Elizabeth of York

Queenship and Power

by Arlene Naylor Okerlund

This book tells the story of the queen whose marriage to King Henry VII ended England’s Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the 118-year Tudor dynasty. Best known as the mother of Henry VIII and grandmother of Elizabeth I, this Queen Elizabeth contributed far beyond the act of giving birth to future monarchs. Her marriage to Henry VII unified the feuding houses of Lancaster and York, and her popularity with the people helped her husband survive rebellions that plagued his first decade of rule. Queen Elizabeth’s gracious manners and large family created a warm, convivial Court marked by a rather exceptional fondness between the royal couple. Her love for music, literature, and architecture also helped inspire England’s Renaissance.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Tudor Period, British Literature

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Professor Emerita of English, retired after a career of teaching Renaissance literature at San José State University in California. At José State University, she served six years as Dean, College of Humanities and the Arts, and seven years as Academic Vice President. In retirement, she teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and continues her research in medieval and Renaissance studies. The author of scholarly articles on Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe, Donne, and Dryden, she also writes for popular audiences, including the newsletter of the Peninsula Banjo Band with which she plays tenor banjo.

http://us.macmillan.com/elizabethofyork

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard book to review. So excited for the topic, written with great use of materials from a time period from which there are not a lot of records but disappointed with a few inferences made on behalf of Elizabeth using records for Henry VII. For example, a lengthy paragraph listed all the attendants for Henry on their visit to Calais. The paragraph concluded with "The queen had a similar contingent of attendants." Well, for heavens sake. The book is about Elizabeth, if you have a list of her attendants, list them not Henry's and if you don't, one cannot make such a weak comment at the end. That is an example of some of the things that didn't sit very well with me. Not sure if I'll grab the book, Elizabeth Wydeville: The Slandered Queen, by Okerlund or not.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor Elizabeth of York. She's always an afterthought, one line in the history of the Tudors or the War of the Roses. Sadly, this biography does little to change that. Even in a book ostensibly about her, there is more about her parents, her husband, her mother-in-law, and her children than there is of Elizabeth of York. She shows most clearly in the negative space she leaves behind after her death, when Henry VII develops his reputation for being a mean penny-pincher. Most of the rest of is guesswork and 'what must she have felt/thought'. I come away knowing a little more about her, but not much.

[Hayley Whoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

despite it be it being hard to find. it was fuckin' amazing.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

Utile per scopi di ricerca, penso che sia una delle biografie più complete in circolazione su Elizabeth di York.
Purtroppo è un testo molto freddo e poco piacevole da leggere.
Data la penuria di fonti su questa figura storica, l'autrice spesso non sa come fare a giustificare il fatto che ci sia scritto "Elizabeth of York" nel titolo, se non attraverso frasi del tipo "Possiamo immaginare che Elizabeth abbia pensato questo" oppure "Chissà come si sarà dovuta sentire..."
Sì, ecco, diciamo... Non è il massimo a cui una biografia può aspirare.

[Kate Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very readable and accessible biography, working chronologically (they don't all) through her life. As with many queens regnant, there has to be a lot of the kings they were married to to work out what was going on with them. My main frustration was having quoted Margaret Beaufort as 'my lady the king's mother', she then insisted on using that quote every time Margaret is mentioned. Just use her name! Other than that, a very helpful book.

[Aurelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is next to nothing here about Elizabeth, mostly it is conjectures and guesses. And a lot of lists. I did not notice at first that it was the author of the Slandered Queen, where I also hated her endless listings. But then I realised that was why we were treated again to a praise of Anthony Woodville and lots of lists.
Sadly this book feels somewhat a waste of time.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of detailed information about one of my favorite queens! I adored this book.