The 16th century is known to be a century full of powerful women rulers; Mary I, Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, and Mary Queen of Scots, just to name a few. However, these rulers were towards the end of the 16th century. For the first half of the 16th century, Europe and the Middle East rulers were predominantly male. Four men truly dominated this period, each with their objectives and desire for glory; Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor, and Suleiman the Magnificent the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. In his book, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe,” John Julius Norwich hopes to shed some light on the relationships of these men and how they shaped the political landscape of Europe.
This book caught my eye when I was used book shopping one day. The cover was beautiful and then when I saw what the book was about, I knew I wanted to read it. The stories of Henry VIII and Francis I are tales that I know pretty well and I know some facts about Charles V, but when it comes to Suleiman the Magnificent, I know very little about his life.
Essentially this book is four biographies of the princes Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, and Suleiman the Magnificent. While Norwich could have broken this book into four parts, focusing on each prince individually, he chose to incorporate their stories into one cohesive book, starting with the birth of Francis I and ending with the death of Suleiman. Each man ruled his kingdom in different ways. Francis was the more Renaissance prince who encouraged education and was a patron of the arts. Henry VIII was the second son who was not destined to rule, but when his eldest brother died, Henry was declared King of England and began to rule with an iron fist. Charles V was full of ambition and was industrial which allowed him to become the Holy Roman Emperor. Finally, Suleiman the Magnificent was the outlier of the group as he was the only Muslim leader who brought forth the golden age of the Ottoman Empire.
Norwich was able to keep a balanced approach to this book, never truly favoring one prince over another. I found his narrative easy to follow and pretty well-researched, even though I think what he had to say about the women in the lives of the four princes was a bit dated compared to modern research. I must say that I did enjoy reading about Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent whereas I found the points about Henry VIII and Francis I a bit of a review. I think if you want a solid book that explores a different aspect of the 16th century, I would recommend you read, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe” by John Julius Norwich.
When it comes to studying wars from the past, we often focus on the men who fought during the battles the strategies that were implemented to win and the plans that backfired spectacularly. So frequently in the study of wars, we forget about the women left behind, but in fact, they had bigger roles to play than sitting on the sidelines. For example, the royal women who lived in England during the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses played an essential role in how the wars concluded. These women are slowly coming into the spotlight in biographies and historical fiction novels, but it is rare to read a book about the Wars of the Roses where the central figures are the women, until now. Sarah Gristwood has taken seven women from this age and weaved their stories into her book, “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses.”
The world of the 16th century was full of change and equally colorful characters. Most of the dynamic figures of this century were women, who were willing to fight in their ways for what they believed in, whether it was family, faith, or their country. They were heroines in different ways, and each had a story to tell. Each woman had to deal with her obstacles to reach their desired goal, no matter what her station was, from queens and great heiresses to nuns, and even a pirate. Sharon Bennett Connolly has decided to include a handful of these stories in her latest book, “Heroines of the Tudor World.”
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The Woodvilles were a family synonymous with the Wars of the Roses and the rise of King Edward IV. Some of the more notable names from this family include Jacquetta Woodville, the family’s matriarch, and Elizabeth Woodville, the controversial choice for King Edward IV’s wife. However, it was not just the women of the Woodville family who made a name for themselves. Anthony Woodville, the son of Jacquetta and brother of Elizabeth Woodville, would become famous for his unexpected execution at Pontefract Castle. Still, there was so much more to his story than his death. Who was Anthony Woodville and what is his legacy? Danielle Burton hopes to answer these questions and more in her debut biography, “Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer?”
The Wars of the Roses, a conflict that engulfed English politics for over 30 years and heralded a new dynasty, the Tudors. While there were battles and political intrigue galore during this period of unrest, there were also births, marriages, and deaths of powerful figures. Each day during the Wars of the Roses holds significance to nobles and commoners alike. Dan Moorhouse has compiled his years of research into this conflict into his book, “On This Day in the Wars of the Roses.”
Like many other countries, England has been through growing pains when it comes to reforming its political, military, and judicial systems. None more so than the pains of the medieval period, specifically from 1199 to 1399. In those two centuries, there were six Plantagenet kings, each with a different style of being king and a different way of changing England with each reign. We often think that the biggest change to England’s political history during this time was the Magna Carta, but in fact, that was only just the beginning. Caroline Burt and Richard Partington have combed the archives to do a deep dive into each reign of these Plantagenet kings, examining the political and judicial changes that happened in a short period. Their comprehensive book is entitled, “Arise, England: Six Kings and the Making of the English State.”
When we think about the Tudor dynasty, we often think about the famous men and women who defined the era. An era full of change in all aspects of life, from religious and political, to the arts and literature. Throughout these changes, we tend to focus on how they affected the lives of Tudor men, but there is a growing field of interest in the lives of the average Tudor women and how their lives were affected. In her latest book, “Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era,” Amy McElroy explores women’s life stages in 16th-century England and how their roles changed.
The final wife, the one who survived. These words are what people think about when it comes to Katherine (Kateryn) Parr. However, before she even met Henry VIII, she had already lived quite a life, being married twice before meeting the king. She was a scholar, reformer, daughter, stepmother, wife, and mother. A woman who lived a rather intriguing life and happened to marry the King of England, Kateryn Parr’s life has been told in numerous mediums for centuries. Now, Laura Adkins has chosen to write about this famous Tudor wife in the biography, “Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII’s Sixth Wife.”
I am pleased to welcome MJ Porter to my blog to share an excerpt from her nonfiction book, “The Royal Women Who Made England.” I would like to thank MJ Porter and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.
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Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 