The Tudor Rose

The Tudor Rose: Princess Mary, Henry VIII’s Sister by Jennifer Kewley Draskau, 246 pages

I’ve read several books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the Tudor era and Elizabethan England, but never knew much about either of Henry VIII’s sisters. Most books are focused on Henry, his wives, and his three children. While this book touches on that, as it would be almost impossible to write a book about the time period without mentioning what was happening with them, the book focuses directly on Mary and her interactions or reactions with and to the court. I was aware that Mary was the grandmother of the unfortunate Jane Grey and her two sisters, but didn’t realize that she had other children and grandchildren who may have had a claim to the throne. I also didn’t realize, for example, that Mary became friends with Katharine of Aragon and was against Henry’s plot to marry Anne Boleyn. I’m not sure that I even realized that Mary was considered the beauty of the court and was considered such a catch by the French king for that reason. Altogether, this was a pretty interesting biography. It continues beyond Mary’s death to explain some of what happened to her descendants, including Jane Grey, her sisters, and cousins. Anyone interested in this time period in history would probably find this an interesting read.