Alison Weir's The Children of Henry VIII
Posted by Vicki A Benge
In the preface to The Children of Henry VIII, the author Alison Weir writes:
"This book is not a history of England during the troubled reigns of Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I, but a chronicle of the personal lives of four English sovereigns, and the relationships between them, during the period 1547 to 1558."
That's the perfect summary of her book in one bland factual sentence. However, the book is far from bland. Weir's meticulous research into extant period papers, including the writings of the monarchs themselves, is woven together into a rich tapestry that brings each character to life with all their personality traits both appealing and reviling left intact. The reader is admitted entrance to the private lives of not only the sovereigns of the period but many of their council members, extended family, and servants.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend now to go back and have a renewed look at "the history of England during the troubled reigns", and I am sure I will now read of that time period in England's history with a new perspective. Weir provides the reader a much greater awareness of why English folks lived as they did during the "troubled reigns" as each ruler literally imposed their personality onto society and their English subjects were thus subjugated to the reigning sovereign's personal, namely, religious beliefs, or were executed, especially during the reign of "Bloody Mary" Tudor.
The book ends as "good Queen Elizabeth" ascends to the throne. Now I must find a copy of Weir's The Lady Elizabeth. If it is as well-written and engaging as The Children of Henry VIII, I will have to read all of Weir's British history volumes.
Alison Weir. The Children of Henry VIII. New York: Ballantine Books/Random House, 1996.
ISBN 13: 978-0-345-40786-3
