Review - A little disappointing in places as there were some glaring errors e.g. Thomas Brandon where it should have been Charles Brandon in the index. What? Nevertheless, a good overview of the period, although not very balanced. A large part of the book was given over to Elizabeth I with very little on Edward and Mary, and not much more on Henry VIII. Henry VII isn't even covered in this book on the Tudors but is covered in the previous one in the series, which seems a little odd to me. I wouldn't really recommend it to serious historians, a few too many little errors.

Subjects - History / Tudors

Recommend? - Maybe

Rating - 13/20

Honestly, I was all for giving this book four stars, before I read the last chapter. Having read more than enough books on the Tudor period, I tend not to come to them looking to learn anything new, but to see whether the author has a different way of looking at things, or how they word and structure the events of the period. Having loved all Peter Ackroyd's previous books, and really enjoying his style of writing, I had high hopes for this. There were areas where it seemed a little dry, especially surrounding the politics of Henry VIII's reign (specifically the divorce - I am yet to find an author that can make all those papal bulls and legates as compelling as the rest of the Tudor era), but about halfway through, his enthusiasm began to show. A large section of the book is devoted to Elizabeth - perhaps rightly so, considering the length of her reign compared to the period as a whole - and Ackroyd succeeds wonderfully in bringing the saga of her and Mary, Queen of Scots back to life once more. It is not all kings and queens, however. Every now and then is a touch of the common man - how they felt towards religion, the famines and sicknesses being suffered as matters of high policy, with little effect on the majority of the country, were being discussed in court. Yet it was really the last chapter that stood out for me. In just a few pages, Ackroyd manages to bring together all the overarching themes of the period, and set the stage for the next instalment. He brings together politics, religion, culture, and social experience, and ensures that the reader recognises the enormous changes wrought upon England during these years.

A reaaly good overview of Tudor England which broadened my knowledge of a period you think you know lots about. As with volume 1 it is broad enough to encourage further reading and gives a better feel of the politics as I continue to enjoy Hilary Mantel series and the C j Sansom series of Shardlake books. I can't wait for vol 3.

Peter Ackroyd’s second volume on the history of England focuses on the rule of the Tudors. He starts the book with the death of King Henry VII, the first of the Tudor monarchs who took the throne at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. It is fascinating to read what life was like in England during the later years of Henry VII’s reign and how when his son Henry came to the throne England rejoiced at a young, vibrant King.

Ackroyd moves through the reign of Henry VIII, naturally discussing topics such as the King’s many wives and his infamous break with Rome. Although Henry VIII broke with Rome he was still very much a Catholic when he died and Ackroyd discusses in detail the King’s personal religious beliefs and how these affected England and the common people during his reign.

After Henry VIII’s death his nine year old son Edward VI took the throne. Although only a short rule Ackroyd is able to provide detail as to the political and cultural happenings of the time. One of these major changes was the face of religion and how it changed drastically from a more traditional Catholic religion to one of Protestantism.

When the young King died Lady Jane Grey was put on the throne but her reign was short and soon the Catholic Mary Tudor was crowned King. Ackroyd explores Mary’s life, her religious beliefs and her desire to provide the Kingdom with an heir. Ackroyd goes into detail about the religious upheaval during this period of time and how Mary and her Parliament brought back the ‘old faith’ to the people.

Upon Mary’s death her younger half-sister Elizabeth I came to the throne. Faced with great religious unrest throughout her Kingdom, Elizabeth and her council, worked hard to bring peace to the country. Ackroyd discusses the various happenings throughout Elizabeth’s life, her relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scotts, threats that England faced during Elizabeth’s reign such as the Spanish Armada, and the constant worry over who would succeed Elizabeth when she died.

Unfortunately some events and people were admitted, but that is understandable considering so much happened during the reign of the Tudors! Overall while I enjoyed Peter Ackroyd’s book on the Tudors I will admit that I found it difficult to get into and often did not feel engaged.

Naturally with the focus of this book being on the Tudor dynasty, it’s a familiar tale. What is interesting about Ackroyd’s book is that he focuses on the implications of England’s split from the Catholic church and that significance to English–and later British–history. As a result, the events featured in the book moves pretty quickly chronologically but the weight of the presentation comes in explaining the socio-religious changes that was happening across English society.

Tudors is an accessible title and I learned some new things about the period from this volume. It can be a little dense at times but the anecdotal stories were enjoyable and interesting. It’s worth checking out for readers who enjoy reading and learning about Tudor history and religious history in England–there might be something here that’s new and different that readers might not have picked up on before.

You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/10/08/review-tudors/

A good history of the Tudors, although Ackroyd seems to spend an inordinate amount of time criticizing Elizabeth I and ascribing questionable motivations or reasoning to her - I don't really see how anyone can know if her vacillating on things was due to being indecisive vs. exceptionally crafty. Given the success of her reign and the cleverness of her writing, I'm inclined toward the latter, a view Ackroyd apparently does not share. Still, a good history overall, particularly when the historian sticks to recounting from primary sources.

Breadth but not depth.

A good read, even if you already have a grounding on Tudor history. Some useful and incisive insights into the impact on society of the reformation

Really readable. Not my favourite period of history, so was reading so as to be a completist with this series, but Ackroyd is amazing.