Cover Image: The Tudors in Love

The Tudors in Love

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Member Reviews

I have always been fascinated by the Tudors era and enjoyed reading this book with the extra history and love letters.

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Well-written, honestly kind of poetic, boring if you don't care deeply about the Tudors being in love.

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I love reading about medieval love and sexuality. This was really fun to read with lots of great info.

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What an incredible biographical book! Whenever I picked up "The Tudors in Love", I was whisked back in time, and learned something new.

The Tudor Era is one of my absolute favorite eras in history to study and learn about! As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it!

Sarah Gristwood is a phenomenal author who brilliantly makes history jump to life right off of the page. I can only imagine the amount of research she must have done for this book, as from the first page to the last, I felt so immersed in the history being told.

This book focuses on "Courtly Love", both focusing mainly on the Tudors, and others as well! I found this to be a really interesting and unique way to view this period, and plan to do more research on my own as well. It is interesting to read about how the Tudors viewed some stories and history from before their time, and how this impacted their lives as well.

If you enjoy learning about the Tudor Era, I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading what Ms. Gristwood writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book, and to St. Martin's Press for sending me a beautiful finished copy as well! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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The Tudors will be forever a topic of interest and their love lifes take Center stage in that. This book was not a rehash of information but a new insightful way to look at them. Would recommend for any history, Tudor or lover of love.

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The marvelous social history The Tudors in Love is the latest from Sarah Gristwood, British chronicler of (mostly) queenly rulership. (Readers may recall the Independent’s 2017 review of her Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth Century Europe.) Here, Gristwood directs her gaze at the romantic — and correspondingly dynastic — goings-on at the 16th-century English royal court, giving us solidly grounded scholarship presented with erudition, eloquence, and insight.

Her survey begins with the marital misadventures of the young Henry VIII. She wraps it up neatly, 90-some years later, with the death of his daughter Elizabeth I, the self-touted “Virgin Queen” who wrang more mileage out of her virtuous public brand than Doris Day (and possibly with more duplicitous intent).

Gristwood also covers a handful of near relations to the throne — royals in their own right —including Henry’s sisters Mary (briefly queen of France) and Margaret (queen of Scotland), as well as Elizabeth’s cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. She combs through royal records, letters both personal and diplomatic, the testimony of near-contemporaries, and the work of modern scholars.

What results is compelling history and brilliant analysis centering on the stagey, ritualized interactions between men and women at court. Gristwood has an ear for both the high-toned and the mundane (international diplomacy vs. interpersonal romantic posturing). Tellingly, she probes the message behind the Tudors’ theatrical pageantry and tiltyard competitions, most notably in Henry’s reign.

This impulse to entertain the court in productions tricked out with allegorical iconography is the stalking horse in Gristwood’s analysis. Take this vignette depicting a tournament early in Henry’s reign:

“The festivities had a theme to them, and that theme was the heart…the symbol was everywhere.

“[One pair of knights] jousted in white velvet embroidered with a heart divided in two by a chain. Written on the borders was the motto: ‘My heart is between joy and pain.’ [Two others] wore crimson satin with a heart confined in blue lace, and written in gold: ‘My heart is bound’…

“The courser the king rode on was decked in cloth of silver…embroidered with letters of gold. His device was ‘a heart of a man wounded’ and his motto declared ‘Elle mon coeur a navera’ — she hath wounded my heart. It was the old passion of uplifting pain, the lover elevated by his adoration of a lady who held him at bay, which had gripped the imaginations of aristocratic Europe for centuries.”

There’s the nutshell, the framework on which Gristwood skillfully hangs her tale. It hinges on a social and literary convention that permeated Tudor behavior — the pan-European mashup of pose and practice that’s come to be known as courtly love — for most of the dynasty’s run. With roots in matriarchal myth and folklore — and revving up with the 12th-century “cult” of the Virgin Mary — the tradition centered on the ideal devotion of a nobleman (or poet) for his lady.

As Henry’s tourney signals, the courtly trope shackled the male admirer, adrift in a befuddling froth of love and loyalty, to an assumed posture of utter subjection to an often emotionally distant woman. This devotion was ideally chaste, but in practice (face the facts, reader), it was naturally subject to slippage into the fleshly — and not just in real life but inevitably in life’s hall-of-mirrors elaborations in literary romance. (Consider the thousand and one variants on the Arthur/Guinevere/Launcelot triangle, which Gristwood explores in captivating style.)

The author traces this allegorical trail through the reigns of the four Tudor monarchs, concentrating on those of Henry and Elizabeth. She counterpoints the posturing ceremonials and royal-love propaganda with the dalliances, documented or rumored, that they apparently inspired or masked. In Henry’s case particularly, the evidentiary traces run rampant, with the king rumbling through sexual entanglements (and at least three of his six marriages) while mouthing the platitudes of female primacy. He probably believed them, at least in part, as his importuning letters to Anne Boleyn testify, until, the winds shifting, he abruptly dropped the pretense — with fatal results for Anne, and later, for Queen Katherine Howard, too.

And that’s the bitter, real-world falsehood behind the Tudor love game. Elizabeth played the B-side of the game, turning the parallel pretense of the distantly desirable woman to diplomatic advantage as noble suitors from the Continent circled eagerly, eyes on the royal prize. This, of course, is the core of the “Virgin Queen” brand, but Gristwood suggests, citing contemporary rumors, that the pose could have also cloaked a grand imposture, with at least a few of Elizabeth’s summer sojourns in the countryside serving as royal maternity leave. Tabloid stuff this, and enticing to boot. But Gristwood leaves it at that.

The Tudors in Love is history at its best, a novel exploration on an otherwise well-traveled path. Read it for Gristwood’s marvelous insight into the intersection of Tudor amatory imagination and the realities of royal power, or read it for its sprightly storytelling. For the scholar or the informed reader, it’s richly rewarding in either case.

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I love this period in history and this book definitely did it justice. This book is full of great information.

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I have always been fascinated by the Tudors - why, I couldn't really tell you. This was not the best non-fiction I've reach on the Tudors, but also not the worst. I liked the premise of this book, looking at the Tudors through the lens of "courtly love", it is not one I've read before. I don't know exactly what I was missing, but I just felt like I needed more.

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I love British history and the Tudors are surely the most fascinating of all the royalty. This book is not just an examination of the lives and loves of the Tudors, but of courtly love in general and includes other famous lovers such as Guinevere and Lancelot. I found the parts about Eleanor of Aquitaine to be especially fascinating. Well researched but written with an ease of narrative, I highly enjoyed this historical read. I think this is a book that would be great for people who think they don’t like nonfiction. It engages, informs and entertains without falling into that dreaded textbook like narrative that can often derail books about history. This is one I will be frequently recommending. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for this arc.

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3.5 stars

It was an intriguing study into the Tudor dynasty from its Lancastrian beginnings culminating to its golden end with Elizabeth I and how the culture and ideals of courtly love played a hand in shaping its rulers. Gristwood gives a solid overview into the history of the House of Tudor and the notable players that both built the fragile English dynasty and those from within and without the royal house who sought to overthrow it.

While it did place an enviable emphasis on Henry VIII and his numerous consorts, there was also a solid analysis on the frameworks of each of the different rulers and the fairly diverging reigns within this fairly short dynastic reign. The focus on how the concept of courtly love influenced each of the Tudors was an interesting point of entry as I was relatively unfamiliar with the specifics of it but Gristwood made a convincing argument throughout the book of the literary device's influence within Tudor rule. Overall, I found the read to be thoroughly researched and well-executed, although it did lean heavy into the two Henrys (VII and VIII) reigns.

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This nonfiction history work examines how courtly love impacted and influenced the Tudor family. Gristwood analyzes where the ‘courtly love’ concept came from and explains how it shaped Henry VIII’s marriages and subsequent relationships.

A special thanks to @macmillanpress for my hardcover copy of this book! I found it had a slow start as it focuses a lot on Guinevere and Arthur which I’m not super interested in. I found it to be fragmented at the start with lots of connections kind of jumping around. However, once I got into the middle, the linear timeline became easier to follow. I loved reading about Anne Bolelyn and Elizabeth I. You definitely need to be a history buff to enjoy this one.

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I’ve always been into the history of the Tudors, with Henry VIII obviously being one of the most fascinating figures in history due to his political reign and love affairs. I found this book very thorough, with tons of info which was both a help and a hindrance. I felt like it took me a lot longer than anticipated to get through though I wouldn’t say it was dry or textbooky, just full of info. I can sometimes struggle with remembering tons of characters in a book and while this had that, it wasn’t so bad. Overall. If you’re keen on this time period, learning a little about how actual love played a part in everything was really a fun and different take. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this one!

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This book was incredibly interesting. I feel like I learned a lot even though I feel like this space in the book world can be pretty saturated. I loved it.

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I really liked this, but I didn't love it. There were sections that I had trouble maintaining my concentration on. I felt this could have been shorter. But thete were so many things that I learned, that I recommend it to those interested in Tudor history. The Tudor lineage can get a bit confusing. This book did a good job of character development to help put a name to a person, for differentiating some of the Tudor.

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Thank you to Netgalley for providing with a free ebook copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Description:

Why did Henry VIII marry six times? Why did Anne Boleyn have to die? Why did Elizabeth I's courtiers hail her as a goddess come to earth?

The dramas of courtly love have captivated centuries of readers and dreamers. Yet too often they're dismissed as something existing only in books and song--those old legends of King Arthur and chivalric fantasy.

Not so. In this ground-breaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty. From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant' of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the Tudors re-enacted the roles of the devoted lovers and capricious mistresses first laid out in the romances of medieval literature. The Tudors in Love dissects the codes of love, desire and power, unveiling romantic obsessions that have shaped the history of the world. 

My Thoughts:

Like many people, I am fascinated by the Tudors. Part of it is the drama. Even the most outlandish modern soap opera wouldn't have a husband order the beheading of two wives, and these were real people! But, some of the drama is lost when you know it's coming. I think, what keeps me coming back for more is that I am a very character-focused reader, and "characters" don't get much more complex than the Tudors. Since there are so many conflicting accounts and interpretations of events, one version's villian is the next's hero.

In the middle ages, the stories of King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot were the lens through which love was viewed. Gristwood delves deeply into how these beliefs lead the Tudors to make irrational decisions, as well as using it as a tool to exercise their power.

This was a thouroghly researched book. Gristwood does a great job of guiding the reader to understand her conclusions, while still remaining an objective narrator. She helps the reader to look beyond their 21st century ideaology to understand medievel viewpoints. Nonfiction can read rather clinical to me, but Gristwood has an engaging voice, that feels like she's having an intellectual conversation with the reader.

The only thing I found confusing was the sheer volume of people discussed in the book. I always struggle with this in books spanning over a long period of time in history. First of all, there tends to be a lot of similar names. Secondly, most titles are inherited, so as time progresses the same person is referred to by a different name or the same name could be different people. Obviously, Gristwood cannot control this, I just know that I personally get frustrated by this at times, and thought it was worth noting.

In conclusion, I would recommend this to anyone interested in English History. This is the first book I've read by Sarah Gristwood, and I intend to read more.

4 out of 5 stars.

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This book is not a quick read, but the history is well researched, well written, and thought provoking. Romance was risky business and, of course, most risky for women.

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Gristwood successfully completes what she states she set out to do with the thesis of this book. Having studied the Tudors and the time period for an extensive number of years, I actually found the way the information was approached, i.e. via Love, was refreshing and I even found myself looking at things new and different ways.

The writing style is engaging and could be approached by novice or expert. The information doesn't become overwhelming, and I was actually entertained throughout my reading.

I look forward to reading more by Gristwood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

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First book of 2023 has been finished!!

I'm so thankful to Sarah Gristwood and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I love historical nonfiction reads and I love Sarah Gristwood's writing.

This book is so well-researched and Sarah is just on another level to me. She's thorough, she stresses the importance of women in history and while the subject matter can be dense, I think she decently summarizes the information.

I will say I didn't super love the beginning of this book, which was all setup for the Tudor dynasty. The first 20% is about King Arthur and his story, and the 12th century up until King Henry VII and honestly I think it could've been condensed a bit more??? Gristwood refers back to the importance of King Arthur's story to royals in the Tudor Dynasty, but I don't think we needed as much backstory as we got.

And while I appreciated the thesis of this book which is how courtly love and games were central to politicking in the Tudor dynasty, I didn't feel like it was driven home as clearly as Gristwood envisioned.

My favorite part of this book was UNDOUBTEDLY the King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn courtship because so much of it really is unknown but also it's so fun to try and fill in the blanks. Like Anne Boleyn what were you playing attttt and how is it working so well until it didn't work so well.

Legitimately the number one thing I learned from this book is that I would have thrived (briefly) and died playing courtly games in King Henry VIII's court liiiiiiiiiiiike I would've collected love letters like nobody's business and then King Henry would've beheaded me personally.

I also really enjoyed learning more about Henry's sisters Margaret and Mary and their offspring because whoa Nelly the DRAMA!!

Overall, I learned a lot and I'm happy I read it.

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Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Tudors in Love in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting and detailed account of the concept of courtly love. It centered heavily on the relationship of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as well as on the reign of Elizabeth I. The author presented courtly love as a double edged sword that could be just as dangerous as it was enchanting. There were so many details and primary sources incorporated, that it provided a well rounded view of the period. It was a very educational read and would be great for British history and royal family lovers.

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I am no stranger to Henry VIII and his six wives. It is my most read subject matter to date —books about this ruthless yet misunderstood king and the ladies that stood by his side not only line my bookshelf., but continue to captivate me. Gristwood's book was a refreshing take on love during what was, in truth, a tumultuous time. Politics, family, and even ego often cast a shadow over the possibility of true love, yet courtly love is where the fascination begins. I was super familiar with the backstories of all the wives of Henry Tutor. Still, I was intrigued by how Gristwoood weaved in tales of Guinevere and King Author (something I am not as familiar with). The Tutors in Love is perfect for anyone interested in learning about Henry VIII and the fate of his six wives. Those who are well-read on this dynasty will enjoy the revitalized take on the love ad loss of this famous King.

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