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Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I

(The History of England #2)

Peter Ackroyd

4.04 · Rating details · 2,671 ratings · 271 reviews

Rich in detail and atmosphere and told in vivid prose, Tudors recounts the transformation of England from a settled Catholic country to a Protestant superpower. It is the story of Henry VIII's cataclysmic break with Rome, and his relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir; of how the brief reign of the teenage king, Edward VI, gave way to the violent ...more

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Hardcover, 507 pages

Published September 13th 2012 by Macmillan

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Mar 31, 2015 Jayson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-british, genre-history, subject-british-history, format-nonfiction, read-in-2015, 500-599-pp, era-early-modern

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Views the period through bifocals of religion and succession, which limits its subject matter but focuses its narrative.

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Apr 13, 2013 Christine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-and-arcs, history-tudors, history-english

Disclaimer: Read via Netgalley. I am also an Ackroyd fan girl.

Why do we need another book about the big gun Tudors? You might as well ask why we need another book about Shakespeare for the answer to both questions is the same.
Because Peter Ackroyd wrote it.
Okay that’s a bit flippant, even if it is true.

This book is Ackroyd’s second volume in his history of England. Despite its seemingly heft, it flows very quickly. While Ackroyd focuses on the big events – Henry’s love life, Elizabeth and Ma Disclaimer: Read via Netgalley. I am also an Ackroyd fan girl.

Why do we need another book about the big gun Tudors? You might as well ask why we need another book about Shakespeare for the answer to both questions is the same.
Because Peter Ackroyd wrote it.
Okay that’s a bit flippant, even if it is true.

This book is Ackroyd’s second volume in his history of England. Despite its seemingly heft, it flows very quickly. While Ackroyd focuses on the big events – Henry’s love life, Elizabeth and Mary – he uses them to highlight the heavier and perhaps more important issue that circulates though England during the time of the Tudors. The English Reformation.

In many ways when talking about the Tudors, writers tend to fall into patterns. Elizabeth I is the great one, Henry is the great scary ogre one, Edward is the one who dies young so we really don’t want to say anything either way, and Mary is Bloody, but we might feel a little sorry for her (maybe, just a little). Ackroyd doesn’t use these board strokes. He seems to understand Henry VIII without the slightly weird quasi hero worship that David Starkey shows for the monarch. He isn’t fearful to show a slight pity for Mary and then points out, correctly, that the historian should be careful about judgments using today’s standards, that is impossible to fully understand the time period no matter how much the historian reads and studies. Of course, he doesn’t gloss over the numbers either, but he does place them in the time by comparing Mary to both her sister and her father. He even makes Edward into something more than an insufferable brat. If you blink, you miss Jane Grey. Of course, Ackroyd worships at the altar of Elizabeth, but it isn’t a blind hero worship. He also has one of the better sequences on the whole Catholic questions in Elizabeth’s reign. Then he points out the fact that Catholics wouldn’t be the only ones examined.

Ackroyd isn’t a partisan of Mary Queen of Scots whom his description makes the reader think of a black widow in the center of web, even if Ackroyd doesn’t use those exact words. He doesn’t sink to the question of did she know about Dudley debate. Considering the purpose of the book this would be impossible. It also highlights one of the strong points of this book – a novice or a long time reader/student of the time period can enjoy it. You don’t need to have any background knowledge to read the book, but having the background knowledge doesn’t make the book feel redundant.

The second reason to read this book is Ackroyd’s writing. There is the subtle Ackroyd remark when it comes to the birth of James I and VI, and the rumors of his parentage. But more importantly there are those absolutely stunning sentences of his that really make you think, such as his description of Elizabeth and her councilors, “It was the central dilemma of her reign, with the strength and solitariness of one woman pitched against a phalanx of men” (350-351). There are also the little touches – a passage about a carriage that mirrors a marriage, a wristwatch. The book is simply a pleasure to read.
...more

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Jan 09, 2017 Lyn Elliott rated it really liked it

Shelves: england, history, religion

If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of mistrusts and hatreds between Catholic and Protestants in England, this is a good place to start.

The 'great theme' of this book is the Reformation of the church in England. At the beginning of Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547) the Church in England was entirely Catholic, its forms of organisation and worship essentially medieval. The Pope in Rome held supreme authority, the Church lords and institutions held great lands and treasures, thousands of men an ...more

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Sep 13, 2013 Sarah (Presto agitato) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: england, history, tudors, netgalley

Peter Ackroyd’s Tudors is popular history that goes down easy. Tudors is the second volume of Ackroyd’s history of England, taking us from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I. It’s a complicated period, replete with monarchs with larger-than-life personalities, scheming companions and spouses, attempted assassinations and usurpations, endless wars, and religious upheaval that pulled the country from one extreme to the other with every change in ruler while courtiers scrambled for position. With the w Peter Ackroyd’s Tudors is popular history that goes down easy. Tudors is the second volume of Ackroyd’s history of England, taking us from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I. It’s a complicated period, replete with monarchs with larger-than-life personalities, scheming companions and spouses, attempted assassinations and usurpations, endless wars, and religious upheaval that pulled the country from one extreme to the other with every change in ruler while courtiers scrambled for position. With the wealth of material, it would be easy to get bogged down in details and miss the bigger picture.

Ackroyd avoids this trap, giving a readable narrative rather than exhaustive documentation. This is not Alison Weir’s Henry VIII: The King and His Court, where every ruffle and button is described, and no morsel of food crosses Henry’s table without being chronicled. For readers well-versed in Tudor history, some of the discussion may be too superficial. Ackroyd doesn’t present any groundbreaking theories, and his analysis of many of the secondary but important players is cursory. The tradeoff comes in the coherent storytelling which makes this history a pleasure to read.

Ackroyd particularly excels in his lucid discussion of the English Reformation, the transition from Catholicism to Protestantism that was far from a single, simple event. Each of the Tudor monarchs - Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth - had strong opinions about what the national religion should look like and who should control it (religious tolerance was never an option). They did not hesitate to reverse one another’s decisions while destroying those who ended up on the wrong side of the debate in the process. Even the rulers who chose a middle ground (Henry with his Protestant Catholicism and Elizabeth with her Catholic Protestantism) lashed out brutally at those on either side. It did not do to be too papist or too reformed, as Henry illustrated graphically when he had Lutherans burned as heretics and Catholics hung and disemboweled for supporting the Pope on the same day. It was difficult to ignore object lessons like those.

The Reformation serves as the overarching theme for this book. For the Tudor rulers, there was much more at stake than matters of religious faith. Changes in religion were accompanied by shifts in power and access to enormous ecclesiastical fortunes, necessary for waging foreign wars. The Tudors probably couldn’t have guessed, though, at the implications for the future. Once people were willing to accept that even the Pope’s authority could be questioned and supplanted by the King’s, was it so much of a stretch to imagine that there shouldn’t be a King at all? I expect Ackroyd will cover this in volume 3 with the English Civil War. Stay tuned. . .

A copy of this book for review was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. ...more

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Sep 12, 2013 Sue rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: britain, history, read-2015, net-galley, 16th-century

This truly inclusive work of history, the second of Ackroyd's History of England series, provides a close look at the evolution of England from an insular feudal country of parts to a nation ready to participate in the greater world on its own terms at the end of the 16th century. Ackroyd takes the reader through the lives of Henry VIII and his well known, but perhaps less well understood, quest for an heir; his son Edward VI; then the queen known as "Bloody Mary"; and finally the reign of Eliza ...more

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Sep 01, 2016 Caidyn (he/him/his) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-nonfiction, nonfiction, brit-kerfuffle, tudor-times

The second time around, I enjoyed it about the same. I like how it wasn't a personal history of the monarchs. But, you can tell the bias at times with how Ackroyd feels. When I looked at his sources, I could see he used Weir a lot, so it makes sense to me.

Still, a good book! I enjoyed it!

Original review:

I've read a lot about Tudor history. And, really, there's nothing new in this book that hasn't been said by some other author, whether I've read them or not. However, this is unique from other bo The second time around, I enjoyed it about the same. I like how it wasn't a personal history of the monarchs. But, you can tell the bias at times with how Ackroyd feels. When I looked at his sources, I could see he used Weir a lot, so it makes sense to me.

Still, a good book! I enjoyed it!

Original review:

I've read a lot about Tudor history. And, really, there's nothing new in this book that hasn't been said by some other author, whether I've read them or not. However, this is unique from other books. What changes is the scope that Ackroyd focuses on compared to what I have read before.

More specifically, this largely ignores Henry VIII's personal life and his wives, unless it has something to do with major changes within governmental structure. And, Ackroyd either puts focus on that or a careful look at the religious changes within the realm. I learned more about Henry VIII's reign in a political and religious sense more than ever. Everything I've read has more been focused on his wives and the dynastic changes that brought then the actual policies he had. And, I'm so appreciative for that. I found myself seeing connections that hadn't been there before. "So that's why this happened!"

Also, it skipped over Henry VII. That, to me, was weird. He is the one who started the Tudor dynasty, although he didn't do anything huge like his son did. I'm sure he goes over it in the first volume, Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors, which I haven't read.* Now I'm looking forward to read it, because I'd like to see how he presents history that I haven't heard.

As I said before I hit my tangent, he focuses on the politics. Such as, instead of spending a ton of time on Elizabeth I's thing with Thomas Seymour when she was a child, he mainly mentioned it then moved on the the larger political sphere. I liked that. I really liked that. Same with Mary I's phantom pregnancies. Mentioned it, then got on with the politics of the reign.

What Ackroyd spent the most time on, in a political and even personal frame, was Mary, Queen of Scots and her inevitable demise. I think that's because that was the hardest thing in Elizabeth I's reign, and it also is a piece of history that's really interesting. The first time a sovereign was killed, before the English Civil War (not War of the Roses, since that's completely different, but the one with Oliver Cromwell) and the French Revolution.** So, it makes sense that he focused a lot on it, because that was the first time it was ever done.

Overall, it was dry at some points. I found myself spacing off when he really went on about stuff, but it was still very interesting. If you want to learn a lot about politics in the Tudor reign -- and see how they were constantly changing -- give this one a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

*Okay, I attempted to read it, but got really bored since he was just waxing on about roads and countryside. Too much like Tolkien, so I started dozing off.

**Although, I will argue that Henry VIII's execution of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard was very close to that. Katherine Howard, if I remember correctly, was never actually anointed as queen, so he technically wasn't executing royalty. And, Anne Boleyn had that title stripped from her before her death, even though she had been anointed as a sovereign. So, Anne Boleyn was really the first, if we want to get more technical and argue some more philosophical and political stuff. ...more

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Mar 20, 2020 Tristram Shandy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

The Tudors, or Rather: The English Reformation

The Tudors are probably the best-known and most fascinating dynasty to have ever ruled over England, although a closer look will reveal most of those kings and queens as rather despicable individuals, whom you would not like to have as your neighbours. In his second volume of The History of England, Peter Ackroyd unfolds the panorama of the Tudor years [1] in as much detail as can be crammed into 470 pages and he manages to do this by concentrating o The Tudors, or Rather: The English Reformation

The Tudors are probably the best-known and most fascinating dynasty to have ever ruled over England, although a closer look will reveal most of those kings and queens as rather despicable individuals, whom you would not like to have as your neighbours. In his second volume of The History of England, Peter Ackroyd unfolds the panorama of the Tudor years [1] in as much detail as can be crammed into 470 pages and he manages to do this by concentrating on, although not confining himself to, the process of the English Reformation which gave birth to the Anglican Church as we know it.

Like in the first volume, Ackroyd proceeds strictly chronologically, using the dates of the monarchs’ accessions and deaths as stepping stones, but unlike in the first volume, the author no longer inserts chapters on what may be called people’s history, which is a pity because this kind of knowledge provides a good background against which to read the major events. Those who like to know more about general life as such in the Tudor age may be referred to Ruth Goodman’s book How to Be a Tudor or to Ian Mortimer’s The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England. One of the few things we learn about everyday life from Ackroyd is that during the reign of Elizabeth travelling by coach became common.

Ackroyd’s major focus is, as I have already said, the English Reformation, and someone who comes from Germany, like I, will probably associate, on hearing the word “reformation”, a movement inspired by a theologian like Luther or Calvin, and being mainly driven by religious fervour and genuine convictions. Nothing, however, could be farther from the point in that Henry’s major motives were, as we all know, the wish to have Pope Clement VII. annul his marriage to his brother’s widow Katherine of Aragon, and his desire for the church’s riches. His greed was the reason why he dissolved all religious orders, all monasteries and nunneries, and the Act of Supremacy, which Parliament was forced to sign in 1534, was also prompted by Henry’s anxieties to save his dynasty, which, in his eyes, could only be done through a male heir. Throughout Henry’s reign, Ackroyd chronicles the stealthy and prevaricating course of church renewal, which may have had its fervent representatives, like Thomas Cranmer, but which, from the monarch’s side, was mere policy. This seemed to change in the days of Edward VI., and definitely in those of Queen Mary, who – this much can be said for her – followed a course of action she verily believed in, but Elizabeth I.’s reign was again characterized by prevarication, opportunism and the desire for power for the mere sake of power. All in all, the portrait Ackroyd paints of the Tudors is extremely gloomy and unflattering, which may be solid proof of its authenticity, and we are mainly dealing with courtly machinations, wars and preparations for further wars, religious persecution – in short, all the stuff Shakespearean dreams are made of, and it can be said that Ackroyd is certainly capable of taking his readers along this dark voyage, selecting his details carefully and not assuming too much previous knowledge with his readers but not taking them for ingoramuses, either.

Nevertheless, I did not enjoy Tudors to the same degree as I did the first volume, because Ackroyd jumps right into the action with his initial chapter instead of explaining his approach to the topic, his selection of data and his focus. It is by and by that you start to realize that the author is concerned with the birth of the Anglican Church under the Tudor Monarchy – and it is in this light that it makes sense to deal with the first Tudor king, Henry VII., in the preceding volume because although he was a Tudor, he did not have any part in the peculiar religious strife that characterized England in the 16th century. At the end of his book, Ackroyd takes stock of what the Tudor years meant for Christianity in England, but I think that the book would have profited a lot in terms of structure, transparency and lucidity if the author had started with a programmatic chapter instead of sending his readers on a mission whose aim they would discover by and by.

[1] It’s not exactly the entire range of Tudor years because Henry VII. was already dealt with in the first volume of Ackroyd’s History, which allows the author to start his second book with probably the most illustrious monarch in English history.
...more

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Oct 28, 2020 Pam Baddeley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Having not read volume 1 of this series, I was surprised that this begins with the coronation of Henry VIII, but the author has perhaps treated his father as being the last monarch of the medieval age. Certainly the reign of Henry VIII is when the huge changes and upheavals in religious life occurred, leading to a huge number of social consequences. The author concentrates more on this aspect in the earlier part of the book, and the various milestone events such as the king's courtship of Anne B ...more

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Jun 07, 2016 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: murders-and-misdeeds, non-fic, into-the-mud, history, own, social-commentary, 2016, interesting-women, 2016s-most-enjoyed

I've now reached the second volume of Peter Ackroyd's History of England and it turns out it's a volume even more fantastically absorbing than the first, partly thanks to its taking on one of my favourite periods to read about - the Terrible Tudors (hat tip to Horrible Histories, one of the best TV programmes ever made, and I'll have anyone who disagrees burnt as a heretic).

Beginning with start of the reign of Henry VIII and taking us through Edward VI, the Nine Day Queen (Lady Jane Grey), Blood ...more

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Feb 12, 2014 Chloe Phillips rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history

Honestly, I was all for giving this book four stars, before I read the last chapter. Having read more than enough books on the Tudor period, I tend not to come to them looking to learn anything new, but to see whether the author has a different way of looking at things, or how they word and structure the events of the period. Having loved all Peter Ackroyd's previous books, and really enjoying his style of writing, I had high hopes for this. There were areas where it seemed a little dry, especia ...more

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May 30, 2018 Diana rated it really liked it

Shelves: re-read, history-read, read-in-2018

I am slowly working my way through this epic history of England. Peter Ackroyd does his best to put as much as he can into these books about the founding of this part of Great Britain, and trust me there is a lot to get through. It's exactly what it says it is the history during the time of the Tudors, he doesn't try to condense it so there is a ton of information here and I can see where it could be way too much for some to start with. However, I really don't recommend this series to anyone who ...more

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Oct 29, 2017 Faith rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, overdrive

There is way too much about church reformation in this book. The topic doesn't interest me at all. ...more

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Jan 14, 2018 Rosemary Atwell rated it liked it

This is a more tightly compressed and focused narrative than its predecessor and examines the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth through the prism of the Reformation. Although Ackroyd's coverage of religious reform is very impressive, I would have enjoyed some of the diversity that characterised the first volume. Still highly enjoyable though - engrossing and entertaining. Ackroyd Is a wonderful stylist. ...more

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Sep 23, 2013 Lara rated it it was amazing

Peter Ackroyd's second volume in his history of England series carries with it the promise shown in the first volume, "Foundation". Of course, how can you write about "The Tudors" and not generate interest? They are the one English royal family about whom one never tires of reading. But Mr. Ackroyd's account of this famous (and infamous) family - from Henry VIII to his daughter, Elizabeth I - not only recounts the personal aspects, but also focuses upon the most important thread which ran throug Peter Ackroyd's second volume in his history of England series carries with it the promise shown in the first volume, "Foundation". Of course, how can you write about "The Tudors" and not generate interest? They are the one English royal family about whom one never tires of reading. But Mr. Ackroyd's account of this famous (and infamous) family - from Henry VIII to his daughter, Elizabeth I - not only recounts the personal aspects, but also focuses upon the most important thread which ran through the reigns of Henry, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth: The English Reformation. He traces the slow transformation of a country from one where the churches once were looked to for "good governance" to one in which "the state" as a governmental body slowly began to evolve. People began to look to themselves for answers, rather than to those who ruled them - both in religious and secular organizations - and Mr. Ackroyd further details the path of the Reformation from the simple Catholic/Protestant paradigm to the schisms and divisions within Protestantism itself, yielding any number of sects and diverse groupings, including the Puritans, and pointing out that to be "Protestant" wasn't quite as simple as it sounded.

Throughout all move The Tudors themselves - Henry and his wives, his unfortunate son, Edward VI, the not-altogether unsympathetic "Bloody Mary" Tudor and, finally, the glorious, enigmatic, ephemeral Elizabeth - imperious, haughty, cruel, awesome (in the traditional sense of the word), magisterial, pitiful, the stuff of dreams. No doubt they will always fascinate us, and their "larger than life" images remain so in Ackroyd's capable telling, while he manages at the same time to reveal their humanness - Henry's relentless pursuit of the perfect wife and an heir to guarantee his dynasty, Edward's half-child/half-adult princely and, finally, kingly state which he was not fated to wear long, the personal tragedy of a lonely woman in the case of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth's greatness despite all her personal flaws, her temper and her often irritating habit of prevarication which drove her Privy Council members to despair.

I look forward to Volume III of Mr. Ackroyd's history, when he will no doubt take up the reigns of James I through, I'm guessing, Charles II. In "The Tudors", the violent, sometimes overwhelming changes in English society and the monarchy itself have only begun; coming up are the travails of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and Charles II.

Don't miss out on this wonderful series! ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 Sherry Sharpnack rated it it was amazing

Who doesn’t love the Tudors? They tie up the dynastic wars of the heirs of Edward Iii in fifteenth century into such a neat little bow.

Peter Ackroyd’s second volume in the history of England begins w/ Henry VIII, whose obsession w/ a male heir turns him from a golden prince into a bloodthirsty tyrant, and then covers each of Henry’s “legitimate” children in turn. Mr. Ackroyd is the first historian that I have EVER read who thinks Anne Boleyn WAS screwing around on Henry. I can’t get over that on Who doesn’t love the Tudors? They tie up the dynastic wars of the heirs of Edward Iii in fifteenth century into such a neat little bow.

Peter Ackroyd’s second volume in the history of England begins w/ Henry VIII, whose obsession w/ a male heir turns him from a golden prince into a bloodthirsty tyrant, and then covers each of Henry’s “legitimate” children in turn. Mr. Ackroyd is the first historian that I have EVER read who thinks Anne Boleyn WAS screwing around on Henry. I can’t get over that one. At least he paints Mary, Queen of Scots as the evil spider spinning her webs that I have always considered her.

This book could have easily been titled “Reformation”. It would have gone better w/ the first book, “Foundation” and the next book, “Rebellion.” Anyway, the history of England under the Tudors is actually the history of England slowly turning from Catholicism to Protestantism. It proceeded by fits and starts, and seen from the view of an average Englishman, religion was a subject to be feared and avoided during this time period. Henry tore down the monasteries and despoiled church properties to enrich himself, and the three succeeding monarchs, even uber-Catholic Mary, did nothing to restore those properties, and thus restore the traditional order of society to the countryside. W/o the monasteries and convents, vagrancy abounded And poor people basically died in the streets. Shameful. Not until Poor Laws were passed in the last few years of Elizabeth’s long reign was this problem addressed. English rulers and government did not yet care about the “common man.”

Ackroyd did a fair job of staying impartial in the Catholic-Protestant divide, which is difficult. He tried hard to defend Mary’s burning of heretics by comparing the numbers who died to those executed for
Their faith under Henry and Elizabeth, but the numbers don’t hold up b/c Mary reigned for a scant five years compared to Elizabeth’s 45 years and Henry’s 39+.

“Tudors” does a masterful job of showing why churches and the great cathedrals of England are empty. It also set up nicely the divisions between Queen and parliament that will come to a head in “Rebellion.” ...more

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Sep 14, 2015 Helene Harrison rated it liked it

Shelves: writer-male, publication-2010s, non-fiction, part-of-series, genre-historical, i-own, format-hardback, stars-3, 2015-challenge, tudors

Review - A little disappointing in places as there were some glaring errors e.g. Thomas Brandon where it should have been Charles Brandon in the index. What? Nevertheless, a good overview of the period, although not very balanced. A large part of the book was given over to Elizabeth I with very little on Edward and Mary, and not much more on Henry VIII. Henry VII isn't even covered in this book on the Tudors but is covered in the previous one in the series, which seems a little odd to me. I woul ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Nathan Albright rated it really liked it

Shelves: challenge-2020

It is rather intriguing reading this book after finishing the first volume of the series. When one is used to flyover looks at 30,000' about the reigns of individual rulers, with one major ruler per chapter, it is a different experience to slow down the look at spend roughly the same amount of pages talking about the reigns of one dynasty of rulers over the course of less than a century that one spent on thousands of years of English history. Nevertheless, this book does give a clear understan It is rather intriguing reading this book after finishing the first volume of the series. When one is used to flyover looks at 30,000' about the reigns of individual rulers, with one major ruler per chapter, it is a different experience to slow down the look at spend roughly the same amount of pages talking about the reigns of one dynasty of rulers over the course of less than a century that one spent on thousands of years of English history. Nevertheless, this book does give a clear understanding of the issues that the Tudor monarchs faced and their fundamental insecurity as rulers of England. In many respects, this work is intended as a revision to views that England was always an important player in world affairs that was able to throw its weight around and receive the respect of the European community at large. This book (and the others in the series as well, it should be pointed out) do a good job at reminding the reader that England has long been periphery to Europe and that it was quite a struggle for England to be recognized as a major world power, and by no means something that was true in all ages or at all times.

This book is over 450 pages long and it is divided into 41 chapters. The first sixteen chapters deal with the reign of King Henry VIII, and a surprisingly large number of those focus on his marriage woes, from his lack of heirs and search for a fertile enough wife who would give him a son to the executions of two of his wives for adultery and the insecurity that the lack of heirs had on Henry's reign, including his desire to throw his weight around in European affairs, which was generally ineffectual. After that there are a few chapters that discuss the Protestant reformation under his son, the rollback under Mary, and the cautious settlement under Elizabeth that showed England's muddled religious identity and general mistrust of anyone who was zealous about religion. There is even a chapter about the nine days queen for those who want to read about the brief reign of Lady Gray. Of course, a great deal of time is spent talking about Elizabeth I but also considerable time talking about the Marian martyrs and the struggles that Mary had in having a child and in maintaining the love of her husband. Overall, this book makes one pity the Tudors for the private misery they suffered as a result of their ambitions and power.

In giving a detailed view of the Tudor period and its problems, the author does a great job at showing the human nature of the rulers of the time. Although this book focuses mainly on elite history, namely the behavior of the various kings and queens and dukes and other elite players, the author probably correctly judges that these are the most interesting people to the intended audience of the book and thus the book focuses on where the information is the most readily available and where the interest level of the reader is highest. Those who want to read a social history of the Tudor period as relates to the problem of enclosure and the effects of religious revolts and the instability of the Tudor regime would likely want to check out other books that would deal with those subjects. That is not to say that this book does not talk about social matters, as there is some discussion, for example, on the changing attitudes of nobles so that the Earl of Essex found himself condemned as a traitor for acting according to a standard of prickly reputation that would have been far more common in the Middle Ages but became increasingly problematic later on. The more things change, the more they stay the same, though. ...more

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Jun 09, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it

I enjoyed Foundation, Ackroyd's first volume of all things English history. I was very eager to read Tudors and learn more about these royals that I am already all but obsessed with. I always enjoy another author's perspective on these colorful characters from history. This was an easy to read and broad account of the events and people of the Tudor times. I liked the pace and amount of detail that this volume provided. ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Pete daPixie rated it really liked it

Shelves: history-tudor

Everything that I have read from Peter Ackroyd is certainly very well written, rich in detail and expertly researched. Volume II of this six volume series, 'Tudors', documents the sixteenth century reigns of England's most enigmatic dynasty. Unfortunately the author chose to begin in 1509 at the death of Henry VII. The founder of the Tudors is covered in his 'Foundation'. Having only read the first three volumes of this 'History of England' maybe I should wait to judge the full vision of Ackroyd ...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Rob Adey rated it really liked it

I've never really 'done' any history - my ideas of the Tudors until recently were Henry VIII = a sort of half-timbered shouting Brian Blessed and Elizabeth I = Miranda Richardson - so I guess I'd probably have liked any book which told their crazy stories fairly competently.

But as far as I can tell, Peter Ackroyd does a very good job here. The previous book in the series covered a huge swathe of time and was very wide angle - necessarily, he slows down and zooms in here. Somehow, it's pacy whil ...more

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May 10, 2015 John Allgood rated it really liked it

A very readable history of the Tudor dynasty although it starts at the death of its founder, Henry VII. This is Ackroyd's second volume in his history of England. It is by no means necessary to read the first volume in order to enjoy and understand this volume. Ackroyd examines in detail the religious changes during the period and clearly explains the turmoil this created. Well written and full of detail, it's a good volume to an interested reader wanting to know more about the period. ...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Fiona rated it really liked it

Shelves: history-non-fiction

Didn't enjoy this as much as Vol 1 but only because I was filling a gap in my knowledge then and the Tudors are already too familiar. The religious issues of these times are crucially important to the understanding of the politics but Ackroyd possibly goes into too much detail for me. It's still a book to relish, keep and dip into occasionally though. ...more

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Mar 14, 2014 Candy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Didn't learn anything new. Tells the same tales as most books on the Tudors, but this one was a little duller. ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 Graham rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, historical

The second volume of Peter Ackroyd's epic 'History of England' series. This one sees the focus narrowed down almost entirely to the 16th century, where the focus is on a pair of Tudor monarchs and the changes they wrought to the country and the world. As ever, this book is distinguished by the breadth of research and liveliness of the prose, even when discussing complex topics like the Reformation. Ackroyd is never dry, but always engaging. As somebody well familiar with Henry and all his wives, ...more

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Feb 10, 2018 Helen Felgate rated it liked it

A compelling read particularly the section on Elizabeth 1. Ackroyd provides a lot of detail on the conflicts of different religious factors but always finds new snippets of fascinating social history such as the shortages of leather due to the growth in coach building.

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Apr 28, 2018 Tara Starr bishop rated it really liked it

Very detailed and intricate look of England during the reign of the Tudors. Gave great insight not only into the players, the ideologies that shaped policies and often the fate of the guilty as well as innocent, but also the daily life of those living in England during the 16th century.

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Nov 04, 2020 Delyth rated it really liked it

Well written and interesting, however, through my own fault, I already know so much about the Tudors I found myself losing interest & skipping parts where I knew what happened.

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Feb 21, 2020 Mary rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Not as good as the FutureLearn course on the Tudors that I’m taking. Not particularly well written. Nice color plates. No maps. No time line.

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Oct 04, 2013 Ionia rated it really liked it

Tudors is the second book in Peter Ackroyd's History of England series--if you have not read the first Foundation

(you really should) it is not a problem. This book is a continuation of the historical period and will still make perfect sense without the preface of the first book.

Whist I enjoyed reading this very much, I liked the way the information was organised and appreciated the scope of how much research was put into this, I was vaguely disappointed that it mostly focused on the upper class ...more

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About Peter Ackroyd

Peter Ackroyd

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Peter Ackroyd CBE is an English novelist and biographer with a particular interest in the history and culture of London.

Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age ...more

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The History of England (5 books)

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Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors (The History of England, #1)

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