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the_most_happy_1533's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
sarahbryson's review against another edition
4.0
Having read very little about the life and reign of Henry VII I was recommended Thomas Penn’s book and from the moment I picked it up I found it difficult to put down! Penn has a very captivating writing style and he paints a vivid and detailed picture of Henry VII and his reign.
Penn gives a brief outline of Henry VII’s early years and then moves onto to examining in great detail the reign of the first Tudor King. He looks at the insurmountable odds against Henry Tudor and how he overcame them to become King. Penn explores the many varied threats to Henry VII’s reign, including pretenders such as Perkin Warbek who claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, younger son of the late King Edward IV and Lambert Simnel who passed himself off as the Earl of Warwick. Both men gained support and were at different times a serious threat to King Henry VII’s reign. As well as these men there were also various threats at court, such as Edmund de la Pole who had royal blood within his veins and felt he also had a claim to the throne. In addition to all this Henry VII had to deal with conspiracies and threats at the very heart of his court.
Moving through the life of Henry VII, Penn explores his relationship with his wife and Queen, Elizabeth of York and the birth of their children. Penn writes in great detail of the long and drawn out marriage contract between Henry VII’s oldest son Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabelle of Castile. Tragically after a lavish wedding and a few short months of marriage Arthur died and Henry was left with only one son and heir, the future Henry VIII. Penn explores the intricate and often icy relationship between Henry VII and his son and shows how protective Henry was of his son and heir. While demure and quite on the outside it would seem that the future Henry VIII was a flamboyant young man who longed to step out of his father’s shadow.
As well as family relationships Penn examines the financial means that Henry VII used to hold his Kingdom together. By the time of his death Henry VII had amassed a massive wealth of money and this was gathered throughout the years by a vast series of bonds. Essentially people had to pay the King money in order to show their loyalty and keep themselves out of jail. While the reasons behind the bonds started off as legitimate breeches of the law it appears that soon any excuse was being used to hold a person to ransom and to gain their money. False accusations were being created and people were not given the chance to defend themselves or to try and prove their innocence. People were intimidated and threatened until they paid their money. This of course made the King very unpopular but these atrocities were blamed upon two of his leading councillors, Edmund Dudley and Richard Epsom, for after all the King could not be blamed!
Penn also shows how deeply suspicious Henry VII was and trusted very few people around him. He was responsible for looking over the flow of money in and out of his coffers and spent many long hours checking and personally signing records. Yet perhaps Henry VII did have a right to be suspicious, after all William Stanley, brother of Henry VII’s stepfather was convicted of treason for supporting the pretender Perkin Warbeck. Stanley was a member of Henry VII’s court and close to the King, no wonder Henry VII was suspicious of those around him. Henry VII created a vast network of spies who spread out through Europe and across England, gathering information for the King.
Throughout the book Penn also explains that instead of a warrior King Henry VII aimed to be a major player in European politics, playing one monarch off against the other. He seemed to have his hand in many different areas and was well aware of the many happenings throughout Europe during his reign. He was in contact with many of the monarchs and the Pope, trying to secure the best possible alliances for England.
At the end of the book Penn writes about Henry VII’s death and the will that he left. He details Henry’s legacy and how in the end people were tired with the hard financial bonds placed upon them and the fear that these bonds invoked. With the succession of Henry’s son, Henry VIII, people saw the young King as a new beginning, a coming of spring after a harsh winter. Yet this so called spring would also bring his own hardships and upheaval to England and what Henry VII thought of his sons actions we shall never know.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Thomas Penn’s book on Henry VII. Penn painted a detailed and vivid image of Henry Tudor as a man and as a King. He provides a fascinating insight into the mind of Henry VII, what motivated him and drove him to make the grand and sometimes astonishing decisions that not only affected England but had ramifications throughout Europe. As I stated previously once I picked this book up I found it very difficult to put down. Upon finishing this book I felt that I had a greater understanding of Henry VII and what drove him to be the type of King that he was. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the Tudor period as well as the Wars of the Roses.
Penn gives a brief outline of Henry VII’s early years and then moves onto to examining in great detail the reign of the first Tudor King. He looks at the insurmountable odds against Henry Tudor and how he overcame them to become King. Penn explores the many varied threats to Henry VII’s reign, including pretenders such as Perkin Warbek who claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, younger son of the late King Edward IV and Lambert Simnel who passed himself off as the Earl of Warwick. Both men gained support and were at different times a serious threat to King Henry VII’s reign. As well as these men there were also various threats at court, such as Edmund de la Pole who had royal blood within his veins and felt he also had a claim to the throne. In addition to all this Henry VII had to deal with conspiracies and threats at the very heart of his court.
Moving through the life of Henry VII, Penn explores his relationship with his wife and Queen, Elizabeth of York and the birth of their children. Penn writes in great detail of the long and drawn out marriage contract between Henry VII’s oldest son Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabelle of Castile. Tragically after a lavish wedding and a few short months of marriage Arthur died and Henry was left with only one son and heir, the future Henry VIII. Penn explores the intricate and often icy relationship between Henry VII and his son and shows how protective Henry was of his son and heir. While demure and quite on the outside it would seem that the future Henry VIII was a flamboyant young man who longed to step out of his father’s shadow.
As well as family relationships Penn examines the financial means that Henry VII used to hold his Kingdom together. By the time of his death Henry VII had amassed a massive wealth of money and this was gathered throughout the years by a vast series of bonds. Essentially people had to pay the King money in order to show their loyalty and keep themselves out of jail. While the reasons behind the bonds started off as legitimate breeches of the law it appears that soon any excuse was being used to hold a person to ransom and to gain their money. False accusations were being created and people were not given the chance to defend themselves or to try and prove their innocence. People were intimidated and threatened until they paid their money. This of course made the King very unpopular but these atrocities were blamed upon two of his leading councillors, Edmund Dudley and Richard Epsom, for after all the King could not be blamed!
Penn also shows how deeply suspicious Henry VII was and trusted very few people around him. He was responsible for looking over the flow of money in and out of his coffers and spent many long hours checking and personally signing records. Yet perhaps Henry VII did have a right to be suspicious, after all William Stanley, brother of Henry VII’s stepfather was convicted of treason for supporting the pretender Perkin Warbeck. Stanley was a member of Henry VII’s court and close to the King, no wonder Henry VII was suspicious of those around him. Henry VII created a vast network of spies who spread out through Europe and across England, gathering information for the King.
Throughout the book Penn also explains that instead of a warrior King Henry VII aimed to be a major player in European politics, playing one monarch off against the other. He seemed to have his hand in many different areas and was well aware of the many happenings throughout Europe during his reign. He was in contact with many of the monarchs and the Pope, trying to secure the best possible alliances for England.
At the end of the book Penn writes about Henry VII’s death and the will that he left. He details Henry’s legacy and how in the end people were tired with the hard financial bonds placed upon them and the fear that these bonds invoked. With the succession of Henry’s son, Henry VIII, people saw the young King as a new beginning, a coming of spring after a harsh winter. Yet this so called spring would also bring his own hardships and upheaval to England and what Henry VII thought of his sons actions we shall never know.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Thomas Penn’s book on Henry VII. Penn painted a detailed and vivid image of Henry Tudor as a man and as a King. He provides a fascinating insight into the mind of Henry VII, what motivated him and drove him to make the grand and sometimes astonishing decisions that not only affected England but had ramifications throughout Europe. As I stated previously once I picked this book up I found it very difficult to put down. Upon finishing this book I felt that I had a greater understanding of Henry VII and what drove him to be the type of King that he was. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the Tudor period as well as the Wars of the Roses.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
The hybrid rose...
Like many people, I have always had an interest in perhaps the most famous of all the Kings, Henry VIII. However, prior to reading this book, I really knew nothing about the reign of his father, Henry VII, or indeed of Henry VIII’s early years. This book has helped fill much of that gap in my knowledge. As a non-historian, I wouldn’t pretend to be able to comment on the historical accuracy, but I found the book very well written, the arguments convincing and the whole a very interesting read.
Penn paints a picture of a monarch who spent his early years fighting first to gain and then to hold the throne at the tail end of the Wars of the Roses and who in his later years became obsessed with the need to consolidate his position and ensure an undisputed dynastic inheritance for his son. The author’s study of how Henry VII used bonds and fines as a method of exerting control over the aristocracy and of curtailing the power of any potential rivals was fascinating although, for my personal taste, a little over-detailed at times. I found it both interesting and unexpected that Henry VII chose to do this by financial control rather than by the axe later so beloved of Henry VIII.
The most interesting parts of the book to me were those that dealt with the young Princes Arthur and Henry and with poor Catherine of Aragon, used for years as a pawn in a game of diplomatic chess. The author paints a sympathetic picture of how powerless Catherine was in influencing and determining her own fate – not unusual, of course, but often left undescribed. Penn also gives some great descriptions of state occasions: the marriage of Catherine to Arthur and later to Henry VIII, coronations, funerals, and the socially important jousting tournaments. We also learn who were the influences on Henry VIII’s education, both intellectual and chivalrous, and learn about the early careers of some of those who would be so significant in his later reign – More, Wolsey et al.
The book is very much a biography rather than a social history and as such concentrates almost exclusively on royalty, aristocracy and the rich. Personally, I would have liked the author to shed a bit more light on how Henry VII’s reign impacted on the commoners. But that small criticism aside, I found this an entertaining and educational read, accessible to the non-historians amongst us, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Tudor period.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
Like many people, I have always had an interest in perhaps the most famous of all the Kings, Henry VIII. However, prior to reading this book, I really knew nothing about the reign of his father, Henry VII, or indeed of Henry VIII’s early years. This book has helped fill much of that gap in my knowledge. As a non-historian, I wouldn’t pretend to be able to comment on the historical accuracy, but I found the book very well written, the arguments convincing and the whole a very interesting read.
Penn paints a picture of a monarch who spent his early years fighting first to gain and then to hold the throne at the tail end of the Wars of the Roses and who in his later years became obsessed with the need to consolidate his position and ensure an undisputed dynastic inheritance for his son. The author’s study of how Henry VII used bonds and fines as a method of exerting control over the aristocracy and of curtailing the power of any potential rivals was fascinating although, for my personal taste, a little over-detailed at times. I found it both interesting and unexpected that Henry VII chose to do this by financial control rather than by the axe later so beloved of Henry VIII.
The most interesting parts of the book to me were those that dealt with the young Princes Arthur and Henry and with poor Catherine of Aragon, used for years as a pawn in a game of diplomatic chess. The author paints a sympathetic picture of how powerless Catherine was in influencing and determining her own fate – not unusual, of course, but often left undescribed. Penn also gives some great descriptions of state occasions: the marriage of Catherine to Arthur and later to Henry VIII, coronations, funerals, and the socially important jousting tournaments. We also learn who were the influences on Henry VIII’s education, both intellectual and chivalrous, and learn about the early careers of some of those who would be so significant in his later reign – More, Wolsey et al.
The book is very much a biography rather than a social history and as such concentrates almost exclusively on royalty, aristocracy and the rich. Personally, I would have liked the author to shed a bit more light on how Henry VII’s reign impacted on the commoners. But that small criticism aside, I found this an entertaining and educational read, accessible to the non-historians amongst us, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Tudor period.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
taylorelm's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Fascinating and in depth look at the end of Henry VII’s reign. Interesting look at the context in which England was shaped during this period.
An interesting narrative, delivered well.
An interesting narrative, delivered well.
firerosearien's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic read about the reign of the king whose life most interests me. Fantastic, however, does not necessarily mean laudatory — in fact, the book is highly critical of Henry Tudor, and throws a harsh light on the less savory aspects of his regime.
It's the thesis I wish I'd written.
It's the thesis I wish I'd written.
baronessekat's review against another edition
3.0
I was torn between a 3 and a 4 on this one. Again, how I wish I could give a half star rating.
This was a very interesting examination into the reign of Henry the VII, which I admit is not one of the Kings of England I'm much familiar with. But I did like the looks into trying to establish a dynasty in the aftermath of the War of the Roses, the ways Henry worked to maintain control and exert dominance over the land, not to mention the backstabbing and political machinations of those he put into positions of power.
It was also hard to not draw parallels to the current US Administration and how Henry basically put into positions of authority those that could afford to pay for the privilege.
All in all, an interesting book about an interesting time in England's history
This was a very interesting examination into the reign of Henry the VII, which I admit is not one of the Kings of England I'm much familiar with. But I did like the looks into trying to establish a dynasty in the aftermath of the War of the Roses, the ways Henry worked to maintain control and exert dominance over the land, not to mention the backstabbing and political machinations of those he put into positions of power.
It was also hard to not draw parallels to the current US Administration and how Henry basically put into positions of authority those that could afford to pay for the privilege.
All in all, an interesting book about an interesting time in England's history