Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women The Women of the Tower

by Neha Roy

Description

The year is 1534. Henry VIII sits on the throne of England. He has set aside his first wife, Queen Katharine of Aragon, and has married a second time. The marriage to Anne Boleyn brings a new wave of Reformation in England dividing the people and even leading to arrests and executions, even that of some noteworthy people.

The stories of women, including Henry’s two queens, who were persecuted, condemned and ultimately executed will be explored in this book. Alice Tankerville, the first woman to escape the infamous Tower of London, albeit for a short while; Elizabeth Barton, The Nun of Kent and the only woman to be dealt the dishonour of having her head spiked on London Bridge; Queen Anne Boleyn, whose fall was as tragically spectacular as her rise to fame; Margaret Pole, the last living Plantagenet princess who was denounced as a traitor and met a merciless end in her twilight years; Queen Katheryn Howard, whose daring yet seemingly foolish decisions ultimately led to her downfall; and finally, Anne Askew, the brave Protestant who gained infamy as the only woman to be racked at the Tower.

Through the lives of these women, we will get a glimpse into the reign of the capricious monarch who changed the face of England forever. Apart from this, the book will also delve into the history of the Tower of London, provide a brief glimpse into the life of Tudor women and also into the lives of some noteworthy people of that era.

Genres: Nonfiction

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2023

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

1/12 I’m tripping up reading this. I’m fairly certain this a Netgalley copy, which would explain some supposed facts. Years for the same activities are different, people’s relationships are confused, events are out of order, etc. i hate when these types of things occur because it always makes me question what I know. It’s doubly bad because this author is referencing a few of the historians that I do read on a consistent basis and recommend to others. This is what I see - 1523 (?) as if the book still needs to be fact checked, which seems a bit odd since it’s so close to being released.

1/19 yeah so this need to fact check or burn the book issue is just getting worse. The worst I’ve seen is when the author questions what country Calais belongs to. There are people who should be dead, she just wrote about a battle only for that person to be alive next paragraph. Why is that happening on a consistent basis? My biggest issue though is that we read and learn very basic information about the noble men these women are involved with such as the ruling majesties. Not so much of anything re: the women. Except Anne Boleyn I suppose since she’s prob the most heavily researched.
1/19b ok so I think if one is going to write a critically accepted nonfiction book maybe Wikipedia shouldn’t be your consistent historical source.

I just think if a person whomever you are is going to write a nonfiction book about a time period that is one of the most legendary he/she research before actually writing the book not start writing and get all discombobulated and fill in your own blanks with some totally incorrect information. I mean there is the internet if nothing else. I can’t even recommend this book to anyone because there are so many other books out there that are much better written with more confident factual information.

1/11 the layout of this book is wonky. I’m supposing the author is taking the approach that the reader knows very little about the Tudor era? Or maybe a reader who has read a bit but it’s been awhile so here read this as a refresher? But even so it basically is wasting my time reading about all the players and events in these short paragraphs that are long enough to be dangerous. as Freddie said BRING ON THE GIRLS!

1/10 You know this is just an observation but I’m pretty sure when william the conqueror was born, he wasn’t named William the conqueror. I mean if that is what he was baptized as then that’s pretty cool right because that would have been like telling the future. But i don’t think that’s what happened here, so maybe we should wait to call him william the conqueror AFTER he actually conquers something? Or is william the bastard the only other alternative?

ROYALTY READS PROJECT

[Anne Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it wasn't really what I got. I think I was hoping for something exploring the role of women in Tudor England, with detailed analysis about what these women might have had in common, why they threatened the monarchy, why they had to be imprisoned, etc. Something that really fleshed out a new level of my understanding of Tudor England society. But that wasn't really what the book did. There was a history of the Tower, a biography of Henry VIII, quick summaries of the main people and highlights of his reign, and then we got to six women who were imprisoned. Anne Boleyn and Katheryn Howard get the most page time-including entire histories of their families. Personally I found that interesting but not actually something that fit in this book. Same for Margaret Pole's family history-by the time she's thrown in the Tower you've completely lost the thread of the book's theme. The other women have much less written about them and nothing really analyzing their lives or why they were imprisoned.

I know this was an advanced copy, but I was disappointed in the writing. Awkward word choices, sentence structure, and repetition add together to make things confusing. Events are placed out of order, dates and people are not always correct. The author insists on the correct way of spelling the "Wydeville", then uses "Woodville" interchangeably. Notes in the book from someone (maybe an editor?)suggest that there is still work to be done, but I thought that was both interesting and unusual since you don't generally see that in an advance.

Overall, not a book I'd recommend when there are better written books out there that will provide the same information and you'll feel confident that everything is correct. This book did not inspire me with that level of confidence.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Spiritedbookishbabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story but there wasn’t a lot of new information. I still enjoyed reading the a lot.

[Dieter Moitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting that the Tudors, and chiefly Henry VIII, still hold such a fascination for the modern reader, be it in fiction or in historical studies. Even books like this one that deal with only a particular aspect of his reign will always draw in curious readers, no matter what. I for one admit to be such a reader.

The main subject of this book wasn’t new to me. In one way or another, most writers of Tudor fiction or history tackle the destinies of people such as not only the two hapless queens Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard, but also the Nun of Kent or Margaret Pole, to quote but these four women. The promise of a study focussing on these women in the Tower was therefore alluring.

And Neha Roy didn’t disappoint me. The author first gave a short overview of what preceded Henry VIII’s accession to the throne and described the history of the Tower. Then came the different “case studies” which were the main topic, each with explanations and life stories that remained sufficiently short to be rather easy to follow, with the notable exception of Lady Pole, whose background of course needed a broader exposition, which the author delivered. But that part was, I’m afraid, almost too rushed, and I was glad I already knew most of the persons involved; otherwise, I would have had a hard time following all the different strands of the story.

All in all, the book was well researched, as far as I, a mere amateur historian, could judge it, and written in an unfastidious, relatable, and sometimes even entertaining way that made it a pleasure to read. I was provided an ARC in what I guess an early stage of the editing and publication process, so to my amusement, I found some leftover questions and annotations added by either the proofreader or the editor in brackets (short sentences like “What do you mean?”). First, I thought it shoddy and annoying, but I confess that after a while I was almost loking forward to the next one because it gave me an insight into the working process of both the author and the team of the publishing house. I’m uncertain whether I should hope those annotations will be taken care of before the book is released, or not (they somehow added a probably unwanted entertainment factor for me).

All in all, I enjoyed the read even though, as mentioned before, the section about Margaret Pole was a teensy bit more complicated to follow. I’d recommend it however to all those interested in broadening their knowledge of those times.

[loopyloulaura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women is a non fiction book about 6 women who were imprisoned in the Tower of London during the reign of Henry VIII.
I love the Tudor peiod so was eager to read this book. The majority of the information was not new to me but I was thrilled to discover the tale of Alice Tankerville and the reference to the Vaux Passional, neither of which I had heard of before.
The book begins with a history of the Tower of London and the main events and prominent people of Henry VIII's early life and reign. The book then looks at the specific Tower experiences of Alice Tankerville, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Barton, Katheryn Howard, Margaret Pole and Anne Askew. Incredible women with powerful stories.
The research that has gone into the book is obvious. However, the writing itself was a bit clunky at times with either non sequiturs or repeated phrases within the sentence. The use of language was odd on occasion, sometimes being chatty and other times being high brow. Some words made no sense (women do not sire children!) I also felt that there were some omissions, for example the discussion of Elizabeth of York's life jumped several years and left out her marriage and coronation.
Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women is an enjoyable book but history buffs may be frustrated at the style and missing detail.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower by Neha Roy is an interesting nonfiction and historical account of some of the women that were found to be detained and punished within the Tower of London during the reign of Henry VIII.

This is a great collection of some of the women, some more famous than others obviously, that all had something in common: they found themselves on the bad side of King Henry VIII.

Many of these women I knew quite a bit about, some less so, and was able to learn a bit more about their time of imprisonment. I have a personal soft spot for Margaret Pole and obviously gravitated towards her account first.

A great collection that gives us a glimpse into the risky and dangerous times during the Tudor period, especially for women.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Pen & Sword History for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 11/11/22, no listing has been created) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/30/23.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women was a "wished for" book, and I was happy to receive an ARC for my honest opinion of it. I love history, and am absolutely fascinated with all things Tudor. Neha Roy's subject, women, is a much-needed subject from a time when women were not as well recorded as men.
This is a well-researched book and absolutely fascinating. I knew of most of the women's stories, but Anne Askew and Alice Tankerville I have never read about or seen anything documentary-wise about, so I was really impressed how well-researched Neha Roy went. Learning more about Margaret Pole and her well-cared for stay at the tower yet still executed was really interesting. The writing is really good and keeps you interested in the subject.
I really enjoyed this and would recommend to readers who are interested in Luther-era religious change, Tudor history, English history or women's history. This would be great as an audiobook as well, which I will be on the lookout for after the publishing date-- I'd love to have another read while I'm commuting or doing chores around the house! This is a great addition to the stories of women through history.

[Mariama Thorlu-Bangura · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting addition to the pantheon of books on Tudor history. Neha Roy presents the reader with 10 chapters of information concerning 6 women imprisoned in the Tower by Henry VIII. The first 4 chapters give an overview concerning the history of the Tower, the life of common women in Tudor times (which is more complex than just a simple chapter), and Henry VIII himself & his inner circle. The remaining chapters cover 6 specific women, only one of which was new to me (Alice Tankerville).

The book was well-written, making it easy to read and understand. I believe it would serve as an excellent source of material for a course centered on the Tudor era, and for Tudor history buffs in general.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen&Sword for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

[Eloise Falcone · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Special thanks to Netgalley and Neha Roy for sending me an early copy of this book -

3'5/5

This book is an obviously well investigated piece, that contains a lot of details about people mentioned (mainly the Tudors during king Henry VIII's reign) in it. It has sparked my interest in Anne Askew and former queen Catherine Howard.

At times it could be repetitive, confusing and had a few weird comments on brackets but it was a lovely read nonetheless. Neha Roy really takes you all the way to the very beginning of the story they're telling you so that you can really grasp the whys and hows, the sorrows and the laughs.

You'll enjoy the book if you're interested in learning more about the lives of all types of women during the Tudors era. I am almost sure you'll learn something you didn't know before picking this up.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Neha Roy examines 6 women locked in the Tower over the course of Henry VIII's reign, ranging from the obscure (Alice Tankerville) to the famous (Anne Boleyn). We don't just learn about the crimes the women were accused of and their fates, but also an intense deep dive for each of them about their own lives, their families, their political connections to the bigger picture of the Tudor reign and how their arrests reflected current events in Henry's reign.

Roy loves to give context, and we start first with a history of the Tower itself, going back to William the Conqueror, then a deep look into the causes of the War of the Roses, followed by a look at the Tudor dynasty origins and how their royal dynasty played out, as well as an intense mini-biography on Henry VIII, focusing on his instability and head-choppy attitude.

An EXCELLANT history of the Tudors, shining a well-deserved spotlight on some of Henry VIII's victims.

But after all that, I do have one question: What the hell happened to the gold Alice Tankerville allegedly stole?

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I received this as a free copy from Netgalley and for that I am very grateful….because I would have not been impressed to pay full price for it.

First of all, I found it rambled. It repeated information I had already read in earlier chapters, which makes the book confusing. I found myself querying some of the information as being inaccurate. As though the author was putting their own theories out there as fact. The author acknowledged that they find Anne Boleyn fascinating and that section was by far the biggest one to the detriment of the other women in the book.

What was the point of the comments in the brackets, they added nothing to the narrative and I hope that they were not in the actual book.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting. Tracking the imprisonment and often further punishments of women within Henry VIII's court when really apart from one woman in this book didn't really do a massive amount wrong. The women included in this book are the two wives of Henry that were executed as well as Margaret Pole whose only crime it seems was that she provided a link to the Plantagenet dynasty that it could be argued had a better tie to the the throne. The manner of her execution is horrific to read about even as short as it is in the book. The others in this book are judged and disposed of in such a cruel way you can definitely see how Henry VIII'S despotic behaviour really affected not just womens life.

[Lea Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting read on history of Henry VIII. The author gave an in depth history of the Tower of London from when it was first built to Henry VIII’s time.

We get to read about some of the lesser known figures executed during Henry VIII’s reign all of which were women.

These were brutal times for sure and it was interesting reading about the constant court intrigue that was happening.

The surprise in this book was the amount of time spent on 100 years war. I was not expecting that.

Overall good historical read.

Thank you NetGalley for ‘making my wish come true’ with advance copy to read. These opinions are mine.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tudor period is one of the most notable periods in British History with Henry the 8th being one fo the most notorious Monarchs of all time due to his tyranny and brutality. However what I loved about this book is, although it was about Henry in some respect it was more about the women that he had imprisoned and suffered because of him and his tyranny.
The book was full of interesting information and included some of the women that I previously knew about as well as many that I didn't and I found it fascinating, without being too heavy loaded.

[Chip (C.A.) Printup · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to rate this book higher as I love reading about Tudor England and learning about it but there are a lot of small technical factual errors that make me concerned about how well researched the book actually is, especially on the lesser known cases.

Example multiple times it's stated that Princess Mary Tudor, King Henry's daughter, is stepsister to Prince Edward, when they are actually half-siblings. It's the little errors that ruin an otherwise good or passable informative book.

[Caroline Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but interesting and informative book about the women who were imprisoned by He ray VIII for real or imagined offenses. The more interesting women on this book are the ones that have not been figures of extensive biographies, like Margaret Pole.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Love the cover. This was a fascinating read! The author did a great job researching and writing. I love everything Tudor so when I can find a book from that time period (fiction/non-fiction) I am all over it. Highly recommend

[samsam · Rating 2 out of 5]

i got kinda confused … there was a lot of background noise in the book that didn’t really make sense to have

[Donna Pingry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with little new information.. I'm sure a newbie history would give it higher marks.

I do thank NetGalley and the publisher for a kindle copy of this book. I was advised to give my own true opinion which I have.