Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Beverley Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2001

The first book to examine the life of Henry Fitzroy, the only illegitimate child ever publicly acknowledged by Henry VIII.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Beverley Murphy has a MA in Tudor Government and a PhD on the life and political significance of Henry Fitzroy. She has taught history at the University of Wales and Framlingham College, Suffolk. She lives in Bury St Edmunds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; illustrated edition edition (October 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750926848
• ISBN-13: 978-0750926843
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,617,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book for aficionados of the Tudor period, July 7, 2006

By 

Elizabeth A. Root (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son (Hardcover)

Dying at the age of 18, Henry Fitzroy is, in the end, a person of little or no historical significance. There was the potential that he could have become historically significant, but he didn't; this may make him a little interest to general history readers. On the other hand, as the king's acknowledged son, there is also considerable documentation about his life, and it did intersect with some of the flashpoints of history. For the reader interested in the period, his story fleshes out the life and upbringing of a high-ranking male. Murphy also checks upon some of the minor, disputed details of the question of the succession.

What is very interesting about biographies like this is that they bring out the details of the period better than biographies of the famous. The latter are so filled with political and social events that very often the subject isn't developed as a person, even when there is copious information. In a way, that is a shame. It would be nice to have "personal" biographies of such people where the already heavily documented major historical events are a background to their daily life. I had read a great deal of information about the Tudors before I learned that Henry played cards with (and lost to!) his cellarer, or that Anne Boleyn, obviously a woman after my own heart, insisted that he move his fighting cocks so that she could sleep in in the morning.

One problem that I do have with Murphy is that she struggles so hard to make him seem more important. If his neighbors were bringing him gifts when he was 12, I think it is more likely to ingratiate themselves with him and his father, not because he was personally doing a fabulous job of managing his estates. His life wasn't one that was eccentric or fascinating or wittily told that I would recommend it to everyone, but I think that people really interested in the period will find it improves their general understanding.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting topic, but the writing didn't grab me, February 14, 2006

By 

MommaMia - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son (Paperback)

I love Henry...love any book about him, his wives, his children, I have all of them. This one caught my eye because it was written about one of his children you rarely hear anything about other than his mother's name and that he died relatively young. I was excited to start reading, but found the presentation wasn't grabbing my attention, and I found myself not being as interested in the information presented as I thought I would be. I suppose you could call the presentation as text-bookish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy non-fiction, especially historical non-fiction, but this one just didn't keep me interested.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The man who was allmost Henry The Ninth of England, July 22, 2002

By 

"thetudor" (WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for those interested in Tudor Royalty.It reveals an entirely different view of Henry VIII and the problems[real and imagined]he faced concerning his desire for a legitimate male heir to the Throne of England.The politics surrounding Henry VIII and his Court are well researched and presented in a clear way which involves the reader with the Duke of Norfolk and Anne Boleyn's backers and Family[Seymour] as they fought for power and the favor of the King.