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A review by vikingwolf
The Tudor Crown by Joanna Hickson
4.0
I've always been a big reader of books written in the Tudor Era but I've only read a couple about Henry VII, as most are about Henry VIII, his wives and his mistresses. This book starts with the young Henry Tudor, one of the remaining potential claimants to the Throne of England for the Lancaster faction, fleeing the army of York King Edward IV, who want to wipe out the line of Royal blood that threaten Edward's position. Henry is smuggled out of England and a storm at sea lands him in Brittany with his uncle Jasper Tudor. Jasper is determined to protect Henry and prepare him for potential invasion and rule in England, while watching out for enemy attacks and fighting to keep them safe and protected by their host.
The book looks at the story of Henry's forced exile through his own eyes. It covers being moved around Brittany under the protection of the Brittany leader, the boredom of isolation, and the fear of the ever changing political landscape in England and France, which regularly affects his personal safety. I liked the dramatic chapters that occured whenever the Brittany leader took ill, as his advisors then seemed ready to sell Henry to King Edward for various prizes, only to be thwarted when he recovered from the illness. There were attempts to snatch Henry or have him transferred to France and it was only years later that France became a better option for Henry to flee to.
I liked the interaction with Henry and Jasper, and Henry's relationship with his companion Davey, his best friend and fiercest defender. To be honest I wasn't that bothered one way or the other about the invented romance for Henry and his child from the union. We know so little of Henry's life in exile that we assume he did have relationships of some kind over the years, so a fictional one didn't bother me. I was more interested in the changing nature of the proposed union with King Edward's daughter as a sub plot which changed with each development at the English Court.
The more interesting view in this story were the chapters following Henry's mother Margaret as she tries to stay safe in King Edward's Court and plot a way to send hope, money and support to her son while treading a fine line between mother to a rebel King and traitor to the King of England. I loved her complex relationships with King Edward's Queen Elizabeth, and how both women sought to manipulate the King to get what they wanted. Margaret's fight to try and get her son home either to live as a noble in safety or as the new King was fascinating. I liked her plotting and the way that the story was moved forward in stages by the use of letters between mother and son, which allowed weeks or months of developments to be given to the reader without turning the book into a George RR Martin epic!
Margaret's clever plotting kept her safe at a time when being part of the House of Lancaster was dangerous. The interesting wedded life with Lord Stanely, a man determined to remain as neutral as possible in the Wars, was part of what made her chapters really stand out. He was trying to keep his wife on the right side of the Yorkist King while assisting her to help her Lancaster born son, and trying not to be executed for treason in the process. He was a great character and the fact that he did manage to keep his head says a lot about his diplomacy skills!
The book got better as the invasion grew nearer. The death of King Edward, the fleeing of his Queen and her children into exile, their sons disinherited and vanishing in the Tower Of London feared murdered by his power hungry younger brother who becomes King Richard III...these are all historical events that have always fascinated me and it was fun to get a look at these key moments through the eyes of another author. I have never been sure about the guilt of Richard III in the murder of the Princes in the Tower but we are never going to know the truth so I like reading different views about it.
I very much enjoyed the book overall and I would love to see the author tackle the trials of King Henry VII and his children. There doesn't seem to be a follow up which is a bit of a shame. I'm not sure if I'll read more by the author, purely because it is the Tudor period that really holds my interest but I certainly liked her writing style and storytelling.
The book looks at the story of Henry's forced exile through his own eyes. It covers being moved around Brittany under the protection of the Brittany leader, the boredom of isolation, and the fear of the ever changing political landscape in England and France, which regularly affects his personal safety. I liked the dramatic chapters that occured whenever the Brittany leader took ill, as his advisors then seemed ready to sell Henry to King Edward for various prizes, only to be thwarted when he recovered from the illness. There were attempts to snatch Henry or have him transferred to France and it was only years later that France became a better option for Henry to flee to.
I liked the interaction with Henry and Jasper, and Henry's relationship with his companion Davey, his best friend and fiercest defender. To be honest I wasn't that bothered one way or the other about the invented romance for Henry and his child from the union. We know so little of Henry's life in exile that we assume he did have relationships of some kind over the years, so a fictional one didn't bother me. I was more interested in the changing nature of the proposed union with King Edward's daughter as a sub plot which changed with each development at the English Court.
The more interesting view in this story were the chapters following Henry's mother Margaret as she tries to stay safe in King Edward's Court and plot a way to send hope, money and support to her son while treading a fine line between mother to a rebel King and traitor to the King of England. I loved her complex relationships with King Edward's Queen Elizabeth, and how both women sought to manipulate the King to get what they wanted. Margaret's fight to try and get her son home either to live as a noble in safety or as the new King was fascinating. I liked her plotting and the way that the story was moved forward in stages by the use of letters between mother and son, which allowed weeks or months of developments to be given to the reader without turning the book into a George RR Martin epic!
Margaret's clever plotting kept her safe at a time when being part of the House of Lancaster was dangerous. The interesting wedded life with Lord Stanely, a man determined to remain as neutral as possible in the Wars, was part of what made her chapters really stand out. He was trying to keep his wife on the right side of the Yorkist King while assisting her to help her Lancaster born son, and trying not to be executed for treason in the process. He was a great character and the fact that he did manage to keep his head says a lot about his diplomacy skills!
The book got better as the invasion grew nearer. The death of King Edward, the fleeing of his Queen and her children into exile, their sons disinherited and vanishing in the Tower Of London feared murdered by his power hungry younger brother who becomes King Richard III...these are all historical events that have always fascinated me and it was fun to get a look at these key moments through the eyes of another author. I have never been sure about the guilt of Richard III in the murder of the Princes in the Tower but we are never going to know the truth so I like reading different views about it.
I very much enjoyed the book overall and I would love to see the author tackle the trials of King Henry VII and his children. There doesn't seem to be a follow up which is a bit of a shame. I'm not sure if I'll read more by the author, purely because it is the Tudor period that really holds my interest but I certainly liked her writing style and storytelling.