Name: Inside the Tudor Court
ISBN: 9781445637242

Lauren Mackay

A first-hand perspective on Henry VIII’s court and relationships

Inside the Tudor Court

The reports and despatches of Eustace Chapuys, Spanish Ambassador to Henry VIII's court from 1529 to 1545, have been instrumental in shaping our modern interpretations of Henry VIII and his wives. As a result of his personal relationships with several of Henry's queens, and Henry himself, his writings were filled with colourful anecdotes, salacious gossip, and personal and insightful observations of the key players at court, thus offering the single most continuous portrait of the central decades of Henry's reign. Beginning with Chapuys' arrival in England, in the middle of Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon, this book progresses through the episodic reigns of each of Henry's queens. Chapuys tirelessly defended Katherine and later her daughter, Mary Tudor, the future Mary I. He remained as ambassador through the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, and reported on each and every one of Henry's subsequent wives - Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katharine Parr - as well as that most notorious of ministers Thomas Cromwell. He retired in 1545, close to the end of Henry VIII's reign. In approaching the period through Chapuys' letters, Lauren Mackay provides a fresh perspective on Henry, his court and the Tudor period in general.

Henry VIII and His Six Wives Through the Writings of the Spanish Ambassador

Rachel Benton

I really liked this book, I thought this was well written and it was easy to read. I think that Mackay has done a job in debunking all the *Evil Chapuys* myths that have been around for ages. People automatically assume that Chapuys was Hispanic because he was Spanish Ambassador, not true. Chapuys was born in Annecy, which is in south eastern France. Another myth is that Chapuys was this ardent Catholic who hated anyone who was not Catholic. Again, not true, Chapuys had friends from both sides, Catholics and Protestants. Infact he had developed a close friendship with Thomas Cromwell, I think that it was sad that the two men really never had a chance to say a final farewell before Cromwell was executed. There was a lot more then what I mentioned here, but overall I would recommend this book. If you haven't read, I would say that it was a must buy.

Inside the Tudor Court

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