The Making of the Tudor Dynasty

by Ralph A. Griffiths, Roger Thomas

Since the Battle of Bosworth 500 years ago, the Tudor kings and queens have attracted much popular and scholarly attention. This book traces the dynasty's rise and fall and rise again in the years before Bosworth.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Ralph Alan Griffiths is Professor Emeritus (Arts and Humanities) at the University of Swansea, specialising medieval history. He was chair of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and General Editor of the Gwent County History.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good explanation of how Henry Tudor got the throne of England. His main attachment to the throne came from his Welsh ancestry. It covers his family through the ages up to the point of his death. Good book.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descendants of William the Conqueror remained on the throne in England until the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and while the victor, crowned Henry VII, had Lancastrian ancestry to give legitimacy to his claims, he founded what was more or less a new dynasty. And while there have been a great many books written about the three Tudor generations in power, not much has been published in accessible form on their deeply Welsh roots. Professor Griffiths pays special attention to the activities of Henry Tudor and his near relatives in exile. Of particular interest to us are the several excellent chapters on the Celtic genesis of the family, the connection with Owen Glendower, and the marriage connections they established.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unassuming pretender with flimsy claims to the English throne would establish one of the most notorious dynasties in the nation’s history. If you ever wanted to know how Henry Tudor came into kingship, this book outlines past generations, his Welsh ancestry, and his Lancastrian roots. From his inauspicious youth and exile to Brittany and France, to his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, Henry VII’s life is fleshed with extreme detail. Even despite the lack contemporary accounts of that fateful day, the authors pieced together the events that would end the War of the Roses from various sources. This comprehensive biography is a challenging but essential piece of Tudor history since it demonstrates the beginning of an incredible, if unlikely, royal era.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and illuminating work detailing one aspect of the Wars of the Roses.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it covers the origins of the tudors up to the first year or so of Henry VII's reign. It shows the hardships that were encountered and I really didn't realise how many time Henry and his followers were almost captured and on one occassion had Henry not feigned illness, he would have been on a ship on his way back to England, presumably to have his life ended.

There were some excellent pieces of information and the book has an awful lot of images, photos and maps, all of which are black and white but they help to really tell the story which is now well over 500 years old!

My favourite quote which I feel is so true was - "Richard's death and defeat were in many ways a surprising outcome of the Battle of Bosworth. The day had begun with a great show of kingly pomp; and though worried by desertions, Richard had reason to believe that Henry was more apprehensive that he about how the Stanleys would behave. Before Sir William Stanley intervened, it was far from clear that Henry's forces were gaining the upper hand. If Sir William had delayed a little longer, it might have been Henry who fell beside his standard-bearer rather than the valient king. On such chances, on rare occasions, the course of history depends." (page 165)

How different things might have been...

[Nathen Amin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive guide on the Tudors Welsh background.

[Susan Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Link to my review of this book:

https://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2017/...