Starred review from January 4, 2010
Arguably the most famous rulers in world history, Tudor monarchs Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I were, according to journalist and author Meyer (A World Undone
), “cold and ruthless egotis” whose self-created myths have prevailed over reality in our historical memory of them. Henry VII, the first Tudor, was a competent ruler who filled the royal treasury with gold, avoided war, and shrewdly consolidated his power by stripping away the nobility's autonomy. By contrast, Henry VIII's determination to enforce his religious change on his people led to a reign of terror, and his squandering of his riches contributed to the monarchy's later collapse under Charles I. His children fared little better, from the fervently evangelical boy-king Edward VI to the fanatically Catholic Mary, England's first woman ruler, who burned 300 of her subjects for heresy. Elizabeth is portrayed as selfish to the point of childishness, aspiring only to preserve her life and her rule. History buffs will savor Meyer's cheeky, nuanced, and authoritative perspective on an entire dynasty, and his study brims with enriching background discussions, ranging from class structure and the medieval Catholic Church to the Tudor connection to Spanish royalty. 4-color inserts, 1 map.
December 1, 2009
Contextually sweeping history of the gloriously infamous Tudor era.
Unlike the somewhat ponderous British biographies of the Henrys, Elizabeths and Boleyns that seem to pop up perennially, Meyer (A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918, 2006, etc.) displays some flashy, fresh irreverence. The author never loses track of the lay reader, extracting the most plausible theories from the academics without belaboring the points, while offering alternating chapters within his narrative on pertinent topics of 16th-century English society and government that aid in filling in the landscape. Meyer's aim is to clear out some of the lace and tulle that Hollywood has wound around the Tudors. The author covers Henry Tudor, a Welsh commoner who by sheer luck won the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and was crowned king when Richard III was slain from his horse; Henry's arrogant, profligate second son, Henry VIII, whose pampered later years turned him into a tyrant and"monster"; and the Tudor apotheosis personified by the wily, vain, intelligent Elizabeth I. Meyer subverts the now rather ho-hum custom of chronological storytelling by cutting to the quick of the action, then ambling backward to fill in the details. The author is clear that the lives of Tudors were"studded with acts of atrocious cruelty and false dealing," but they make for highly entertaining stories. Meyer also provides intriguing profiles of the era's many other interesting characters, including Thomas Wolsey, Elizabeth Barton, Luther, Calvin, Thomas More and numerous popes.
Energetic and comprehensive.
(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
October 15, 2009
The reign of the Tudors consisted of just five monarchsHenry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth Iand lasted for barely over a century, and yet the dynasty is one of the best known in history. Rather than follow the well-trodden path of the many previous biographers of these rulers, Meyer ("A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918") focuses on the Tudors' reign as a whole, to produce a volume that is somewhat light on personal details but that provides a well-organized narrative of the major events and changes during the time, with attention to what each ruler achieved or failed to achieve. As in "A World Undone", Meyer follows each chapter with a "background" section, which allows him to elucidate further various topics such as class structure or the hierarchy of the royal court. VERDICT An excellent resource for general readers; those wanting an expert but more personal look at the monarchs themselves may do better with Antonia Fraser's "The Tudors" or individual biographies such as J.J. Scarisbrick's "Henry VIII" or Anne Somerset's "Elizabeth I", while Alison Weir's Tudor biographies are good popular historyKathleen McCallister, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia
Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2010
The Tudors were smart folks and inherently dramatic in personal demeanor and in the religious and political controversies they aroused. Meyer writes a popular but intelligent, discerning, and professionally responsible history of the familys century-long occupation of the English throne (the sixteenth century, that is). Novels and movies frequently present as their main character one of the two most famous Tudors, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but in this authors eyes, these depictions are generally mythologized versions. The Tudors, we see here, were a cruel lot, more so than is popularly realized. Torture and execution were certainly not unfamiliar management techniques for them. But as Meyer also avers, the true story of the five Tudor sovereigns is much richer and more fascinating than the fantasy version. As he removes layers of false image, far more realistic portraits emerge: they were cold and efficient figures, far less glorious than Hollywood would have it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)