‘Kings and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs’ by Iain Dale added to the website….


(c) Hodder & Stoughton


‘Kings and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs’ by Iain Dale added to the General Works section of the bibliography.

Entries added to the following:

Writings of Lady Jane Grey – Letters – Letter to Mary and Speech from Scaffold



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Stephan Edwards reviews ‘Mid-Tudor Queenship and Memory: The Making and Re-Making of Lady Jane Grey and Mary I’


(c) Palgrave Macmillan


Mid-Tudor Queenship and Memory: The Making and Re-Making of Lady Jane Grey and Mary I
Edited by Valerie Schutte and Jessica S. Hower
Palgrave MacMillan, 2023

Review by J. Stephan Edwards, PhD

The published works of trained professional historians fall, in a very general way, into one of two principal categories: works meant to inform or to educate those within and without academia, and those intended primarily or even exclusively for academicians. In other words, history is, in my opinion, often written either for the general public or for the so-called “ivory tower elite,” but seldom both. This volume falls quite firmly into the latter category. Mid-Tudor Queenship and Memory is largely grounded in analytical theories on gender and literature, and it “engages with,” as academicians like to say, existing studies on the subject through extensive “calling out” by name of a long list of historians that will be entirely unfamiliar to the average reader. The impression left is one of a private conversation had by intimates and on which the reader can only eavesdrop to catch the occasional tidbit of useful information.

The collection of essays deals far more with Mary than with Jane, despite any equal treatment implied by the title. Six of the ten essays afford Jane only a fleeting appearance or none whatsoever. And even as three of the authors focus primarily on Jane, two of those concern themselves with fictional interpretations of Jane on stage and in film. Several of the authors are, in fact, specialists in English literature rather than history, resulting in several chapters of literary criticism rather than ‘history.’

Like most academic books, the individual chapter essays are each organized by “sign posting,” or overt written notices from the author identifying what he/she plans to say, notice that he/she is saying it, and a conclusion that recaps what the author has said. Along the way, the “story” of history is discarded in favor of focusing on single details and individual events and the dissection and re-interpretation of those events “through the lens” (in academic lingo) of whatever applicable analytical theory is au courant within the academy.

An introduction by Jessica Hower argues that Mary relied on the precedent of history when presenting herself as the embodiment of tradition and precedent coupled with a direct connection to Henry VIII. In contrast, Mary challenged her rival by presenting Jane as the embodiment of innovation and unsettling change with only a distant connection to their predecessor. One cannot help but be reminded of certain modern political movements that appeal to the supposed comfort of an idealized past in opposition to the supposed discomfort of a future filled with the unfamiliar.

Matthew Tibble’s chapter on the scholarly movement known as humanism makes no mention whatsoever of Jane Grey Dudley despite Jane’s reputation as a humanist scholar in her own right. Tibble argues that Mary’s governance presented the triple conundrum of a claim to the throne under challenge due to statutory illegitimacy, culturally based fears of rule by women, and the likely direction of her religious policy. Mary’s supporters highlighted her humanist “princely” educational curriculum that highlighted personal virtue and piety as markers of her ability to preserve the health of the commonwealth and to renew and reform Christian society.

Jane makes her first substantial appearance in Jessica Hower’s examination of “the accession moment,” meaning the respective proclamations of accession of Jane and Mary. The proclamation for Jane appealed to her relationship to Henry VIII and Edward VI and the antiquity of her family, antiquity being equated with the right to rule (thus the attention to genealogies and heraldry in the Tudor period). Mary’s propagandists, especially Robert Wingfield, cast the Tudor line as being even more ancient. The Tudors reclaimed that which had been denied them in previous centuries, while the Dudleys and Greys were reaching for something that was never theirs by right. Mary’s chroniclers subsequently fashioned her as a continuation of ancient customs and traditions while Jane was depicted as an innovation and a newcomer.

In a literary critical analysis of John Bank’s stageplay The Innocent Usurper of 1684, Courtney Herber presents a rather esoteric argument for why Mary never appears onstage, utilizing Sir Isaac Newton’s “three body problem” related to celestial orbital mechanics as an analogy for Bank’s imagining of his play. Herber notes that Innocent Usurper allowed for discussion of the problematic status of Catholic James Stuart as heir to nominally Protestant Charles II. Jane and Mary are cast as different sides of the same coin, with Protestantism depicted as virtuous and Roman Catholicism as villainous. The stage character of ‘Jane Grey the Protestant Martyr’ stands in for Protestantism generally, while ‘Bloody Mary, the burner of heretics,’ stands in for Catholicism. The same applies to Nicholas Rowe’s The Tragedy of Lady Jane Grey (1715), in which Mary is an “invisible non-human force” never present on stage but nonetheless exerting a direct effect on the actions of the main characters present. For both Banks and Rowe, the Protestant usurper was better than the rightful Catholic heir. It must be noted that Banks introduced the myth that Jane and Guildford were “in love” and had privately contracted to marry long before the events of May-July 1553, a “lucky crime” … lucky because their marriage and Jane’s subsequent accession offered a solution to the risk of Mary wedding a Spanish prince were she to accede to the crown. Usurper also notably cast Frances in a “Lady Macbeth role,” persuading her husband to agree to Dudley’s plan. For those with an interest in stage plays about Jane Grey, this chapter is particularly useful for placing those plays in their own historical context, even if Jane is never discussed as a historical figure in her own right.

Edward Underhill’s memoir, written in 1561 about the events of 1553, is the subject of Valerie Schutte’s essay, in which she demonstrates how Underhill’s memoir influenced Harrison Ainsworth’s novel Tower of London of 1840. Schutte discusses some of the ways in which Ainsworth’s novel complicated the popular understanding of both Jane Grey Dudley and Queen Mary. Schutte notes that Ainsworth’s novel contained so many facts that it was taught until the 1950s to British school children as history, thereby reinforcing the Janeian mythology. Incidentally, Edward Underhill is noteworthy in the context of Jane Grey in that the sixth of his twelve children, a son, was born on 13 July 1553, and both Jane and Guildford served as godparents. The infant was even christened Guildford, though he died young.

Turning from plays and printed books to the silver screen, Carolyn Colbert analyzes the heavily fictionalized films Tudor Rose (1936) and Lady Jane (1986). Colbert offers lengthy summaries of the two films together with critical commentary and interpretation of the cinematic symbolism contained in each film. Jane is a steadfast moral character in both films, fitting the ‘type’ of exemplary womanhood. Surprisingly, Colbert fails to observe that Lady Jane was heavily influenced by the New Age populist philosophies in circulation at the time of the film’s production, and neither does she note that the repeated references within the film to shillings not being worth a shilling are veiled criticisms of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies.

The final essay chapter by Stephanie Russo addresses both Mary and Jane in historical fiction, noting that while novelists have kept pace with modern reassessments of Jane Grey and challenges to the mythology that surrounds her, they have not done so regarding Mary. Recent novelists have been more likely to depict Jane as difficult or misguided than were their predecessors, perhaps closer to how she was understood in her own time.

The limited appeal of the book to those interested in studies of Jane Grey Dudley is not helped by its eye-watering SLRP or publisher’s Suggested List Retail Price: 109.99 GBP/USD for the ebook and 139.99 GBP/USD for the hardcover printed version, excluding UK VAT. But it is important to note that the publisher, Palgrave MacMillan, aims its titles very squarely and almost exclusively at a purely academic audience rather than the general public. And where only a limited number of average consumers would be willing to pay so much for a book, academics in the US can usually access the electronic version remotely and for free via an Internet link to their universities’ libraries. And for all its high price, there are a surprisingly large number of typographical errors in the ebook.

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Books 2023 – on sale today – a book that features Lady Jane….


(c) Amberley Publishing


‘Through the centuries, succession to the English throne has largely been dictated by blood. Children were born to the role, their destinies entwined with that of the nation. They would be raised with the expectation that they would eventually take their place on the throne and rule the land. But not all those expected to wear the crown completed this journey. Ashley Mantle explores the lives of several heirs apparent, from the Norman Conquest to the present day, who were destined to assume the throne of England but, for one reason or another, did not. You will meet such figures as Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, whose ineptitude saw him twice barred from the crown; Edward V, whose disappearance in 1483 still remains a mystery; Lady Jane Grey, the tragic Nine Days Queen; and Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who died months before her accession. Along the way we will explore the nature of rule to determine what was expected of an heir and how an heir was groomed in preparation for their ascent, as well as how the rules surrounding the succession have changed over the centuries..’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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‘The Woodville Women: 100 Years of Plantagenet and Tudor History’ Interview with S J Hodder


Sarah J Hodder’s is the author of ‘The Queen’s Sisters: The Lives of the Sisters of Elizabeth Woodville,’ ‘The York Princesses: The Daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville’ and ‘Cecily Bonville-Grey – Marchioness of Dorset: From Riches to Royalty.’

Her latest book, ‘The Woodville Women: 100 Years of Plantagenet and Tudor History’ was published in November 2022.


Buy ‘The Woodville Women’:

Amazon.co.uk

Pen and Sword History



(c) Pen & Sword History



Follow Sarah on Social Media

Twitter: @srhjyn8
Facebook: Under The Medieval Oak Tree – S J Hodder



Many thanks to Sarah for answering my questions.



Why did you choose this subject for your book?

I’d come across Elizabeth Grey whilst writing my book on her mother, Cecily Bonville Grey. Cecily and Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, had at least 13 surviving children and Elizabeth Grey was one of their youngest, born c.1492, which is the same year that her grandmother, Elizabeth Woodville, died. Readers of my other books will know that Elizabeth Woodville, queen of Edward IV, has always been the central figure in my writings, around which my stories and research revolve.

Through writing about Cecily Grey’s life, I caught a glimpse of Elizabeth Grey. The fact that she had married, seemingly for love and seemingly without her family’s permission, grabbed my attention. That spark of interest was there; a woman who didn’t conform and followed her own path is often someone with a story worth telling and so the idea was spun that I could tell the tales of grandmother and granddaughter… one who’s life was beginning as the other ended.

But then, with a little bit of further exploration, that seed became the story of three women. With the addition of Elizabeth of York, I had three strong women, linked by not only their names but all from within the same family. Given their respective ages and life spans, their stories told as a whole would allow me to traverse just over 100 years of history… from the Plantagenets to the Tudors. Mother, daughter and granddaughter.


What does your book add to previous works covering these women?

I think my book does something I have actually always tried to do in my writing, which is to show the connections between people and how their lives interweave. Social and family history has always been my passion and when you read historical biographies, you learn so much about the central protagonist but it is, by its nature, often a fairly solitary story. What interests me when I study people is how their lives connected them to others. These three women LIVED the history that we so like to read about during the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor era and knew many of the people we’d all like to invite to our ‘historical dinner parties’ today. Between them, as we travel through their lives and they pass the ‘story baton’ from one to the other, they experienced so much history themselves: battles, coronations, betrayals, murders, a king with six wives!

I’m also always particularly fascinated by how fragile allegiances and friendships were (and sometimes still are). But during this period, as family turned against family and friends betrayed friends, amongst all this there were still relationships being made that would last a lifetime (think William Hastings and Edward IV; Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor). Those close to the centre of power often had to think carefully about who they could trust and yet all three Elizabeth’s in this book stood steadfastly by their husbands and children, even when it put their own lives in danger.


What surprised you most researching this book?

What surprised me most, I think, was how much trouble Elizabeth Grey’s family caused for Henry VIII as I didn’t really know much about Irish history during this period and the fractious relations between the Irish Earls of Kildare, Ormond and Desmond (amongst others) and the English throne. When I first met Elizabeth, it was through her connection to the Greys and the Marquis of Dorset and the Wars of the Roses. But as I started to delve into her story, her connection to the Tudors came into play in her adult years and that was all completely new to me. Of course through her father, Elizabeth had Elizabeth of York as an aunt and therefore Henry VIII and Margaret and Mary Tudor were her cousins. Elizabeth travelled to France with Mary Tudor when she married Louis XII and served in her household. She remained good friends with her cousin, Mary, and like Mary she sided with Katherine of Aragon in Henry’s divorce, even though she was a contemporary of Anne Boleyn and very possibly knew her from her time in France — they may even have been friends. But through her marriage to Gerald Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare, her family and life in Ireland would be a thorn in the side of King Henry during his reign and Elizabeth seemingly managed to tread that fine line that many women do, remaining steadfast in her loyalty to her husband and children whilst remaining on good terms with her cousin, the English King Henry, even amongst all the fighting and rebellion that was going on around her.


Which was your favourite Elizabeth to write about?

Whilst not wanting to sit on the fence and not pick one, I do have to say all of them for different reasons! Writing the book was, for me, as much of a journey as I hope readers will go on when they read it. Starting off with Elizabeth Woodville, she was my familiar. I have covered her story many times but usually as the lynchpin from which I was able to tell the story of her sisters and daughters. This time she could actually become the star of the show for a time and in doing that, I got to really explore her back story a little more. Her roots and her connections to both Luxembourg and the Woodville ancestry, before then telling her tale, which has always fascinated me. Love her or hate her, which many do, I hope I can bring out the human Elizabeth. Her daughter, Elizabeth of York, often fades into her own shadow. The fact that she could, and did, navigate both the houses of York and Lancaster (later Tudor) can make her appear like she was a placid character, one that could be moulded and bent by those around her. But I think someone who can be a bridge between warring factions actually has a real inner strength; it’s not always easy to hide your own feelings whilst doing the ‘right thing’ and I think in Elizabeth’s story is a story of a woman with courage, compassion and tenacity. And of course the ‘was he/wasn’t he dilemma’ that was Perkin Warbeck features heavily in Elizabeth of York’s story and I can’t help but think that she would have been the key to exposing his identity one way or the other if she had chosen to. She didn’t, so from a human viewpoint – why? And then lastly, lovely Elizabeth Grey, who proved to be a more fascinating subject than I could ever have imagined, for reasons given in my answer above.


Are you surprised for a woman who led such a colourful life that Elizabeth Grey is not better known?

Not really, because she wasn’t royalty. And because, as they say, history was written by men about men. So if you became queen, you were perhaps the exception to that because your story becomes the story of the country you ruled. But for other women, they simply did not leave behind records of their lives. I’m sure there are many many more women who would make fascinating subjects of a book but they have faded into obscurity and left us no trace of the women they were. That is being fixed today with some amazing historians doing the research to find and tell the stories of women like Mary Boleyn, Catherine Carey, Katherine Swynford, Jane Shore etc. With Elizabeth Grey (and her mother, Cecily Grey, actually), I had to look really hard to find her amongst other historical records … in documents about her parents, or those concerning Mary Tudor, Henry VIII, or news of England sent back to the continent by Eustace Chapuys. She was a bit part mention in bigger stories but through them, thankfully, Elizabeth Grey was there enough that I could piece together her life in fragments. And that, is my favourite part of my writing!



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Books 2023 – another book that features Jane to look forward to….


15 November – Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne by Ashley Mantle


(c) Amberley Publishing


‘Through the centuries, succession to the English throne has largely been dictated by blood. Children were born to the role, their destinies entwined with that of the nation. They would be raised with the expectation that they would eventually take their place on the throne and rule the land. But not all those expected to wear the crown completed this journey. Ashley Mantle explores the lives of several heirs apparent, from the Norman Conquest to the present day, who were destined to assume the throne of England but, for one reason or another, did not. You will meet such figures as Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, whose ineptitude saw him twice barred from the crown; Edward V, whose disappearance in 1483 still remains a mystery; Lady Jane Grey, the tragic Nine Days Queen; and Sophia, Electress of Hanover, who died months before her accession. Along the way we will explore the nature of rule to determine what was expected of an heir and how an heir was groomed in preparation for their ascent, as well as how the rules surrounding the succession have changed over the centuries..’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk



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