Elizabethan Rebellions Conspiracy, Intrigue & Treason

Elizabethan Rebellions Conspiracy, Intrigue & Treason written by Helene

Harrison and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth I had to deal with many rebellions which aimed to undermine her rule and overthrow her. Led in the main by those who wanted religious freedom and to reap the rewards of power, each one was thwarted but left an indelible mark on Queen Elizabeth and her governance of England.

Learning from earlier Tudor rebellions against Elizabeth’s grandfather, father, and siblings, they were dealt with mercilessly by spymaster Francis Walsingham who pushed for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots due to her involvement, and who created one of the first government spy networks in England.

Espionage, spying and hidden ciphers would demonstrate the lengths Mary was willing to go to gain her freedom and how far Elizabeth’s advisors would go to stop her and protect their Virgin Queen. Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots were rival queens on the same island, pushed together due to religious intolerance and political instability, which created the perfect conditions for revolt, where power struggles would continue even after Mary’s death.

The Elizabethan period is most often described as a Golden Age; Elizabeth I had the knowledge and insight to deal with cases of conspiracy, intrigue, and treason, and perpetuate her own myth of Gloriana.

A really excellent book and read, kind of Royal history with all the interesting bits. This book concentrates on the parts that dominated Elizabeth I’s reign, the bits of real interest and intrigue such as the various plots Northern Rising, Ridolfi Plot, Throckmorton Plot, Babbington and Essex Plots. The author Harrison has written the book really well, explaining what went on and explained in a concise and clear way. I know a bit about Elizabeth I and the various things that went on but the author seemed to make everything clear and easy to read. Whilst I knew bits about the Elizabeth I story, these has filled in a lot of the gaps for which I appreciate, and it has made me want to read more on the subject which is always a good thing. An articulate and well-written book, I would think those that are students and people who would like to learn more will get the most out of this excellent read.

House of Tudor - A Grisly History

House of Tudor - A Grisly History written by Mickey Mayhew and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 200

Gruesome but not gratuitous, this decidedly darker take on the Tudors, from 1485 to 1603, covers some forty-five ‘events’ from the Tudor reign, taking in everything from the death of Richard III to the botched execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and a whole host of horrors in between. Particular attention is paid to the various gruesome ways in which the Tudors despatched their various villains and lawbreakers, from simple beheadings, to burnings and of course the dreaded hanging, drawing and quartering. Other chapters cover the various diseases prevalent during Tudor times, including the dreaded ‘Sweating Sickness’ – rather topical at the moment, unfortunately – as well as the cures for these sicknesses, some of which were considered worse than the actual disease itself. The day-to-day living conditions of the general populace are also examined, as well as various social taboos and the punishments that accompanied them, i.e. the stocks, as well as punishment by exile. Tudor England was not a nice place to live by 21st century standards, but the book will also serve to explain how it was still nevertheless a familiar home to our ancestors.

This book follows the House of Tudor dynasty but we have just the grisly bits, kind of like the grown-up version of Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories. The book is split into 45 chapters and starts with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, the following chapters are then titled along the lines of The Terrible Death of a Tudor Traitor, Hacking the Head of Margaret Pole, Henry VIII Horrible Leg, The Rough Wooings of Mary Queen of Scots and The Babington Plot: Tudor Honey Traps to name a few. Now the book is very well written and I loved the fact that the chapters were short, punchy and to the point. After all, this was about the best bits of Tudor history. 

There were however a couple of things that I wasn’t really keen on in the book and the first was all the popular culture or modern-day references made throughout the book. I don’t watch much television so the film and TV references kind of went over my head a bit. The second problem was the little mention about Henry VII other than I think the opening chapter, yet as usual plenty of mentions about Henry VIII. But other than that, I really did enjoy this book and especially the snappy little chapters, I would happily recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into Tudor history or students that would like to study the period.