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The Tudor Rose: The Story of the Queen Who United a Kingdom and Birthed a Dynasty

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The War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York came to an end with the crowning of Edward IV as King of England. He went on to marry Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful widow but a commoner. Their marriage was never popular with either the common people or the nobility, as the greed of the Woodville clan knew no bounds. Still, Edward IV and his Queen would go on to have a beautiful and large family of four daughters and two sons. Elizabeth of York was the eldest, and this is her story.

Elizabeth led a life of privilege until the untimely death of her father. While her brother, Edward, was the heir apparent, he was still a young boy at the time of his father's death. He was to have been crowned King and a regency instituted, but at the eleventh hour, his uncle, Richard, brother of the late King, was declared the Protector of England. After placing Edward in the Tower, he persuaded Elizabeth Woodville, who had sought sanctuary with her children, to entrust Richard, her younger son and his namesake, to him. She did so, and never again did she see either of her sons again. Shortly thereafter, Richard was crowned King of England, having declared his brother's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and, consequently, their children bastards.

Eventually Elizabeth of York, her mother, and her sisters left sanctuary and went to live in the royal household of King Richard III. Political intrigues were to plague the reign of Richard III. Always at the heart of the discord was the mystery of what had happened to the young Princes in the Tower. Eventually, Henry Tudor, a descendant of the union of the Owen Tudor and Katherine, widow of Henry V, decided to challenge the kingship of Richard III. Henry was also a Lancastrian rival, as his mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the union of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford.

After Elizabeth of York secretly pledged to marry him, Henry Tudor landed in England and made a claim for the throne of England. On Bosworth Field Henry Tudor and King Richard III met in battle, and the usurper was victorious, emerging by right of conquest as the new King of England, Henry VII. A cold and calculating man, he married Elizabeth of York to reinforce his claim upon the throne of England, as Elizabeth was considered by many to be the rightful Queen, given the mysterious disappearance of her two brothers. This union of the houses of Lancaster and York was to solidify all of England. The red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York would henceforth be melded together as the Tudor rose.

Elizabeth's life with Henry would be a dispassionate union that would prove fruitful. They would have two boys, Arthur and Henry, as well as two girls, Margaret and Mary. Elizabeth, however, would forever wonder what had happened to her brothers. The fact that the mystery of the Princes in the Tower was never resolved would continue to plague the reign of King Henry VII, as pretenders would arise, claiming to be one of the lost Princes. Rebellions were mounted in the name of these pretenders, and with each one, Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, Elizabeth's hopes would rise that her brothers were still alive, only to see them dashed. While the union between Henry VII and Elizabeth of York would not be a joyful one, as his cold and parsimonious ways were to distance him from her, England would, indeed, prosper under their reign.

The author, a novelist noted for her beautifully written historical fiction, weaves a wonderful tapestry of fact and fiction. The story of Elizabeth of York, oldest daughter of King Edward IV of England, is a fascinating fifteenth century tale of political intrigues, power, and love that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. Historical personages and period detail come to life under the expert hand of this accomplished author. Those readers who love the genre of historical fiction will most certainly enjoy this book, as will those who love a well-told tale.

Not long ago, I read Philippa Gregory's tale of Elizabeth Woodville in The White Queen, so it's fitting that I now follow that up with the life of her daughter, Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor queen.

Margaret Campbell Barnes turns out a well-written workmanlike tale, beginning with the young Elizabeth, newly betrothed to the Dauphin of France, taking the first look at her wedding clothes. The duplicitous French change their minds about the marriage, and the next few years have Elizabeth acting as a buffer between her siblings and their highly emotional mother.

When Elizabeth's beloved father, Edward IV, dies, her education truly begins. With Edward's brother, Richard, on the throne, the young girl learns just what people are capable of when the pursuit of power is involved. She loathes Richard, blames him for all her family's misfortune, and offers herself in marriage to Henry Tudor. Elizabeth of York wants revenge.

However, she's also a young female who yearns for love in her marriage. Unfortunately she finds none with Henry. Henry has had to live cautiously his entire life and now that he's on the throne, he intends to stay there. He carefully studies each gesture, each move, to make sure it's carried out to its greatest effect. He watches every penny in an effort to rebuild the depleted treasury. Marriage to Elizabeth, in Henry's practical mind, is nothing but a business transaction. As the years pass, Elizabeth learns what her husband is capable of in the pursuit of power.

Elizabeth's life is all there: from her days as a young girl, through her marriage, her coronation, and her motherhood. For me, the book didn't start picking up steam until the last third of the book when Barnes let me know what she thought happened to Elizabeth's brothers, the Princes in the Tower. It's almost as if Elizabeth spent so much of her life guarding her thoughts and her reactions that it stripped most of the color from her life's story. The end result is a book that's good but not great.

I've become a fan of Margaret Campbell Barnes' historical fiction, but The Tudor Rose was just a bit too bland for me. One Barnes' novel that I can recommend whole-heartedly is King's Fool which deals with Elizabeth of York's son, Henry VIII. What a contrast! Unlike his mother, I don't think Henry VIII ever had a guarded thought or desire his entire life!

This was a reissue of a book originally published in the 50s. It is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, wife of Henry VII, and mother of Henry VIII. It was a good book but not exceptional, hence my rating of only 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it though, just not enough to give it a higher rating.

The story starts right before Edward IV's sudden death as Elizabeth is trying on her wedding dress, thinking she is to be married to the Dauphin of France, and ends a few months before her death. The reader is taken through all the turmoil of Bess's life: her father's death and her mother whisking them into Sanctuary, the knowledge that her brothers were murdered in the Tower, her feelings towards her Uncle Richard, her life married to Henry Tudor, and the uncertainty Perkin Warbeck throws over her in regards to the fate of her brothers.

In this novel, Barnes gives the reader a much more detailed look at Elizabeth of York. Other stories that have her in it really don't delve much into who she really was or what she was really like; we usually just see her as the quiet, submissive Queen to Henry VII. Being the daughter of Edward IV though, she could not have been that quiet and Barnes's portrayal of her here is of a very loving, caring, and passionate woman who desperately wants to know the love of a man. She seems to understand the world she is living in and that she is just a pawn to be used but at the same time she seems a bit naive when it comes to men, especially when it comes to her husband. It is mentioned many times throughout the book that she just wanted to find a man to love her. A lot of the story hinges on her feelings for her brothers, who she loved dearly, and how she makes some of her decisions based on that. While Richard is alive, and even at some points after his death, Bess seems to be struggling with her feelings for him; she can't decide how she feels. She wants to hate him and always appears to be trying to find reasons to convince herself of that, including convincing herself that he did indeed kill her brothers. Still, she is drawn to him. Her attempts to excuse and love her husband seem to me more of her trying to rid herself of her feelings towards her uncle.

There were some surprising aspects to the story, including Bess's relationship with her mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort. In all the previous accounts I have read there really was no relationship between them; Bess was always pushed to the side and almost ignored by Margaret. Here, we see a very loving, caring relationship between them. Bess is also shown to have a very sweet, caring relationship with her youngest son, Henry. We also see Bess helping the conspirators early on by writing a letter to Henry in Brittany telling him that she will marry him if he comes and defeats Richard.

Barnes seems to follow the thinking that one of the brothers, Richard of York, might have managed to escape the Tower, but we don't really know that until almost the end of the story and even then she never comes right out and says it. Bess has very conflicting emotions when it comes to Perkin Warbeck and after meeting him in a garden, she convinces herself that it can't be her brother because Richard murdered her brothers (more attempts at convincing herself he was evil). She clings to this belief until after his death when she hears about his attempted escape from the Tower. While she never says anything in the story we are lead to believe that she changed her mind when she heard about Perkin running and opening the lion cages at the Tower before trying to get out the gate.

This was a well written book with great descriptive writing. There were good details included but not so much that you would get bogged down in them. Richard is shown to be a much more sinister person but Barnes doesn't go all the way to make him appear down right evil. We see some of how Bess worked behind the scenes to help bring about some of the events known to history but yet once she is married we still don't see her playing an active roll in politics; we only see her strong emotions and feelings towards what is happening around her. Thankfully there was no magic thrown in to this story where Elizabeth Woodville is concerned. The ending was peaceful and sweet with Bess in the garden with Harry and the other children, a few months away from the birth of her last child. I'm glad Barnes did not end the story at Bess's death but instead choose to end it showing that Bess did have people around her that loved her.

Overall it was a good book and one that I would recommend to other readers interested in the period. It was refreshing to finally read something that went deeper into Elizabeth of York's character to look at her feelings and emotions, rather than just keeping her on the fringes of events and never knowing what she thought about them. Even with my Richardian sympathies I wasn't upset over how he appeared in this novel.

Although this is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and her journey from royalty to insignificance to true queen of England at the side of Henry Tudor, the heart of this rendering is the death of Elizabeth's younger brothers, the princes in the Tower. Their uncertain fate haunts Elizabeth, especially after Richard of Gloucester, the avowed Protector of the boy king, Edward V, takes the throne for himself. Though time has not solved this mystery, the crime is pivotal to Elizabeth's life, her decision to tie her future to that of Richard's enemy, Henry Tudor. Elizabeth has suffered much, the loss of her beloved father, sanctuary with an ambitious, scheming mother, Bess Woodville, the loss of her brothers and the ignominy of being stripped of her royal status.

In Campbell Barnes rendering of the woman who will one day be mother to Henry VIII, Elizabeth of York adapts to a court seething with intrigue and plots to steal the throne. In her own words: "If it be true that my brothers are dead, then I am the true Queen of England." Originally published in 1953, this account is unencumbered by sympathy for Richard of Gloucester. Elizabeth believes he is responsible for the foul deed, the deaths of the princes. Her secret plan to marry Henry Tudor rests on the promise that Henry will kill Richard III. Clearly, this author does not ascribe to an affectionate relationship between niece and uncle, even if it would be politically expedient for Richard after his wife, Ann Neville, dies. This is a novel guided by fact before rumor or romantic interpretation.

At no time is Elizabeth unaware of her destiny, tolerating her mother's machinations, avoiding her uncle's unwanted attentions and focusing on her potential future as Queen of England. The result of her union with Henry VII is one of the most memorable kings in English history, Henry VIII. For all the usurpers that plague Edward IV, Richard III and Henry VII, it is Henry VIII, Elizabeth's son, who will hold England firmly in his grasp, shaking that country to its foundations, Elizabeth Tudor's legacy to the world. Luan Gaines/2009.

I downloaded this book on my kindle without knowing who the author was. I really enjoyed this book, however, it was a slower read to me at first just because of all of the characters and the plot that was happening around Elizabeth. It is true that Elizabeth did not play a big role in this intrigue and plots around her but she was either kept under protection in a castle or even once she did get married she did not have a lot of free either. The politics at the time just after the War of Roses is not always the easiest to follow with many attempts to overthrow King Henry VII. There was a lot of political unrest also prior to this with the War of Roses and the throane changes from the House of Lancaster and House of York. It was interesting to me to finally read how the House of Tudor was begun. I had known about the Tudor dynasty under King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I but did not know about this part of English history. This book makes me want to find out more about the people involved in this part of history. I started another book on Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII written by Jean Plaidy and after having read this book I will be able to follow the characters involved much better and compare and contrast the two books. I would also like to read a good biography of Elizabeth of York also. Overall, I really did enjoy this book and look forward to reading other books on this subject. The life of Elizabeth of York is very interesting. She saw a lot in her relatively short life, a father who was a King as well as losing her first born as well as a complete change in the monarchy of her time, no more house of Lancaster or house of York but a new dynasty. She never saw King Henry VIII take the throne but was a part of shaping the history of his intended wife, Catherine of Aragon who came to live with her after the death of Prince Arthur.

Margaret Campbell Barnes writes a plausible story about Elizabeth of York. The story begins at her coming of age just before the death of her father, King Edward IV, and ends with the death of her eldest son, Arthur.

Barnes considers the young Elizabeth as she plots against what seemed to be an inevitable marriage to the man most likely responsible for the disappearance of her brothers. Then she considers both Elizabeth's and Henry Tudor's views of their marriage. The life of this royal pair is described as they have children and develop a pattern of civil and separate existence. Through Henry's dedication, England prospers.

Hanging over this marriage and reign is the ultimate fate of Elizabeth's brothers, who, if they were to appear, would throw England and her marriage into chaos.

It took a while for me to get into this. The language is stilted and there are a lot of characters. Towards the middle, the story took shape and the characters became more manageable. I recommend this for readers of fiction of this period. Some background in Tudor history is needed to appreciate this novel.

What a difference a year makes in the lives of royalty. As The Tudor Rose opens, we meet Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of King Edward IV. She is getting ready for a wedding to the Dauphin of France, a man she has never met. Word comes that the marriage offer has been rescinded, and she is comforted by her father. Secure in the love of her family, she is a happy young woman, easily able to overcome this rejection.

But a year later, her life has changed dramatically. King Edward has died, and life changes forever. Her uncle, Richard, who should be serving as protector of the new King, Elizabeth's brother Ned, instead takes the crown for himself. Worse, he imprisons both Ned and Richard of York, the eight-year-old brother known as Dickon. Elizabeth and her sisters and mother are living in santuary in a monastery. They agree to move to the castle under King Richard's protection, but then disaster strikes. As history fans know, the Princes in the Tower are murdered to eliminate the threat to Richard's crown.

Filled with hate and scorn for her uncle, and knowing that the crown should now be hers, Elizabeth agrees to join forces with Henry Tudor, who has been living in France in exile. Henry has royal blood to substantiate his claim; he is related to King Arthur of the Roundtable. With the knowledge that Elizabeth will marry him if he defeats Richard, Henry invades England and kills Richard in battle. He is crowned King.

Six months later, he marries Elizabeth. Far from her romantic dreams, it is unclear if he wants her for herself, or just to consolidate the royal bloodlines and end the civil War of The Roses. Elizabeth is a warm, outgoing woman and marriage to a cold, calculating man like Henry is difficult for her. They have four children. Arthur is the eldest, raised to be the next King, while Harry is known now as Henry the Eighth. Margaret becomes Queen of Scotland, marrying King James. Mary is the youngest girl.

While she is content with her life and children, there are always troubles in a royal household. There are various pretenders to the Crown, and Henry must defend his right to rule. Two pretenders over the years both claim that, far from being murdered in the Tower, that instead the Princes escaped and that they are Dickton, now grown. Many rally behind them, and even Elizabeth is torn between her desire to believe her beloved brothers are still alive, and the common sense that knows that they are indeed gone forever.

The book follows Elizabeth and Henry's life. It gives an inside look at royal marriages and the restrictions royal women lived with. It is ifascinating to see the background that produced Henry the Eighth, whose impact on English history was so significant and long-lasting. This book is recommended for lovers of historical fiction. Margaret Campbell Barnes has done an excellend job of researching Elizabeth of York's life, and of putting the reader into her shoes to get a glimpse of the obligations and constant manuvering for position those who were royal lived with.

Margaret Campbell Barnes' The Tudor Rose: The Story of the Queen Who United a Kingdom and Birthed a Dynasty is a historical novel that chronicles the final moments of Edward IV's reign in England and the usurpation of the thrown by Richard, Duke of Gloucester and later the conquest of England by Henry Tudor.

Elizabeth of York, who is about age 17-19, is adrift in a family and country torn apart following the death of her father, Edward IV. As she navigates the politics of a nation in turmoil and a family walled up in Westminster Abbey in sanctuary, she also has lost her sense of security and the love her father bestowed upon her willingly. Throughout much of the book, Elizabeth vacillates from security and insecurity and reserve and outbursts.

Despite the historical nature of The Tudor Rose: The Story of the Queen Who United a Kingdom and Birthed a Dynasty, the narration flows like a contemporary novel and the dramatic revolving door of the kingdom is surprisingly easy to follow. However, readers may find Elizabeth's actions a bit out of character in some places or seem to happen on a whim without much forethought, though the historical events in the novel follow what can be found on Wikipedia. Barnes is a capable author of historical fiction, particularly of the Tudor period in England. The Tudor Rose is a fast-paced read and will entertain.

This is the first of Margaret Campbell Barnes' books I've had the pleasure of reading. With all of the more recent authors jumping on the historical fiction bandwagon, it's so refreshing to read a book like this one. I loved that there were no silly, steamy love scenes, and no other objectionable additives found in so many books of this kind of late. Like one of the other reviewers has mentioned, she did use a lot of dialogue to tell the story, but only initially. After the first few chapters until the end, there was a very good balance between dialogue and narrative. The story was well-written, giving me rich images of the time period of Elizabeth of York-I felt as if I was right there along with the characters. It was hard to put down. I can't wait to read another of her books!

I didn't get too excited while I was reading this. Tho based on an interesting woman in Tudor history, Elizabeth of York, the one that literally started a dynasty and gave birth to the scandalous Henry the Eighth, it fell flat. Tho the premise, story, and historical accuracy is all well and good, the writing style is what ruined it for me. Everything is told thru people's convsersations. There is very little actual action. Battles, happenings, scandals, rumors, and major historical details are related to the reader by Elizabeth and another person talking about it, not doing or being there themselves. This being told in third person, I fail to see why it was done this way.

The story begins with Elizabeth in sanctuary with her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and her siblings. Her father, King Edward, has died and his son, another Edward is to follow him on the throne, but a greedy uncle Richard imprisons both him and Elizabeth's other brother in the tower and takes the throne for himself. The princes, Elizabeth's brothers, disappear, presumed to be murdered by Uncle Richard the king. To top that off, King Richard wants to marry Elizabeth despite the fact that she is his niece. Elizabeth encourages Henry Tudor to take the throne and her hand in marriage. During her marriage and her child bearing, two imposters claim to be one of her dead brothers. Each time, Elizabeth is both hopeful and worried that it may indeed be her dead brother. The novel ends with Henry the Eighth marrying Katharine of Aragon.

The part I enjoyed most was when Elizabeth was plotting against her uncle Richard and dressing as a boy. Unfortunately, that was a very small part of the book.