DOCSLIB.ORG

Books Reviews the White Queen by Philippa Gregory the Red

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Books Reviews the White Queen by Philippa Gregory the Red Books Reviews The White Queen by Philippa Gregory The War of the Roses is one of the bloodiest English wars, where cousins fought for only one prize: the Throne on England. Among these cruel battles we witness the life of powerful women, who not only had to sacrifice their happiness but their loved ones as well. The White Queen tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty who in a moment of financial difficult met the King of England, fell in love and married in secret. From then on her life was changed radically. Her strength and commitment to her family made her fight for the success of the House of York to be the only and truly bloodline to the English throne. I have read many negative reviews about this novel, which even made me doubt of reading it. Luckily, my love for History was stronger, I read it and I did not regret it. At first Elizabeth and all her adventures reminded me of Jane Austen’s works. Those young girls looking to find a wealthy husband and live happily ever after. To that been said, Elizabeth’s life though at the beginning , it looked like a fairy tale, marrying the king in secret, having children with him, and after fierce battles, his true love came to her door. But then I saw how a woman fought desperately for the safety of her children, and keeping the throne for her family. Despite so many changes in the world, women are still trying to find happiness, manage their children, seeking advantages, and being an influential role in their relationships. At first knowing it is a historical fiction, I did not know how much facts I will find in the story, to my surprise, reading an interview to Philippa Gregory, I learned that most of the story is based on real events. Magic, dark, enchanted elements can also be found in History. Of course some elements were added by the writer to make the story more interesting and poetic but even the Melusina’s myth is true. Elizabeth and her mother believed that they were descendants from this goddesses. They also believed in witchcraft. The disappearance of the princes is also a real fact which is still a mystery. I believe that this quote from the book resumes it all: “Ambition, power, even the throne itself that cost our family so dear: at the end he knew it was all meaningless” The War of the Roses is about battles, chivalry and knights. In the “White Queen” you will find the history of women who have been an essential part in these male leaders' life. Highly recommended. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory The Red Queen tells the story of Margaret Beaufort, a member of the member of the House of Lancaster and, most famously, the grandmother of Henry VIII. At the age of twelve Margaret is married to Edmund Tudor in an effort to create a royal Lancaster heir and help secure the throne. Though Edmund dies shortly into their marriage, he leaves Margaret with a son named Henry, whom she swears to put on the throne as the rightful Lancaster heir. Caught up in a dangerous civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York, Margaret must navigate ever-changing court politics and carefully plot to get her son on the throne. I have read the White Queen first and it is very interesting to see the contrast between Margaret and Elizabeth Woodville, the York Queen. In the White Queen, we see Elizabeth strongly attached to her mother, to her mysticism and witch-like superstitions. Margaret on the other hand is a strict religious woman, believing she is a British version of Joan of Arc. she spends her entire life devoted to make his son the King of England as she believes it is God's will. The two women are also completely different in their physical appearance: Elizabeth tall, blonde and beautifully charming whereas Margaret is described as short, dark haired and a modest look. Though many of the events described in the Red Queen, also are depicted in the White Queen, it is very interesting to see the War of the Roses in two different perspectives. One through the eyes of the York and the other through the Lancaster’s. Sometimes I found the reading a bit slow, especially the moments when Margaret was taking orders and made other take charge of her life. Once Margaret takes control and plays political games in favor of her son, the story becomes interesting. There are many moments that you can despise Margaret, especially for her resent and desire of revenge against the York. She even mentions her sin of ambition and greed of fighting to take what she believes her rightful place. Gregory description of Medieval England, is enjoyable and readers will also see a clear picture of how the characters especially Margaret evolved throughout the story. Fans of Historical fiction like me, will be delighted with this novel. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown "The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling–a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths… all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object–artfully encoded with five symbols–is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation… one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon–a prominent Mason and philanthropist–is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations–all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth." I've taken this summary from the official site, and after reading it, I thought about how the book impacted myself. I must confess I have come back to my reading routine after quite a long gap, and being my 2nd book, this year, I must confess I enjoyed it. I read The Da Vinci Code many years ago, and I literally read it in two days. I have always been a fan of Masonic literature, and an avid reader of the Saint Grail theories, the royal blood, and the crusaders. With that been said, you can infer I did enjoy the book. It's easy reading, short chapters which encouraged me to keep on reading and the storytelling technique Brown's has, made me forget all I had around me. I was immersed in Langdon's nightmare. The villain was so well depicted that made me have a real hideous, terrifying picture in my mind. Many people may have not liked the book but as I said, if you like stories of Masons, hidden treasures, symbols and linked with real settings, that's your book. Cinder by Marissa Meyer “Kai cleared his throat. Stood straighter. "I assume you are going to the ball?" "I-I don't know. I mean, no. No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to the ball." Kai drew back, confused. "Oh well... but... maybe you would change your mind? Because I am, you know." "The prince." "Not bragging," he said quickly. "Just a fact.” ― Marissa Meyer, Cinder That the story in "Cinder" is based on a fairy tale is no secret. In fact, it begins very much like its namesake tale: Cinder is the stepdaughter of a woman with two other daughters. Her father has died and Cinder is forced to keep the house, earn a living not as the servant in her own house but as a mechanic in Beijing, 126 years after World War IV. Not forgetting to mention, she is a cyborg with all the drawbacks it carries, being half robot at that time. As it is a fairy tale, we do have a prince: Prince Kai but not as unrealistic and distant as the one in the traditional tale. In this book he reveals his fears, and loyalty to his people, even at the risk of losing his own happiness. If you are thinking that you will just read a fairy tale, you are wrong, it has more than that. You will be transported in a world of darkness, with the plague around the characters, and uncertainty of their fate. Cinder is easy reading, with a twist near the end. At the beginning, it might be rather slow, but gets more interesting by the middle of the story, from then on, you cannot stop reading with the plus, that the story continues on the second novel: Scarlet which is the 2nd book of The Lunar Chronicles. You will not be disappointed. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Different from Cinder where I had to wait till the middle of the story to find some action, Scarlet has it from the very beginning. As a follower of Fairy tales, it is rewarding to find one with such a twist. We still have the fantasy, the dreams, but more real, if I can use this terms. Scarlet is a normal girl, surviving in a decaying world where everything is so difficult to obtain.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Lady of the Rivers PDF Book
    THE LADY OF THE RIVERS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Philippa Gregory | 512 pages | 28 Feb 2012 | Simon + Schuster UK | 9781849836524 | English | London, United Kingdom The Lady of the Rivers PDF Book Page Count: Publisher: St. Can you tell us more about your charity, Gardens for The Gambia? Lively, vibrant, sensitive, descriptive, captures key events and struggles in the War of Roses. What frightens me is the sheer size of this series. In, closing, as Jacquetta abandons her friend Margaret for the house of York, so too, does Philippa Gregory abandon a much defamed Queen to the slanders of history. Consider serving foods from the time period at your book discussion. She brings the era she is exploring to life and always tells the story from such a personal point of view that you feel you are, or at least know, the main character. When Margaret of Anjou is brought over to England to marry King Henry of Lancaster, Jacquetta, as her relative, is retrieved from the countryside to befriend the new Queen. And that was supposedly years after Jacquetta lived. Like some of her characters, she practices alchemy, she spins gold from paper pages. I really got the feeling that the book was more of a chore for PG to write rather than a pleasure. It did start to pick up a little bit better after the half way point.. She is a direct descendant of Melusina, the water goddess of legend, and this lineage gives her some powers that separate her from the everyday people around her. As in Tattooist , the writing itself is workmanlike at best and often overwrought.
    [Show full text]
  • White Queen Free Ebook
    FREEWHITE QUEEN EBOOK Philippa Gregory | 442 pages | 04 May 2010 | Touchstone Books | 9781439170656 | English | United States Elizabeth Woodville With every turn she faced betrayal and danger as England’s White Queen. At around Jacquetta Woodville, wife to the Earl of Rivers, gave birth to a daughter named Elizabeth. Jacquetta was from the royal house of Burgundy and was close allies with King Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou. The White Queen () by Philippa Gregory, which borrows Rosemary Hawley Jarman's supernatural elements from The King's Grey Mare. Elizabeth Woodville also appears in other novels in Gregory's Cousins' War series. The White Queen is a riveting portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history. This epic begins in war-torn and is uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women- Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. In their quest for power, they will scheme, manipulate and seduce their way onto the English throne. Did Elizabeth Woodville, England’s ‘White Queen,’ Die of the Plague? Overall, "The White Queen" is a fantastic series that appears to accurately portray events of a lesser known time in English history - the "Wars of the Roses". Even if it uses artistic license to fill in holes in the recorded history, it is done in good taste and with a high degree of probability and authenticity. The first in a stunning new series, The Cousins’ War, is set amid the tumult and intrigue of the Wars of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this extraordinary family drama to vivid life through its women – beginning with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.
    [Show full text]
  • The Spanish Princess Prem SC Fuse 05 05 19.Pdf
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Super Channel to premiere the STARZ Original Limited Series The Spanish Princess Premieres May 5 at 10 p.m. ET on Super Channel Fuse EDMONTON (April 8, 2019) – Super Channel is pleased to announce that it will premiere the STARZ Original Limited series, The Spanish Princess on Sunday, May 5 at 10 p.m. ET, day and date with its US premiere on STARZ. The third installment follows the Golden Globe® and Emmy® award-nominated STARZ Original Miniseries The White Queen and the critically acclaimed STARZ Original Limited Series The White Princess. Produced by Playground and All3 Media's New Pictures, the Limited Series is drawn from the global best-selling novels, “The Constant Princess” and “The King's Curse,” written by Philippa Gregory. To view the trailer for The Spanish Princess, click here. Returning to the world of Tudor royal court intrigue, The Spanish Princess is a vivid and captivating story told uniquely from the point of view of the women, which also sheds light on a previously untold corner of history: the lives of people of colour, living and working in 16th century London. Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) is the strong-willed young Princess of Spain, who has been promised the English throne since she was a child. She arrives in a grey, rain-lashed England with her glorious and diverse court including her ladies-in-waiting Lina (Stephanie Levi-John) - a Spanish noble of African Iberian descent - and the sweet and free-spirited Rosa (Nadia Parkes). When her husband Prince Arthur dies suddenly, the throne seems lost to Catherine until she devises an audacious plan and sets her sights on the new heir, the charismatic and headstrong Prince Harry who will one day rule as King Henry VIII.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kings Curse EXPORT EDITION
    SIMON & SCHUSTER INTERNATIONAL SALES The Kings Curse EXPORT EDITION From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII’s stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII’s claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess) and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter—But Margaret’s contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors. After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret’s world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and “holiest” woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether The King’s Curse her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her ISBN: 9781501103612 beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which Format: MM Exp. Ed. serves the new masters.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter I Introduction
    CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Research There are many authors who write literature works in this world that can describe the reflection of the author's life or representative of human life today. Every literature work has purpose and meaning that the authors want to tell to the reader. One of the authors is Philippa Gregory. She wrote her novel entitled The Taming of the Queen which was launched in 2015. Philippa Gregory is a historical novelist. She was born in Kenya January 9, 1954. She graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in History and received PhD in literature from the University of Edinburgh. In 2008, the University of Edinburgh made her the university`s Alumna of the Year. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University and is a fellow of the University of Sussex and Cardiff and a Reagent for the University of Edinburgh. Her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy is the hallmark of her writing. Philippa Gregory is an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into TV drama and a major film. In 2015, Philippa Gregory launched her novel entitled The Taming of the Queen which is one of her Tudor novels. In the novel The Taming of the Queen, Philippa writes about a strong-willed widowed women character named Katerynn Parr who marries King Henry VIII. When she is a little girl, she adores the young King Henry VIII when he is still a handsome and strong looking King.
    [Show full text]
  • LAPORAN PENELITIAN Semester Genap 2020-2021 Refleksi
    LAPORAN PENELITIAN Semester Genap 2020-2021 Refleksi Feminisme Pada Tokoh Katherine of Aragon dalam Novel The Constant Princess Karya Philippa Gregory Oleh: Eka Yuniar Ernawati S.S., M.Si. Nurul Fitriani S.S., M.Pd. Fakultas Bahasa dan Budaya Jurusan Inggris Universitas Darma Persada Jakarta 2021 KATA PENGANTAR Puji syukur ke hadirat Allah Yang Maha Kasih yang selalu mencurahkan rahmat dan karunia-Nya, sehinga saya mampu menyelesaikan makalah yang berjudul: “Refleksi Feminisme Pada Tokoh Katherine of Aragon dalam Novel The Constant Princess Karya Philippa Gregory” ini sebagaimana mestinya. Penelitian ini merupakan salah satu syarat yang harus dilakukan guna memenuhi Beban Kerja Dosen (BKD) pada setiap semester di Jurusan Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Darma Persada (UNSADA). Kami sangat menyadari bahwa karya ini dapat terselesaikan berkat bantuan dari berbagai pihak selama proses penelitian berlangsung. Maka, dalam kesempatan berharga ini, kami ingin menyampaikan ucapan terima kasih yang sebesar-besarnya kepada mereka yang telah membantu dan berkontribusi dalam bagi menyelesaikan penelitian ini. Penelitian ini saya sadari masih jauh dari kesempurnaan, oleh sebab itu, saya sangat mengharapan saran dan kritik membangun yang berguna untuk perbaikan kesempurnaannya. Jakarta, 10 Agustus 2021 Penulis 2 Refleksi Feminisme Pada Tokoh Katherine of Aragon dalam Novel The Constant Princess Karya Philippa Gregory Oleh: Eka Yuniar Ernawati S.S., M.Si. Nurul Fitriani S.S., M.Pd. ABSTRACT The point of this study is women’s image in the novel The Constant Princess by Philippe Gregory through Feminism perspective. It is a true story which tells Catherine of Aragon or Catalina, Princess of Spain, as the main character who was born and lived at the begining of story in Spain.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded from Manchesterhive.Com at 09/29/2021 12:23:31AM Via Free Access Basil Glynn
    1 4 The Tudors and the post-national, post-historical Henry VIII Basil Glynn The Tudors (2007–10) is a prime example of a relatively new type of post-national and post-historical television series that has become an established global alter- native to BBC costume drama. Drawing on international rather than specif- ically British ideals of nationhood, it often runs counter to received history 1 while the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) gives it a contemporary rather than historical aesthetic. It also constitutes, as Ramona Wray contends, ‘an extraordinarily detailed take on the reign’ 2 of Henry VIII and is ‘with a total of thirty-eight episodes and a combined running time of almost thirty-fi ve hours’, as Sue Parrill and William B. Robinson observe, ‘by far the longest fi lmic event ever to deal with the Tudor dynasty’. 3 SCREENING HENRY BEFORE THE TUDORS As England’s most famous (or infamous) monarch, Henry VIII has featured prominently throughout the history of British national cinema, and his vari- ous on-screen incarnations could be argued to have revealed much about Britain and its national character. Raymond Durgnat famously suggested that national cinema serves as a window onto the society from which it arises 4 and Deborah Cartmell and I. Q. Hunter, considering British historical drama as such a window, claim that it has long been obsessed with periods associated with national greatness such as the Tudor, Jacobean and Victorian eras. The per- sistent representation of such eras, they argue, refl ects ‘both a British desire
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF ~ the Women of the Cousins' War: the Duchess, The
    06T50O2VLS5E < Doc \ The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the... Th e W omen of th e Cousins' W ar: Th e Duch ess, th e Queen and th e King's Moth er Filesize: 9.59 MB Reviews A fresh e-book with a brand new standpoint. Sure, it is play, nevertheless an interesting and amazing literature. Its been printed in an extremely straightforward way and it is just soon after i finished reading this pdf where in fact modified me, change the way in my opinion. (Deondre Hackett) DISCLAIMER | DMCA BBBKOR5JHAAI PDF » The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the... THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS' WAR: THE DUCHESS, THE QUEEN AND THE KING'S MOTHER To get The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother PDF, remember to click the button listed below and save the ebook or get access to other information which are highly relevant to THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS' WAR: THE DUCHESS, THE QUEEN AND THE KING'S MOTHER ebook. Simon & Schuster Ltd. Paperback. Book Condition: new. BRAND NEW, The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother, Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones, Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen (2009), Margaret Beaufort, The Red Queen (2010), and Jacquetta, Lady Rivers, The Lady of the Rivers (2011) are the subjects of the first three novels in Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, and of the three biographical essays in this book. Philippa Gregory and two historians, leading experts in their field who helped Philippa to research the novels, tell the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who until now have been largely forgotten by history, their background and times, highlighting questions which are raised in the fiction and illuminating the novels.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tudors and the Post-National, Post-Historical Henry VIII
    Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Glynn, Basil ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5880-6486 (2016) The Tudors and the post-national, post-historical Henry VIII. In: The British Monarchy on Screen. Merck, Mandy, ed. Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 309-335. ISBN 9780719099564, e-ISBN 9781526113047. [Book Section] (doi:10.7765/9781526113047.00025) Published version (with publisher’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/19681/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award.
    [Show full text]
  • ALT Wars of the Roses: a Guide to the Women in Shakespeare's First Tetralogy (Especially Richard III) for Fans of Philippa Gregory's White Queen Series
    Jacksonville State University JSU Digital Commons Presentations, Proceedings & Performances Faculty Scholarship & Creative Work 2021 ALT Wars of the Roses: A Guide to the Women in Shakespeare's First Tetralogy (Especially Richard III) for Fans of Philippa Gregory's White Queen Series Joanne E. Gates Jacksonville State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/fac_pres Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Other History Commons, Renaissance Studies Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Gates, Joanne E. "ALT Wars of the Roses: A Guide to the Women in Shakespeare's First Tetralogy (Especially Richard III) for Fans of Philippa Gregory's White Queen Series" (2021). Presented at SAMLA and at JSU English Department, November 2017. JSU Digital Commons Presentations, Proceedings & Performances. https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/fac_pres/5/ This Conference Proceeding is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship & Creative Work at JSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Presentations, Proceedings & Performances by an authorized administrator of JSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Joanne E. Gates: ALT Wars of the Roses: Philippa Gregory and Shakespeare, page 1 ALT Wars of the Roses: A Guide to the Women in Shakespeare's First Tetralogy (Especially Richard III) for Fans of Philippa Gregory's White Queen Series Joanne E. Gates, Jacksonville State University Since The Other Boleyn Girl made such a splash, especially with its 2008 film adaptation starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, novelist Philippa Gregory has turned out book after book of first person female narratives, historical fiction of the era of the early Tudors and the Cousins' War.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Download the White Princess 1St Edition Pdf Free Download
    THE WHITE PRINCESS 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Philippa Gregory | 9781501174926 | | | | | The White Princess 1st edition PDF Book Find out more about your rights as a buyer - opens in a new window or tab and exceptions - opens in a new window or tab. The White Queen. Then he stops loving her, but we don't know why. Retrieved 2 May Philippa Gregory is pretty much the reason I read historical fiction. What I will not enable with any positive comments is not warning the reader in advance that the author's plan is to do so. Henry : Really?! I wanted to give this book a higher rating as I love the way that Gregory tells a story. Format see all. I think this was intentional as historically she had no queen power. Gregory believes that Perkin Warbeck was actually the real Duke Richard who had successfully escaped. I think this is a solid addition to the series. Like it or not, the Plantagenet and Tudor eras are a major locus of interest for HF readers I actually prefer the Where I got the book: my local library. Series see all. Perhaps I was wrong, but it sure did skip a generation to rest in the heart and mind of her granddaughter Elizabeth 1 , one of the greatest queens of all times. Aug 07, L'aura rated it did not like it. The guy was dull. Who is your mother plotting for? My ears are literally bleeding from all the repetition. Oct 21, Sara rated it it was amazing Shelves: historical-fiction , borrowed-from-library.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SLANDERED WOMAN WHO FOUNDED the TUDOR DYNASTY Margaret Beaufort Has Been Depicted in Film and Fiction As a Tiger Mother
    THE SLANDERED WOMAN WHO FOUNDED THE TUDOR DYNASTY Margaret Beaufort has been depicted in film and fiction as a tiger mother, maniacally plotting her son Henry Tudor’s path to the throne, a religious fanatic and a child murderess. Yet, as we shall see the real Margaret was a true-life heroine whose story has been buried by religious prejudice and our still ambivalent attitudes to powerful women. I am the author and historian Leanda de Lisle and this is Tudor and Stuarts uncovered – discovering the truth behind the myths. There are no surviving images of the young Margaret, so we have to imagine her as her story began, when she was the victim of a child marriage, aged twelve. Her twenty-four year old husband, Edmund Tudor, was half brother of her cousin, the mentally ill Henry VI. The marriage did not last long. Edmund Tudor died of plague the following year, but he left his young widow, six months pregnant. It was the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, a struggle between cousins, in which the ‘white rose’ House of York, fought for supremacy over the failing kingship of Henry VI, from the ‘red rose’ House of Lancaster. Margaret needed a protector and so she sought refuge with her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor, at Pembroke castle. There she delivered her baby, Henry Tudor in 1457. But the thirteen year old was so small her body would never recover, and she was left unable to have further children. Jasper then arranged her second marriage – taking her to meet her future father in law only a month after the birth that had almost killed her.
    [Show full text]