The Children Of Henry VIII (1997) - Plot & Excerpts
Although I wouldn’t say I’m a “Tudor Expert” (okay maybe I would); I do like to think I am well-versed on the topic. I first read Alison Weir’s “The Children of Henry VIII” almost a decade ago before I was as acquainted with the Tudor dynasty. Although both are far different experiences, re-reading this history piece still brought enjoyment (once-again).Immediately in the first sentence of the Preface, Weir states that The Children of Henry VIII “…is not a history of England during the troubles reigns of Edward VI, Jane Grey [let’s stress for the beginner Tudor reader that Jane was NOT Henry’s daughter], Mary I, and Elizabeth I, but a chronicle of the personal lives of four English sovereigns and the relationships between them…” While this is true that Weir does not dive too deeply into the political landscape of the aforementioned individuals and focuses more on the social and personal aspects of these leaders; the text still doesn’t give the desired look into the psyche of these sovereigns as perhaps expected. Rather then REALLY getting to “know” theses individuals and experiencing their histories, Weir basically just tells their stories. Despite this, Weir keeps a smooth chronological sequence of events and instead of sectioning off chapters for each king/queen; she intertwines events in order to show equal-time incidents in various lives (I.E. While Mary was “fill in the blank”, Elizabeth was doing…). This creates a full picture of the Tudors which is especially insightful to those readers newer to the topic at hand. For those more familiar, The Children of Henry VIII is a terrific refresher course (plus, it has some details which you may have not read elsewhere). As usual with Weir, her research is extensive and annotated while also including quotes and chunks of letters/documents while presenting a text which is well-paced and smooth versus overly scholarly. One of the positives is that Weir did not demonstrate an overly-biased view towards any of the sovereigns, telling their domestic affairs with equal validity. Another optimistic feature were the biographical snippets on other influential figures which provided insight into in the lives of well-known but lesser written about personages. As The Children of Henry VIII progressed, it became increasingly more detailed, and for lack of a better description, more entertaining; while being accompanied by strong sources such as Edward’s diary entries and Elizabeth’s household account books. Even having read this book in the past, I still eagerly turned the pages and was engaged by Weir’s storytelling (although, she was at times repetitive and would reiterate phrases). The majority of the book followed Mary’s reign, helping bring her to life and almost read like a single Mary biography which may deter some readers (but was welcomed by me, as a fan of Mary). Even though I know a great deal about Mary Tudor; there were some details and statistics I was unaware of. It is always riveting to learn something new. The Children of Henry VIII is a rather solid look into the heirs to Henry VIII’s throne and the events which connected them. Although the book could have presented more details on the other sovereigns aside from Mary (Weir ends the book at Elizabeth’s accession to the throne); this glimpse into the Tudor world is engaging and certainly worth reading about.
Weir does a terrific job of storytelling. There are histories that are dry and impersonal, this is not one of them. By focusing on a narrow window, Weir makes it easy to connect to the characters in the book as though it's great fiction rather than history. Never the less, her research is amazing and she has many scholarly points to make.The book begins with a quick run up and review of the reign of Henry VIII in order to set the stage for the assent of his son, Edward VI. It is easy to skip over the reigns of Edward, Lady Jane and Mary on the way from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. However, much of the molding of the culture, government and religion of England was reaction to and grew out of the context of the radical positions of Edward and Mary. The personal details tell the story of the evolution of ideas, theology and policies. I respect the histories that cover the centuries in broad strokes, but Weir's style of writing is entertaining and informative at a much deeper level. Accounts taken from letters, diaries and testimony give us the expressions on faces, laughter, horror as well as what they wore, ate and really looked like. This level of detail makes it possible to experience history in a full color world experienced by the senses. Mary loved her little sister, Edward idealized and played with his older sisters, Mary fell head over heals for Philip and real people died for what they believed in grotesque ways while wars raged on the continent and an international cast of supporting characters came and went with news, influence and intrigue.I've read more exciting history, but only because the stories were more exciting. Alison Weir is as gifted as any historian I've read. She doesn't document every phrase in the narrative. She tells the story with details and mentions sources in context making her prose flow in a natural and unobtrusive way. It is really easy to forget that this is not fiction. I look forward to reading more of her work including her historical fiction. Michael Schaara's "Killer Angels" comes to mind. The events can be real and dialogue can even be taken from primary source, but there is a line where an honest historian can decide to write from his or her own point of view and personal understanding without qualification in a literary style rather than as a scholar. The style of Weir's writing here is just to the history side of the line. I understand that other works of hers are fiction, though I imagine them, as with Schaara, fictionalized history rather than fiction in a historical setting.Excellent book, I highly recommend. A must for Tutor enthusiasts. By the way - this covers Henry VIII through Jane Seymour and then the lives of Edward, Mary, Jane Grey (though she is not Henry's child) and Elizabeth until Elizabeth takes the thrown. The coverage of Elizabeth's life is equal in the time frame, but the time frame ends with the death of Mary. Just a brief epilogue foreshadows the actual reign of Elizabeth.
What do You think about The Children Of Henry VIII (1997)?
I'm copying this from other posts I made on the Tudor group but thought I'd share here, as well. July 15/09"I'm really enjoying learning more about Jane in The Children of England, also by AW. Thought I'd share a little for anyone who, like me, doesn't know much about her. The first part of the book takes place directly after the death of Henry VIII and goes into a lot of detail regarding Jane's feelings toward her parents and her preference to learning above all else, as learning was the only t
—Jennifer
Virtually everyone knows about Elizabeth I and her long reign. Many have heard of Mary I ("Bloody Mary"), who ruled before her. But how many know about Edward VI or the Nine-Day Queen, Lady Jane Grey? These were the children (and great-niece, in the case of Jane Grey) of Henry VIII. The book begins with Henry's death and the Council who ruled in the young Edward's name, his assertion for power, and the political and religious wrangling that happened after his early death. It provided a nice map of the political scene of the time, in terms that were easy for the average reader to understand. It also gives some insight into what life was like for Mary and Elizabeth, both declared illegitimate, yet put back into the line of succession (Henry was nothing if not a master at adapting the law to his purpose) after their younger brother. It then goes through the extremely short reign of Queen Jane, Mary's tenure on the throne, and ends with Elizabeth about to take the throne. There are also some very nice photos, albeit in black and white, of the four heirs, political figures who surrounded them, and homes which were important to them. Despite the subjects being gone for 450 years, it is not at all dry and was very entertaining.
—Erin Germain
Great title for Lady Jane's parents! They made me sick. The Tudor children had to be surrounded by some of the most self- serving advisors in the kingdom.
—Andrew
