The Tudor Rose

Margaret Campbell Barnes writes a plausible story about Elizabeth of York. The story begins at her coming of age just before the death of her father, King Edward IV, and ends with the death of her eldest son, Arthur. Barnes considers the young Elizabeth as she plots against what seemed to be an inevitable marriage to the man most likely responsible for the disappearance of her brothers. Then she considers both Elizabeth's and Henry Tudor's views of their marriage. The life of this royal pair is described as they have children and develop a pattern of civil and separate existence. Through Henry's dedication, England prospers. Hanging over this marriage and reign is the ultimate fate of Elizabeth's brothers, who, if they were to appear, would throw England and her marriage into chaos. It took a while for me to get into this. The language is stilted and there are a lot of characters. Towards the middle, the story took shape and the characters became more manageable. I recommend this for readers of fiction of this period. Some background in Tudor history is needed to appreciate this novel.

What a difference a year makes in the lives of royalty. As The Tudor Rose opens, we meet Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of King Edward IV. She is getting ready for a wedding to the Dauphin of France, a man she has never met. Word comes that the marriage offer has been rescinded, and she is comforted by her father. Secure in the love of her family, she is a happy young woman, easily able to overcome this rejection. But a year later, her life has changed dramatically. King Edward has died, and life changes forever. Her uncle, Richard, who should be serving as protector of the new King, Elizabeth's brother Ned, instead takes the crown for himself. Worse, he imprisons both Ned and Richard of York, the eight-year-old brother known as Dickon. Elizabeth and her sisters and mother are living in santuary in a monastery. They agree to move to the castle under King Richard's protection, but then disaster strikes. As history fans know, the Princes in the Tower are murdered to eliminate the threat to Richard's crown. Filled with hate and scorn for her uncle, and knowing that the crown should now be hers, Elizabeth agrees to join forces with Henry Tudor, who has been living in France in exile. Henry has royal blood to substantiate his claim; he is related to King Arthur of the Roundtable. With the knowledge that Elizabeth will marry him if he defeats Richard, Henry invades England and kills Richard in battle. He is crowned King. Six months later, he marries Elizabeth. Far from her romantic dreams, it is unclear if he wants her for herself, or just to consolidate the royal bloodlines and end the civil War of The Roses. Elizabeth is a warm, outgoing woman and marriage to a cold, calculating man like Henry is difficult for her. They have four children. Arthur is the eldest, raised to be the next King, while Harry is known now as Henry the Eighth. Margaret becomes Queen of Scotland, marrying King James. Mary is the youngest girl. While she is content with her life and children, there are always troubles in a royal household. There are various pretenders to the Crown, and Henry must defend his right to rule. Two pretenders over the years both claim that, far from being murdered in the Tower, that instead the Princes escaped and that they are Dickton, now grown. Many rally behind them, and even Elizabeth is torn between her desire to believe her beloved brothers are still alive, and the common sense that knows that they are indeed gone forever. The book follows Elizabeth and Henry's life. It gives an inside look at royal marriages and the restrictions royal women lived with. It is ifascinating to see the background that produced Henry the Eighth, whose impact on English history was so significant and long-lasting. This book is recommended for lovers of historical fiction. Margaret Campbell Barnes has done an excellend job of researching Elizabeth of York's life, and of putting the reader into her shoes to get a glimpse of the

The War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York came to an end with the crowning of Edward IV as King of England. He went on to marry Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful widow but a commoner. Their marriage was never popular with either the common people or the nobility, as the greed of the Woodville clan knew no bounds. Still, Edward IV and his Queen would go on to have a beautiful and large family of four daughters and two sons. Elizabeth of York was the eldest, and this is her story. Elizabeth led a life of privilege until the untimely death of her father. While her brother, Edward, was the heir apparent, he was still a young boy at the time of his father's death. He was to have been crowned King and a regency instituted, but at the eleventh hour, his uncle, Richard, brother of the late King, was declared the Protector of England. After placing Edward in the Tower, he persuaded Elizabeth Woodville, who had sought sanctuary with her children, to entrust Richard, her younger son and his namesake, to him. She did so, and never again did she see either of her sons again. Shortly thereafter, Richard was crowned King of England, having declared his brother's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and, consequently, their children bastards. Eventually Elizabeth of York, her mother, and her sisters left sanctuary and went to live in the royal household of King Richard III. Political intrigues were to plague the reign of Richard III. Always at the heart of the discord was the mystery of what had happened to the young Princes in the Tower. Eventually, Henry Tudor, a descendant of the union of the Owen Tudor and Katherine, widow of Henry V, decided to challenge the kingship of Richard III. Henry was also a Lancastrian rival, as his mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the union of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. After Elizabeth of York secretly pledged to marry him, Henry Tudor landed in England and made a claim for the throne of England. On Bosworth Field Henry Tudor and King Richard III met in battle, and the usurper was victorious, emerging by right of conquest as the new King of England, Henry VII. A cold and calculating man, he married Elizabeth of York to reinforce his claim upon the throne of England, as Elizabeth was considered by many to be the rightful Queen, given the mysterious disappearance of her two brothers. This union of the houses of Lancaster and York was to solidify all of England. The red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York would henceforth be melded together as the Tudor rose. Elizabeth's life with Henry would be a dispassionate union that would prove fruitful. They would have two boys, Arthur and Henry, as well as two girls, Margaret and Mary. Elizabeth, however, would forever wonder what had happened to her brothers. The fact that the mystery of the Princes in the Tower was never resolved would continue to plague the reign of King Henry VII, as pretenders would arise, claimi

I can't believe that this book is here. This was one of my all time favorite reads when I was a young teenager in the 60's. I still have my very, very dogeared hardcover that is copyrighted 1953. For anyone who loves historical novels, love stories, royalty, etc. this is a great read. I think that most of the history is very good and it tells a familiar story from the point of view of a character that we don't usually hear much about - Elizabeth, the wife of Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII. There is mystery about the murder of the two young princes and lots of court intrigue. It would get a G rating so it would be fine for a young teen who likes historical fiction. Finding this brought back many good reading memories and I even reread my copy.

The War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York came to an end with the crowning of Edward IV as King of England. He went on to marry Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful widow but a commoner. Their marriage was never popular with either the common people or the nobility, as the greed of the Woodville clan knew no bounds. Still, Edward IV and his Queen would go on to have a beautiful and large family of four daughters and two sons. Elizabeth of York was the eldest, and this is her story. Elizabeth led a life of privilege until the untimely death of her father. While her brother, Edward, was the heir apparent, he was still a young boy at the time of his father's death. He was to have been crowned King and a regency instituted, but at the eleventh hour, his uncle, Richard, brother of the late King, was declared the Protector of England. After placing Edward in the Tower, he persuaded Elizabeth Woodville, who had sought sanctuary with her children, to entrust Richard, her younger son and his namesake, to him. She did so, and never again did she see either of her sons again. Shortly thereafter, Richard was crowned King of England, having declared his brother's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and, consequently, their children bastards. Eventually Elizabeth of York, her mother, and her sisters left sanctuary and went to live in the royal household of King Richard III. Political intrigues were to plague the reign of Richard III. Always at the heart of the discord was the mystery of what had happened to the young Princes in the Tower. Eventually, Henry Tudor, a descendant of the union of the Owen Tudor and Katherine, widow of Henry V, decided to challenge the kingship of Richard III. Henry was also a Lancastrian rival, as his mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the union of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. After Elizabeth of York secretly pledged to marry him, Henry Tudor landed in England and made a claim for the throne of England. On Bosworth Field Henry Tudor and King Richard III met in battle, and the usurper was victorious, emerging by right of conquest as the new King of England, Henry VII. A cold and calculating man, he married Elizabeth of York to reinforce his claim upon the throne of England, as Elizabeth was considered by many to be the rightful Queen, given the mysterious disappearance of her two brothers. This union of the houses of Lancaster and York was to solidify all of England. The red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York would henceforth be melded together as the Tudor rose. Elizabeth's life with Henry would be a dispassionate union that would prove fruitful. They would have two boys, Arthur and Henry, as well as two girls, Margaret and Mary. Elizabeth, however, would forever wonder what had happened to her brothers. The fact that the mystery of the Princes in the Tower was never resolved would continue to plague the reign of King Henry VII, as pretenders would ari