Product Description

Few English monarchs have a worse reputation than Mary Tudor. She has been seen both as a religious fanatic who tried against the will of her people to reverse the course of the Reformation and as the pawn of her husband, Philip II of Spain – her infatuation with whom led her to betray England′s vital interests.

How this pious, and by contemporary accounts, gentle woman aroused an antipathy that survives until the present is a central question in David Loades′s sensitive biography, now in paperback. Based on research into the documents of the time (many newly uncovered) the compelling story of Mary′s life is revealed here in unprecedented detail and depth, packed with incident and intrigue, and enmeshed in the politics of secular and religious struggle in England and Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #705494 in Books
• Published on: 1992-04-21
• Released on: 1992-05-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
"Loades manages the difficult feat of being both a sensitive portrait of a woman treated abominably by her father, and a cool estimation of the religious persecutions she initiated as a result. A sad but not unsympathetic book." (The Week, January 2009)

"An excellent and sensitive biography." (Observer)

"A weighty achievement." (Times Educational Supplement)

"A stimulating and scholarly reappraisal of Mary′s career ... Without resurrecting the black legend, he illuminates the shortcomings of an historical figure who was ′a good woman, but an ill Queen′." (Spectator)

"Loades has written by far the best biography of the queen to date. He has created a deeply moving and penetrating human story in which the lesser characters retain their verity and are gracefully integrated into a drama that is, as the author says, ′pure tragedy′." (American Historical Review)

"David Loades′s brisk and unsentimental account is therefore welcome." (The English Historical Review)

From the Back Cover
Few English monarchs have a worse reputation than Mary Tudor. She has been seen both as a religious fanatic who tried against the will of her people to reverse the course of the Reformation and as the pawn of her husband, Philip II of Spain – her infatuation with whom led her to betray England′s vital interests.

How this pious, and by contemporary accounts, gentle woman aroused an antipathy that survives until the present is a central question in David Loades′s sensitive biography, now in paperback. Based on research into the documents of the time (many newly uncovered) the compelling story of Mary′s life is revealed here in unprecedented detail and depth, packed with incident and intrigue, and enmeshed in the politics of secular and religious struggle in England and Europe.

About the Author
David Loades taught at the University of Durham before being appointed the Professor of History at the University College of North Wales, Bangor in 1980. He has MA and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge (where he received the Prince Consort Prize and Seeley Medal in 1961). He was awarded an honorary D Litt in 1981 and was a visiting fellow at All Souls College in 1988–9.

Customer Reviews

A superb biography on this misjudged Queen.
`Mary Tudor: A life' by David Loades is the most balanced and carefully researched biography on this tragic Queen. Loades, who has studied Mary's reign for many years and has published several other works related to the personality of Mary or aspects of her reign, portrays a woman to be sympathised with but at the same time not without faults.

Loades view of Mary's life before her reign is very interesting and he takes a fairer approach to Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon by highlighting the impact that both parents had on Mary and her health and does not place all the blame on the traditional culprits. Mary's relationship with Spain, in particular her cousin Charles V and the various Spanish ambassadors, Chapuys and Renard, is examined to reveal a secret network that existed between the group that would support Mary through the tempestuous 1530s and 1540s. Loades mentions the impact that Charles V had on her life and the support he could provide. But he also stresses how this support could be genuine or (as was often) based on selfish factors.

Mary's reign is examined in a fair way and Loades tries to address the common belief that her reign was one of turmoil and little achievements. He mentioned Mary's religious beliefs and her ideas on the reestablishment of the Catholic Church in England. He mentions her concerns over the economic grievances, particularly the debasement of the coinage. Importantly, Loades examines in great detail the relationship between Mary and her husband, Philip of Spain, and looks at the marriage not only a personal level but political as well. His results challenge the usual misconceptions on Mary. For example Mary has been stereotyped as a woman who pinned wildly over her husband and submitted to his will. In reality, while Mary deeply loved her husband and missed him when he left England to govern his lands, she was also capable of being disappointed in him and could refuse him. Loades best illustrates this by mentioning how Mary rejected Philip's proposals that the Lady Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I), should marry the Duke of Savoy.

One of the main topics that Loades addresses is Mary's infamous connections with the persecution of the Protestants, which saw the death of roughly 300 men and women during the years 1555-1558. Mary's approval of the system of persecution is mentioned but Loades distances the actual Mary from John Foxe's `Bloody' Queen. Loades in his final chapter notes that Protestants were not wiped out by the persecutions and in this respect Mary's desire to rid England of `heresy' was a failure. But he also points out that in other ways her religious changes succeeded.

However this biography is not an attempt to whitewash Mary or her reign. Mary is a controversial monarch and her nickname `Bloody Mary' is known by all. Naturally those who have studied her life or her reign find many faults with the idea that she was bloody and want to defend her, even if that means overlooking her actual faults and vices. This has particularly been the case with certain biographies on her (including Carolly Erickson's work that excuses her of far too much). But `Mary Tudor: A Life' is excellent at achieving this balance. Loades successfully rejects the `Bloody Mary' myth whilst also pointing out her faults. For example, Mary's treatment of Cranmer strongly suggests a large level of personal revenge as she actually sought his death even though under church laws he was a free man. Her dislike for her sister is well documented, and Loades gives credit to the men who helped Elizabeth survive through this uneasy period in her life

Overall this is a fantastic biography on a woman who is often vilified or merely dismissed as a weak unsuccessful monarch. Her strengths are noted as is her kind nature towards many. The idea that the country was on the verge of collapse is questioned; it is pointed out that government and parliament was carrying on as per usual by the time of her death. Yet Loades is also able to point out her flaws; she was certainly not always merciful (as the rebels who participated in Wyatt's rebellion found out) and she certainly did not involve herself in government affairs to the extent that her sister would do. This biography is well worth a read and is accessible for all. If you are going to read one book on Mary I then I definitely recommend you pick up this one!