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Ordeal by Ambition: An English family in the shadow of the Tudors
The flame of the Tudor monarchy blazed bright. It attracted, but it also burned. To be near the throne was to live excitingly and dangerously. The most appropriate symbol for the Tudors was not their rose but their axe.
This is the story of a Tudor queen and two of her brothers, all of whom paid the price of their close involvement with the throne. Jane Seymour became Queen of England, the successor of Anne Boleyn. She died after giving birth to Henry's son. Edward Seymour became Protector of the Realm, and Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral. Both ended their careers on the block.
In their heyday the Seymours were England's first family. Their story spans two reigns, Henry VIII's and their nephew Edward VI's. Both brothers fought in the Tudor wars and became embroiled in Tudor politics. Edward became the most powerful man in England; Thomas one of the most notorious.
The author, William Seymour, is a direct descendant of the family. His extensive researches into the lives of his ancestors have resulted in a gripping story and a vivid evocation of the atmosphere of Tudor England.
This is the story of a Tudor queen and two of her brothers, all of whom paid the price of their close involvement with the throne. Jane Seymour became Queen of England, the successor of Anne Boleyn. She died after giving birth to Henry's son. Edward Seymour became Protector of the Realm, and Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral. Both ended their careers on the block.
In their heyday the Seymours were England's first family. Their story spans two reigns, Henry VIII's and their nephew Edward VI's. Both brothers fought in the Tudor wars and became embroiled in Tudor politics. Edward became the most powerful man in England; Thomas one of the most notorious.
The author, William Seymour, is a direct descendant of the family. His extensive researches into the lives of his ancestors have resulted in a gripping story and a vivid evocation of the atmosphere of Tudor England.
411 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 9, 2011
One of the best historical books I have ever read. It helped that I was craving information on the Seymour family, particularly Edward Seymour and the author didn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the Tudor period.
January 4, 2011
This book--written by a descendant of the Seymour siblings--details the lives of Queen Jane Seymour and her brothers Edward (Protector of the Realm) and Thomas (Lord High Admiral).
I've always been a bit stymied about the lack of non-fiction out there surrounding the Seymour family...at least in comparison to others who were close King Henry VIII. Jane's story is not as drama filled as that of Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard, perhaps, but still, during her short tenure as Queen, she was the one who gave the King his much longed for son. And her brother Edward, from the time of Henry VIII's death to his fall from power was probably the most powerful man in England.
The book gives a brief overview of the downfall of Anne Boleyn and then of life at Wolf Hall before it begins to detail the lives of the three Seymour siblings in earnest...with with the bulk of the book being devoted to Edward Seymour, someone I found quite fascinating to read about.
When the author of a book such as this has familial ties to the subjects he's writing about, one always has to wonder how much--if any--bias the author is inserting into the text, unintentional or not. Not that I haven't run across authors who are totally unrelated to their subjects displaying bias in some form or another as well, I have. It's just that I'm a little more leery (perhaps unfairly) when I know the author has some sort of connection.
That being said, I think that this author did a good job of giving a well rounded view of his ancestors, pointing out mistakes and faults along side the virtues and good.
This book is likely a bit hard to find (bought mine used from an amazon merchant), but is definitely well worth the read for those who'd like to learn a bit more about this intriguing family, and not just go by their characterizations on shows like The Tudors (which don't get me wrong, I LOVE that show like crazy, but it's not always completely historically accurate ;-) ).
I've always been a bit stymied about the lack of non-fiction out there surrounding the Seymour family...at least in comparison to others who were close King Henry VIII. Jane's story is not as drama filled as that of Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard, perhaps, but still, during her short tenure as Queen, she was the one who gave the King his much longed for son. And her brother Edward, from the time of Henry VIII's death to his fall from power was probably the most powerful man in England.
The book gives a brief overview of the downfall of Anne Boleyn and then of life at Wolf Hall before it begins to detail the lives of the three Seymour siblings in earnest...with with the bulk of the book being devoted to Edward Seymour, someone I found quite fascinating to read about.
When the author of a book such as this has familial ties to the subjects he's writing about, one always has to wonder how much--if any--bias the author is inserting into the text, unintentional or not. Not that I haven't run across authors who are totally unrelated to their subjects displaying bias in some form or another as well, I have. It's just that I'm a little more leery (perhaps unfairly) when I know the author has some sort of connection.
That being said, I think that this author did a good job of giving a well rounded view of his ancestors, pointing out mistakes and faults along side the virtues and good.
This book is likely a bit hard to find (bought mine used from an amazon merchant), but is definitely well worth the read for those who'd like to learn a bit more about this intriguing family, and not just go by their characterizations on shows like The Tudors (which don't get me wrong, I LOVE that show like crazy, but it's not always completely historically accurate ;-) ).
February 17, 2017
Interesting read on the Seymours...It is written by a descendant so you get an "insider" perspective on the family, but it comes with a biased view on some of the other players at Court. As usual, the author repeats the unfounded claims that Jane Boleyn schemed to take the Boleyn family down...but the book is quite dated, so he can be forgiven. Keep its age in mind when considering some of the opinions given.
January 2, 2015
The Seymours has been given an unsympathetic eye for daring to step over the Boleyns, this view has permeated through centuries and William Seymour doesn't dispel this view by giving a different interpretation, but rather by laying out the facts and detailing the lives of the three most important members of this family: Jane, Edward and Thomas.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews