The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England's Most Famous Dynasty by Sarah Gristwood
Product Details
Web ID: 15494788If you love Tudor history, this is a must read!!
I have read probably 25 or so books on British history, particularly on the Tudors and the Plantagenets. I find the history fascinating reading. I love reading about Edward IV and Elizabeth of Woodville, Richard III, the boys who probably died in the Tower etc! The first and foremost author of this material is undoubtedly Alison Weir. Her books bring these people to life for me; yet, this very well researched and lengthy book by Sarah Gristwood, THE TUDORS IN LOVE, takes a bit of a different backslide into all their stories, devoted and decidedly inspired to all of them, by Love! Blind love, victorious love, painful love, depressed and forlorn love, and love forever with and without. It is truly fascinating...... love's scope and perseverance. Certainly, not a book for the faint of heart, it is a wild and thorough ride through the annuls of Tudor history, no detail is left unturned! Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived...all in the name of LOVE! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc....what is Ms. Gristwood going to take on next? I can't wait to see!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An In-depth look at the lives and courtly loves of
I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is a book that dives deeply into the royal families of the Tudors from the 12th Century to 1603. I have always been curious about British royalty history but I have never been exposed to the extreme depth of research that awaits you within the pages of this book. It is clear to me that Sarah Grist wood spent a lot of time digging through letters, manuscripts and all she could find to produce such a detailed account of life at that time with the Kings and Queens of England. She covered them from the courtly love affairs point of view and left no stone unturned. I did find it a little hard to follow and a little dry but totally interesting. I was amazed at all the managed relationships and the many affairs of rulers such as Henry the VIII and Elizabeth I. If you have any curiosity about life at court in these times I urge you to read this book. At the end of the book she has portraits of some of the great rulers that I really loved having just read about them. I found this a great addition to the book. You will certainly learn the meaning of courtly love. I do recommend this book to people really interested in a deep history of this time period.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book
The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England's Most Famous Dynasty by Sarah Gristwood is a great nonfiction that takes me back to one of my favorite periods in English history, the Tudors! Loved it! I really enjoyed Ms. Gristwood’s previous book The Blood Sisters, so I was excited to dive into this gem. The author takes us into some historical basis and examples of courtly love that are described and existed before the Tudor era. She then gives us so many wonderful examples of “courtly love” and how it affected not only the relationships themselves, but also the rippling effect it had on the courtiers and the land as well. It was fascinating to see it all in that context. Even though I know quite a bit about this era, it was great to revisit, and to pick up a few more tidbits. Excellent. 5/5 stars
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Courtly Love and the Tudor Dynasty
Europe was enthralled with courtly love from the time Christien De Troyes wrote about Lancelot and Guinevere. Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the Courts of Love and practice of chivalry to England when she married Henry II. However, the proponents who used courtly love to their advantage and disadvantage were the Tudors. Jousts, greats feasts and romantic games played major role at Henry VIII’s court, particularly in the later years. Henry had mistresses, notably Mary Boleyn, however, his romance with her sister Anne was in a different category. Anne was trained in the courts of Europe and knew how to entice a man in large part through the games of chivalry. Henry, loving to joust and seeing himself as a knight was caught up in the game. The game became serious when Henry divorced Katherine to marry Anne, but the magic faded, and when she couldn’t produce an heir her days were numbered. Elizabeth, Henry’s daughter by Anne Boleyn, used chivalry and romantic love to her advantage. The court was filled with her cavaliers. She was the untouchable virgin queen for whom they all strove. It helped her to keep her reign as a single woman supported by her male courtiers. The book is well researched and engaging to read, particularly if you’re interested in the Tudor Dynasty. It is written as history rather than a historical novel, but for me the reading was easy and went quickly, possibly because I was very familiar with the historical era. If you are interested in courtly love and the Tudors, this is an excellent book. I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Explanation of History
The Tudors in Love By Sarah Gristwood This is a work of nonfiction which sets out to explain the doings of the Tudors – predominantly Henry VIII and Elizabeth I – in their romantic relationships, marital and otherwise. The author claims much of their motivations can be traced back to that period in Europe which started a couple of hundred years earlier, known as "courtly love". This was a societal mindset – at least for those of the upper classes – which placed ladies on pedestals and left knights trying to perform tasks to win their ladies' favor. However, this love was to be unrequited on both sides. There were two flaws to this mindset. First the knight was supposed to love only from afar; second the lady, object of his devotion, was to remain pure and chaste on a pedestal. Should either party carry their love into any physical arena, this was considered shameful – the downfall of courtly love. While seeming to empower these ladies over there lovers, in fact, putting women on pedestals with unrealistic behaviors required served only to objectify them. The author's premise of how courtly love affected the Tudor monarchs is interesting. It gives the reader a different perspective on what shaped the customs of the times.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com