Bloody Mary (Paperback)

by Carolly Erickson (Author) "On a bright winter day in February of 1511 servants crowded the tiltyard of Henry VIII's palace at Westminster, readying the lists, carrying body armor..." (more)
Key Phrases: cane play, holy maid, princess dowager, Hampton Court, Lady Shelton, Anne Boleyn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A book of considerable literary distinction. The result of [Erickson's research] commands belief as well as respect." --John Kenyon, The Washington Post Book World

"Carolly Erickson has written a historical biography of rare distinction, impressive both as a portrait of the less celebrated of Henry VIII's daughters and in its depiction of the turbulent age in which she lived." --Peter Stansky, Stanford University

"Carolly Erickson has re-created it all so vividly...A dazzling achievement. She has fleshed out the indistinct shade of Mary Tudor so that we perceive her as a living, breathing human being." --Jessica Mitford
-- Review

Review

"A book of considerable literary distinction. The result of [Erickson's research] commands belief as well as respect." --John Kenyon, The Washington Post Book World

"Carolly Erickson has written a historical biography of rare distinction, impressive both as a portrait of the less celebrated of Henry VIII's daughters and in its depiction of the turbulent age in which she lived." --Peter Stansky, Stanford University

"Carolly Erickson has re-created it all so vividly...A dazzling achievement. She has fleshed out the indistinct shade of Mary Tudor so that we perceive her as a living, breathing human being." --Jessica Mitford

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 560 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Soft Cover edition (September 1998) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312187068 ISBN-13: 978-0312187064 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
On a bright winter day in February of 1511 servants crowded the tiltyard of Henry VIII's palace at Westminster, readying the lists, carrying body armor and horse barbs, and covering the walls of the wooden spectators' pavilion with tapestries and hangings of cloth of gold. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cane play, holy maid, princess dowager, sweating sickness, imperial side, marriage articles, household officers, privy councilors

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hampton Court, Lady Shelton, Anne Boleyn, Ruy Gomez, Charles Brandon, Anne of Cleves, Cardinal Pole, Thomas Seymour, Lord Mayor, Dom Luiz, Mary Tudor, Reginald Pole, Catherine Parr, Jane Grey, Jane Seymour, Susan Clarencieux, Jane Dormer, Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth Barton, Henry Fitzroy, Low Countries, King Edward, Lord Montague, Margaret Pole, Thomas More

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 38 books:

• Two Tudor Conspiracies by D.M. Loades in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
• John Foxe: Essays v. 1 by D.M. Loades in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson in Front Matter
• Making of Britain (The Making of Britain) by Lesley M. Smith in Back Matter
• The Middle Ages (Royal History of England) by Antonia Fraser in Back Matter

See all 38 books this book cites

 

37 books cite this book:

• Mistress Anne by Carolly Erickson on 5 pages
• The First Elizabeth by Carolly Erickson on 4 pages
• The Life and Times of Thomas Stukeley, 1525-1578 by Juan E. Tazon in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
• Great Harry by Carolly Erickson in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
• Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I by Jane Resh Thomas in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 37 books citing this book

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

English Reformations by Christopher Haigh

Discusses:

• holy maid
• sweating sickness
• household officers

The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

Discusses:

• princess dowager
• Hampton Court
• Lady Shelton

The Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett

Discusses:

• cane play
• Ruy Gomez
• Cardinal Pole

Henry VIII by Alison Weir

Discusses:

• sweating sickness
• household officers
• Hampton Court

The Sisters of Henry VIII by Maria Perry

Discusses:

• princess dowager
• sweating sickness
• Anne Boleyn

The First Elizabeth by Carolly Erickson

Discusses:

• household officers
• Hampton Court
• Anne Boleyn

English Reformations by Christopher Haigh Discusses: holy maid sweating sickness household officers The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser Discusses: princess dowager Hampton Court Lady Shelton The Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett Discusses: cane play Ruy Gomez Cardinal Pole Henry VIII by Alison Weir Discusses: sweating sickness household officers Hampton Court Loading...

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	69% buy the item featured on this page: Bloody Mary 3.7 out of 5 stars (22) $12.89
	11% buy The First Elizabeth 4.1 out of 5 stars (22) $12.21
	8% buy The Children of Henry VIII 4.6 out of 5 stars (74) $10.88
	7% buy The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel 3.4 out of 5 stars (53) $10.94

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (9) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.7 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 19 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, June 9, 2000 By  S. N. Harris (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Carolly Erickson goes beyond the stereotype and searches for Mary Tudor's real character in Bloody Mary. An in-depth view of the beliefs of Mary's educators gives the reader a fascinating glimpse of Mary's motives and the ideas that shaped her life. Mary emerges as a strong woman, challanged by society's strictures and the demands she placed upon herself. Erickson tends to gloss over Mary's role in the many executions that took place during her reign, but this book is an excellent read for anyone interested in Mary's life. 15 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars more of a history of the times the a biography of the Queen, July 15, 1999 By A Customer While Carolly Erickson does a commendable job in addressing the topics of the time she spends more time on the associates of Queen Mary then with the Queen herself. Perhaps this is because of the lack of information on the Queen's early years but perhaps a more scholarly assessment of her reign and how it affected England in the long term would contribute more to the success of the book. Erickson does a very good job in presenting an unbiased view of the woman who has been degraded in 350 years of English Protestant Literature. While Mary did have her strong religious convictions that did bring many to the stake she was not a "bloody" tyrant as the Protestants would like her to be remembered. Her successor Elizabeth deserves this title more than this great Queen. Erickson however does not write enough on two famous executions during her reign, those of Lady Jane Grey and Archbishop Cranmer. It seems that these 2 proponents of the Protestant cause deserved more then the passing reference to their exections. On the whole, the book was extremely entertaning and well written. Erickson has a way to capture her audience and evoke both pathos and awe for the only Catholic Queen of England. 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Biography that Answers Many Questions, January 1, 2004 By  "orionaldeberan" (STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN United States) - See all my reviews I found this book extremely interesting and absorbing to the point where I did not want to put it down. I would recommend it to anyone who, like me, wanted to find out what the foundations were of Mary Tudor's policies and also what she was really like as a person. The detail is so great that one learns even what her voice sounded like. It is as though Mary were alive again and not a figure from the 16th century. As some other reviewers have noted here somewhat critically, the book spends a lot of time discussing Mary's life before her accession to the throne. To me, this is to its' credit as an understanding of the forces, personalities and occurrences in Mary's early life are ESSENTIAL to answering questions about Mary's policies and actions as queen. I enjoyed Carolly's writing style. She is able to convey the complex interweaving of people and events in Mary's time in a manner that is easy to understand and follow along. Highly recommended, as is "Great Harry" also written by Carolly which I am reading now.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 2.0 out of 5 stars Too biased for a work that is a biography This book takes far too many liberties, and uses documents that are as biased towards mary's favor as any, most of which seem to come from Chapuys, who, although chronicled the... Read more Published 10 months ago by Elle 3.0 out of 5 stars where is Elizabeth? For the most part I enjoyed this book very much although it is quitelong. But there is much that I learned about tha Tudors and Mary in parti-cular. Read more Published 10 months ago by Mr. Saul Brum 5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Many people blame Mary for burning Protestants. The Spanish Inquisition was much worse. I mean, MUCH worse than what Mary did. Read more Published on May 25, 2006 by Eldarwen 4.0 out of 5 stars Bloody Mary is a Bloody Great Biography of a Sanguinary Age of Tudor Rule in Britain Mary Tudor was the daughter of the infamous Henry VIII and his Spanish wife Katharine of Aragon (the daughter of Ferdinand and the indomitable bellicose Isabella of Spain. Read more Published on December 30, 2005 by C. M Mills 3.0 out of 5 stars Boody Mary After years of failed pregnancies and infant deaths, a daughter was born to Henry III and Katherine of England. Read more Published on December 19, 2002 3.0 out of 5 stars Biased Interpretation of the History Queen Mary's life has been a craddle of loneliness, failure, hopelessness, tumult, lost hopes and sorrow... Read more Published on March 2, 2002 4.0 out of 5 stars A rollicking read A good story, but Carolly Erickson is too soft on her subject and there's too little time spent on her reign as queen. Read more Published on January 15, 2002 by Richard Laven 5.0 out of 5 stars Queen in a Catholic Style The major merit of this book -- and that merit is considerable -- is that Erickson provides a sympathetic portrait of a monarch who is usually dismissed as a Papist monster or an... Read more Published on November 5, 2001 2.0 out of 5 stars An apology for a monarch who symbolizes failure. Mary Tudor did have a miserable life and she was treated horribly by her feckless, cruel father, Henry VIII. Read more Published on October 17, 2001 3.0 out of 5 stars Better than nothing I gave this book 3 stars because it's the only full length biography of Mary Tudor that I've found, but I think Erickson woefully misjudges her subject. Read more Published on September 21, 2001 by Annie Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Soft Cover edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312187068
• ISBN-13: 978-0312187064
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, June 9, 2000

By	S. N. Harris (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Carolly Erickson goes beyond the stereotype and searches for Mary Tudor's real character in Bloody Mary. An in-depth view of the beliefs of Mary's educators gives the reader a fascinating glimpse of Mary's motives and the ideas that shaped her life. Mary emerges as a strong woman, challanged by society's strictures and the demands she placed upon herself.

Erickson tends to gloss over Mary's role in the many executions that took place during her reign, but this book is an excellent read for anyone interested in Mary's life.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars more of a history of the times the a biography of the Queen, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

While Carolly Erickson does a commendable job in addressing the topics of the time she spends more time on the associates of Queen Mary then with the Queen herself. Perhaps this is because of the lack of information on the Queen's early years but perhaps a more scholarly assessment of her reign and how it affected England in the long term would contribute more to the success of the book. Erickson does a very good job in presenting an unbiased view of the woman who has been degraded in 350 years of English Protestant Literature. While Mary did have her strong religious convictions that did bring many to the stake she was not a "bloody" tyrant as the Protestants would like her to be remembered. Her successor Elizabeth deserves this title more than this great Queen. Erickson however does not write enough on two famous executions during her reign, those of Lady Jane Grey and Archbishop Cranmer. It seems that these 2 proponents of the Protestant cause deserved more then the passing reference to their exections. On the whole, the book was extremely entertaning and well written. Erickson has a way to capture her audience and evoke both pathos and awe for the only Catholic Queen of England.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Biography that Answers Many Questions, January 1, 2004

By	"orionaldeberan" (STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN United States) - See all my reviews

I found this book extremely interesting and absorbing to the point where I did not want to put it down. I would recommend it to anyone who, like me, wanted to find out what the foundations were of Mary Tudor's policies and also what she was really like as a person. The detail is so great that one learns even what her voice sounded like. It is as though Mary were alive again and not a figure from the 16th century. As some other reviewers have noted here somewhat critically, the book spends a lot of time discussing Mary's life before her accession to the throne. To me, this is to its' credit as an understanding of the forces, personalities and occurrences in Mary's early life are ESSENTIAL to answering questions about Mary's policies and actions as queen. I enjoyed Carolly's writing style. She is able to convey the complex interweaving of people and events in Mary's time in a manner that is easy to understand and follow along. Highly recommended, as is "Great Harry" also written by Carolly which I am reading now.