The Tudors

The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty

De: G. J. Meyer

Narrado por: Robin Sachs

New York Times best seller

For the first time in decades comes a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country.

“A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative...Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.” (Associated Press)

For the first time in decades, here, in a single volume, is a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country. Acclaimed historian G. J. Meyer reveals the flesh-and-bone reality in all its wild excess.

In 1485, young Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was so weak as to be almost laughable, crossed the English Channel from France at the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from the family that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half a century later his son, Henry VIII, desperate to rid himself of his first wife in order to marry a second, launched a reign of terror aimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed of possessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generations of division and disorder, creating a legacy of blood and betrayal that would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of his country.

The boy king Edward VI, a fervent believer in reforming the English church, died before bringing to fruition his dream of a second English Reformation. Mary I, the disgraced daughter of Catherine of Aragon, tried and failed to reestablish the Catholic Church and produce an heir. And finally came Elizabeth I, who devoted her life to creating an image of herself as Gloriana the Virgin Queen but, behind that mask, sacrificed all chance of personal happiness in order to survive.

The Tudors weaves together all the sinners and saints, the tragedies and triumphs, the high dreams and dark crimes, that reveal the Tudor era to be, in its enthralling, notorious truth, as momentous and as fascinating as the fictions audiences have come to love.

Praise for The Tudors

“A rich and vibrant tapestry.” (The Star-Ledger)

“Energetic and comprehensive...[a] sweeping history of the gloriously infamous Tudor era... Unlike the somewhat ponderous British biographies of the Henrys, Elizabeths, and Boleyns that seem to pop up perennially, The Tudors displays flashy, fresh irreverence [and cuts] to the quick of the action.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“[A] cheeky, nuanced, and authoritative perspective...brims with enriching background discussions.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[A] lively new history.” (Bloomberg)

©2010 G.J. Meyer (P)2010 Random House

An Awsome Corruption of Power

Would you listen to The Tudors again? Why?

I would listen to this book over and over. For such an interesting read there is a surprising amount of detail in here. Each monarch brings with them new faces to the court. These new power struggles and jealousies lead to parallel intrigues. As for the monarchs themselves, the Tudors remain one of history's great intrigues.

What other book might you compare The Tudors to and why?

I suppose the closest I would find to this may be A history of the Isles by Norman Davies, and I suppose the reason is that the author's passion for subject becomes so infectious, without loosing their ability to be highly critical or controversial.

What about Robin Sachs’s performance did you like?

It was a really great listen. You usually know from the first 5 minutes if the narrator is going to be a winner. Sometimes the best narrators are the ones you don't notice. When the work involves a fair bit of detail it needs to be delivered without distraction but with authority.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I enjoyed mulling it over. There is too much historical detail to take in and I mean that in the best way possible.

Any additional comments?

I will listen to this book again and again. If I had one complaint it would be the lack of information regarding the Tudors in Ireland. The Tudors sowed the seeds of five hundred years of conflict as well as laying the groundwork for the great suffering for the coming generations of the native Irish people. Although in the past English historians have rarely bothered themselves with England/Britain's interference in Ireland, and Irish students of history always have to read English historians through a certain prism because of this. I felt that this was a study that could have made room for it but plainly didn't. But a great book for all that.

An indictment of the Tudors

I, like many people, have always been fascinated by the Tudors. Perhaps it is because of our popular culture, from the BBC to our movies, but the Tudors have always seemed like a remarkable group of rulers so I was particularly interested in G J Meyer's book on them. It was all I could have asked for and more.

My Meyer's examination of the Tudor dynasty, from Henry VII through Elizabeth I, is thorough, detailed and incisive. The book is full of detail, in some cases almost too much detail, and leaves little to the imagination. His indictment of the Tudors flies in the face of today's cultural view of the Tudors, but leaves little doubt as to the validity of his assessment.

Understandably much of the book centers on the two best known Tudor monarchs – Henry VIII (or, perhaps we should say Henry VIIJ as you will read in the book) and Elizabeth I – although Henry VII, Edward VI and Mary I are hardly ignored. Mr Meyer's indictment of both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I are based on fact and opened my eyes to a part of history that I did not know. Most of what I knew about Henry was related to his break from the Catholic Church and his efforts to secure a male heir. While I have always condemned what I saw as his “excesses” I thought I understood his desperate search for a male heir since there had never been a successful British Queen before that time. However I never really knew how much of a tyrant he was and I never really knew how much the British Parliament of his day had been made a creature of the crown. His slaughter of all of those who stood in his way, and of those who served him faithfully, are facts ignored by most contemperary accounts, at least those with which I was familiar.

His description of Elizabeth's reign also brought to my attention much I never knew. I had always thought that Elizabeth failed in perhaps her main responsibility to the British state – marrying and producing a successor – and I always thought that she did so out of her own selfishness, but I never knew much about her persuit of practicing Catholics in the country. I knew of the general policy and I knew about how her agents persued Catholic Priests to arrest them, but I never really felt that I knew why they did so. Mr Meyer explained the thinking behind this policy and, perhaps, why British policy up till the 20th century continued to exclude Catholics from most government positions. None of this is meant to excuse this policy for Mr Meyer makes clear that most Catholics, including those slaughtered for their beliefs, were loyal British subjects. In particular the story of Edmund Campion ended for me the idea of “Good Queen Bess”.

In A Word Undone, Mr Meyer's history of World War I, he alternated chapters between events and background information. His background sections were particularly helpful in explaining the “whys” in what was happening. He uses the same technique in this book, although there are not as many background chapters, to explain why things were as they were, why particular policies were followed and why particular solutions worked or did not work. I found this extremely helpful in understanding what was happening during the 120 or so years of the Tudors. Another thing I took away from this book is an understanding of how stable today's politics are compared to the world of the 16th century where the English, French, Spanish and Hapsburgs were constantly making and breaking alliances for the most transient of reasons.

This book is narrated by Robin Sachs who does a splendid job.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the period of the English Reformation or to those interested in British history of any period. So much of what happened during the reign of the Tudors is central to what came after that this book is enormously helpful in understanding events that happened hundreds of years after the last Tudor monarch died.

Another Great book and Performance

I agree with most reviews that highly rated this book.
What I love about the writing and the performance is you get surrounded in the 1500s.
I was first hesitant to get this book as I could care less about english kings and queens, that is, stories of the rich and famous and their 'problems' (oh the troubles I've seen having so much money/wealth) - yuck.
But I had listened to World Undone and was floored and so gave Meyer and Sachs another go was floored yet again.
I really like the background and how he interweaves all the various pieces together to tell a riveting history.
Gave me so much perspective of those times I knew very little about.
For those who think it is revisionist, I can't disagree more as the propaganda machine is always in work to keep the undeserved wealthy (as in I'm king because my Dad was....) in their positions. This book strips away that these Tudors had intention to do well for the country. They were out for themselves (extravagantly) and use any means to suck the country dry and make up justifications, do countless murders and torture to suit themselves. Just think mafia.
Listening to the Henry 8th section during Trump admin would often give me the eerie sensation that I wasn't listening to history, but to current events.

Learned a lot.

This was an eye opener and I learned a lot. It’s something to see what happens when you combine church and state, let alone all power in one man or woman.
And I must say that, it seems like this book was written by a Catholic or with a Catholic bias, because it sure was ready to demonize what happened in England under the Tudors, as if the Catholic Church had not put to death for 1260 years countless numbers at the steak and by the sword. No wonder they were called the dark ages. But the real reason they were dark, was the Bible, the light of God, was kept from man by the church.
If you really want a good book on those 1260 years that are talked about in the Bible, read the book, The Great Controversy, of which you can find on Amazon.

Richly detailed history

There have been enough books, movies and TV series about the Tudors and the rise of Protestantism to fill a large warehouse. But this book earns a place on anyone's reading list with an essential telling of the six Tudor monarchs from Henry VII to Elizabeth I. This is a richly detailed history with enough sweep and detail to satisfy the general reader and the specialist. I was surprised to feel some empathy for Mary I ("Bloody Mary"), a smart, strong woman who is usually ignored by most historians. She allowed her deep-seated religious prejudice against Protestants to overwhelm her many forward-thinking programs. Another surprise was the portrait of Elizabeth I, who is usually depicted as a dynamic leader. Here she merely hopes to survive a tumultuous era without losing her head or her crown. Henry VIII is, correctly, portrayed as a bully, a self-willed monster and a wholesale murderer who killed thousands out of childish irritation. Henry let few scruples stand in the way of his egocentric needs, a Renaissance dictator worthy of Saddam's terror. The narration is first-rate. Highly recommended.

Very detailed and informative

I'm very interested in 15th and 16th century European history so I love that this book goes back to the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. Some parts did seem to drag a little with the huge amount of detailed information that was given but that's not altogether a bad thing. I also liked the "background" parts that came at the end of the chapters.
Probably the only thing I didn't like was the fact that the author seemed to dislike Elizabeth Tudor so much. I understand that the author maybe shouldn't exude being a huge fan of the protagonist, but I really got the feeling that he generally disliked or disapproved of her. It seemed to me that it colored how he wrote about her part of English history rather than being objective.

Absorbing, Straightforward Narrative

Any additional comments?

This was more absorbing than most histories I've listened to, probably because the sequence of events and characters are easier to follow. I listen on my commute, so that's important. I also liked the background sections which help to understand motivations behind the actions at pivotal points in the narrative.

There may be bias, as others have commented, but they didn't back up the assertion as far as I could see, and in some cases the comments were worded so archly / ironically I couldn't follow the logic. So don't accept the premise that the author is biased without examining the reasoning behind the assertion.

Educational and well researched.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if he or she were interested in basic historical facts and the strategic details of the wars and politics.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Anti-climatic.

What aspect of Robin Sachs’s performance would you have changed?

Pleasant but dry. More inflection, emotion, etc.., would have been more enjoyable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Interesting background info

Overall liked it. Would have liked more details in some areas more than others but it generally kept me interested. Sometimes hard to follow all the supporting people with similar names through the timeline.

OUTSTANDING!

As an unabashed lover of British royalty, I've read over 100 books on monarchs from William The Conqueror to Edward VIII (the family gets boring after that). For me, the Tudors have always been embodied by a twitchy but regal Bette Davis as Elizabeth I and the fat-boy Holbein painting of Henry VIII. But this book gives all 6 Tudors their due, in one of the most indepth accounts ever. The media has sold us on largely fictional and/or subjective views of Tudor monarchs, Henry and Elizabeth, while basically ignoring Henry VII, and Mary I, Jane Grey, and Edward VI. However, this author sets the record straight. He tells each monarch's life from beginning to end, rather than as merely side characters to the longer reigning Tudors. He also provides the reader with backstories into the people and living conditions of that era, showing the period to be awash with poverty, ignorance, and oppression. Henry and Elizabeth, who are 2 of the most remembered monarchs were certainly not the greatest. And their cruelty, greed, vanity, and selfishness was overwhelming. "Off with their heads" was more than a mere expression for them. This book is enlightening, educational and entertaining. The author pulls no punches yet still allows the reader to judge for him/herself as to the short but turbulent reign of the Tudors. At 24.5 hours in length, it's hard to believe that any more could be written about this dynasty - this has got to be the best researched book EVER on the subject. I'd like to see the author write a "prequel" about the Plantagenets who gave England 14 kings over a span of more than 300 years vs. the Tudor reign of only 118 (83 years combined between Henry VIII and Elizabeth I). This is the only book that I've bought here which is worth 2 credits.