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In the Shadow of the Crown: The Tudor Queens

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Jean Plaidy, known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, continues her "Queens of England" series of books with this, her sixth volume. It is a well written and engrossing work of historical fiction written as a first person narrative by Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Queen Katherine. Mary would eventually become Queen of England in her own right and leave a legacy whereby her subjects would remember her as "Bloody Mary".

As the only child of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, the future seemed rosy for the Princess Mary. She lived a fairytale life until her father, obsessed with begetting a male heir, fell for the charms of Anne Boleyn. From that moment on, life would never be the same for Mary. Her world was torn asunder, as her father became someone whom she did not recognize. His cruelties to her and her mother, Katherine, would leave an indelible mark on her life. Divorcing her mother to marry the notorious Anne Boleyn and splitting from the Catholic Church of Rome, Henry would set England on a course that would change history. It would also serve to reinforce Mary's Catholicism, the faith of her pious, long suffering mother.

Upon the death of her father, Mary would, along with her half sister Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, become a pawn in the political intrigues of the day in which religion would become a focal issue. When Mary became Queen after the premature death of her sickly half brother, Edward VI, son of her father, Henry, and his hapless third wife, Jane Seymour, she tried to make England return to the Catholic Church of Rome. Under the guidance of some of her advisors, she would make horrific examples of those who would fail to embrace what she viewed as the true faith, a policy that would not endear her to her subjects. This, unfortunately, would be her legacy and would, ultimately, shape the future religious identity of England.

This is an absorbing story of one woman's struggle to survive the vicissitudes of life, the feckless love of her father, the King, the political intrigues of her day, the threat of imprisonment and death, and a loveless and childless marriage to Phillip of Spain. It is the story of a woman whose road to the throne was paved with many obstacles, and her ultimate acquisition of the crown would confer little happiness upon her. It is a spellbinding account of a life lived entirely in the shadow of the crown.

When you think of Bloody Mary, one would think of a horrible monster. No one knows how truly horrible her life had really been.
Mary was brought up as the heir to the thrown of England. She enjoyed her lessons, loved her mother, and idolized her father, King Henry VIII. She had a perfect life. Being a Princess, she was naturally betrothed. Being a crown Princess and only legitimate offspring made her the only child to be used in political alliances. Mary liked the idea of marrying the Emperor, Charles, but that match was broken up. Mary had quite a friendship with Reginald Pole. He treated her tenderly.
But getting a husband was going to be hard because the King was seeking to get an annullment from Queen Catherine. Mary's legitmacy was in doubt. Mary's perfect life wasn't so perfect anymore. She was forbidden to see her mother and her father married Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn's child takes Mary's place as the heir.
This book tells about Mary's view of Henry's numerous wives, Edward's reign, Jane Grey and Philip of Spain. It shows that Mary wasn't really a bloodthirsty demon, but a pious, neglected woman who yearned for affection.
This book is wonderful and I recommend it to anyone who liked history fiction. Anyone who liked this book should read Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer.

Jean Plaidy gives us a personal look into the life of one of England's most notorious monarchs. Queen Mary Tudor also known as Bloody Mary. If you are looking for an easy read about British royalty then this book might interest you. The book is told through Mary while she is looking back at her life as she is near death. In the coming pages she will tell of a life that was full of hardships and plagued fear and uncertainty.
In order for the reader to understand her point of view and the very root of all of her trials to come in her life, she begins with her birth. Mary's arrival into this world, while joyous, was tainted with disappointment since King Henry IIIV desperately desired a male heir to the throne. As she grew, Mary realized that her life would be plagued by this disappointment that she was unable to amend. However she found favor with her father early on and describes her early child hood as being full of wonderful memories and joy. Yet as her mother's inability to have more children became apparent so did the disappointment and frustration of her father. She soon became aware of the determination and cold-hearted nature of her father as her divorced her mother, Katherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn and produce a son. From then on her life took a drastic turn as her father banished her from court, declared her an illegitimate child, and even went as far as taking away her title as princess upon the birth of Elizabeth. Now Mary lived as the bastard child of the king and in a constant state of uncertainty and distress. She was unable to live with her mother for fear of revolt and was seen as a threat to the king and his plans. As a consequence of divorcing his wife, King Henry IIIV also broke away from the Catholic Church of Rome and established the Church of England of which he himself was the head. As a devout Catholic, Mary found this irreprehensible and after her mother's death, made it her life's sole purpose to end this new religion and bring her beloved country back to Rome and the Catholic Church. However this seemed almost impossible as Henry IIIV and his third wife Jane Seymour gave birth to a son, Edward. His birth signified a drastic hindrance as it moved her further down in the line of succession and favor. Her fervor and devotion towards her beloved Catholic faith grew, as did her determination. Throughout this time Plaidy introduces the reader to many important people in Mary's life such as the Countess and the Spanish ambassador that are a source of comfort and support during the trials of her life. This gives a personal aspect to the story and allows the reader to see Mary as a fully relational being whom values family and loyalty as essentials in her life. However she finds that her positions as a potential successor to the throne puts all those close to her under the scrutiny of her father and his council. Through this Mary learns the harsh realities in the world of politics and how little an individual life means to the monarch when it threatens his power.
The death of her father brought a glimmer of hope that was brought to fruition through the death of Edward. Finally her dream of becoming Queen of England was realized and she could begin her work of restoring Catholicism to England. Unfortunately it des not bring the happiness that she so desperately desires. However under the influences of her council and blinded by her religious fervor, Mary began a reign of intolerance towards the Protestant faith. This intolerance led to the horrific deaths of many in her country thus giving her the name Bloody Mary. This loss of public support combined with a loveless and most importantly childless marriage brings Mary to the depths to despair.
Plaidy paints Queen Mary Tudor as a victim of cruel circumstances and as a person who should be pitied by writing the book through Mary's eyes. The book also recounts the life of Henry IIIV as he goes through numerous wives and desperately attempts to produce a legitimate male heir to the throne. Plaidy creates a book that is entertaining and interesting to read for those who are interested in a recreational story of the British monarch. However I found that while her sympathetic take on the life of Queen Mary held my attention the book was a bit too simple in its presentation and style of writing. If you are looking for a riveting novel holding tightly to the actual history then this would not be a book for you, but if you desires of purely for entertainment then you will enjoy The Tudor Queens: In the Shadow of the Crown by Jean Plaidy.

Princess Mary is born the beloved daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. But, when her mother can no longer bear children, Mary's life is thrust into turmoil as she is declared illegimate. As she grows to adulthood, she only wishes to bring Catholicism back to England and to marry and be a mother.

This is a heartbreaking story of a woman who has been vilified by history. This makes Mary human, something for which Jean Plaidy has a great talent.

I really enjoyed reading this book & and have re-read it several times. I never gave a lot of thought to Mary before reading it, as I previously focused on books about Elizabeth, but this story made me see her in a very sympathetic light. It's told from Mary's perspective near the time of her death, as she recalls the events of her life from her earliest memories, and even events surrounding her birth as told to her by others. It's a sad contrast to read of all the happy times she had as a child and then her experiences after her father decided to end his marriage to her mother. The rejection by her previously loving father would have been unimaginably devastating. While reading this story, I always wonder how different her life might have been if she had been able to marry Reginald Pole, or anyone for that matter if she could have married young enough to have children; I like to think she might have been fertile while younger and that her health might not have been such an issue if, as is implied, much of her illness was related to the misery of her circumstances. I'm not sure how historically accurate the business of their mothers hopes they would marry is, but it makes for a great story, since they seemed so well suited for each other. She struggles with loving and hating her baby sister, Elizabeth, and has her hopes of marriage dashed numerous times throughout her life; my guess is Henry VIII feared some challenge to his rule via offspring she might produce so nothing came of any of the numerous negotiations with possible husbands for her. She might have been a very different queen if she'd been able to marry and have children while young - I think some happiness might have helped her cope with all the negative things she experienced. Even the cruelties during her reign that earned her the nickname Bloody Mary are forgivable as presented in this story; she seems to have equated the people's celebration of her taking the throne with approval of returning to the Catholic religion - she was genuinely shocked when they rejected her moves in that direction. I highly recommend this book to anyone with interest in the Tudor period.

It took me awhile to read this book. Not because of the content ( I love the Tudor's in any series ) but because of the sheer volume of information that was present in it. Sometimes some parts were slower than others but overall it gave me a chance to look at "Bloody Mary" in a new way.

JP writes so many historical fiction novels. I would almost go even a bit further and say they are "fictionalized history". This book was true to form and a good book.
See her many other novels using the names Victoria Holt... and Phillipa Carr.
These novels are older, but still entertaining.

Historical fiction recently has gotten a great deal more depth.
Once you've read a couple, they form a plot pattern.

This was a good novel.

I always love Jean Plaidy's books, and this is no exception. It is delightfully written in the first person, as though Mary herself is talking. An unusual approach to historical fiction. Thanks, Jean.

I think Jean Plaidy's novel on Mary I, aka Bloody Mary, was a fascinating take on a woman who the world believes was a monster. I'll admit that even I thought so before reading this book, and Phillipa Gregory's novel The Queen's Fool.

Plaidy starts by telling of Mary's early childhood. This phase of her life is very important in shaping her later one. She goes from being the darling child of the Court, and heiress presumptive, to a [...] and being banished. From the moment she first realizes that her life will no longer be easy she falls into fanatical devotion to her mother's religion, Catholicism. Mary tells of her hatred for Anne Boleyn, who she believes is the cause of all her suffering.

Mary is given the unique postion of being able to tell what life was like under all of Henry's wives. She loves most of them, and while she feels her father didn't have to have a male heir, she understands his wanting and need for one. She also tells of how life was being branding a [...], but still receiving some love from her father at the request of his wives. She shows that her father wasn't all bad toward the end of his life, just highly misguided, a thing she means to correct when she's Queen.

Henry dies and her younger brother, Edward, becomes Edward VI. His reign is short and he dies young leaving Mary to become Queen if he hadn't changed the line of succession to Jane Grey. Mary is thrown into conflict because she doesn't feel any animosity towards Jane Grey, only the men and women who tried to set her up in her place. This episode will cause great grief to Mary in the coming days.

Mary is then married to Prince Phillip of Spain who she lavishes affection on, but receives none in return. It is through this marriage, and other factors, that Mary allows her own subjects to be burned and tortured leading to the rise of her nickname Bloody Mary. She also goes through two "pregnancies" which end up causing her further pain and hardship.

She dies a tortured and unhappy soul.

Plaidy throughout the entire book shows that Mary didn't necessarily hate those different from her out of spite, but fell into a fanaticism born of suffering and uncertainty. This is a good book to show that Mary I wasn't an evil monster out to kill, but a person trying to correct her suffering in a horrible manner.

Jean Plaidy, known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, continues her "Queens of England" series of books with this, her sixth volume. It is a well written and engrossing work of historical fiction written as a first person narrative by Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Queen Katherine. Mary would eventually become Queen of England in her own right and leave a legacy whereby her subjects would remember her as "Bloody Mary".

As the only child of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, the future seemed rosy for the Princess Mary. She lived a fairytale life until her father, obsessed with begetting a male heir, fell for the charms of Anne Boleyn. From that moment on, life would never be the same for Mary. Her world was torn asunder, as her father became someone whom she did not recognize. His cruelties to her and her mother, Katherine, would leave an indelible mark on her life. Divorcing her mother to marry the notorious Anne Boleyn and splitting from the Catholic Church of Rome, Henry would set England on a course that would change history. It would also serve to reinforce Mary's Catholicism, the faith of her pious, long suffering mother.

Upon the death of her father, Mary would, along with her half sister Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, become a pawn in the political intrigues of the day in which religion would become a focal issue. When Mary became Queen after the premature death of her sickly half brother, Edward VI, son of her father, Henry, and his hapless third wife, Jane Seymour, she tried to make England return to the Catholic Church of Rome. Under the guidance of some of her advisors, she would make horrific examples of those who would fail to embrace what she viewed as the true faith, a policy that would not endear her to her subjects. This, unfortunately, would be her legacy and would, ultimately, shape the future religious identity of England.

This is an absorbing story of one woman's struggle to survive the vicissitudes of life, the feckless love of her father, the King, the political intrigues of her day, the threat of imprisonment and death, and a loveless and childless marriage to Phillip of Spain. It is the story of a woman whose road to the throne was paved with many obstacles, and her ultimate acquisition of the crown would confer little happiness upon her. It is a spellbinding account of a life lived entirely in the shadow of the crown.