In conclusion, I would recommend this to anyone interested in English History. This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Gristwood, and I intend to read more.
4 out of 5 stars