The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France (Hardcover)

by Maria Perry (Author) "It was an autumn morning in1499..." (more)
Key Phrases: two legates, dower lands, sweating sickness, King of England, Lady Margaret, French King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Everyone knows that Henry VIII had six wives. Few people realize, however, that he had two sisters who became queens of Scotland and France, scandalizing their brother and most of Europe in the process. In The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France, Maria Perry presents a history of the frequently overlooked Queens Margaret and Mary, who, like their marriage-happy brother, helped shape the ascending Tudor dynasty and 16th-century England.

Having thoroughly researched libraries in both England and Scotland, the London-based Perry provides a painstakingly detailed portrait of both women, European court life, and political history. She adeptly weaves intricate genealogies, complex lines of succession, and intercourt marital intrigue into her narrative. The inclusion of such detail, however, tends to overwhelm the main narrative, and, consequently, it progresses slowly and frequently lacks linearity and a disciplined focus.

The Sisters of Henry VIII was written for the reader already familiar with early-modern England. The newcomer to the period may by frustrated by her frequent mention--without further explanation--of individuals, places, and events. Similarly, readers anticipating a more psychological portrayal of Queens Margaret and Mary will be disappointed. The strength of Perry's examination lies in the breadth of detail in which she chronicles the day-to-day events of both women and the early-16th-century court life in which they lived. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack

From Booklist
Ah, those exciting Tudor times. Sixteenth-century England continues to fascinate scholars and general enthusiasts alike. The kings and queens of the house of Tudor were a colorful lot. Few other royal families in European history could boast such a sequence of strong personalities. Out from the shadow cast over them by their famous brother, Perry pulls two interesting Tudor women: the sisters of Henry VIII. The older one, Margaret, became queen of Scotland, and the younger, Mary, married the king of France. In other histories of the time, mention is usually made of these two women only in passing, as if their places in the big picture of Tudor dynastic history were very small. The full story of their lives is told here for the first time, and in appropriately rich prose. Perry is excellent at dramatizing events as she follows the careers of these two princesses cum queens who, although they made mistakes in their handling of political and personal situations, were vibrant characters, certainly worth reading about. Brad Hooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 266 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1 edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312242417
• ISBN-13: 978-0312242411
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,055,534 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven biography, January 25, 2000

By	cyberpiglet "cyberpiglet" (Coudersport, PA USA) - See all my reviews

The strength of Maria Perry's joint biography of Mary and Margaret Tudor is that it offers a different perspective on events that are usually seen only through the eyes of their more famous brother. It also conveys a fair amount of information about the early lives of the two sisters, but Perry never seems to be able to view the sisters as individuals or to distance herself from the fact that they were, in fact, the sisters of Henry VIII. For much of the last third of the book, she abandons the sisters entirely to write in great detail about Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Once in awhile, she'll toss in the opinion that Mary didn't approve of the divorce - but she doesn't back up this supposition with any facts to prove her case. Margaret gets a little better treatment - as mother of the king of Scotland, she was still a political player and perhaps more demanding of Perry's wandering attention - but one never feels that there is any real consideration of what motivated her actions. All in all an uneven presentation of a fascinating subject.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An unfortunate snooze, December 29, 2004

By	Nelson Aspen "Author/Journalist" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France (Paperback)

As an avid fan of Henrician history, I was so looking forward to reading this work and finding out more about the Tudor king's royal sisters. However, what I found out was a lot of mind-numbing detail about period finances, wardrobe and travel itineraries and very little about the actual personalities of these women.

The only part of this dense little book that comes alive relates to their famous brother's well known escapades, so therefore offers very little new or enlightening information. I'd recommend it for diehard Tudor-philes, only.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat better, I think, than other have rated it, August 7, 2000

By	Debra L. Levin (New York United States) - See all my reviews

I didn't know much at all about either of Henry's sisters and I felt that this book provided some interesting details. I suspect that the author was unable to go deeper into her subjects, a criticism made here by others, simply because the historical record doesn't exist. I found the book reasonably satisfying (although I felt it did end somewhat abruptly with little discussion of the sisters' later years -- again, probably a result of the scarcity of historical information).