cover image Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen

Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen

Anna Whitelock, Random, $28 (416p) ISBN 978-1-4000-6609-4

Whitelock seeks to rehabilitate Henry VIII's daughter Bloody Mary (1516–1558), "one of the most reviled women in English history," and to establish her as "a political pioneer who redefined the English monarchy." University of London history lecturer Whitelock asserts that Mary Tudor's relationship with her defiant, courageous mother, Katherine of Aragon, was crucial. Mary fought hard for her crown in the only successful revolt against central government in 16th-century England. And a year later, as rebels threatened London, Mary refused to flee, rallying Londoners to her defense. A hardworking queen closely involved in policy making, Mary demonstrated that a female monarch could conduct ceremonies, such as healing rituals, performed previously only by a divinely appointed king. Several elements continue to defy Whitelock's attempts to burnish her memory: the burning alive of Protestants by the Catholic queen's orders, her phantom pregnancies, and her submission to the will of her husband, Philip II of Spain, which led England into an unpopular war with France. Readers may wish for a more detailed account of the day-to-day workings of Mary's reign in addition to her personal travails. Still, this is a perceptive portrait of a zealous queen and the larger-than-life parents and tumultuous times that shaped her. 8 pages of color photos. (Sept.)