The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's Mother by Philippa Gregory

Oct 12, 2011 Orsolya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, mistresses-royalty, queens, wars-of-the-roses, library

Here we have it, folks: Phillipa Gregory’s first attempt to formularize a historical essay without her usual fictitious flair. How did it go? Read on, my friends.

The Women of the Cousins’ War began with a 40 page “introduction” which delivered Gregory’s thesis relating the similarities between historical fiction novelists and “actual” historians. Although Gregory made some interesting points regarding the composition/narration of both fiction and factual accounts, the speculation involved in bot...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Isis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: renaissance-age-1400-to-1650ce-fact, wall-bangers

It is interesting to note that, in the biographical information inside the back cover of The Women of the Cousins’ War, Philippa Gregory’s first non-fiction effort, albeit in collaboration with David Baldwin and Michael Jones, Gregory is described as “Dr Philippa Gregory” followed by the usual spiel about her already having been an established historian when she decided to write The Other Boleyn Girl (just as an aside, as an actual, qualified historian myself, this very book is, as far as I’m aw...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Wealhtheow rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-history, historical, non-fiction

Two British historians team up with Philippa Gregory (queen of revisionist history, aka the lady that wrote The Other Boleyn Girl) to write the histories of three high-profile women of the Wars of the Roses: Jacquetta of Luxemburg, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville, and Elizabeth's mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort.

The book does not start encouragingly. Doubtless in response to the (hopefully thousands of pages of) criticism her historical fiction has gotten, Gregory has prepared a 43 page introd...more Two British historians team up with Philippa Gregory (queen of revisionist history, aka the lady that wrote The Other Boleyn Girl) to write the histories of three high-profile women of the Wars of the Roses: Jacquetta of Luxemburg, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville, and Elizabeth's mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort.

The book does not start encouragingly. Doubtless in response to the (hopefully thousands of pages of) criticism her historical fiction has gotten, Gregory has prepared a 43 page introduction, with such scintillating section titles as "What is history?" After defining history for us, she vears wildly off track to talk about Shakespeare's plays, defend her various favorite Tudor women, ramble on about the virgin/whore dichotomy, and finish with an overview of women's oppression and erasure throughout history.

Gregory then tries to write a complete biography of Jacquetta of Luxembourg in 96 pages. Her job is made easier by the fact that we know basically nothing about Jacquetta. Instead, Gregory gives a history of the period in which she lived, from the Hundred Years' War to Henry VI's breakdowns to the Wars of the Roses. Periodically, she returns to Jacquetta by speculating what she was doing or thinking at that time. Random assertions like: "Jacquetta and the queen probably watched King Henry put on his battle armor and ride out of London at the head of a royal army to command the rebels to go home." are sprinkled about once every two pages, to maintain the pretence that this is a biography of Jacquetta. But really, we know very little about her movements and absolutely nothing about her thoughts (no letters, no notes in her book of hours, nuthin); we don't even know how many children she had. She was married to men who led in battle, lady in waiting to the fascinating Margaret of Anjou, and accused of witchcraft by Warwick the Kingmaker; I'm sure Jacquetta had a very exciting life. But we don't know, and all of Gregory's "maybe"s and "probably"s and "possibly"s just emphasize that. Then, after all this speculation and bemoaning how little we know about Jacquetta, Gregory has the temerity to snipe at other historians for not writing her biography. No one wrote it because there's nothing to write, obviously!

Jacquetta's eldest daughter was Elizabeth Woodville, who married first John Grey (a Lancastrian) and then Edward IV, the York king. Baldwin's task of summing up her life is hampered first by a lack of evidence, and second by his own tendentiousness. He defends her against every charge any historian has ever laid at her feet, making his history a bit tangled. Like all bios of Elizabeth Woodville, there's a long section of speculation about what she knew and when she knew it about Richard III and her sons' fates. Baldwin is strangely positive that Elizabeth Woodville&Richard III conspired to smuggle Prince Richard out of the Tower; his only proof is that Elizabeth tried to persuade her son Thomas Grey to return to England and reconcile with Richard III. (This theory makes no sense to me, because Richard III had no reason to kill one prince but keep the other alive, particularly since his son&heir was still alive at this point. And if Richard HAD kept one of the princes alive, why didn't he let other people see him? Once Richard's own son Edward had died, he lacked an heir, so people flocked to Henry VII. But if Richard had been able to proclaim the last king's son as his heir, and produce him, that would have quieted a lot of the trouble. Since he didn't do it, it's clear he didn't think any of Edward IV's sons survived. And there's no reason Elizabeth would have gone along with such a threat--Richard III was able to get her to come out of sanctuary because he'd persuaded every one else he meant her family no harm. If she'd had any proof at all that he had killed, or might kill, one of the princes, she could have turned it over to the many powerful men thronging at her door, just waiting for a reason. Plus, if Elizabeth thought a prince survived, she sure as hell would have sought him out.) His evidence that Elizabeth was part of the Simnel conspiracy is on slightly more solid ground, but still pretty shady: a common boy was taught to impersonate Edward IV's brother's son to gather troops, and after Henry VII crushed the rebellion he punished a number of people, including Elizabeth Woodville. It's possible she was part of the rebellion but, had it succeeded, it would have deposed her daughter, the queen. Revenge (on the man who'd killed the man who killed her family? sounds unlikely) is the possible motivation given, but it sounds unlikely to me. Plus, as Baldwin admits, the very next year Henry VII was considering making Elizabeth Woodville the next Queen of Scotland--why do that for someone if they'd rebelled against you recently? That said, she did have a very small allowance and (years later) a tiny funeral, but Henry VII's infamous penny-pinching would explain that.

Poor Michael Jones is left just 74 pages to sum up Margaret Beaufort. It's too bad, because not only is his the most readable history out of the bunch, but we also have a good amount of evidence of her life, some in her own hand, and a great deal of posthumous history from her confessor. Margaret was the daughter of the Duke of Somerset, descendent of John of Gaunt and his mistress, Katherine Swynford. Henry VI had her married to his half-brother, Edmund Tudor. Even though his wife was only twelve, Edmund immediately got her pregnant, because as long as she gave birth to a child, Edmund would have lifelong interest in her estate. As a sort of karmic revenge, Edmund sickened and died not long after, leaving Margaret a 6-months pregnant, barely-pubescent widow. Astonishingly, Margaret gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Henry, and then immediately thereafter negotiated another marriage for herself, this time to Henry Stafford, second son of the Duke of Buckingham. When the Lancastrians were defeated and Edward IV took the throne, Margaret's son Henry Tudor was forcibly transfered out of her care. Despite the rocky start to their acquaintance, Margaret and her husband were close friends with Edward IV, and managed to get many of their relatives out of prison and their lands restored. (Margaret's brother Henry Beaufort promptly repaid Edward IV by rejoining the Lancastrians.) Eventually, she even managed to get Edward IV to agree to let her son return to England--except that Edward IV abruptly died, Richard III took the throne, and rebellions spread through the land. At this point, 1483, she started pushing for Henry Tudor to be the next king. By 1485, Henry had secured enough backing to invade, and defeated Richard III in battle at Bosworth. Henry VII was crowned, the Tudor dynasty began, and Margaret Beaufort became basically the most powerful woman in the entire country, because although they'd hardly seen each other in decades, there as still a deep and enduring bond between them. She remained Henry VII's confidant and right hand woman until his death. She outlived him by a mere month.

Overall? The first half is hardly worth reading, and Baldwin and Jones's sections are ok but nothing special. I'd only recommend this people who love Philippa Gregory's historical fiction, but not to anyone looking for a rigorous probe into the women of the Wars of the Roses. (less)

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Apr 28, 2013 Kiley-anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Phillipa's works. I don't think I have yet to come across a book of hers that I have not enjoyed.
Some certainly more than others, but I always enjoy them. Of course that will always be subjective and a matter of perspective.
So from a person who has not majored scholastically (as the author has) and from someone who simply adores reading anything from this period. I can not get enough of her works.
I found this book very helpful in fact, to aid in cementing the connections be...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in history

Recommended to Maggie by: My daughter

Shelves: historical-fact

My daughter gave this book to me recently and it is one I will always keep and treasure. Philippa Gregory’s writing gets better and better and she has added richness and depth to her writing by taking us behind the scenes of her stories about the three women who played such significant roles in the Cousin’s War; Jacquetta Duchess of Bedford, Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth Woodville. If you have read the three associated novels by Gregory: The Lady of the Rivers, The Red Queen and The White Que...more My daughter gave this book to me recently and it is one I will always keep and treasure. Philippa Gregory’s writing gets better and better and she has added richness and depth to her writing by taking us behind the scenes of her stories about the three women who played such significant roles in the Cousin’s War; Jacquetta Duchess of Bedford, Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth Woodville. If you have read the three associated novels by Gregory: The Lady of the Rivers, The Red Queen and The White Queen, then this is definitely a “must read” for the amateur history buff.

In her introduction Gregory reveals her passion for bringing the stories of women throughout history to our attention and to have them recognised for the great people they were; their strength, courage, wisdom, passion as mothers, wives and individuals and, most of all, their influence and role in the making of history. “His story” has been the primary version told over the centuries. Gregory brings us “Her story” in her novels and reveals how history may have been so very different without these women and the very real and direct roles they played in providing lineage for the throne, finances for their husbands through inheritances and their fierce loyalty to their children and husbands in ensuring their power or status as the need may be. Even more so, their intelligence and political aptitude were forces to be reckoned with.

I savoured this book – not wanting it to end. Gregory, Baldwin and Jones have all provided chapters that give us the historical accounts of these women as much as can be researched to this point. This added bonus allows the reader to go behind the intricate and colourful tapestry of history to examine the knots and interwoven threads that produce the picture portrayed to the reader.
The three authors have done well to mesh their individual research chapters into an easy flowing read, their writing styles blending “in tune” with each other and, at this point, I would like to also give due credit to Baldwin and Jones for their contribution in this regard.

I look forward to the next Gregory delight and thank her for bringing these women to our notice. She reveals to us the “invisible mending” by these great women who have contributed enormously to the fabric of times past. We haven’t always been able to see their threads and knots when we have looked back to view the colourful fruits of their labours. Gregory is now taking us behind the curtain so we can see for ourselves how the tapestry of history takes on a different perspective when we see the other side of the picture. Thank you, Philippa Gregory!
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Jun 14, 2012 Rosemary Prawdzik rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being what my friend's call a Plantagenet junkie, I was avidly looking forward to reading this book. I've read many of this author's books and have enjoyed them - my favorite being The Constant Princess. Following the players in the see-saw of power is daunting. I keep copies of family trees at my side to help keep things straight. Reading this book is no exception. There is no doubt that Jaquetta, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort were key players to and in the action. But because they...more

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May 27, 2012 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Philippa Gregory, mistress of the historical fiction novel, changes her approach with this work of non-fiction that was written with the help of two other historians. Each has written a long essay on the primary character from the first three novels in her Cousins’ War series. The attempt is being made to highlight the importance of three women who helped guide England through one of its most tumultuous periods, the Wars of the Roses, which transitioned the nation from a local, Western European...more Philippa Gregory, mistress of the historical fiction novel, changes her approach with this work of non-fiction that was written with the help of two other historians. Each has written a long essay on the primary character from the first three novels in her Cousins’ War series. The attempt is being made to highlight the importance of three women who helped guide England through one of its most tumultuous periods, the Wars of the Roses, which transitioned the nation from a local, Western European nation under the guidance of the Plantagenets to a country with global sway ruled by the well-known House of Tudor. These three women did not sit on the sidelines. Despite their being overlooked by the history books, they were part of the intrigue that was at the core of the wars that defined a nation. The three women were Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford; Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward (York) VI; and Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry (Tudor) VII. Each started their life the daughter of noble family only to marry and help raise their own family to a higher level of influence.

Each of the essays carefully brings the reader though the events of history after running through their births, childhoods, and early lives. The information is accompanied with illustrations such as painted portraits, documents and letters, other artworks, and even copies of their signatures to help the reader get a first-hand look at the woman being discussed. Amazingly, each is presented as being a strong and heroic woman even as they may have been working on opposite sides of the armies being led by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. It was a difficult and violent time, but that did not prevent them from making a difference.

The first essay, which was written by Gregory, carries her usual breezy narrative that seems to bring the time period to life. While the other two essays are more formal in tone, all three do a great job of presenting the history in a way that is clear and easy to follow. This is particularly challenging not only because the period is filled with those who would often switch their allegiances, but also because the cast of characters is filled with Elizabeths, Margarets, Richards, Edwards, and Henrys. The reader is always able to keep track of who is who while also getting a better understanding of the time. This is definitely a read that will draw in Gregory’s fans, but it is also an interesting look at the important influence of the women of the period, both in the form of these three specific ladies as well as the gender as a whole.
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May 27, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, history

This book contains biographies of 3 women who had prominent roles in what today is called the War of the Roses, but at the time was called the Cousin's War. Phillippa Gregory, author of many historical novels about women in this period wrote the first biography, two historians wrote the others. This was a very brutal era. Those who lost in battle were often killed and their heads placed on pikes. It is likely that Henry VI, completely ineffective as a monarch, was murdered by his York rival.

The...more This book contains biographies of 3 women who had prominent roles in what today is called the War of the Roses, but at the time was called the Cousin's War. Phillippa Gregory, author of many historical novels about women in this period wrote the first biography, two historians wrote the others. This was a very brutal era. Those who lost in battle were often killed and their heads placed on pikes. It is likely that Henry VI, completely ineffective as a monarch, was murdered by his York rival.

The most interesting story for me was of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VI -- She was decended from children of a mistress of John of Gault. an uncle of Edward III, a king in the 1300). After Gault's wife died, he married the mother of his children, legitimitized them and left them very wealthy. At various times in the next 150 years, parliament passed laws that his heirs were in line for the thrown, or were bastards -- depending on what monarch was on the throne and who his hers were likely to be (Henry VI had no children). So all of Margaret's life, she was sort of royalty and sort of not and she schemed to get her son back to the throne and restore honor to her family name. As a wealthy heiress, at age 12 she was married to Edmund Tudor (nephew of the Henry VI from the marriage of his sister) He was 24 and did not have her wealth. At age 12 she became pregnant -- and the reason for this---- under medieval law and the right of "courtesy" as long as Margaret produced a heir, her husband would have a life estate in her property, even if she died and even if the heir died. Unfortunately for Edmund, he was captured in one of the battles in the war. When Margaret was only 6 months pregnant, he died in the prison of the plague. Her child was born after he died. She was a widow at age 13; an advantagenous second marrage was arranged for her, but when the York king, Edward VI, came to power, her child was taken away from her and was raised by Yorkist supporters. (less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a companion book to Gregory's Cousins' War Trilogy (Lady of the Rivers, The Red and White Queen); it's a non-fiction account of events, written by Gregory and two prominent historians. If you're interested in English history, then this is a very readable summary of lives of three of the most notable women during this period of history. Especially in the case of Jacquetta Woodville, not much was known about the lives of these women and they were all very interesting and played major roles...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, politics-history, non-fiction

Jacquetta, Elizabeth, and Margaret are three formidable ladies that Gregory covers in her Cousins' War trilogy. Jacquetta was known for her witchcraft and for giving birth to one of the Queen's of England, Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth Woodville becomes one of the founding mothers of the new royal family. Margaret Beaufort becomes the grandmother of Henry VIII. All of these women had a profound affect on the future of the English royal family.

Gregory, Jones, and Baldwin each take on one of the...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a non-fiction book. I have seen reviews where people read it thinking it was a novel and were disappointed - of course they were! Real history is never as fleshed out as an historical novel especially they further back you go in time. That does not mean it has to be a trial to read.

This book was NOT a trial; it was very easy to read and very informative. Each author took one of the three woman that Ms. Gregory had profiled in her trilogy covering what most people know as The War of the R...more This is a non-fiction book. I have seen reviews where people read it thinking it was a novel and were disappointed - of course they were! Real history is never as fleshed out as an historical novel especially they further back you go in time. That does not mean it has to be a trial to read.

This book was NOT a trial; it was very easy to read and very informative. Each author took one of the three woman that Ms. Gregory had profiled in her trilogy covering what most people know as The War of the Roses but what was known in its time as The Cousins' War. Ms. Gregory also provides a very extensive introduction as to the origins of the book and the difficulties in writing about people from the time period and about women in particular.

Ms. Gregory explains in that introduction that there is very little historical record left about the three women profiled; Jacquetta Woodville, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort and yet the book is sold as a tome about them. In this I was a touch disappointed - I suppose I wanted to know more about them but there is only so much to be known. The three separate histories were all very well written and I came away with a much deeper comfort level of the whos and whats of The Cousins War. It is a truly confusing time in history given that many of the names are quite similar and families were fighting each other. This is a very interesting history of the time written from three distinct points of view.

Each author presents the events as they effect and surround his subject and while the facts do not change the players in each section do and that offers slight variations that make each woman a fascinating study. I cannot fault the authors that history did not leave more of a record and I want to know more. It was a time period when women were considered chattel if they were considered at all.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book being the history geek that I am. If you are at all interested in this subject this would be a good book to help sort out the basics. As I said it is not at all dry and dusty and you will find yourselves drawn into a time when cousins were killing each other to try and rule England.
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Oct 05, 2011 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

It is true what they say: “you can take the girl out of politics but you’ll never take the politics out of the girl”. Don’t know that one? Well, it’s an old standby for me. Since I was a little kid, system dynamics and the stories of politics and power have always been of high interest. Now, I’ve generally relegated my interest to the past few decades or, at least, the last couple of centuries.

It turns out that the same old games have been going on for as...more http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

It is true what they say: “you can take the girl out of politics but you’ll never take the politics out of the girl”. Don’t know that one? Well, it’s an old standby for me. Since I was a little kid, system dynamics and the stories of politics and power have always been of high interest. Now, I’ve generally relegated my interest to the past few decades or, at least, the last couple of centuries.

It turns out that the same old games have been going on for as long as we’ve had any semblance of organized society. Philippa Gregory’s latest non-fiction rundown of the ladies involved in The Cousins’ War (betterment known, now, as The War of the Roses), demonstrates that midieval political life and strife were not very different than today’s drama.

In her joint project, with fellow historians David Baldwin and Micheal Jones, Gregory gives readers the blueprint material behind her three fictional women who have become the focus of her Cousins’ War series. I have to say that I’ve now read two out of the three in the series and it’s really quite delightful. For readers who love the time period but have been burned out on Tudor Mania, recently, Gregory ‘s new set of books offers a welcome relief.

As far as the nonfiction account, this is a very interesting format by which to back up the novels. While the history itself reads a bit like a modern-day mobster movie (family loyalties, covert offings and general, social unrest) my favorite part of the book was Gregory’s opening piece about why she began writing about the three featured women in the first place.

Much like Virginia Woolf’s observations in A Room of One’s Own, Gregory highlights the serious setbacks women have faced over time and why women have been shut out of politics and thus, history. Those who have the means and allowance to learn, do, but those who are shut out by social repression or finances, simply don’t make it into the books as they are not able to get onto the field in the first place. Of course, this has, thankfully changed today, in large part, even though money and background still create obstacles for so many. I won’t get too deep but I will say that this introduction and thought provoking bit from Gregory was one of my favorite parts of the book.

In that line of thinking, the only part that I found I had an issue with was in the other end of things. After all three stories are told, the book simply ends. I would have liked a bit of conclusive wrap up on how telling these stories will perhaps effect the history of future women in politics. No book can be perfect, of course, and the whole thing is well written and well executed despite my desire for more.

This is a susinct little telling that I definitely recommend it to Gregory fans and just history fans in general, especially (but not only) those interested in women’s role in politics.(less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

If you are like me and you've truly enjoyed Gregory's The White Queen, The Red Queen, and upcoming The Lady of the Rivers, or you simply want to learn more about three remarkable women from the War of the Roses who are often overlooked, then this non-fiction books is a must read. The first portion focuses on Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who is the mother of Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen) and the main character in Gregory's The Lady of the Rivers. The second section focuses on Elizabeth Woodvi...more If you are like me and you've truly enjoyed Gregory's The White Queen, The Red Queen, and upcoming The Lady of the Rivers, or you simply want to learn more about three remarkable women from the War of the Roses who are often overlooked, then this non-fiction books is a must read. The first portion focuses on Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who is the mother of Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen) and the main character in Gregory's The Lady of the Rivers. The second section focuses on Elizabeth Woodville, who ends up as Queen and is daughter to Jacquetta. History buffs may remember her as the mother to the princes in the tower. The last segment of the book focuses on Margaret Beaufort, The Red Queen, and founder of the Tudor dynasty. The Women of the Cousins' War is an excellent resource and the perfect companion to Gregory's Cousins' War series.

Gregory wrote the first portion on Jacquetta herself, so immediately I was pulled in by her writing style. Even though it is non-fiction, Gregory has a knack of hooking readers in and captivating us with her knowledge; plus, Jacquetta's life is so fascinating. It's no wonder I was easily hooked. Jacquetta's second marriage to Richard Woodville always enthralls me as it defied convention since he wasn't of royal blood; essentially, she married for love. Her stints with magic and accusations of witchcraft also add to my amusement. I absolutely loved learning more about Jacquetta's incredible life.

The second segment is by historian David Baldwin and it concentrates on Elizabeth Woodville, whose rise from a struggling single mother to a Queen is downright fascinating. Although I felt Baldwin's portion wasn't as easy to read as Gregory's, it still filled in the many gaps in my knowledge and answered my many questions concerning Elizabeth's life. After reading The White Queen, I had so many questions about the princes in the tower and Baldwin touched on many of the possible theories.

The last section is about Margaret Beaufort and is written by historian Michael Jones. I found Margaret to be a snooze-fest in Gregory's The Red Queen, so I was hesitant to read this portion. However, Jones really brought her to life. I was blown away by her childhood. I knew it was pretty horrible, but Jones explains it a bit more. I found this to be very helpful and ultimately, it explained why she acted the way she did in The Red Queen. After reading this write-up on Margaret, I've come to respect her more; you can't deny how devoted she was to her cause.

The Women of the Cousins' War is displayed proudly on my bookshelf right next to the Gregory's other books from the Cousins' War series. Like I said before, not only does this non-fiction text bridge any gaps in my learning about the War of the Roes, it also helps me to enjoy Gregory's series that much more. (less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Melinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies

The premise of this book is right in line with what I feel about so many fascinating women in history - there is not enough information about them but there is so much that modern readers can glean from their dynamic lives. Using the limited first-hand evidence available, Gregory et al. are able to formulate tangible existences for these three politically powerful women. Not only do they not make mere guesses about missing pieces of information nor invent story lines in order to appeal to a cont...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: medieval-nonfiction

An interesting attempt to catalog the lives of three influential women who lived and thrived in the era called the "Cousin's War" (as evidenced by the book's title).

(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Lindz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, historical-non-fiction, essays, read-2011

English Medieval and Early Modern history has always been a particular guilty pleasure of mine. Battles, treachery, gigantic stone castles, affairs, arranged royal marriages have a romantic tinge of historical hindsight. There was always more at stake, power and death seemed to be always linked, a bizarre utopian game to the death.

The War of the Roses though always seemed dense and weedy. Though once you learn the main players, it all opens up like a flower or even a rose. These three essays loo...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

As someone who doesn't read very much nonfiction, I was a little apprehensive about reading The Women of the Cousins' War, but I was so fascinated by Elizabeth Woodville of The White Queen and Margaret Beaufort of The Red Queen, that I was drawn to this book, especially since it comes from Philippa Gregory. For the book, Gregory teamed up with two other historians, David Baldwin and Michael Jones, to explore the real lives of the women behind her novels.

Gregory opens the book was a unique introd...more As someone who doesn't read very much nonfiction, I was a little apprehensive about reading The Women of the Cousins' War, but I was so fascinated by Elizabeth Woodville of The White Queen and Margaret Beaufort of The Red Queen, that I was drawn to this book, especially since it comes from Philippa Gregory. For the book, Gregory teamed up with two other historians, David Baldwin and Michael Jones, to explore the real lives of the women behind her novels.

Gregory opens the book was a unique introduction that explores the role (or lack thereof) of women in history, as well as Gregory's personal reasons for writing novels about this little-known women. Most interestingly, she gives readers a glimpse into her own writing process, own own motivations for writing what she does, and the difficulties of doing historical research that lead to large holes that are later filled in with fiction.

Gregory takes the lead with the first essay on Jacquetta of Luxembourg, the mother of Elizabeth Woodville. Gregory explains that when she went to research Jacquetta for her novel The Lady of the Rivers, there was no biography available about her, so she had to conduct her own research to learn about Jacquetta. Gregory pens a fascinating account of Jacquetta's life, tracing it from her birth up to her death and through the many complex politics between. Of all the essays in the book, I found Gregory's to be the easiest to read and enjoy, mostly because it pulls on her fiction writing abilities and seems to explore more of her subject's motivations and emotions than the other essays.

Next comes David Baldwin, who pens an essay on the life of Elizabeth Woodville, Jacquetta's daughter. Though filled with precise accuracy, I found it to be a little bit dry and difficult to read. This was probably because my brain had honed into Gregory's style in the previous essay, and Baldwin chose to stick more strongly to fact, and didn't theorize much on what Elizabeth likely thought or felt. While informative, I wouldn't consider Baldwin's essay light reading.

Last, historian Michael Jones chronicles the life of Margaret Beaufort, the virtually unknown matriarch of the Tudor family and grandmother to Henry VIII. Thankfully, Jones' writing reads much more smoothly than Baldwin's, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that Jones went further back than Margaret's birth to discuss the unique origins of the Beaufort family. Giving all this back story really helped to put Margaret and her life into context, and I felt like I had a greater understanding of Margaret's "character." Also, I kind of hate to say it, but I found Jones' short essay on Margaret to be a little more interesting than The Red Queen, which I thought was the weaker of Gregory's first two novels on the Cousins' War.

A must-read for history buffs and hardcore Gregory fans, Women of the Cousins' War helps to reveal who these little-known women were and why their lives are worth the study and interest of people today. Complete with family trees, maps, portraits and other images of the period, the lives of these fascinating women from history fully come to life.(less)

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Sep 11, 2011 Idris rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Women of the Cousins’ Wars talks about three important women that were forgotten by History. Jacquetta Luxembourg, a duchess, but also a woman who married for love, and survived two husbands, fourteen childbirths and two wars. Elizabeth Woodville, Jacquetta’s daughter and queen consort of Edward IV of England; and Lady Margaret Beaufort the mother of King Henry VII and grandmother of Kind Henry VIII of England. Those three women are the main characters of Philippa Gregory’s books; The White...more The Women of the Cousins’ Wars talks about three important women that were forgotten by History. Jacquetta Luxembourg, a duchess, but also a woman who married for love, and survived two husbands, fourteen childbirths and two wars. Elizabeth Woodville, Jacquetta’s daughter and queen consort of Edward IV of England; and Lady Margaret Beaufort the mother of King Henry VII and grandmother of Kind Henry VIII of England. Those three women are the main characters of Philippa Gregory’s books; The White Queen, The Red Queen and The Lady of the Rivers, and in this book we will have the opportunity to learn about their lives.

This book is a non-fiction book, so it’s a little bit complicated for me to talk about it and to review it. Like Philippa Gregory says at the introduction, in a non-fiction book we cannot criticize the development of the plot, or the characters. That it’s impossible, because in this kind of book, the author is only an intermediary who is telling us the story the way it happened, the way the characters behaved, and also the way the story ended. This time, the author cannot play with the plot. The author only tells us what he or she knows about the topic. That’s why this book cannot have a good or a bad review; it depends of the reader taste.

But well, in my case, I really liked this book. Even though I haven’t read the novels by Gregory, I had a great time reading about those women and learning about them and how the things were in the time they lived. I must admit I got lost in some occasions with a few names and characters, that I didn't know, but after searching on the web and reading a little bit about them, I found the reading much more interesting and I could understand it much more.
So, if you like historical books, and you like to learn about real people who lived in different times from ours, you’re going to enjoy this book, specially if you have read the novels by Philippa Gregory (The women of the Cousins’ War Series) and you want to expand your knowledge about the topic, or just because you’re curious about their lives.

But if you prefer novels with dialogues, or not so realistic topics, this book can be somewhat tiresome… like a History book. : )(less)

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May 26, 2012 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

A historic telling of three women in the 100 yr war or cousins war as they called it. Dealing with English Royalty in the 1400's. Jaquetta Woodville her daughter Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort. Very interesting histories especially with all the back and forth warring with the Houses of Lancaster and York and even Tudor. Not an easy read, very interesting and I learned a lot but not an easy read. It got quite confusing because they seemed to use an average of 10 names each for men and...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tudor-history

The Women of the Cousins' War was written much differently than any other book I've read. The three essays on the three women were all written by different authors. It was a little strange to have such vastly different writing styles between the three essays and in that regard, it was almost like reading three books.

The first essay is about Jacquetta of Luxembourg by Philippa Gregory. As usual, Philippa's writing was spell-binding. I read the entire first half of the book (all written by her) in...more The Women of the Cousins' War was written much differently than any other book I've read. The three essays on the three women were all written by different authors. It was a little strange to have such vastly different writing styles between the three essays and in that regard, it was almost like reading three books.

The first essay is about Jacquetta of Luxembourg by Philippa Gregory. As usual, Philippa's writing was spell-binding. I read the entire first half of the book (all written by her) in one night. I knew very little about Jacquetta before this and she was a fascinating woman. It will make a great companion to Philippa's upcoming novel about Jacquetta, The Lady of the Rivers.

The second essay is about Elizabeth Woodville by David Baldwin. This one I kind of had to slog through. Baldwin did not seem to introduce any information that was new to me and used, to me, very bland and at the same time, colvoluted writing. He also played both sides too well, such as Elizabeth Woodville's involvement with the Simnel conspiracy. He gave great arguments both for her involvement and against it. Obviously, history is not black and white and we will probably never know if she was involved or not but Baldwin's writing left me more confused than ever and it was unclear which story he believes.

Finally, the essay on Margaret Beaufort by Michael Jones. Although shorter than the other two, it gave me a lot of new information on the mother of the Tudor dynasty. The writing was not as good, to me, as Philippa's but I did enjoy it. Some times, I felt that Jones glossed over events too fast and didn't give me enough information to understand fully what happened. I wish his essay had been longer.

One element that I really enjoyed was the fact that at the end of all the essays, a copy of the woman's signature was included. I feel it was an interesting and personalizing touch. For me, because of the interestingness of her life, the sparsity of previous books about her and Philippa's amazing writing, Jacquetta of Luxembourg totally stole the show for me. I really hope to see some historian tackle a full scale biography of her soon because I am definitely interested!(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Michelle added it

If you want to get a better glimpse into the people and times of the Wars of the Roses, the portraits of these three women will give you one. Overall, I found it very informative and interesting. The number of people related to each other was a bit dizzying at times, but the charts and explanations in this book helped sort most of it out (what I couldn't figure out, I checked out on Wikipedia, which thankfully has each person's parents and offspring linked, so you could discover things like whet...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Linda Amey rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have never read anything written by Philippa Gregory (her book covers and titles being worryingly `bodice ripping` for my taste), so I am unable to comment on her works of fiction.

If this was her first foray into serious historical biography then its a dissapointment, even though I realise that of the three authors she had the biggest challenge. There seems to be so little known about Jaquetta that it left me wondering why she bothered, and unfortunately the difference in the quality of the t...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Kathleen Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-read-for-reviews, finished

I love Phillipa Gregory, not only her historical fiction series but her contemporary works as well. I generally like to read the historical fiction versions of these famous ladies portrayed in this book and I am not a great fan of non fiction biographies of the medieval era as they can be pretty dry. This book however was awesome. I especially enjoyed the introduction by Phillipa Gregory as she clarified how she writes and how she researches. My feeling is that all authors of historical fiction...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Jason Walker rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a good book and is well worth the 4 or 5 hour investment. I don't rate it higher because the author bored me for over 40 pages on their craft. I was already aware that history is a piece-by-piece process. I don't need to have that level of interference with the information.

That being said we are talking about a book that goes through one of the most interesting times of Englixh history. I think most Americans find the Elizabethan era to be more interesting for literature and then a few...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Kathleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Phillipa Gregory should stick to the novels and let us do our own research on her books' historical characters. The other two historians who worked on this with her were probably grateful to be able to tag along, since anything that has her name on it will sell to all of us lovers of historical novels, but truly, we readers realize that you are making most of the plot up because no one wrote that much about these women and yes we are all grateful to be living in a world where future generations...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, from-publisher-author

This book is an excellent companion piece to the series of books about the women who probably had more to do with the Tudor dynasty than they are given credit for. The book is broken into three parts, each written by a different author to give a place in history to these fascinating women. The wonderful introduction by Gregory explains that women were very rarely mentioned and record keeping about them, is spotty at best. By piecing together historical documents, letters and conjecture, it is po...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I have actually never reviewed non-fiction before, and in the end I have not read much either, since my non-fiction mostly consists of uni textbooks (and none that exciting as this one). After having read all 3 books by Philippa Gregory it was interesting to read this book since this one is all fact and thoughts about these three women. But how to review is the question. I can't say I did not like something that happens since it is what happened. So I looked at is this way, was it boring and mad...more I have actually never reviewed non-fiction before, and in the end I have not read much either, since my non-fiction mostly consists of uni textbooks (and none that exciting as this one). After having read all 3 books by Philippa Gregory it was interesting to read this book since this one is all fact and thoughts about these three women. But how to review is the question. I can't say I did not like something that happens since it is what happened. So I looked at is this way, was it boring and made me fall asleep? The question to that is no. It was never dry.

Philippa Gregory has written the first part about Jacquetta and she tells the story from cradle to grave. The little that is known about this fascinating woman. I do love any woman who went her on way at a time where your father, husband, brother or king ruled you. Sure many other women went their own way, but I just like how she married so far beneath her status, she must have loved him so and I am a sucker for that.

The next part is by David Baldwin and he tells the story about Elizabeth Woodville. I will always like the Woodville family and they are just so slandered, it is horrible. They were certainly not the first family to gain lands, titles and money when someone from their family caught a king's eye. And even if her husband was a terrible womanizer I will always like their story, lust at first sight ;)

The last part is by Michael Jones and it is about Margaret Beaufort (whom I called the bitch in The Red Queen). It is strange to say that you do not like someone that has lived and you have never met, but I just do not like it (but her story is a good one), and I certainly do not like her son Henry Tudor. Lol, I have a strange aversion for all the Tudors for some reason. Well starting from Henry. Oh and I am sure these two killed the princes in the tower, ok, I am just blaming them since I dislike them.

All in all 3 good authors writing about 3 interesting women, that history has vilified or as with Margaret made all saintly and good. It is not perhaps a book you read at once. No, you can read one section and then read another another day. History is not going anywhere.

Conclusion:
A good book to read after reading this series, or a good book to make you want to read the Cousin's War books.
(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 Lark rated it 2 of 5 stars

I appreciated the details they dragged out of obscurity; each bit was interesting to read, but there just wasn't enough to make a book, or truly have any sense of the women's lives.
Also, the authors assumed the reader had a lot of tangental knowledge of the world leaders and people of the time period, which got a little old. I kept having to refer to the geneology charts and trying to make sense of it.

The true value of this book was the authors notes in the beginning on the different ways they...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Yvann S rated it 3 of 5 stars

” ‘There is no place for them’ – how that echoes down the years!”

This non-fiction volume has been published to accompany Gregory’s three novels about the women of The Cousins’ War (mostly known as The War of the Roses these days): Jacquetta, Elizabeth and Margaret. Inside, Ms Gregory gives us an introduction on why such a volume is absolutely necessary, as well as a considered biography of Jacquetta. David Baldwin profiles Elizabeth and Michael Jones includes a piece on Margaret.

Having read all...more ” ‘There is no place for them’ – how that echoes down the years!”

This non-fiction volume has been published to accompany Gregory’s three novels about the women of The Cousins’ War (mostly known as The War of the Roses these days): Jacquetta, Elizabeth and Margaret. Inside, Ms Gregory gives us an introduction on why such a volume is absolutely necessary, as well as a considered biography of Jacquetta. David Baldwin profiles Elizabeth and Michael Jones includes a piece on Margaret.

Having read all three novels (and very much enjoyed them), I was fascinated by the idea of having the historical record juxtaposed against them. My long distrust of history and non-fiction was absolutely justified when it turns out to be pretty dull – mostly all that is left are housekeeping accounts (so we know exactly what food was ordered when Edward IV dined with Margaret Beaufort and her husband) and court documents in which women are relegated to the margins, almost literally.

The volume didn’t really add anything to the novels for me – I’d rather have stayed with the women as characters in my head; I find it easier to suspend that connection to the real world (even if I know these are real people from history) if I don’t know the details of their accounting.

As one might expect, the biographers have chosen the slants that Gregory chose (or vice versa) for her novels: Margaret as a devious politician, Elizabeth as a caring wife and homemaker, proud of her royal husband and unforgiving of those who wronged him, and Jacquetta as ambitious, loving and clever. The authors are at pains to point out that these are by no means the only interpretations; I felt the point was a little laboured when the perspectives and the novels align so neatly.

However, the book is well worth reading solely for Gregory’s introduction. It’s not just the references to the continuing struggle of women to be taken seriously in the classical music world (a matter close to my heart due to family connections), but the fact that the 35-page introduction gives a very solid grounding to the lay reader in the conflicts arising for biographers of previously minimally-documented persons.

Fans of non-fiction, particularly historical biography, would no doubt enjoy this far more than I did.(less)

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Nov 24, 2011 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Philippa Gregory is well-known for her historical fiction (I must admit that I have not read any) and in The Women of the Cousins' War, she seems intent on demonstrating that she should also be considered an academic historian. Gregory wrote the essay on Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedfore, David Baldwin wrote the biography of Elizabeth Woodville the wife of Edward IV, and Michael Jones examined the life of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. A very interesting book that places each of these women...more

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Cousins' War as a TV series?	1	12	Aug 29, 2012 12:21pm
Publication date - Sept. 5, 2011	2	6	Jun 26, 2012 12:31am

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The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's Mother

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