Charlie Fenton > Recent Status Updates

‘He no longer bothered to disguise his true nature. She had to agree with others that he was vain, dissolute and despicable. He would pick quarrels with those who dared not stand up to him; he brawled in the streets, accosting women, demanding that his companions did likewise; he boasted of his mastery over the Queen who, he asserted, was so madly in love with him that she would deny him nothing.’

‘She did not now want marriage with Spain; she did not care for dignity or pride, nor her rank as Queen. She cared for nothing but the immediate fulfilment of her love for Henry Darnley.’

‘That Elizabeth adored Dudley was painfully obvious. Together they danced, hunted, shared private jokes and were rarely out of each other’s company; it was their easy familiarity and affectionate displays which spawned the rumours as to the nature of their relationship... But in truth she must have known, particularly after the death of Amy Robsart, that marrying Robert Dudley would never be possible.’

‘Elizabeth expected all her women to be in constant attendance and to put her needs above any personal concerns. Illness, unless it was severe, was no excuse for absence; neither were marriage or children. Elizabeth required complete loyalty and commitment. If any of her married ladies fell pregnant they were expected to continue to attend the Queen until very late in their pregnancy’

‘When Elizabeth learned that her despised cousin, Lettice, had stolen her own great favourite, it was too much to bear. Incandescent with rage, she cried that she would send Leicester to ‘rot in the Tower’. When Lettice appeared at court, she lashed out at her, boxing her ears and screaming that ‘as but one sun lightened the earth, she would have but one Queen in England’.’

‘Perhaps realising that her own life was slipping away, Margaret was determined to do everything she could to safeguard the future of her granddaughter, Arbella, and her ‘sweet jewel’, James VI. She wrote to the latter, assuring him that he was her chief hope for the future. She also worked tirelessly to try to claim the earldom of Lennox for Arbella, but her efforts proved in vain.’

‘Hounded as she had been by Elizabeth in life, Katherine may have derived some satisfaction from knowing that after her death, her sons would be a constant source of anxiety to the Queen. She would have been more satisfied still if she had known that her marriage to Seymour would eventually be found to be valid and her sons legitimate.’

‘She paced the room. She had no tears left. Since her first coming to the Court of France, François had been her friend and her devoted slave. Had she been at times a little too arrogant, a little too certain of his devotion? If she could only have him back now, how she would assure him of this love which she only knew went so deep since she had lost him.’

‘Lady Nary knew full well that unless she took matters into her own hands, she would be highly unlikely ever to marry. Even if the Queen had once been prepared to consider an alliance for her, Katherine’s disgrace would have changed her mind for good. Moreover, unlike her elder sister, Mary had at least chosen a husband without any political pretensions whatsoever.’

‘Elizabeth immediately made it clear that she had no intention of upholding the favour that had been shown to Katherine and Mary Grey by her late sister. Although she could hardly banish them from court without drawing more attention to them than she wished, she could offer them less prestigious posts than they had enjoyed during Mary’s reign.’

‘Elizabeth, on the other hand, made it clear that the women who frequented her court were there either by necessity or sufferance. In short, if they were not members of her personal household, they were not welcome. Male courtiers were positively discouraged from bringing their wives to court, for this would destroy the myth of romantic enslavement to the Queen.’

‘Mary had been naturally trusting, straightforward and stubbornly principled, while Elizabeth was cautious, reserved and pragmatic. The latter had seen how damaging Mary’s inflexibility had proved to her authority. As a result, she came to appreciate the need for compromise and consultation, as well as for not openly committing to any single policy.’

‘Relations between the two women took a turn for the worst during the first Parliament of Mary’s reign, which passed an act declaring Katherine of Aragon’s annulment void and thereby confirming Mary’s legitimacy. However, it left unrepealed the clauses relating to Elizabeth’s bastardy - they could not both be legitimate daughters of Henry VIII, because if his first marriage had been valid, then his second had not’

‘Despite their differences, the sisters made a convincing show of unity in these critical early days of the new reign. With every prospect that Mary would rule for a long time, and perhaps even beget an heir, Elizabeth had reason to court her favour. She also sought to benefit from her half-sister’s experience as the first queen regnant for more than four hundred years.’

I’ve never heard of Margaret Beaufort and Bishop Fisher being referred to as ‘one of the early sixteenth century’s most remarkable double acts’ before 😆 is it odd that I am imagining them in a band or performing on stage now?

‘As Mary obeyed she realised that there were two Queens: one lovely and loving who came with the King, who kissed the children and called them hers and behaved in every way as though she were their mother, and another who came alone, who frightened them and yet, it seemed, was after all their mother and the true Queen of France.’

‘Mary had overseen her younger sister’s studies after Anne Boleyn’s death and had been proud of her precociousness, as evidence by the fulsome praise that she relayed to her father. But Elizabeth had soon outstripped Mary’s knowledge, just as she had her governess, and now she was being schooled in theological views that were directly opposed to Mary’s own.’

‘After the initial shock and disruption caused by Lady Bryan’s transfer to Prince Edward’s care, Elizabeth adapted to life in her changed household. Mary remained with her, and they enjoyed a close and harmonious relationship. Over the next few years, Mary paid Elizabeth a great deal of attention, supervising her lessons and teaching her card games and other entertainments.’

I feel like I should have known by now that the word ‘holiday’ comes from the phrase ‘holy day’. Oh well, you learn something new every day!

‘The Queen-Mother stood ip and walked to the window. She looked across the country towards the south and thought of the ageing monarch of England. He had demanded the marriage for his son, and that Mary would be brought up in the Court of England as a future Queen of England. A good enough prospect... if one were dealing with any but the King of England.’

‘Most accounts have painted a harmonious picture of Jane befriending first Mary, and then Elizabeth, but there is little evidence to support this, beyond the traditional exchange of gifts between the three women at New Year 1537. The fact that Elizabeth had been invited to court that Christmas was due not to the new Queen’s kindly intervention, but to that of the Lady Mary’

‘But above all, it would be the example provided by Anne’s life - and in particular its end - that would prove the greatest of all her legacies to Elizabeth. From this, her daughter learned not to trust expressions of love and devotion; she learned to guard her reputation fiercely; and she learned to be a self-reliant, political pragmatist.’

‘The best account of these gifts is provided by a memorandum of ‘Materials Furnished for the use of Queen Anne Boleyn and the Princess Elizabeth’ between January and February 1535, when Elizabeth had been at Hatfield for just over a year... The records show that she was spending some £40 per month on clothes and accessories for herself and her young daughter (equivalent to around £13,000 today)’

Audiobook version (which I can’t find on here)

‘She lavished affection upon Elizabeth and could hardly bear to be apart from her. When she returned to court after her confinement, she took her daughter with her. Courtiers looked on in astonishment as Anne carefully set the baby down on a velvet cushion next to her throne under the canopy of estate. It was highly unusual for a queen to keep her child with her’

"Then I must tell you: you have made a very grave mistake, my lord. A mistake in my nature, and in what insults I will tolerate, a mistake in yourself and how you should live. You must be mad indeed if you make such a confession to me, hoping that I might sympathise. Me, of all women: who am most hurt by this, I, who know what it is to love without return. I, who know what it is to waste a life in loving."

I’m glad Gregory finally had Amy stand up to Robert, she is always portrayed as so weak and annoyingly loyal compared to Elizabeth

Now there have been several times where I have had to go back and check that there really is only one person narrating this; she does the voices so well, especially those of Elizabeth and Robert Dudley. You can really feel the tension between the two. I feel like this book is going to get a higher rating just due to how much I am enjoying the narration.

‘The most striking difference between the Spanish Armada and the English navy’s response to it was the time if took for each force to become effectively mobilised. The Armada took three years; the English navy, assisted by an impressive administration which included lists of all mariners in every parish in the country, just three weeks.’