Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen »

Anna Whitelock has a Ph.D. in history from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. Her articles and book reviews on various aspects of Tudor history have appeared in publications including the Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement, and BBC History. Mary Tudor, her first book, was one of five shortlisted titles for Britain’s prestigious annual The First Biography Prize. She was also the winner of the Arts Club Emerging Writer Award in 2010. She has taught at Cambridge and is now a lecturer in early modern history at the University of London.

She was the first woman to inherit the throne of England, a key player in one of Britain’s stormiest eras, and a leader whose unwavering faith and swift retribution earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.” Now, in this impassioned and absorbing debut, historian Anna Whitelock offers a modern perspective on Mary Tudor and sets the record straight once and for all on one of history’s most compelling and maligned rulers.
   
Though often overshadowed by her long-reigning sister, Elizabeth I, Mary lived a life full of defiance, despair, and triumph. Born the daughter of the notorious King Henry VIII and the Spanish Katherine of Aragon, young Mary was a princess in every sense of the word—schooled in regal customs, educated by the best scholars, coveted by European royalty, and betrothed before she had reached the age of three. Yet in a decade’s time, in the wake of King Henry’s break with the pope, she was declared a bastard, disinherited, and demoted from “princess” to “lady.” Ever her deeply devout mother’s daughter, Mary refused to accept her new status or to recognize Henry’s new wife, Anne Boleyn, as queen. The fallout with her father and his counselors nearly destroyed the teenage Mary, who faced imprisonment and even death. 

It would be an outright battle for Mary to work herself back into the king’s favor, claim her rightful place in the Tudor line, and ultimately become queen of England, but her coronation would not end her struggles. She flouted the opposition and married Philip of Spain, sought to restore Catholicism to the nation, and fiercely punished the resistance. But beneath her brave and regal exterior was a dependent woman prone to anxiety, whose private traumas of phantom pregnancies, debilitating illnesses, and unrequited love played out in the public glare of the fickle court. 
   
Anna Whitelock, an acclaimed young British historian, chronicles this unique woman’s life from her beginnings as a heralded princess to her rivalry with her sister to her ascent as ruler. In brilliant detail, Whitelock reveals that Mary Tudor was not the weak-willed failure as so often rendered by traditional narratives but a complex figure of immense courage, determination, and humanity.

The Washington Post - Christopher Schoppa

Whitelock sets the record on Mary straight with flair and grace.

Mary Tudor's Family Tree

Author's Note

Introduction: Resurrection

PART ONE A King's Daughter

Chapter 1 Princess of England 3

Chapter 2 A True Friendship and Alliance 7

Chapter 3 Are You the Dauphin of France? 13

Chapter 4 A Very Fine Young Cousin Indeed 16

Chapter 5 The Institution of a Christian Woman 21

Chapter 6 Great Signs and Tokens of Love 25

Chapter 7 Princess of Wales 28

Chapter 8 Pearl of the World 33

Chapter 9 This Sheer Calamity 36

Chapter 10 The King's Great Matter 43

Chapter 11 The Scandal of Christendom 48

Chapter 12 The Lady Mary 53

Chapter 13 Spanish Blood 58

Chapter 14 High Traitors 61

Chapter 15 Worse Than a Lion 65

Chapter 16 Suspicion of Poison 71

Chapter 17 The Ruin Of the Concubine 76

Chapter 18 Most Humble and Obedient Daughter 83

Chapter 19 Incredible Rejoicing 91

Chapter 20 Deliverance of a Goodly Prince 96

Chapter 21 The Most Unhappy Lady in Christendom 100

Chapter 22 For Fear of Making a Ruffle in the World 106

Chapter 23 More a Friend Than a Stepmother 117

Chapter 24 The Family of Henry VIII 117

Chapter 25 Departed This Life 122

PART TWO A King's Sister

Chapter 26 The King is Dead, Long Live the King 131

Chapter 27 Fantasy and New Fangleness 137

Chapter 28 Advice to Be Conformable 143

Chapter 29 The Most Unstable Man in England 148

Chapter 30 What Say You, Mr Ambassador? 152

Chapter 31 An Unnatural Example 157

Chapter 32 Naughty Opinion 162

Chapter 33 Matters Touching My Soul 166

Chapter 34 My Device for the Succession 170

Chapter 35 Friends in the Briars 176

Chapter 36 True Owner of the Crown 179

PART THREE A Queen

Chapter 37 Marye the Quene 187

Chapter 38 The Joy of the People 191

Chapter 39 Clemency and Moderation 197

Chapter 40 Old Customs 204

Chapter 41 God Save Queen Mary 209

Chapter 42 Iniquitous Laws 212

Chapter 43 A Marrying Humor 217

Chapter 44 A Suitable Partner in Love 223

Chapter 45 A Traitorous Conspiracy 228

Chapter 46 Gibbets and Hanged Men 236

Chapter 47 Sole Queen 243

Chapter 48 Good Night, My Lords all 248

PART FOUR A King's Wife

Chapter 49 With this Ring I Thee Wed 255

Chapter 50 Mutual Satisfaction 258

Chapter 51 The Happiest Couple in the World 262

Chapter 52 To Reconcile, not to Condemn 268

Chapter 53 The Queen is With Child 273

Chapter 54 Her Majesty's Belly 277

Chapter 55 Blood and Fire 282

Chapter 56 Extraordinarily in Love 288

Chapter 57 Committed to the Flames 293

Chapter 58 A Great and Rare Example of Goodness 298

Chapter 59 Stout and Devilish Hearts 301

Chapter 60 Obedient Subject and Humble Sister 307

Chapter 61 A Warmed Over Honeymoon 311

Chapter 62 A Public Enemy to Ourselves 315

Chapter 63 The Grief of the Most Serene Queen 319

Chapter 64 Readiness for Change 323

Chapter 65 Thinking Myself to Be With Child 326

Chapter 66 Reasonable Regret for her Death 329

Epilogue: Veritas Temporis Filia 334

Acknowledgments 341

Notes 343

Select Bibliography 375

Index 385

Illustration Credits 401