Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #512796 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
History is often as interesting for what gets left out as for what gets included. Maria Perry's Sisters to the King is a case in point. Most of us know something about Henry VIII; that he was quite large, that he had six wives--two of whom he had executed; that he split the Church over his divorce from Katharine of Aragon and declared himself "Defender of the Faith". What most of us don't know is that Henry had two sisters, Margaret and Mary. And the reason we don't know is because both women have been written out of the popular histories. And yet, as Perry makes clear, both women were thought to be far more important figures in their lifetimes than any of Henry's six wives. Margaret was married off to James IV of Scotland at the age of 13. He was subsequently killed by Henry's armies and her children were snatched from her. Mary was one of the great beauties of her day and was married off in another political marriage to the ageing King of France. Despite the prevailing male-dominated cultural climate--wives were frequently not even allowed to sit down to eat at the same table as their husbands--Margaret and Mary were not doormats. After the death of their first husbands both women defied convention and stood up to their brother by choosing to marry their second husbands for love. Mary waltzed off with the Duke of Suffolk and Margaret with the Earl of Angus. Even when Angus proved faithless, she stood up for herself by seeking a divorce. And when her third husband, the Earl of Methven turned out to be in the same mould as Angus, she divorced him, too.

Perry steers a skilful passage between the personal and the political and creates a vivid sense of time and place. Mary and Margaret become real people negotiating the minefields of Tudor culture and politics and along the way Perry uncovers new insights into such unresolved questions as, for example, whether Katherine of Aragon's first marriage to Arthur, Henry's elder brother, was ever consummated. The main problem with the book is that Perry doesn't seem to have decided whether she was writing an academic text or a popular history. The front jacket rather proclaims it as the latter, but the wealth of detail, the assumed knowledge and the somewhat donnish prose suggest it to be the former. Even so, Sisters to the King is a formidable book, which amply repays the readers investment. But be warned: you have to put a lot of effort in up front. --John Crace

Synopsis
Much has been written about Henry VIII and his six wives, but his sisters, Margaret and Mary, have had less of the limelight until Maria Perry in Sisters to the King examined their amazing lives and their influence on European history. This fascinating biography is now released in B-format paperback. In the Tudor age both Margaret and Mary were thought to be more important personalities than Henry's six wives. Margaret became Queen of Scotland at the age of thirteen. Mary, Henrey's famously beautiful younger sister, was married off to the ageing king of France. Against convention both chose their second husbands for love. Maria Perry wonderfully illuminates the characters of these two remarkable women in this engrossing study, as well as uncovering new evidence on other aspects of the Tudor age: fresh information about Henry's upbringing and his wedding n ight; and a revealing new study of Henry's 'worldly jewel', his illegitimate son the Duke of Richmond, previously a shadowy figure. Truly groundbreaking in both depth and scope, Sisters to the King not only reveals two remarkable historical figures, but also radically alters our view of Henry VIII and Tudor history.

Customer Reviews

Two Tudor Princesses - Two Queens
Margaret and Mary - nowadays two the two sisters of Henry VIII are not very well know as the King seems to be overshadowing everything and everybody. However both princesses played an important role in the British history. This excellent double biography of the two princesses is a great contribution to the study of the Tudor monarchy.

Margaret, the elder and least happy sister, became the queen consort of Scotland. She enjoyed her position as princess to the full; she began a lifelong love affair with beautiful clothes, delighted in dancing and music as well as archery and playing cards. The princess, as a result of her privileged position, developed a very stubborn personality. Her marriage to James IV of Scotland was accompanied by a treaty of “perpetual peace” between Scotland and England. But neither the marriage nor the peace lasted. The king was more occupied with his mistresses and the peace ended when James invaded England in 1513 and was killed at Flodden. Margaret became regent for her son, James V , but her love marriage to Archibald Douglas, earl of Angus, led to the loss of the regency to the duke of Albany. Albany soon obtained custody of the king, and Margaret fled to England. She returned in 1517, However, her Marriage to Angus did not last. James was proclaimed king in 1524 but was for several years virtually a prisoner of Angus. In 1527, Margaret obtained a divorce from Angus and soon married Henry Stuart, Lord Methven. James, upon his escape from Angus (1528), joined his mother and Methven, and they were for a time his chief advisers. The third marriage however, did not last too, but her son, the King, to allow her to divorce Methven.

Margaret's descendants by James IV and by Angus were united by the marriage of Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of Scots, whose son became James I of England (James VI of Scotland.). Through her the Stuarts of Scotland claimed the throne of England.

Princess Mary was the youngest sister of Henry VIII, and very much loved by him.. She had charm and good looks and was described as the golden child of the Tudor family. Pampered as she might have been, but there was no escape from royal duty. The teenage Mary is married of to the elderly and ailing king Louis of France. Every since Mary is known as The French Queen. However, she made Henry VIII promise that she could choose her second husband according to her will. The King of France did not live long and acted quickly and married without her brother’s permission Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, the trusted friend of the King and the man, she was in love with. The King is first furious, but the forgiving. The French Queen and her husband stars of the Tudor Court and there marriage a reasonably happy one, however without a male heir. In the divorce struggle of Henry VIII. and Queen Catherine of Aragon, Mary sided with the Queen an.

Her daughter Francis became the heir of the house and became the mother of the ill-fated Queen of nine day, Jane Grey. In a last tribute to his beloved sister Henry VIII had settled the succession after his offspring first on the descendants of Mary and only than on the ones of Margaret, in spite of the superior claim of Margaret.

This book is well written, with a great flow and interesting information about the two princesses. A great study of the Tudor period and of two very typical Tudor princesses. You will enjoy this excellent book.

Interesting, up-to-date work on Henry VIII's two sisters.
There is a lot of interest on the six wives of Henry VIII. Yet his sisters played a significant role, wittingly and unwittingly. Ultimately after six marriages, Henry had only three surviving children and they all died childless. The English throne eventually passed to one of the descendants of his eldest sister, Margaret Tudor. Mary Tudor's daughters married into noble families, and one of her granddaughters would be placed upon the throne in 1553, only to be deposed after less than two weeks and executed. Margaret and Mary were Henry's only surviving sisters; both were once used as political pawns in the royal dynastic game and both later entered marriages to men of their own choice, although the results of such second marriages proved fruitful and happy for one sister and disastrous for the other.

Maria Perry's biography on the sisters is highly informative and up-to-date. Prior to this biography, the main work on the sisters was from historian Hester Chapman written nearly fourty years ago. Chapman was primarily a novelist and often lacked the level of research and analytical skills that some other historians have. In contrast Maria Perry has fully researched her two subjects and records the events in a more detached manner, which some may dislike but it ultimately provides a highly informative record of the lives of these two women. Not only does she follow their lives, but provides an excellent commentary on various important events that the sisters lived through and were affected somewhat by. For example Perry follows Henry's infamous appeal for an annulment from his first wife that resulted in the break from Rome. Perry frequently refers back to the sisters, in particular Mary, in context with the king's divorce.

There are several fascinating observations within this book. Margaret Tudor's time as regent of Scotland and her marriage to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus is discussed well. Perry records well the breakdown of this marriage and Margaret's quest for a divorce that, amusingly enough, scandalised her brother. There is also good detail on Mary's time married to the elderly Louis XII of France and on her hasty marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, which was a marriage based upon affections which provided a sharp contrast to her previous political marriage to Louis.

Personally there were only a few things I found slightly disappointing or questionable. For example, in context with Henry VIII's divorce, Perry stresses that Mary's loyalty to Katherine and dislike of Anne was founded upon her long close relationship with Katherine. This does sound rather reasonable, however this was a period that placed great emphasis on rank, birth and ceremony and there are factors to consider behind Mary's views. Perry does not consider that some of Mary's dislike towards Anne may have been due to snobbery and pride; Anne Boleyn was certainly of a lower rank than Mary, who had at one time been Queen of France. If Henry and Anne met their objective, Anne would become Queen of England and therefore the highest woman in the land. This meant that Mary had to give precedence to her, and the high born Mary probably resented such a thing.

Also sometimes the work becomes a little too bland and slightly like history is being merely reiterated without the inclusion of any new ideas. It is great to finally have up-to-date work on Mary and Margaret Tudor however I would have liked to have read some interesting new ideas. As such the biography is perfect for those who know little to nothing on the two sisters as this will fully expand your knowledge on them. But for others who knew their stories already, it is only slightly disappointing to not have the inclusion of new ideas on these women.

Overall `Sisters to the King' is a good study into the lives of Margaret and Mary Tudor. It is ideal for those who know little to nothing on these women and if you enjoy reading about the lives of the other women in Henry VIII's life, then you will probably enjoy this book and its observation into Henry's relationship with his sisters. Sometimes I wished that Perry would introduce some new ideas on these women. However the level of research is evident and various small details have been well recorded. Overall a good read and ideal for those interested in this era and the lives of the royal Tudor women.

Margaret & Mary - Tudor Sisters
While there seems to be a sort of fascination with the six women who were Henry VIIIth's queens, much less attention has been paid to his two sisters, Margaret and Mary Tudor. In their days these ladies were of greater importance then the kings wives.

Mary was considered the most beautiful princess in Europe and was eventually married off to the aging French King. Following his death, she made a love match with Henry VIIIth's boon companion, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. From this marriage came the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey and her family.

Margaret's story is even more complicated than that of her sister. She was married off to the King of Scotland, James IV, who was later killed by the English at the Battle of Flodden. Two subsequent marriages and a divorce case made Margaret's life a colourful one and a fitting grandmother for Mary, Queen of Scots. 15 generations down the line, Margaret is a direct ancestor of the current Queen, Elizabeth II.

Maria Perry tells the story of the two princesses well and considering there is so little written specifically on Margaret and Mary, I will not hesitate to recommend this book to you.