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He who plays the king
As a child of seven, Richard of York, the future King Richard the Third, watched an even younger child coping determinedly with a large boarhound. Never again was Richard to have so clear a view of Henry Tudor, who, twenty-six years later, was to cost him his crown and his life at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Mary Hocking tells a story of kingship and king-making, of the entrenched rivalry between the houses of York and Lancaster, and of the lives of these two young claimants to the throne. Richard, a man of sharp wit and formidable energy, was a vigilant, unrelenting king, with little gift for friendship and only meagre support outside his native North Country. Henry, too, made no bid for popularity. He had learnt early on to expect little of life, and during his years of exile he remained patient, forbearing, yet shrewdly calculating, until the opportunity for action came. The 'integrity' of Henry, the 'villainy' of Richard and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower are reassessed in this absorbing novel, which creates a sense of history through convincing portraits of the men and women who made it. Mary Hocking has written not only a record of the last dramatic years of the Wars of the Roses but also a perceptive study of the trials and triumphs of human ambition.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
232 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
26 people want to read
About the author
Mary Hocking
32 books8 followersBorn in in London in 1921, Mary was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls School, Acton. During the Second World War she served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens) attached to the Fleet Air Arm Meteorology branch and then briefly with the Signal Section in Plymouth.
Writing was in her blood. Juggling her work as a local government officer in Middlesex Education Department with writing, at first short stories for magazines and pieces for The Times Educational Supplement, she then had her first book, The Winter City, published in 1961.
The book was a success and enabled Mary to relinquish her full time occupation to devote her time to writing. Even so, when she came to her beloved Lewes in 1961, she still took a part-time appointment, as a secretary, with the East Sussex Educational Psychology department.
Long before family sagas had become cult viewing, she had embarked upon the ‘Fairley Family’ trilogy, Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes, and Welcome Strangers, books which give her readers a faithful, realistic and uncompromising portrayal of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times, between the years of 1933 and 1946.
For many years she was an active member of the ‘Monday Lit’, a Lewes-based group which brought in current writers and poets to speak about their work. Equally, she was an enthusiastic supporter of Lewes Little Theatre, where she found her role as ‘prompter’ the most satisfying, and worshipped at the town’s St Pancras RC Church.
* Source
Writing was in her blood. Juggling her work as a local government officer in Middlesex Education Department with writing, at first short stories for magazines and pieces for The Times Educational Supplement, she then had her first book, The Winter City, published in 1961.
The book was a success and enabled Mary to relinquish her full time occupation to devote her time to writing. Even so, when she came to her beloved Lewes in 1961, she still took a part-time appointment, as a secretary, with the East Sussex Educational Psychology department.
Long before family sagas had become cult viewing, she had embarked upon the ‘Fairley Family’ trilogy, Good Daughters, Indifferent Heroes, and Welcome Strangers, books which give her readers a faithful, realistic and uncompromising portrayal of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times, between the years of 1933 and 1946.
For many years she was an active member of the ‘Monday Lit’, a Lewes-based group which brought in current writers and poets to speak about their work. Equally, she was an enthusiastic supporter of Lewes Little Theatre, where she found her role as ‘prompter’ the most satisfying, and worshipped at the town’s St Pancras RC Church.
* Source
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 16, 2017
He Who Plays the King was apparently Mary Hocking’s favourite novel, it is also her only fully historical novel. The novel is really rather different from other works, although I could see several familiar themes threaded through her take on the Henry Tudor/Richard III story. Heavily rooted – as Hocking’s novels so often are – in the British countryside, she also explores the psychology of these fascinating historical characters. It has been a while since I read what I think of as a ‘kings and queens novel’ – as this one is quite brilliant, utterly absorbing, it is a historically detailed page turner. It is also beautifully written; the writing could well be amongst Mary Hocking’s best. The opening sentences captivated me immediately.
“A formation of starlings; the first squadron of the evening. Bats flicker under huge elms. The long line of hills, veined with gullies where dark rivers foam, is now reduced to uniform blackness, and the valley is a desolate sea of grass in which there are strange flickerings of light where water lies in patches of bog. A landscape difficult to set in time; this scene can have changed little in hundreds of years: England on a peaceful autumn night.”
The novel opens with the future Richard lll as a young boy, seven years old in a room above the great hall in Ludlow castle, listening to the voices of adults below. Later peering out a window in the company of his brother George (the later Duke of Clarence). Richard witnesses a younger child – little more than a toddler knocked down in the yard by one of the boarhounds, the other child is Henry Tudor. The young Richard has no idea that, that small child will one day seek to take the throne from him in battle.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
“A formation of starlings; the first squadron of the evening. Bats flicker under huge elms. The long line of hills, veined with gullies where dark rivers foam, is now reduced to uniform blackness, and the valley is a desolate sea of grass in which there are strange flickerings of light where water lies in patches of bog. A landscape difficult to set in time; this scene can have changed little in hundreds of years: England on a peaceful autumn night.”
The novel opens with the future Richard lll as a young boy, seven years old in a room above the great hall in Ludlow castle, listening to the voices of adults below. Later peering out a window in the company of his brother George (the later Duke of Clarence). Richard witnesses a younger child – little more than a toddler knocked down in the yard by one of the boarhounds, the other child is Henry Tudor. The young Richard has no idea that, that small child will one day seek to take the throne from him in battle.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
October 2, 2016
5 stars for 2 kings
I was unsure whether to buy this book as there were no reviews and I could find little information about the author, but I'm so glad I did. Despite some typos the quality of the writing is first class. The novel charts the parallel stories of Richard iii and Henry vii and both men are fairly represented though Richard comes across as the real hero. Through fictional characters we also perceive how the wars of the roses impacted on the lower classes of society. Though not always faithful to historical fact, a real sense of psychological truth shines through. Highly recommended!
I was unsure whether to buy this book as there were no reviews and I could find little information about the author, but I'm so glad I did. Despite some typos the quality of the writing is first class. The novel charts the parallel stories of Richard iii and Henry vii and both men are fairly represented though Richard comes across as the real hero. Through fictional characters we also perceive how the wars of the roses impacted on the lower classes of society. Though not always faithful to historical fact, a real sense of psychological truth shines through. Highly recommended!
March 31, 2022
The lives of Henry Tudor and Richard from 1459 to Bosworth are interwoven in this tale told in episodic fashion, with alternating scenes: Richard’s exile into Flanders with his brother George parallels with Henry’s flight into Wales after the battle of Mortimer’s Cross, and so forth. Along the way, the reader is introduced to other characters. A wanderer, Robin Prithie, joins Henry in his exile and becomes a personal servant whose loyalty the latter has cause to suspect. Christopher Ormand plays a significant part in the story when he is recruited by Bishop Morton as an informer and is installed in the household of Anthony Woodville, becoming a tutor to the Prince of Wales.
The book approaches Henry and Richard in an even-handed manner: the characterization of each man is sophisticated and nuanced. Henry is patient, astute, careful, focussed on his goal to return to England and become king. Richard has a volatile temper and is not an adaptable person who can quickly turn enemies into friends.
The inner workings of the characters is skillfully told. While riding among his men following the battle of Barnet, Richard overhears one old soldier say, “'I’ll follow him; he has the look of his father,' and realized that men would follow him as a mark of personal esteem unrelated with loyalty to the king.
“ A part of Richard that was steady and sober would have liked to be indifferent to such regard; but a part of him that was none of these things delighted in it. He was at his beginning: all the jousting, the playing at combat, was behind him, he was involved in the real business of life and men had taken note of him.”
Richard does have vision for the welfare of the common people—as the Bishop of Durham sourly commented when Richard invited him to follow his example when he removed the fishgarths from rivers on his estates. Even this cynic had to concede in June 1482 that Richard had become very impressive.
As he walked up the aisle [of York Minster], he looked over the heads of the people to some authority which lay beyond of whose judgment he appeared to have no fear. He was now balanced at the supreme moment of his life, utterly sure of himself and his purpose, equal to the tasks set up him which demanded sufficient of him to still ambition and discipline his restless energy.”
With his wife and son walking with him,”[t]here was about the family an aura of happiness, piercing in its intensity.”
The writing is understated and at times poetic. There is the wonderful scene where Richard falls in love with Anne when he and Francis Lovell visit her, George, and Isabelle. Anne studiously avoids being drawn into conversation with Richard, but at last entices him by describing her Book of Hours. Anne is quiet but certainly not submissive. When the Princess Elizabeth arrives at her uncle’s court, it comes as a surprise to her that the frail vessel that is her Aunt Anne contains so tough a spirit. “The mind, too was sharp as a pair of shears and even Richard was not safe from its snips. Once, when he talked passionately of a king needing the love of the people because he could only rule with their consent, [Anne] interrupted him to ask, ‘Is it marriage you are contemplating, or a love affair?’ He was reduced to silence.”
Despite its virtues, this novel does sometimes fall short in a couple of respects. The flow of the story slowed to a snail’s pace in the last half of the book, and for me the Prithie and Ormond scenes became unwelcome interruptions to the main plot. I also read far more than necessary about the inner thoughts of some characters, in particular the Duke of Buckingham. Because of the fine, insightful writing overall, however, I recommend this book.
The book approaches Henry and Richard in an even-handed manner: the characterization of each man is sophisticated and nuanced. Henry is patient, astute, careful, focussed on his goal to return to England and become king. Richard has a volatile temper and is not an adaptable person who can quickly turn enemies into friends.
The inner workings of the characters is skillfully told. While riding among his men following the battle of Barnet, Richard overhears one old soldier say, “'I’ll follow him; he has the look of his father,' and realized that men would follow him as a mark of personal esteem unrelated with loyalty to the king.
“ A part of Richard that was steady and sober would have liked to be indifferent to such regard; but a part of him that was none of these things delighted in it. He was at his beginning: all the jousting, the playing at combat, was behind him, he was involved in the real business of life and men had taken note of him.”
Richard does have vision for the welfare of the common people—as the Bishop of Durham sourly commented when Richard invited him to follow his example when he removed the fishgarths from rivers on his estates. Even this cynic had to concede in June 1482 that Richard had become very impressive.
As he walked up the aisle [of York Minster], he looked over the heads of the people to some authority which lay beyond of whose judgment he appeared to have no fear. He was now balanced at the supreme moment of his life, utterly sure of himself and his purpose, equal to the tasks set up him which demanded sufficient of him to still ambition and discipline his restless energy.”
With his wife and son walking with him,”[t]here was about the family an aura of happiness, piercing in its intensity.”
The writing is understated and at times poetic. There is the wonderful scene where Richard falls in love with Anne when he and Francis Lovell visit her, George, and Isabelle. Anne studiously avoids being drawn into conversation with Richard, but at last entices him by describing her Book of Hours. Anne is quiet but certainly not submissive. When the Princess Elizabeth arrives at her uncle’s court, it comes as a surprise to her that the frail vessel that is her Aunt Anne contains so tough a spirit. “The mind, too was sharp as a pair of shears and even Richard was not safe from its snips. Once, when he talked passionately of a king needing the love of the people because he could only rule with their consent, [Anne] interrupted him to ask, ‘Is it marriage you are contemplating, or a love affair?’ He was reduced to silence.”
Despite its virtues, this novel does sometimes fall short in a couple of respects. The flow of the story slowed to a snail’s pace in the last half of the book, and for me the Prithie and Ormond scenes became unwelcome interruptions to the main plot. I also read far more than necessary about the inner thoughts of some characters, in particular the Duke of Buckingham. Because of the fine, insightful writing overall, however, I recommend this book.
June 13, 2022
He Who Plays the King
By Mary Hocking
Reviewed April 2022
Twice in their lives, Richard of Gloucester and Henry Tydder meet, or rather their paths cross as the two never actually meet much less speak to each other.
The first time is when they are children. While staying with the Duchess of Buckingham after a reversal in the family’s situation, 8-year-old Richard happens to glance down at the castle courtyard. There he sees a 3-year-old boy, Henry Tydder, facing down an overly playful boarhound.
It isn’t a special moment. Neither knows the other much less each others’ names, and the incident is so unremarkable that it makes no lasting impression one way or the other. In fact, the young Tydder is unaware anyone was watching him. It’s just an unremarkable incident that under different circumstances might have been more portentous...but wasn’t.
“Richard watched with no idea that he and this tenacious child were to be the protagonists in a story of two men who were strong, of one who lost and one who survived.”
The second time their paths cross is on the battlefield. This is a much more significant meeting with an outcome that will change the course of English history.
First published in 1981, He Who Plays the King tells what happens between these two events by weaving together the alternating stories of Richard and Henry as they grow and mature, interspersed along the way with secondary stories of minor characters both real and fictional. There are no heroes or villains here, no characters painted in stark black and white; just two men who have their good points and their less stellar qualities (although of the two, one stands out a wee bit better than the other and I’ll let you guess who that might be).
It is no secret that Henry Tydder is one of my least favorite historical persons, so a book that makes me see him in a more positive light is a different experience, especially as I don’t make a habit of reading pro-Tudor books. That the author is able to do this without resorting to portraying Richard as the traditional “Wicked Uncle” is a plus.
Richard and Henry share similar life experiences. Both lose their fathers at an early age (Richard when he was 8 years old, Henry before he was born); both are forced to deal with exile, (although Richard’s is much shorter in duration); and both have to deal with numerous hardships that shape the men they become.
Because of how he grows up, Henry has learned to expect little of life. He trusts no one and is always suspicious because he never knows who is going to betray him. He is patient, forbearing, but calculating, waiting for the right moment to spring into action. The only person with whom he has any kind of solid relationship with is his uncle, Jasper Tudor, but even here there are no warm fuzzies. One thing he is certain of is that one day he will be king, while others see much of the player in him.
“He knew how to create an atmosphere of drama, but it irritated him when others did so and he then adopted the attitude that he was a plain man and could not stomach such antics.”
Early on in the story, there is an interesting conversation between Henry and his servant, Robin Prithie. They are on the Welsh coast, waiting to leave for Brittany. Nearby a child is playing, and Robin, fearing the youngster could betray them, grabs the boy by the throat. Henry, seeing no need for such violent actions, calls him off.
‘How fierce you have become, Robin! Threatening to kill children on my behalf, something I would never have you do.’
‘But I would do it. I would do anything to further your cause.’
‘My cause?’
‘You will be king, won’t you?’
‘Well, not immediately,’ Henry said, cautiously examining the notion.
‘But you will be one day.’
‘And because I am to be king you would kill children for me?’
‘I would do what is necessary.’
As I read this, I thought, “Is this a hint as to what’s to come?” (You'll have to read the book to find out!)
As for Richard, he is a man of sharp wit and formidable energy. By 1482 he is “balanced at the supreme moment of his life, utterly sure of himself and his purpose, equal to the tasks set upon him which demanded sufficient of him to still ambition and discipline his restless energy.” Along with this is “an element of rashness which led him to favour attack when diplomacy might have served him better,” as happens at Stony Stratford and his confrontation with Anthony Woodville. A sort of arrest first, ask questions later way of thinking. Then again, he’s used to a military life where such actions have served him well.
I found this a very believable Richard. He is neither saint nor sinner but, like all of us, a little bit of both. Yes, there’s a bit of a ruthless streak in him, but as I’ve said before, show me a medieval prince who didn’t have one! Ruthlessness was a survival strategy for medieval princes; it’s how 8-year-old boys grew to be men.
Other important characters in this story include Richard’s wife, Anne Neville, and two fictional characters, Christopher Orman and Robin Prithie, whose stories help fill in details that are outside of Richard and Henry’s experiences. We are introduced to Orman when after the battle at Northampton, he is a poor village priest recruited by John Morton to help be his eyes and ears for the Lancastrians. Robin Prithie is a lad on his own, living by his wits as he follows in the wake of the Lancastrian army, later encountering Henry Tudor and making himself the young exile’s servant.
And Anne Neville? No shrinking violet, she! This Anne may be frail in appearance, but she has a ferocity of strength that demands she be taken seriously, and will use this on her husband when she feels he’s not acting quickly enough, such as when she sees him delaying in heading to London when news of King Edward’s death finally reaches them. I found this characterization a nice change of pace from the pale, sickly, and (to be honest) too good to be true personality she is given in many novels.
As the book cover says, “The ‘integrity’ of Henry, the ‘villainy’ of Richard and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower are reassessed in this absorbing novel” which is beautifully written and makes the reader feel she is sharing the trials and triumphs of these two men. Yes, there are a few times when the pace slows down, but I felt this to be more a result of the writing style common at the time when this book was published as anything else, and something I could easily overlook.
By Mary Hocking
Reviewed April 2022
Twice in their lives, Richard of Gloucester and Henry Tydder meet, or rather their paths cross as the two never actually meet much less speak to each other.
The first time is when they are children. While staying with the Duchess of Buckingham after a reversal in the family’s situation, 8-year-old Richard happens to glance down at the castle courtyard. There he sees a 3-year-old boy, Henry Tydder, facing down an overly playful boarhound.
It isn’t a special moment. Neither knows the other much less each others’ names, and the incident is so unremarkable that it makes no lasting impression one way or the other. In fact, the young Tydder is unaware anyone was watching him. It’s just an unremarkable incident that under different circumstances might have been more portentous...but wasn’t.
“Richard watched with no idea that he and this tenacious child were to be the protagonists in a story of two men who were strong, of one who lost and one who survived.”
The second time their paths cross is on the battlefield. This is a much more significant meeting with an outcome that will change the course of English history.
First published in 1981, He Who Plays the King tells what happens between these two events by weaving together the alternating stories of Richard and Henry as they grow and mature, interspersed along the way with secondary stories of minor characters both real and fictional. There are no heroes or villains here, no characters painted in stark black and white; just two men who have their good points and their less stellar qualities (although of the two, one stands out a wee bit better than the other and I’ll let you guess who that might be).
It is no secret that Henry Tydder is one of my least favorite historical persons, so a book that makes me see him in a more positive light is a different experience, especially as I don’t make a habit of reading pro-Tudor books. That the author is able to do this without resorting to portraying Richard as the traditional “Wicked Uncle” is a plus.
Richard and Henry share similar life experiences. Both lose their fathers at an early age (Richard when he was 8 years old, Henry before he was born); both are forced to deal with exile, (although Richard’s is much shorter in duration); and both have to deal with numerous hardships that shape the men they become.
Because of how he grows up, Henry has learned to expect little of life. He trusts no one and is always suspicious because he never knows who is going to betray him. He is patient, forbearing, but calculating, waiting for the right moment to spring into action. The only person with whom he has any kind of solid relationship with is his uncle, Jasper Tudor, but even here there are no warm fuzzies. One thing he is certain of is that one day he will be king, while others see much of the player in him.
“He knew how to create an atmosphere of drama, but it irritated him when others did so and he then adopted the attitude that he was a plain man and could not stomach such antics.”
Early on in the story, there is an interesting conversation between Henry and his servant, Robin Prithie. They are on the Welsh coast, waiting to leave for Brittany. Nearby a child is playing, and Robin, fearing the youngster could betray them, grabs the boy by the throat. Henry, seeing no need for such violent actions, calls him off.
‘How fierce you have become, Robin! Threatening to kill children on my behalf, something I would never have you do.’
‘But I would do it. I would do anything to further your cause.’
‘My cause?’
‘You will be king, won’t you?’
‘Well, not immediately,’ Henry said, cautiously examining the notion.
‘But you will be one day.’
‘And because I am to be king you would kill children for me?’
‘I would do what is necessary.’
As I read this, I thought, “Is this a hint as to what’s to come?” (You'll have to read the book to find out!)
As for Richard, he is a man of sharp wit and formidable energy. By 1482 he is “balanced at the supreme moment of his life, utterly sure of himself and his purpose, equal to the tasks set upon him which demanded sufficient of him to still ambition and discipline his restless energy.” Along with this is “an element of rashness which led him to favour attack when diplomacy might have served him better,” as happens at Stony Stratford and his confrontation with Anthony Woodville. A sort of arrest first, ask questions later way of thinking. Then again, he’s used to a military life where such actions have served him well.
I found this a very believable Richard. He is neither saint nor sinner but, like all of us, a little bit of both. Yes, there’s a bit of a ruthless streak in him, but as I’ve said before, show me a medieval prince who didn’t have one! Ruthlessness was a survival strategy for medieval princes; it’s how 8-year-old boys grew to be men.
Other important characters in this story include Richard’s wife, Anne Neville, and two fictional characters, Christopher Orman and Robin Prithie, whose stories help fill in details that are outside of Richard and Henry’s experiences. We are introduced to Orman when after the battle at Northampton, he is a poor village priest recruited by John Morton to help be his eyes and ears for the Lancastrians. Robin Prithie is a lad on his own, living by his wits as he follows in the wake of the Lancastrian army, later encountering Henry Tudor and making himself the young exile’s servant.
And Anne Neville? No shrinking violet, she! This Anne may be frail in appearance, but she has a ferocity of strength that demands she be taken seriously, and will use this on her husband when she feels he’s not acting quickly enough, such as when she sees him delaying in heading to London when news of King Edward’s death finally reaches them. I found this characterization a nice change of pace from the pale, sickly, and (to be honest) too good to be true personality she is given in many novels.
As the book cover says, “The ‘integrity’ of Henry, the ‘villainy’ of Richard and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower are reassessed in this absorbing novel” which is beautifully written and makes the reader feel she is sharing the trials and triumphs of these two men. Yes, there are a few times when the pace slows down, but I felt this to be more a result of the writing style common at the time when this book was published as anything else, and something I could easily overlook.
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