As far back as “The Private Life of Henry VIII” in 1933 and continuing to the film productions of the present, the Tudor period’s larger-than-life heroes, heroines (and villains) have provided rich fodder for fictional interpretation. Out of the plethora of writings about this period, we’ll look at two multi-book series, the first featuring court life seen through the eyes of those close to the throne, the second visualizing the life of the royal herself. Much as we think we know everything about this period, there is always some new detail to savor!
Sandra Byrd begins her series set in the Tudor world with TO DIE FOR. Anne Boleyn and Meg Wyatt grow up as neighbors and close friends, a friendship that will endure throughout Anne’s meteoric life. While Anne goes as a maid of honor to the court of Queen Claude in France, where her father is ambassador, Meg remains in England, subject to the whims of her dictatorial father. With the man she’s loved since girlhood promised to the priesthood, she has no choice but to marry the elderly baron her father chooses. When the sophisticated Anne returns to England and catches the eye of the king, she wants her dear friend Meg at court with her, a change of place and status Meg is delighted to accept. Through the turmoil of Anne’s love affair with Henry, her elevation to queen, the plots against her, the tangled evolving of the reform of the church, and Anne’s eventual fall, Meg remains her steadfast friend and confidante. Byrd presents a softer view of Anne, portraying her not as a scheming opportunist but as a woman who truly falls in love with the king and is devastated by her failure to provide the male heir, a failure that loses her his love and ultimately, her life.
Byrd gives us a fictional companion to a queen in THE SECRET KEEPER. Through the auspices of Sir Thomas Seymour, Juliana St. John wins a place in the household of widowed Katherine Parr, a kind, beautiful, intelligent woman who catches the eye of the once-again available King Henry VIII. Though Katherine yearns for Sir Thomas, the King will have his way, catapulting Katherine into palace intrigue and the still-perilous questions of church reform. After the Queen manages—just—to survive the King’s final years, a new struggle begins as those close to the throne maneuver for power around young Edward—and the now-restored-to-the-succession Princesses Mary and Elizabeth. Throughout the turmoil, Juliana guards the secrets of her mistress and her own, doing all she can to protect those she loves through dangerous times.
The final selection by Byrd, ROSES HAVE THORNS, brings us into the reign of Elizabeth via the observations of another historical character, Elin von Snakenborg. After her fiancé abandons her for her sister and her dowry money is spent, the Swedish Elina leaves home for England and a position as a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth. Becoming a close friend and advisor to the young queen, Elin, now known as Helena, is married to William Parr, making her Marchioness of Northampton and second highest-ranking woman in England. Though Helena’s eyes we see the turmoil of a nation still beset by religious differences, its stability threatened by those who don’t believe a woman should have the throne. Helena serves a shrewd, capricious mistress who creates a brilliant court that is both a mecca of culture and a den of spies, a place where the loyalty, even of those near and dear, is always questioned.
From the number of works our other series novelist, Carolly Erickson, has penned about medieval and Tudor personalities, we will look at the Queen series. In THE SPANISH QUEEN, she gives us a portrait of resolute Catherine of Aragon, raised from childhood by her mother to fulfill her destiny as Queen of England, a destiny she stubbornly pursues even after being widowed, then virtually abandoned by both the Spanish and English courts. Initially, she triumphs, winning Henry’s love and becoming his Queen. But her inability to provide a male heir will lead to Henry questioning the validity of their marriage, while his obsession with clever, beautiful Anne Boleyn will spell her doom. In the face of Henry’s anger and coercion, she holds fast to her conviction that their marriage was true, enduring exile, ever fierce in defense of her daughter’s rights.
Skipping fiction for wife #2 (who is treated in a biography) Erickson moves on to Jane Seymour in THE FAVORED QUEEN. Daughter of an ambitious noble family, Jane is appointed Maid of Honor to Queen Catherine, to whom she becomes devoted. She shares her mistress’s concern as Henry’s eye is caught by another of the queen’s maids, Anne Boleyn, portrayed here as archetypical schemer. After successfully ridding Henry of his first wife, Anne turns her venom upon anyone who might threaten her place—like the modest, quiet Jane, whose stark contrast to the mercurial, attention-seeking Anne might well have been what initially attracted Henry’s notice. But when Anne’s downfall is sealed, the favor she never sought will compel her into a marriage she never wanted.
Erickson skips ahead with the story of Catherine Howard in THE UNFAITHFUL QUEEN. When the ever-roving eye of the still-grieving, now overweight and aging Henry is caught by the youthful freshness and beauty of Catherine Howard, her scheming relatives lose no time putting her forward—no matter how unsuitable she is to become Queen. Though the valiant Catherine tries to conceive the son Henry still wants, his impotence—and her naivete—will doom her. To compensate for humoring a mercurial, demanding spouse, she indulges in a dangerous dalliance with gentleman usher Tom Culpepper. Once her indiscretion becomes known, even her family will distance themselves as enemies unearth lurid details of her youthful liaisons that break Henry’s heart and elicit his rage.
Erickson finishes the saga with THE LAST WIFE OF HENRY VIII, featuring survivor Catherine Parr. Hoping after being once again widowed to finally wed the man she loves, Sir Thomas Seymour, Catherine had the misfortune to be noticed by King Henry. Pressed forward by family, she succumbs to Henry’s will, bringing her wit, beauty and kindness into the treacherous Tudor court. Persuading the King to reconcile with his two daughters, attentive to the needs of his beloved son Edward, she heals the family unit and provides Henry warmth, stability and affection. But when her involvement in religious work seems to challenge his views, she only barely escapes arrest. His death frees her from that danger—but marriage to the man she loves doesn’t bring the joy she’d anticipated, as the ambitious Sir Thomas turns his attentions to her ward, heiress to the throne, Princess Elizabeth.
Whether you prefer your stories narrated by the principals of the action or those who stand beside them and look on, this month’s selections offer a wealth of detail and intriguing insights into those larger-than-life personalities who still, six hundred years after their deaths, continue to fascinate us.
Real, intense, passionate historical romance
Award-winning romance author Julia Justiss, who has written more than thirty historical novels and novellas set in the English Regency and the American West, just completed her first contemporary series set in the fictional Hill Country town of Whiskey River, Texas.
A voracious reader who began jotting down plot ideas for Nancy Drew novels in her third grade spiral, Julia has published poetry and worked as a business journalist.
She and her husband live in East Texas, where she continues to craft the stories she loves. Check her website for details about her books, chat with her on social media, and follow her on Bookbub and Amazon to receive notices about her latest releases.
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