Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide

Books 2015 – on sale now – The Lady of Misrule by Suzannah Dunn

Posted on 29th May 2015 by Tamise

The Lady of Misrule by Suzannah Dunn

‘I saw her file it away: a good Catholic girl come to supervise her in her detention. Every girl in England, now, under the circumstances, made sure to be a good Catholic girl. Except her, of course. And, if only she knew it, me.

Escorting ‘nine days queen’ Lady Jane Grey across the Tower of London from throne room into imprisonment is Elizabeth Tilney, who surprised even herself by volunteering for the job. All Elizabeth knows is she’s keen to be away from home, she could do with some breathing space. And anyway, it won’t be for long: everyone knows Jane will go free as soon as the victorious new queen is crowned. Which is a good thing because the two sixteen-year-olds, cooped up together in a room in the Gentleman Gaoler’s house, couldn’t be less compatible. Protestant Jane is an icily self-composed idealist, and catholic Elizabeth is… well, anything but.

They are united though by their disdain for the seventeen-year-old to whom Jane has recently been married off: petulant, noisily-aggrieved Guildford Dudley, held prisoner in a neighbouring tower and keen to pursue his perogative of a daily walk with his wife.

As Jane’s captivity extends into the increasingly turbulent last months of 1553, the two girls learn to live with each other, but Elizabeth finds herself drawn into the difficult relationship between the newlyweds. And when, at the turn of the year, events take an unexpected and dangerous direction, her newfound loyalties are put to the test.

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Suzannah Dunn

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Joan of Arc: God’s Warrior – BBC2 tonight at 9pm with Helen Castor

Posted on 26th May 2015 by Tamise

Helen Castor’s TV programme based on her book about Joan of Arc, will be broadcast this evening on BBC2.

‘Writer and historian Dr Helen Castor explores the life – and death – of Joan of Arc. Joan was an extraordinary figure – a female warrior in an age that believed women couldn’t fight, let alone lead an army. But Joan was driven by faith, and today more than ever we are acutely aware of the power of faith to drive actions for good or ill.

Since her death, Joan has become an icon for almost everyone – the left and the right, Catholics and Protestants, traditionalists and feminists. But where in all of this is the real Joan – the experiences of a teenage peasant girl who achieved the seemingly impossible? Through an astonishing manuscript, we can hear Joan’s own words at her trial, and as Helen unpicks Joan’s story and places her back in the world that she inhabited, the real human Joan emerges.’

From: BBC website

The programme is the ‘Pick of the Day’ in The Culture (Sunday Times).

‘Reviews of Helen Castor’s recent book on Joan pointed to a radically austere approach that stuck to 15th-century evidence and renounced hindsight to depict “a life led forwards”. The same austerity is discernible in her television version, in the historian’s lack of interests in the transvestite teenager warrior’s afterlife – as saint, as subject of plays, films and songs, and as poster girl for feminism and France’s far right.

Thus, this is a conventional affair, displaying the same lucidity as Castor’s other TV series, She-Wolves, as it recounts the heroine’s initial successes – victory at Orleans, the dauphin’s coronation – and her subsequent defeats, capture, trial and execution. Throughout, Castor situates Joan within a medieval world view obsessed with identifying the divine will: she was at first accepted as God’s emissary, but it later appeared that he had disowned her and that her “voices” were the devil instead.’

John Dugdale, p.52, The Culture (Sunday Times, 24th May 2015)

Weekend (Daily Mail) gives it 4 out of 5 stars.

‘ This pleasingly straightforward documentary tells the always astonishing story of Joan of Arc, the 15th-century French peasant girl who became a warrior, leading a victorious army against the English. Historian Helen Castor, a relaxed and unfussy presenter, explores Joan’s life with the help of a remarkable manuscript account of her trial for heresy. Joan’s own words, quoted verbatim in the transcript, place her in the world she inhabited, a world where anything was possible to those doing God’s will – as Joan clearly believed she was: ‘In truth, I am sent from God.’

p.45, Weekend (Daily Mail, 23rd May 2015)

You can view clips from the programme here:

BBC2 – Joan of Arc: God’s Warrior

Further details – Helen Castor

Further details – Amazon.co.uk

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25th May 1553 – The wedding of Lady Jane Grey

Posted on 25th May 2015 by Tamise

Today is the 462nd anniversary of the marriage of Jane Grey to Guildford Dudley at Durham House in London.

Events by Place – Durham House – 25th May 1553

Was Guildford Dudley a good husband to Jane Grey by Leanda de Lisle

Another look at the wedding of Lady Jane

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Books 2015 – on sale now – 25 Royal Babies That Changed the World: A History, 1066 to the Present by Amy Licence

Posted on 14th May 2015 by Tamise

25 Royal Babies That Changed the World: A History, 1066 to the Present (Paperback) by Amy Licence

‘Babies are born every day, but only once or twice in a lifetime a child arrives who will inherit the throne. In the summer of 2013, the nation watched as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, became a new mother, giving birth to Prince George, our future monarch. The public eye rested once again on the Duchess during her second pregnancy, with predictions, expectations and a flurry of media attention around the birth, but, apart from the flashing cameras and internet headlines, this is nothing new. Royal babies have excited interest since before their births for more than a millennium. When a queen or princess conceived, the direction of a dynasty was defined and the health and survival of the child would shape British history.

Amy Licence explores the stories of some of these royal babies and the unusual circumstances of their arrivals, from the time of the Normans to the twenty-first century. 1470 saw the arrival of Edward, a longed-for son after three daughters, born in sanctuary to Edward IV and his beautiful but unpopular wife, Elizabeth Wydeville; he was briefly King Edward V at the age of twelve, but would disappear from history as the elder of the two Princes in the Tower. In 1511, amid lavish celebrations, Catherine of Aragon gave birth to the boy that would have been the future Henry IX, whose survival would perhaps have kept Henry from having six wives; alas, he was to die after just seven weeks. In 1817 came George, the stillborn son of Charlotte, Princess of Wales; had she not died as a result of the birth, she would have been queen instead of Victoria. This book explores the importance and the circumstances of these and many other arrivals, returning many long-forgotten royal babies to the history books.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amy Licence

Further details – Amberley Publishing

Further details – Amazon.co.uk

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My review of ‘In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn’ by Sarah Morris & Natalie Grueninger

Posted on 12th May 2015 by Tamise

‘In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn’ is the perfect companion for those wanting to visit places linked to Henry VIII’s second wife. As well as covering the well-known locations such as The Tower of London and Hever Castle, you can also follow Anne on the royal progress she made with Henry in 1535.

For each location the authors have included its history, how it links to Anne, what remains of the place today and important visitor information. The treasure trove section is a wonderful bonus. It is fascinating to find out about items belonging to or relating to Anne that have survived, even though hardly any are on public display.

Thanks to this book, I have already had a very enjoyable trip to The Vyne, a place I never knew had links to Anne and look forward to planning many more.

By following in the footsteps of Anne, you can also follow in those of Lady Jane Grey. Jane also had links to a number of the places mentioned: Tower of London, Durham House, Sudeley Castle and Palace of Beaulieu (New Hall). The church where Jane’s mother was christened is also mentioned.

I would say that the only thing missing from this book is an index.

Thank you to Amberley Publishing for my review copy.