The Tudors

The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty

By: G. J. Meyer

Narrated by: Robin Sachs

Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Good overview

This book is a good overview of the Tudor Dynasty. There are some drawbacks but they are not bad enough to not read this book. First of all, this book is not exhaustive regarding all six wives. In fact, the book barely mentions the wives after Anne Boleyn. I am now reading "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Alison Weir to compensate for this loss. Also, the way the author jumps back and forth in time is annoying.

On the positive side, I learned a great deal from this book. There is lots of good info on Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. There are chapters in the book called "Background" chapters and they are fascinating. Robin Sachs is an excellent narrator for this book.

Author bias shows

This history of The Tudors was informative however the author's dislike of two of the family members is easy to deduce. Love them or hate them, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made the Tudor family so fascinating. I personally love Elizabeth despite her foibles. Gloriana!

Very Easy listen.

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

Yes.It was very informative but very easy to digest

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tudors?

I really couldnt dicriminate between one or the other

Which scene was your favorite?

There wasnt any one scene

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

No,it was 24 hours long.

Any additional comments?

This was a very informative history of the 1500's in england.It provides a good deal of background and insight into the major players in the tudor drama. It was also presented in a digestable interesting fashion without becoming Dumbed down

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.

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.

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.

New Perspective...

Would you listen to The Tudors again? Why?

As someone who has read extensively on the Tudor dynasty, I actually enjoyed the different perspective that this book offered, which was overwhelming negative about the whole lot of the family. It is not unusual to find books that condemn the behavior of Henry (VII and VIII) and Mary, but this book calls to the carpet, so to speak, the actual ramifications of the reign of Gloriana (admittedly one of my childhood heros), both during her lifetime and after. It seems well-researched and while negative, fair in it's analysis of the facts presented.

Loved it!

I loved absolutely every moment of this. I wish it were even longer! Sachs does an excellent job bringing a delightful and entertaining story to life.

Scattered and primarily religious

The book jumps around a lot with “background” sections on what the author feels like including. I’m a Tudor addict, so I continued listening anyway. He doesn’t like any of the Tudors, with special disgust for Elizabeth. The reader also sounds supremely bored, or perhaps superior, so that adds to the effect. However, it is a good and balanced viewpoint, to counteract all the attention the Tudors have gained over the years, so if you can tolerate it, it’s worthwhile.

Colour filled History

Excellent record of events and background, well structured and interesting, giving lots of insight into the characters and the effects of excess. Enjoy this book immensely.