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Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s younger sister. She was born in 1496 and grew into a feisty, colourful
character. She consented to marry the elderly king of France in 1514 as part of Henry’s peace deal on condition that
next time round she could make her own choice. Louis XII was dead within three months of their marriage - ‘danced to
death’ by his young bride according to court gossip. She then swiftly – and secretly - married her long time admirer,
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk who had been sent to France to bring the Princess home. Brandon was the king’s bosom
friend and despite his promise, Henry was annoyed. Nevertheless the couple were publicly wedded at Greenwich in May 1515.
Henry was deeply attached to his sister
and may have named his great warship after her. Mary Rose opposed Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn but despite this their
mutual affection endured. To the end of her life in 1533, Mary was known as ‘the French Queen’. She left two daughters,
Eleanor and Frances and it was the latter whose eldest daughter, Lady Jane, who briefly became queen on the death of Edward
VI in 1553.
Published by Amberley May 2012 ISBN
978-1-44560-622-4 Hardback £20
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This is a book about
a dynasty. It is not intended to be a history of sixteenth century England, nor is it a collection of biographies; but rather
it is a study of policies. The Tudors were concerned to build a government that would endure, hence their constant concern
with the succession – an anxiety which lasted throughout the century. Although all Tudor monarchs believed that their
authority derived from God, they had different ways of expressing that conviction, and above all they believed in ruling with
consent and advice. For this reason they built partnerships; not with the old nobility as their predecessors had done, but
with the wider community of the gentry, and above all with parliament. They were not in any sense democrats, but the partnerships
which they built in church and state lasted for centuries, and still influence they way we look at our politics today.
Contents: Preface / 1. Getting To Know the Family / 2. The Kings and Their Marriages;
Henry VIII's 'Great Matter' / 3. Two Queens In Search of an Heir / 4. The Monarch and the Realm; The Uses of Parliament
/ 5. Noble Ambitions / 6. The Tudors and Their Neighbours / 7. The Trouble With God / 8. Merchant Matters / 9.The Good Lord
and His Servants / 10. The Selling of the Monarchy / Conclusion: What Did the Tudors Do For Us? / Bibliography / Index.
Published by Continuum/Bloomsbury March
2012
ISBN 978 1 441136 909 Michael.Greenwood@bloomsbury.com
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Published by Boydell and Brewer, 2012
David Loades is a contributor to this book. For details see Naval History page.
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The Fighting Tudors (National Archives, 2009)
[Military imagery and reality]
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The Making of the Elizabeth Navy, 1545 - 1588
(Boydell and Brewer, 2009)
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Henry VIII and his Queens
(Amberley,
new edition, 2009)
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Intrigue and Treason, The Tudor Court
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Elizabethan Naval Administration
[ed., documents, with C.S. Knighton, NRS 2011]
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The Culture of the Marian Restoration
(Pickering and Chatto,
2012)
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Henry
VIII – a new biography
(Amberley, 2012?)
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The
Navy of Edward VI and Mary
[ed., documents, with
C.S. Knighton, NRS 20??]
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Henry
VIII:King and Court
(Pitkin 2009)
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