My review of ‘Mary and Philip: The marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain’ by Alexander Samson


(c) Manchester University Press



Despite the valiant attempts of recent biographers of Mary I to present a balanced view of our first Queen regnant, public opinion has been slow to change. The process started by Linda Porter, Anna Whitelock and John Edwards amongst others, continues apace with Alexander Samson’s excellent new book.

Focusing on the marriage between Tudor England and Hapsburg Spain, Samson revisits the sources and looks at the ‘political prelude’ to the marriage, treaty negotiations, anti-Spanish feelings at the time and finally the co-monarchy itself. The investigation of the co-monarchs reveals a different view of Phillip and his role as King of England.

While not ignoring the negative events of Mary’s short reign, by thoroughly re-examining the evidence Samson highlights Mary’s positive achievements and the influence of her marriage on these.

This is a must read for those interested in this period and takes another large step towards the rehabilitation of Mary I.


Thank you to Manchester University Press for my review copy.




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A Hidden History of the Tower of London: England’s Most Notorious Prisoners by John Paul Davis added to the website…



(c) Pen & Sword History


‘A Hidden History of the Tower of London: England’s Most Notorious Prisoners’ by John Paul Davis added to the General Works section of the bibliography.

Entry added to:

Legends – Ghosts – Tower of London




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‘Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen’ Interview with Laura Brennan


Laura Brennan’s latest book, ‘Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen’ was published by Pen and Sword last month.

Her previous book, ‘The Duke of Monmouth: Life and Rebellion’ was published in 2018.


Buy ‘Elizabeth I: The Making of a Queen’:

Amazon.co.uk

Pen and Sword



(c) Laura Brennan



Follow Laura on Social Media

Twitter: @HistorianLaura



Many thanks to Laura for answering my questions.


(c) Pen and Sword History



Why did you choose this subject for your book?

Writing the Making of a Queen was fulfilling a dream. I had always wanted to write about Elizabeth and she was the subject if my undergrad dissertation – but I wanted to look at her from a unique angle as there are so many books about her. It struck me that even before she reached the throne she had lead an extraordinary life and realised that these experiences must have affected who she was as a woman as well as her subsequent successful style of Queenship.


What does your book add to existing works about Elizabeth Tudor?

I hope that ‘The making of a Queen’ helps the readers see Elizabeth as a woman as well as a queen. So often women who are successful in life both in the past and even still today are seen as hard, unladylike and vilified for being successful. I hope to show that she was a woman, who made difficult personal and political choices in order to survive in the 16th Century.


How did you select the events you included?

I became reacquainted with Elizabeth’s early life and looked to see if there were lessons she could have learnt from the event/person. Then I looked at her reign and looked for events that she had been decisive, had been turning points or difficult for her to make and compared them to her life before the throne. Quickly became apparent that there was potential links and explanation why she did what she did as a consequence of something in her childhood or adolescence.


What surprised you most researching this book?

I went into this with the best part of 20 years knowledge in my head. When I went back to look at the history in detail I was surprised at how my views had change about Elizabeth’s father Henry VIII. Life experience and maturity took some of rose tinted views I had of him away. In fact I came to really dislike him.


What was the biggest lesson Elizabeth learnt from each of the reigns of her half siblings?

From ‘Bloody’ Mary I’d say she learnt that an the business of being a wife as well as a queen and the pursuit of a child and heir is difficult and unpredictable.

From Edward VI Elizabeth learnt the hard lesson that family don’t always have your best interests at heart and in order to survive you need to make tough choices.

From both of them she learnt extreme views on religion should not be inflicted on your subjects. Although the head of the English protestant church, Elizabeth tried as hard as she could to be moderate in her views choosing not to meddle with men’s souls. This was a tactic later used by Charles II.


How did the brief reign of Lady Jane and her subsequent execution shape Elizabeth as Queen?

I believe that Elizabeth view on who to have around her and trust was cemented with the sad events of Lady Jane Grey. From the beginning of her reign she refused to be manipulated by her council and selected men she trusted fully to be her guides. Sadly Lady Jane was not so lucky.


Did you learn anything new about Elizabeth?

My respect for Elizabeth grew rather than learning anything specifically new. In fact I respected all the women of the 16th Century so much more. I firmly believe that Elizabeth succeeded where her step siblings failed due to her ability to adapt change and learn from others as well as her own mistakes.




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Another book that features Jane to look forward to…


30th June – An Alternative History of Britain: The Tudors by Timothy Venning (paperback)


(c) Pen and Sword Books


‘ Continuing his exploration of the pathways of British history, Timothy Venning examines the turning points of the Tudor period, though he also strays over into the early Stuart period. As always, he discusses the crucial junctions at which History could easily have taken a different turn and analyses the possible and likely results. While necessarily speculative to a degree, the scenarios are all highly plausible and rooted in a firm understanding of actually events and their context. In so doing, Timothy Venning gives the reader a clearer understanding of the factors at play and why things happened the way they did, as well as a tantalizing view of what might so easily have been different. Key scenarios discussed in this volume include: Did the pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck ever have a realistic chance of a successful invasion/coup? If Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIIIs illegitimate son, had not died young, might he have been a suitable King or at least Regent on the Kings death? What if Edward VI had not died at 15 but reigned into the 1560s and 70s? How might the Spanish Armada have succeeded in landing an army in England, and with what likely outcome?

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Penn and Sword Books

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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Early Modern English Noblewomen and Self-Starvation by Sasha Garwood added to the website…


(c) Routledge


Early Modern English Noblewomen and Self-Starvation: The Skull Beneath the Skin by Sasha Garwood added to the General Works section of the bibliography.

Entries added to the following:

Writings of Lady Jane Grey – Letters – Farewell Letters – Letter to Katherine Grey and Other Writings Arbella Stuart.



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