Tudor Women: Queens & Commoners [Paperback]

Alison Plowden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

This volume gives an account of the women both behind the scenes and at the forefront of 16th-century English history, including Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Henry VIII's six wives. The women of the royal family are the central characters; what they ate, how they dressed, the books they read, and the letters they wrote are all addressed. Yet even the greatest of these women suffered the universal legal and physiological disabilities of womanhood, and while some triumphed over them, others went under.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A more vivd, informed and entertaining book about women in the Tudor era cannot be imagined." -- Country Life

"Interesting, percipient and lively." -- The Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alison Plowden is a well-known and successful historical writer, who won a Writers Guild Award for her script for the television series Mistress of Hardwick. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The History Press; 3rd edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750928808
• ISBN-13: 978-0750928809
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,038,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-read and thought-provoking., October 20, 1999

By 

medelliana (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tudor Women (Paperback)

By summarizing the Tudor dynasty through its women (including the underrecognized Margaret Beaufort), Alison Plowden has constructed a surprisingly gripping read. Her conclusions seem well-researched, and she approaches her subjects, even Katherine Howard and the despised Mary I, from a symathetic yet realistic vantage point. Far from being a dry bit of history, this book is succinct and extremely well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, but lacks depth, December 19, 2000

By 

K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tudor Women (Paperback)

This book presents, in chronological order, the stories of the women of the Tudor family starting With Margaret of Richmond, Henry the 7th mother, and the founder of the Tudor line.

The writing in this book is easy to read, and the author is factually correct. However, the biographies lack any real depth to them, and there is little new information in this book and it mostly just skims over the surface of these women's lives.

The bulk of the book deals with the women of the tudor royal family. (Mary and Elizabeth Tudor and Henry 8th's queens). There is some discussion on the lives of non-royal women, but 95% of this book is on Royalty.

This book is a great introduction to the lives of Women in 16th century england, but don't get this book if you have read Extensively on 16th century england, because it primarly relies on secondary sources, and contribes very little in the way of new information.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great biography!, May 13, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Tudor Women (Paperback)

It's a good book,but it lacks detail.I kept getting Margaret Beaufort and Margaret Pole mixed up because it didn't explain better. Still,it has good stuff because it has feeling; you can feel how daring Catherine Howard felt,you can feel the disapointment of poor Bloody Mary.It almost makes up for what it lacks.