Customer Reviews

Uneasy Lies the Head

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I definitely started reading this book as non believer. How would you ever expect to sympathise with Henry VII? He who desroyed the plantagenets and an upstart with no right to the throne of England? And yet, as I read, Jean Plaidy wove a tale that might suggest the reasons for the man he was. Firmly believing he could set England straight - a thrifty king who made England rich, the book brings out the reasons for all his decisions. Uneasy lies the head is an apt title for this book, for he was uneasy about how he claimed the throne. All the blood that flowed between him and the legacy haunting him to the very end. His tormented soul is a mirror to read in this book.

I must confess that this is one of my least favorite novels in Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet saga. It was interesting to learn about Henry Tudor (the father of the famous Henry VIII), but at times I felt repelled by him.

He was not a very loving man, at times a bit envious of his sons- especially the young Henry. He was somewhat ruled by his mother and always 'uneasy' that someone claiming to be royal- or one of the mysterious Princes in the Tower - would snatch his crown from him. As if he didn't deserve it?

He didn't love his wife much- the daughter of the late King Edward IV, Elizabeth of York. (Their marriage would bring the houses of Lancaster and York together, therefore bringing the War of the Roses to an end.) Although he was fond of her. He and she both found the act of lovemaking bothersome- a duty to get heirs and Henry wanted heirs badly. He did his 'duty' enough to get Elizabeth pregnant with several children, although only four lived.

He was very frugal, known as 'the miser king' throughout Europe. Even his mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth (wife to Edward IV and the mother of the Princes in the Tower)was not given a proper funeral- one that suited her rank - do to Henry's miserliness. However, he did take a bankrupted England and brought her back to comfort.

After the loss of his dear Arthur, who left Katharine of Aragon a widow, Henry was kind to his daughter-in-law for a bit and then proceeded to drive her into poverty. It would be seven years before Katharine would seal her fate and marry the conceited and ever confident Henry VIII.

Uneasy Lies the Head is a tale of a king who maybe didn't have any claim to the throne, but would lead the nation to fruition.

The answer is both. In this Jean Plaidy book, Henry VII is portrayed as a man bent on doing what is best for his country. That may include usurping a crown, killing innocent men and children, and being on the miserly side. Although from that description you may take an immediate dislike to him, beware. Jean Plaidy has a way of changing your mind. She even made me feel more understanding of Philip II of Spain in The Spanish Bridegroom!

At first, I thought this book might be on the boring side. I quickly changed my mind. When has Jean Plaidy ever let me down? Also, this gives back some dignity to Richard III, after it was wrenched from the Tudor propagandist, William Shakespeare.

Despite my classical education (St Paul's and Yale) behind me, Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet series is the first to have taught me medieval English history. I have always heard of the War of the Roses but hadn't known what that meant. Jean Plaidy's books open the window to understanding.