BR: The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

The King's Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen

by Sandra Worth

The King’s Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen is a complex but approachable historical fiction novel narrated by Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and the wife of Henry VII.   Without a doubt I was captivated from beginning to end by Worth’s ability to weave the intrigue and suspense, plotting, murder, love and intense hatred of the period into a suspenseful but historical based thriller.  

Elizabeth, though the favorite daughter of the charismatic King Edward IV, her life is full of sacrifice and disappointment. After her father’s death she flees into sanctuary at Westminster with her mother, sisters and brothers and watches helplessly as her parent’s marriage is declared bigamous and the royal children, herself included, declared bastards.  Her mother rages at the ambition and treachery of her once beloved uncle, Richard of Gloucester, which seems to confirmed when her brother’s disappear into the Tower and Richard claims the throne for himself.  

Elizabeth has great difficulty reconciling Richard, the uncle she loved, with the tyrant her mother claims he has become. It is only through the eyes of the ailing Queen Anne that Elizabeth sees Richard again as a man of dedication to England and one worthy of respect.  Only after this life changing conversation with Queen Anne does Elizabeth find the courage to accept her destiny, to marry Henry Tudor and thereby unite the White Rose of York with the Red of Lancaster and forever end the bloodshed that has torn England apart.  Elizabeth’s first love, much like that of her namesake and granddaughter, is England.  Elizabeth admirably sacrifices her own personal happiness to bring peace to her beloved county. 

As Queen, Elizabeth endures every disappointment with an innate regality few around her possess.  Though Queen, Elizabeth finds that she is virtually powerless, constantly spied upon and watched by the Countess of Richmond, the King’s mother, the true font of power at court.  Rather than fill her heart with spite and hatred she turns her affection to her children, especially Arthur, the heir and true human embodiment of the united England.  Elizabeth learns to love her husband, and remarkable they seem to have a happy marriage. 

Pretenders and threats to his new dynasty and especially from Perkin Warbeck, who claims to be the George, the Queen’s youngest brother, haunt Henry Tudor throughout his reign.  Is this Perkin Warbeck her brother, Elizabeth cannot be sure and doesn’t have the power to find out.  Many around her find her too complacent, but to this reader she seemed to possess a very important quality at this tumultuous time – she was a survivor. 

Worth gives her reader a well-researched novel with close attention to historical detail and accuracy.  Her author notes describe the writing process and the liberties she took with explanations for the same.  Also, Worth provides her reader with a bibliography and historical notes.  There is little criticism to offer regarding The King’s Daughter.  This reader found it engaging, informative and a thoughtfully written account about the first Tudor Queen.  A true must read!

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #27
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #23

The Wars of the Roses through the eyes of Kate Woodville and Harry Stafford...

The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England

by Susan Higginbotham

The Stolen Crown, by Susan Higginbotham, appealed to me because I wanted different perspective on Edward IV’s Queen, Elizabeth Woodville.  Higginbotham selected one of my favorite perspectives from which to craft a historical fiction novel; the selection of living people who were peripheral figures at the time and of whom the reader does not have a long entrenched opinion of how the character should develop.  By using these marginal but historical figures Higginbotham focuses her reader on the story line, which she crafts masterfully. 

The Stolen Crown’s protagonist is Katherine Woodville, called Kate, the younger sister of Elizabeth Woodville who secretly weds King Edward IV and becomes England’s queen.  The entire large Woodville family suddenly rockets to the center of the English court and Kate finds herself a pawn in her sister’s plan to extend her influence by marrying her brothers and sisters into as many of the noble families as possible.  Kate is just seven years old when she is married to nine-year-old Henry Stafford, 2^nd Duke of Buckingham, referred to as Harry, as in life.  As the Duke of Buckingham, Harry is the foremost noble in the land, behind only King Edward, his children and his brothers.  A coup for the Woodville’s but one of many that made the entire family many enemies.

The narrative is given through the eyes of both Kate and Harry throughout their lives, which just happen to be during one of the most tumultuous periods in English history, the Wars of the Roses.  The reader follows along as Kate and Harry mature, from childhood friends to finally discovering their deep love for each other and beginning a family.  The marriage however is haunted by the influence of Richard, Duke of Gloucester the one man that Harry admires above all others.  Kate however does not like the Duke and finds that the feeling is mutual.

Kate and Harry’s lives take many twists and turns, first when Harry supports Richard against King Edward and then again when the young King unexpectedly dies and Harry along with the King’s brother Richard are given charge of the heir apparent, the uncrowned Edward V, during his minority.  However, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, craves the throne for himself and only the young Edward and his brother, George, Duke of Clarence, stand in his way.  Kate feels that not only must she save her marriage and her husband from Richard but also the lives of her young nephews.

The Stolen Crown gives the reader richly developed characters as well as vivid descriptions of 15^th century England.  Historians will appreciate Higginbotham’s attention to factual historical detail but it is presented in such a way that the casual reader of the genre will not be put off.  I enjoyed the portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville, which is in contrast to the usual vilification found in other works and I appreciated another perspective on this dynamic and interesting woman.  However, do not look to find any vindication of the character of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III.  Within the pages of The Stolen Crown Richard is every inch the duplicitous power hungry murderer Tudor propagandists made him out to be.  Also, important to note is that Higginbotham provides an excellent Author’s Note explaining her decisions for presenting the account as she did. 

Without a doubt I enjoyed The Stolen Crown, it is not only a great novel but also a wonderful example of historical fiction.  I recommend it highly and without reservation but do caution anyone with strong opinions about Richard III to be on notice that this might not be the novel for you.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #20
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #18

Before the Tudors II

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The second installment in Gregory’s series on the women of the Wars of the Roses is The Red Queen, the story of Margaret Beaufort, the red rose of Lancaster.  I must admit I have never cared for Margaret Beaufort who I have always found to be the impetuous for much of the cruelty of Henry VII.  I have always thought an evil and vengeful women was hidden behind her religious habit but Gregory’s depiction, while not changing my option, has made me rethink the bases of those opinions. 

The story begins with Margaret as a nine-year-old child.  She is fervently religious often attending mass multiple times a day.  Her mother uses this devotion and schools her daughter to believe that it is God’s wish that she give birth to royalty and that this role was ordained from birth.  In turn, Margaret believes with the kind of faith belonging to the righteously devoted that fervently pursuing the violently contested crown is her birthright. She is told and believes from an early age that she is “especially favored by God” and she clings to this notion with unwavering conviction throughout her life. 

Since Margaret feels that God has selected her for this special honor she grows into an unyielding and ruthless crusader for her cause.  She will go to any length necessary to see her destiny fulfilled.  It is this ruthless scheming that has shaped my own opinion of Margaret Beaufort.  She is not a likeable character fictional or otherwise, but I am willing to consider that she was herself manipulated into this mindset.

Margaret is married the age of twelve to Edmund Tudor and nearly dies giving birth to her son Henry.  During the delivery the midwives ask Margaret’s mother if they should work to save the child or the mother; without hesitation she tells them the child.  Who could not feel sorry for this girl of thirteen who has just realized, while in the throws of physical agony, that her own mother values the life of potential heir, the hope of the Lancastrian’s, more than that of her own daughter.  I pondered myself while reading if this made Margaret into the woman she became, so fiercely dedicated to the child that nearly cost her life, but whose birth certainly took away what was left of the child within herself.  I would imagine that such an event at such a young age would have had an enormous impact on the psyche of any young girl and while the event as portrayed by Gregory is fictional as to the emotions it did serve to remind me to remember that the historical figures I have so long studied are human and therefore influenced by a myriad of encounters and events lost to time.  

While Gregory gives the reader some pause to understand Margaret’s indoctrination into her worldview from birth and that she herself was of little value in the quest for an heir.  Married while still a child and enduring a long and life-threatening birth seem to have firmed planted the idea of being chosen by God within Margaret.  This seed grows within her, as she becomes a selfish, self-centered and controlling woman with ruthless ambition.  Every moment of everyday seems consumed with the pursuit of the crown for her son.  

However, the reader must remember that Margaret was herself cruelly used.  Throughout her life she is unwanted, unimportant and unloved for herself.  She is the means to a greater end.  Margaret, through sheer force of character, inserts herself into her position otherwise she would be forgotten to time.  Despite being separated from her son for long periods of time they remain devoted to one another and she one of his most trusted and influential advisors.  Perhaps Margaret had to become self-serving to survive and remain an essential piece to an all male puzzle?  

Gregory puts Margaret as an essential co-conspirator in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower.  This theory is certainly a possibility but is one amongst many.  Gregory does not attempt to humanize Margaret, but follows the most popular perspective of her.  There is no attempt to humanize or explain her actions and reactions, which would have been more interesting.  Perhaps Gregory found it impossible, but it certainly would have been an interesting take on a dynamic woman who remained influential throughout her life despite her sex. It would have been interesting if Gregory had pursued Margaret’s obsession with her son as compensation for her own life that was taken from her at such a young age so that he could live.  Perhaps Margaret’s sees Henry’s success as her own vindication?   

Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville, of The White Queen, find themselves united begrudgingly but as survivors the allegiance becomes a necessary one.   Henry’s claim to the throne is a weak one, and despite Richard III’s declaration that the children of his brother and Elizabeth Woodville are illegitimate, the two adversaries find themselves allies through the marriage of their children.  Elizabeth of York, Edward and Elizabeth’s elder daughter, has a stronger claim to the throne, but because she is a woman it would be a contested claim.  These two mothers’ see that each needs the other for validation and by the marriage of Henry and Elizabeth the houses of Lancaster and York are united at last.

Indeed, Henry’s victory at Bosworth is reliant upon the aid of his stepfather, Thomas Stanley, who is notorious for his double dealing so that he is always on the side of the victor.  Fortunately for Henry Stanley’s forces watch the battle until it begins to turn in Tudor’s favor and then charge in on his side.  

All of my criticisms aside I still found The Red Queen an enjoyable read.  Also, though part of a series, neither novel is reliant on the other.  The next novel in the series is The Lady of the Rivers which is the story of Jacquetta, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, who I must say was the most interesting of the characters in either novel and so I look forward to reading that as well.  The Red Queen gives the reader the Margaret Beaufort that they would expect to find but is an enjoyable well written book.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #6

Before the Tudors...

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

First, I must admit that I am stepping out of my area of historical concentration I have long meant to discover more about England’s War of the Roses and especially Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.  However, Philippa Gregory begins her series on the women of the Wars with The White Queen.  

The white rose of Lancaster, is a commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, which I knew little about before reading this novel, but who certainly must be an interesting woman worth more investigation.  Elizabeth, as portrayed by Gregory, is dynamic and complex.  At the beginning of Edward’s reign, Elizabeth comes to the King with a financial dispute and wins his love by her refusal to be his mistress.  The novel in fact depicts the first encounter between the two as a violent one in which Edward attempted to force Elizabeth to have sex with him and she had to pull a knife out to defend herself.  Strange way to begin a relationship certainly, but stranger still was that Edward returned and married Elizabeth in secret which ultimately led to his estrangement from the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker and would continually haunt both of them throughout their lives and after Edward’s death. 

Elizabeth is portrayed as a political queen who seeks the promotion of her family with ruthless ambition.  Her mother, Jacquetta, who had served Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI’s now exiled Queen, aids Elizabeth in her political schemes with very unorthodox methods.  Jacquetta claims the women are descendants of the river goddess Melusina and both use this connection to the river goddess combined with witchcraft to influence events and curse enemies.

Elizabeth and her mother are safe while Edward IV remains in power but unexpectedly find themselves vulnerable when Edward IV dies young and unexpectedly.  Elizabeth with her mother and children flee into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey while Edward’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, named Lord Protector by Edward has control of Elizabeth’s son and heir to the throne Edward V.  Her younger son Richard is with her in sanctuary until she is forced to surrender him.  The Elizabeth that Gregory portrays would never surrender the last hope of the Yorkist cause into Richard’s hands, which adds to the mystery surrounding the Princes in the Tower.  Could a changeling have been substituted in Richard’s place while the true son and heir after his brother was hidden to perhaps reappear in the reign of Henry VII as Perkin Warbeck?  The story line is plausible if Elizabeth was anything like the worldly women Gregory portrays.  I would say we will never know, but since the bones of Richard himself have been found perhaps the boys thought to be the Princes, now buried at Westminster Abbey, will one day be exhumed for DNA testing.  While Gregory’s account is fiction, and she admits in her author’s note that more than any of her previous novels, The White Queen has the least amount of true historical fact because so little primary documentation exists, so enjoy it for what it is fiction with a tad of history. 

Perhaps this was the appeal for me of The White Queen.  Unlike Gregory’s novels regarding the Tudor era where I find myself unable to lose myself completely in the story because I disagree with her take on the historical record.  My reading of The White Queen was more pleasure based and thought provoking prompting me to delve further into the Wars of the Roses in both fact and historical fiction.

Overall I enjoyed The White Queen and found myself engrossed in the plots and schemes as a welcome break from the more romantic historical fiction.  I especially enjoyed the depiction of Elizabeth Woodville, a strong women navigating through the tumultuous upheaval of the Plantagenet era and eagerly await Gregory’s next installment in the series, The Red Queen, the story of another strong woman in a man’s world, Margaret Beaufort.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #5