Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery

( 1 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$18.45

NOOK Book

——

$18.45

Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery (eBook) Pub. Date: 9/19/2011 Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
$14.92

$26.91

Hardcover

$14.92

$26.91

Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery Pub. Date: 10/28/2009 Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

Lady Jane Grey, is one of the most elusive and tragic characters in English history.

In July 1553 the death of the childless Edward VI threw the Tudor dynasty into crisis. On Edward's instructions his cousin Jane Grey was proclaimed queen, only to be ousted 13 days later by his illegitimate half sister Mary and later beheaded. In this radical reassessment, Eric Ives rejects traditional portraits of Jane both as hapless victim of political intrigue or Protestant martyr. Instead he presents her as an accomplished young woman with a fierce personal integrity. The result is a compelling dissection by a master historian and storyteller of one of history’s most shocking injustices.

What People Are Saying

"A Tudor mystery is brilliantly solved, and the story of one of England’s most dangerous crises is thrillingly told… This book, which takes us as close to the truth of these events as is possible, will convince scholars who thought that they knew the story already, and delight general readers."

–Susan Brigden, Lincoln College, Oxford

"A highly ingenious solution to the mystery of Jane Grey's thirteen-day usurpation of the throne. Ives's research skills are formidable and will make this book essential, if provocative reading."

–John Guy

"Eric Ives has provided the first full-scale account of one of the most surprising sequences of events in the politics of Tudor England. It is an engrossing tale, here presented in incisive style by a scholar who has an instinctive grasp of how to bring the surprises back to life."

–Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of Reformation, Europe's House Divided, and A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Presenting a startling dissection of the historically elusive Jane Grey's 13-day reign, British scholar Ives (The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn) decodes the character, actions and motives of the key figures responsible for the fate of the Tudor teenager. He maintains that Jane herself, while precociously intellectual, was the least influential figure in the succession crisis of 1553. Taking center stage is her father-in law, John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, who in Ives's hands isn't England's most powerful man, compelling King Edward VI to add Jane to the succession to make her husband, and Dudley's son, king upon Edward's death. Rather, Ives posits the Dudley-Grey marriage as a routine aristocratic alliance and that Northumberland, as the son of an executed traitor, was obsessively loyal to an independent Edward; Edward initiated Jane and her possible future sons' promotion to achieve his long-term goal of an all-male succession. Moreover, Edward's privy council endorsed Jane's accession because they saw Jane as the rightful queen of England. Turning traditional scholarship on its ear, Ives's radical reinterpretation of one of history's briefest, most puzzling reigns is masterfully researched, authoritative and a difficult but seductive read. Illus., one map. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Upon the death of King Edward VI in July 1553, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen of England—only to be executed 13 days later. Here, Ives (The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn) addresses the accession crisis of 1553. Although Henry VIII had legally declared both of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, illegitimate, he then restored them to the line of succession through the Third Act of Succession, which stated that upon Edward's death the crown would pass to Mary and then to Elizabeth if Mary had no male heirs. However, Edward, who as a staunch Protestant did not wish the crown to pass to the Catholic Mary, was probably persuaded to name instead Lady Jane Grey, the Protestant daughter of Henry VIII's sister. Ives works to present Lady Jane Grey as a learned, respected, and highly intelligent woman, providing in-depth analysis as he moves through the narrative and ending by summarizing the aftermath of the brief and tragic reign of one of Britain's least-known sovereigns. VERDICT This thoroughly researched and engrossing historical analysis will appeal both to biography enthusiasts and to those interested specifically in Tudor history or the history of the monarchy. It is a masterly interpretation of the "mystery" of Lady Jane Grey's ascent to the throne.—Carrie Benbow, Toronto P.L., Ont.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781405194136
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Publication date: 10/28/2009
Edition number: 1
Pages: 392
Sales rank: 713,879
Product dimensions: 6.20 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.20 (d)

Meet the Author

Eric Ives is Emeritus Professor of English History at the University of Birmingham and author of The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2004). He has written widely on Tudor history, the history of law, and on the development of modern higher education. In 2001 he was awarded the OBE for services to history and the University of Birmingham.

List of Illustrations.

List of Figures.

Preface.

Titles and Offices.

Figures.

Map.

Prologue.

Part I The Scene.

1 The Year of Three Sovereigns.

2 In Search of Jane Grey.

3 Jane Grey in Context.

Part II The Protagonists.

Jane Grey.

4 A Damnable Inheritance.

5 Jane the Person.

6 Family Priorities.

7 A Godly Upbringing.

Mary Tudor.

8 Father and Daughter.

9 Sister and Brother.

John Dudley.

10 John Dudley: The Career.

11 John Dudley: The Black Legend.

12 John Dudley: Motives.

Edward.

13 The Young King.

14 'My Deuise for the Succession'.

15 King and Minister.

16 The Will of a King.

Part III Thirteen Days.

17 Preparations.

18 Jane the Queen.

19 The Council in London.

20 The March on Framlingham.

21 A Second Front.

22 The Rebellion of Mary Tudor.

Part IV Consequences.

23 Every Man for Himself.

24 The Tower.

25 Nemesis.

26 The River of Jordan.

27 Afterlife.

28 Envoi.

Notes.

Bibliographical Abbreviations.

Index.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4

( 1 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Anonymous

Posted September 23, 2010

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble