The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France
Product Description
“A splendid book with two absorbing subjects. . . This is history at its most enjoyable.”-Sunday Times (London) Henry VIII’s sisters, neglected by generations of historians, affected the lives of their contemporaries much more forcefully than did any of their brother’s famous six wives. In The Sisters of Henry VIII, Maria Perry brings history alive by examining the lives of these extraordinary women and their influence on Europe in the Tudor Age. Margaret became queen of Scotland at age thirteen; family members arranged beautiful Mary’s betrothal to the aging King of France when she was twelve. But both women chose their second husbands for love: Margaret married and divorced twice after Henry’s advancing armies slaughtered her first husband and kidnapped her children; Mary risked execution by proposing to the handsome Duke of Suffolk. Groundbreaking in both depth and scope, Perry’s work rescues two remarkable princesses from the shadows of history and offers a fresh interpretation of a royal family and an era sure to fascinate readers of Alison Weir and Antonia Fraser.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
The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France
Tagged with: France • Henry • Lives • margaret • Mary • Scotland • Sisters • Tumultuous • VIII
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Margaret and Mary were the daughters of Henry VII and the sisters of Henry VIII. When Margaret was 13 she was married to 30 year old King James IV of Scotland. They had several children, only one of whom James lived to majority. After the death of James Margaret was married to the Duke of Angus and had a daughter by him named Margaret. Unfortunately this marriage was not a love match and after many years they got divorced, and Margaret married again.
Mary on the other hand was married to the elderly King Louis of France when she was 18. She was only married to him for several months before his death. Before she left for France thought she had gotten a promise from her brother saying that when Louis died she could marry whom she wanted. By the time Mary was back in England she was married to thrice married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffix. Because of some irregularities in his marriages (he had married a woman, divorced her to marry her aunt, then remarried his first wife) it was a while before the marriage was declared legitimate. By that time thought they were the parents of several children. They remained married for many years before Mary’s death in 1536 after which Charles married one of their wards.
While there are some parts that can be a bit boring, it can also be very interesting and very informative.
Rating: 3 / 5
It’s not a story with a plot. It’s bits and pieces about the two women–and about their brother. At times it’s almost gossip-column stuff. At other times–particularly when it deals with Margaret–it’s an exciting, suspenseful narrative. It’s not a book to be read through continuously. It’s a bedtime book to be read a chapter (or less) at a time, then put down, to return to later. But I looked forward to returning to it and suffered the not-so-interesting detail to get at the detail that is interesting, at least to me. And there is a lot of the latter, the author having dug deep in her research.
The book is padded, however, with information that is largely irrelevant to the stories of the sisters–suggesting a shortage of material in the historical record. The story of Henry’s divorce is the most obvious part of that padding.
All in all, though, I found it an informative and enjoyable read. I recommend it, particularly to anyone who knows very little about Henry’s sisters.
Rating: 4 / 5
This book was in good condition and came in time. I read it and it was a good book. Thank you
Rating: 5 / 5
A great summary of Henry VIII’s sisters and helps close the link to James I of England and VI of Scotland. Easy read. Open the doors to much more reading material. Loved it.
Rating: 5 / 5
The title of this book is misleading. The sisters are mentioned in the book, but you really have to hunt to find much about them. And what got me off to a bad start was the second sentence of the introduction. Maria Perry says (and I’d like to know why she thinks ths—-) that few people realize that Henry had two sisters. Anyone interested in the Tudors, and Henry especially, would certainly know he had sisters. This book’s fatal flaw, however, is that it is just plain boring. I gave it three stars because there is certainly a lot of words in it, so Maria Perry put in a lot of effort, but frankly, everything in it has been written so much better in so many other books.
Rating: 3 / 5