An engrossing; unadulterated biography of “Bloody Maryâ€â€”elder daughter of Henry VIII; Catholic zealot; and England’s first reigning Queen Mary Tudor was the first woman to inherit the throne of England. Reigning through one of Britain’s stormiest eras; she earned the nickname “Bloody Mary†for her violent religious persecutions. She was born a princess; the daughter of Henry VIII and the Spanish Katherine of Aragon. Yet in the wake of Henry’s break with Rome; Mary; a devout Catholic; was declared illegitimate and was disinherited. She refused to accept her new status or to recognize Henry’s new wife; Anne Boleyn; as queen. She faced imprisonment and even death. Mary successfully fought to reclaim her rightful place in the Tudor line; but her coronation would not end her struggles. She flouted fierce opposition in marrying Philip of Spain; sought to restore England to the Catholic faith; and burned hundreds of dissenters at the stake. But beneath her hard exterior was a woman whose private traumas of phantom pregnancies; debilitating illnesses; and unrequited love played out in the public glare of the fickle court. Though often overshadowed by her long-reigning sister; Elizabeth I; Mary Tudor was a complex figure of immense courage; determination; and humanity—and a political pioneer who proved that a woman could rule with all the power of her male predecessors.
#422428 in Books William Rosen 2015-04-28 2015-04-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.42 x .87 x 5.47l; 1.00 #File Name: 0143127144320 pagesThe Third Horseman A Story of Weather War and the Famine History Forgot
Review
71 of 75 people found the following review helpful. Misleading titleBy George HaritonMisleading titleThis book is mostly a history of the struggles between Kings Edward I and Edward II of England; Scottish leaders William Wallace and Robert the Bruce; and Phillip and Charles of France. There is lots on the intrigues; and battles; and changing alliances. It's a good; fun read if you want a history of English royalty in the early fourteenth century.But the book has very little to do with climate change and famine. Yes; these are discussed here and there; but mostly as background to the royal disputes of the time. When they are discussed; the explanations are very terse; and did not help me -- I had to turn elsewhere for more detail. If I were cynical; I would guess that the bits on climate and famine were added later; so as to dress up the book and make it more attractive given today's concerns.That said; the book is well written and a very easy read.I would give it four stars as a traditional history of Kings Edward I and II. As a discussion of climate change and famine seven hundred years ago; I would give it one star. Over all; given the deceptive title; I'll go with two stars.11 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Bait and switch: the famine is a sideshow in the book; almost an afterthoughtBy newnewyorkerI'm really surprised by the rave reviews about this book. Think of the stated subject of this book; Climate Change and the Great Famine of the 14th Century; as a delicious side dish; in which the author seldom and then fleetingly indulges in.The rest of the book; the main dish; however; is about geopolitics and mainly the English-Scottish war.All you have to do is count the references to the Battle of Bannockburn: it's mentioned in intricate detail (including the battle order) 28 times in the Kindle version. The very complicated relationship between Isabella of France (108 mentions) and Edward II is given far more weight (and pages) than famine.The author sometimes go to his tasty side (the famine) but mainly focuses on the English-Scottish border. How he tried squaring this with the book's title is a mystery; but as a reader you are sometimes shown the sleight of hand.When trying to explain the Avignon papacy; the author simply says in one amazing paragraph in page 166 that it would be a mistake to include it as part of the climate change narrative; but also a mistake not to include it. And based on that logic; off it goes to the races.This is not to put off the interesting medieval geopolitics told in the book (the aforementioned Scottish-English struggle; the Holy Roman Empire and the birth of Switzerland; the Hanseatic League; etc...) but very little about the famine.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. GoodBy Kindle CustomerPrint is big enough to see well.
