Mary Tudor
Daughter of Henry VIII, half-sister to the future Elizabeth I, the dramatic story of the first woman to rule England - and the cruel fate of those who opposed her iron will. Mary Tudor was the first female English sovereign - a ruling queen who was not simply the consort of the king. Yet little is known about this complex woman, whose reputation for ruthlessness belied her emotional fragility and who, like her half-sister Elizabeth, had to survive from childhood in the turbulent Tudor court. David Loades explores the twisting path whereby Princess Mary, daughter of a rejected wife, Catherine of Aragon, and a capricious father - Henry VIII - endured disfavour, personal crisis and house arrest to emerge as Queen of England with huge popular support. The high promise of her reign contrasts with the personal tragedies and disappointments that followed, from the Smithfield burnings and the loss of Calais to her doomed, loveless marriage to Philip of Spain. Loades' probing yet sympathetic account reveals an intriguing personality, impelled by deep-set beliefs and principles yet uncertain how to behave in a 'man's' role.About the AuthorDavid Loades is Emeritus Professor of the University of Wales. He has written sixteen books on the Tudors, including: HENRY VIII ('David Loades is one of our finest Tudor historians' ALISON WEIR, 'David Loades, veteran commentator on Tudor England, here presents a portrait of the Tudor Stalin, who fascinated his people as much as he terrified them. We are happily exempt from the terror at a safe distance of five centuries, but the life of the king who wanted to be larger than life retains its absorbing drama.(DIARMAID MACCULLOCH), THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII ('I warmly recommend this book' ALISON WEIR), ELIZABETH I 'Succeeds in depicting her to us as a real woman - a very good book' LITERARY REVIEW, 'Readable, searching and wise' NEW STATESMAN, 'Everything a scholarly biography should be, and a good read too' DR RICHARD REX), THE CHRONICLE OF THE TUDOR KINGS, THE CHRONICLE OF THE TUDOR QUEENS, THE REIGN OF MARY TUDOR, THE FIGHTING TUDORS, THE MAKING OF THE TUDOR NAVY, THE TUDOR QUEENS, and HENRY VIII: COURT, CHURCH & CONFLICT. He is currently writing a major new history of the Boleyn family also for Amberley Publishing. He lives in Burford in Oxfordshire.