Do you have a favorite historical figure whom you have wondered what would have happened if they survived their dark fate? Have you wondered what would happen if they had fantastical abilities, such as transforming into animals? Maybe the last piece sounds a bit too far-fetched, but it makes for an interesting concept for a novel. What if we took the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine-Day Queen of England, and turned the tale into a fantastical comedy full of romance and adventure? Then, you would get the premise of “My Lady Jane” by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
Now I know what you are all thinking: why would you pick up a book that is purposefully fanciful with historical figures sprinkled in? I have always been a fan of YA fantasy novels, and so when I first heard about this book with the announcement of the Amazon show of the same name, it kind of confused me. I mean, there is nothing comedic about the story of Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Gifford Dudley; I wanted to see how these authors approached the Tudors with fantasy elements. I wanted to see how the book was before I decided whether to watch the series or not.
This story is in an alternative version of England where the people are divided not by religious affiliations but rather by whether or not they can transform into animals or not. Those who can transform are known as Edians, and those who believe that humans should stay as humans are known as Verities. For the longest time, the Verities were firmly in control, which meant that the Edians were persecuted, but things are changing. For those of us who study the Tudor dynasty pretty regularly, it is easy to see which side represents the Catholics and which side represents Protestants.
Now that we have that all cleared up, let’s dive into the actual plot of this book. King Edward VI is dying, and to make sure that the Edians are protected, he decides to override his father’s will and declare his cousin Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England, surpassing his sister Mary, who is a Veritie, and his sister Elizabeth, who is pretty neutral on the matter. Under the guidance of Lord Dudley, Edward decides that Lady Jane Grey, an only child in this novel, must marry Dudley’s son, Gifford, known as G in this novel. Marriage between strangers is not uncommon during this time, but the wedding takes place at night because during the day, G turns into a horse. Jane the bookworm must navigate her new married life with a horse husband, learn how to become a queen quickly, and uncover what happened to her beloved cousin Edward.
If you are looking for a historically accurate novel, you need to look elsewhere. This is a novel that is fun, fanciful, and full of adventure, mischief, and romance. It is also a novel that might get young adults interested in the Tudors with a fantasy twist. I think my only real big issue with this novel is that it didn’t feel like Tudor England to me, so it was a bit difficult to be fully immersed in the story. If you want a good novel to escape reality for a while with Tudors and a bit of magic, I recommend you read “My Lady Jane” by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
Those born of royal blood are either blessed by being able to sit on the throne or cursed to be under intense scrutiny for fears of treason. That is the case for the Grey sisters. Jane, Katherine, and Mary were the daughters of Henry and Frances Grey and the granddaughters of Mary and Charles Brandon. Their bloodline made them cousins to Mary I and Elizabeth I, which meant they threatened the two queens, especially when Edward VI named Lady Jane Grey his heir. After Mary I executes Jane and their father Henry for treason, the remaining Grey sisters, Katherine and Mary, must survive the treacherous Tudor court or end up like their sister. Can Katherine and Mary survive in a court where their royal blood leaves a target on their backs? Elizabeth Fremantle tells the tale of the lesser-known Grey sisters in her novel, “Sisters of Treason.”
A life of luxury from birth, destined to be crowned King or Queen of England. This is what we often think life must have been like for royal heirs who reached the ultimate destination of a crown and a throne. However, the stories of those who failed to reach the throne are mired in tragedy and heartache. The question of royal succession in England is a complex issue, especially when the heir to the throne dies unexpectedly, leaving doubts on whether a dynasty will survive through blood or dissolve in conflict. How did the deaths of these potential rulers radically transform the fabric of English history as a whole and what can their lives tell us about what kind of rulers they might have been? Ashley Mantle hopes to answer all of these questions and more in his latest book, “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne.”
The story of the Tudor dynasty has been told in numerous different ways. We know the major figures, the significant events, and the stories of their love lives. We understand how they changed the history of England and Europe forever, but these are just the basic facts. If we look at the numbers surrounding the dynasty, what type of story does it tell? This is the approach Carol Ann Lloyd has taken in her debut book, “The Tudors by Numbers: The Stories and Statistics Behind England’s Most Infamous Royal Dynasty.”
The glitzy, glamorous life of the Tudors portrayed in popular TV shows and novels mask the truth of this infamous dynasty. It is more bloody than what has been described. It is filled with grotesque executions, deadly diseases, bloody battles, and bloody battles. What happened to Richard III’s remains? What was Tudor torture like for those unfortunate victims? What were other devious tales at play in 16th-century Europe? Mickey Mayhew has worked hard to answer these questions by combining 45 of the most gruesome stories from this dynasty into one book, “The House of Tudor: A Grisly History.”
The year is 1547, and the infamous King Henry VIII is dead. The throne is left to his young son Edward VI while his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth wait in the wing. Without their powerful father to look after their well-being, his children must navigate the tumultuous Tudor court with powerful men who desire to use them as mere pawns in their game to influence how England is ruled. Throw in some romantic drama and the ever-changing religious landscape with the clash between Protestants and Catholics. This is the premise of the latest Tudor drama on Starz, “Becoming Elizabeth,” which follows the titular Princess Elizabeth Tudor during the reign of the third Tudor king.
The cast of “Becoming Elizabeth” is a plethora of talented actors and actresses who remarkably bring the treacherous Tudor court to life. The titular role of Princess Elizabeth was played by Alicia von Rittberg, who portrays the young woman’s naivety and eventual strength in love and court politics. Oliver Zetterstrom is the young King Edward VI who struggles to find his identity as a reformer king while navigating the drama of his court and Lord Protectors. Finally, we have Romola Garai, who revolutionized how Princess Mary Tudor was portrayed on television. Garai gives the audience a more sympathetic and vibrant woman trying to hold her family together while defiantly standing up for her Catholic faith in a Protestant court.
While most of the storylines are engaging, and I found them rather enjoyable, one got under my skin: the intimate relationship between Princess Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour. Now I know it was the central storyline for the first half of this show, but it made my skin crawl. I know that Tom Cullen has discussed this issue with fans, and I think his portrayal of Thomas is spectacular. My problem is with Princess Elizabeth and how she goes along with the relationship to the point of no return. I feel like Princess Elizabeth was much stronger than how she was portrayed during those moments in the show, and she would have turned Thomas down, knowing the false allegations against her mother, Anne Boleyn. I do not think she slept with Thomas Seymour, but I do believe there were elements of flirting between the two, which could have been seen as them having an intimate relationship.
When we think about the Tudor dynasty, we think about the monarchs who made the dynasty, but we also pay attention to those around the king or queen who sat on the throne. There were families like the Boleyns, the Howards, and the Seymours who stood on the sidelines for a short amount of time, but one family saw the majority of the dynasty through highs and extreme lows. The Dudleys have been seen as a power-hungry family who would do anything to sit on the throne of England, but is there more to their story? In her debut book, “The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England,” Joanne Paul explores the lives of this extraordinary family to find the truth about their ambitions and their resilience.
The Tudor dynasty was full of colorful characters and events that defined the era. Their lives were full of love affairs, marriages, births, wars, tragedies, and triumphs. In numerous books about these monarchs and this period in history, we have seen the significant events that defined the era, but what about lesser-known social events that these monarchs participated in. The bulk of the research into this dynasty focuses on those who ruled, from Henry VII to Elizabeth I, because their lives give us a brilliant insight into what it was like to live in the glittery Tudor court. In “The Tudor Socialite: A Social Calendar of Tudor Life,” Jan-Marie Knights gives her readers a glimpse into the social calendar of the Tudor rich and famous.
In history, the stories of women closest to those who sat on the throne tend to shine a bit brighter than others. Their tales give us great insight into how their respective countries were run and how dangerous it could be to marry someone with royal blood in their veins. However, some of the tales get lost in the annals of the past, only to be discovered much later. One of those tales is the story of Cecily Bonville- Grey, the wife of Thomas Grey Marquis of Dorset. In her own right, an extremely wealthy woman, her marriage into the Grey family would help define the succession issue during the late Tudor dynasty. Her story is finally told in Sarah J. Hodder’s latest book, “Cecily Bonville-Grey- Marchioness of Dorset: From Riches to Royalty.”
When one studies a specific dynasty, we tend to focus on the stories of those who rule their respective countries and explore the men who influenced the king’s decisions. A dynasty’s legacy tends to be viewed from the military and legal victories of the men, but just as important are the women who stood beside the king. Royal women tend to be considered side characters of the dynasty who were only crucial for their inheritance, who they married, and the children they could produce. But if we focused on the story of the royal women in a specific dynasty, what could we learn about the dynasty? Amy Licence took this concept to explore women’s voices and decided to tackle the Tudor dynasty in her latest book, “Tudor Roses: From Margaret Beaufort to Elizabeth I.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 