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Traitors of the Tower
More than four hundred years ago, seven people - five of them women - were beheaded in the Tower of London. Three had been queens of England. The others were found guilty of treason. Why were such important people put to death?
Alison Weir's gripping book tells their stories: from the former friend betrayed by a man set on being king, to the young girl killed after just nine days on the throne. Through her vivid writing, Alison Weir brings history alive.
Alison Weir's gripping book tells their stories: from the former friend betrayed by a man set on being king, to the young girl killed after just nine days on the throne. Through her vivid writing, Alison Weir brings history alive.
75 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2010
28 people are currently reading
3445 people want to read
About the author
Alison Weir
83 books8,367 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alison Weir is an English writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
Alison Weir is an English writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
December 6, 2024
This is the kind of book that you can dip into whenever you want, because each narrative is so concise. It contains seven short stories about some of the most famous so-called traitors who were executed at The Tower of London, three of them Queens of England, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey. I found it very interesting and easy to fall into.
August 13, 2017
Starting in 1483 with Lord Hastings, ending in 1601 with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, this short presents us with 7 accounts of tragedies among English history. Each short essay was utterly gripping and phenomenal, and I recommend it to all history lovers or anyone who is interested in learning.
September 5, 2022
Seven bite-size stories of seven 'traitors' beheaded in the Tower of London starting with Lord Hastings in 1483, through several British queens and finishing with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex in 1601.
Snapshots of who/what/when/where gives a little taster of English history (and it's very unpleasant!).
Snapshots of who/what/when/where gives a little taster of English history (and it's very unpleasant!).
February 13, 2010
"A short, sharp shot of royal revenge"
Well, I think this quick read does what it says on the tin....I enjoyed a quick wizz through traitor history. Starting in 1483 and ending in 1601, each section only takes about ten pages. The history is simply yet succinctly explained with enough attention to detail to whet your appetite . Useful as an introduction or an aide memoir.
Well, I think this quick read does what it says on the tin....I enjoyed a quick wizz through traitor history. Starting in 1483 and ending in 1601, each section only takes about ten pages. The history is simply yet succinctly explained with enough attention to detail to whet your appetite . Useful as an introduction or an aide memoir.
November 4, 2015
Love a good history book. Short, bloody and straight to the point, British history is so brutal, I love it.
October 3, 2021
Well, I wouldn't have wanted to be a royal or a lord during the Tudor period. Crikey! A period of political cunning, plotting and where it was OK for the king to sleep with whoever he wanted, but off with her head if the queen did!
The tales of each of the 'traitors' is succinct but informative. History that you can follow easily but also teaches you something.
This book also reaffirmed that Richard III was an absolute bastard. Should have left him under the carpark.
The tales of each of the 'traitors' is succinct but informative. History that you can follow easily but also teaches you something.
This book also reaffirmed that Richard III was an absolute bastard. Should have left him under the carpark.
June 18, 2023
It was a concise and entertaining short book that went over a handful of memorable and famous traitors in the tower. It went over the story of why they ended up in the tower and why their execution should be remembered.
Some I knew, like the famous Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole and of course Anne Boleyn. But the others I had either not heard about, or not gone into detail on.
If you want a quick dive into history and learn about 7 executions that took place in the Tower of London and their stories. This is the book to dip your toes in
Some I knew, like the famous Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole and of course Anne Boleyn. But the others I had either not heard about, or not gone into detail on.
If you want a quick dive into history and learn about 7 executions that took place in the Tower of London and their stories. This is the book to dip your toes in
November 22, 2023
Concise overview of those who did wrong (according to the era).
There’s nothing new here for the avid Tudor/Elizabethan fan, but it’s still an interesting read, and with the benefit of years, to look upon as bizzare the way things were done back then, in particular the role of women in society, and the generalised paranoia from the constantly agitating factions behind the scenes.
There’s nothing new here for the avid Tudor/Elizabethan fan, but it’s still an interesting read, and with the benefit of years, to look upon as bizzare the way things were done back then, in particular the role of women in society, and the generalised paranoia from the constantly agitating factions behind the scenes.
March 10, 2013
Another example of why I love, and what I think is so good with Quick Reads. Above all else thy are an opportunity to read new authors and try out different genres.
I have just been introduced to Alison Weir through this non-fictional account of traitors whose lives ended abruptly in the Tower of London. She is an author and historian whose informed writing does bring history to a wider audience. These brief summaries may indeed whet one's appetite to seek out weightier volumes like "The Princes in the Tower" or "The Six Wives of Henry VIII".
This book is an excellent introduction to a very 'current' author who has recently shared her own views on Hilary Mantel's comments on the Duchess of Cambridge and spoken about the significance of finding the bones of Richard III.
Take a chance on a Quick Read; if you hate one you have lost nothing. But maybe, like with this Alison Weir offering for me, you can be taken into a different reality and hopefully a whole world of books with a new found love of reading.
I have just been introduced to Alison Weir through this non-fictional account of traitors whose lives ended abruptly in the Tower of London. She is an author and historian whose informed writing does bring history to a wider audience. These brief summaries may indeed whet one's appetite to seek out weightier volumes like "The Princes in the Tower" or "The Six Wives of Henry VIII".
This book is an excellent introduction to a very 'current' author who has recently shared her own views on Hilary Mantel's comments on the Duchess of Cambridge and spoken about the significance of finding the bones of Richard III.
Take a chance on a Quick Read; if you hate one you have lost nothing. But maybe, like with this Alison Weir offering for me, you can be taken into a different reality and hopefully a whole world of books with a new found love of reading.
June 1, 2016
I liked this one a lot, short, well written, it made my heart ache when I read lady Jane and Margaret story, I highly recommend it.
June 29, 2021
Very interesting and informative for such a short book. I'm definitely going to read more from Alison Weir!
November 7, 2017
I think these were great short biographies about 7 people who were killed at the Tower of London. My inner History Nerd was happy to read about different people through out British History. Now I want to read more about these people. The main reason why I picked it up in the first place was because she wrote about Lady Jane Grey Dudley who was beheaded at the Tower. I always enjoy reading more about her. Alison Weir is such a great storyteller.
November 16, 2018
This book is an easy read and a short introduction to the traitors associated with the Tudor reign. The book is simple in language and nothing like any of Alison Weir's other works. I think this would be great for middle school readers.
February 6, 2019
I feel like it was perhaps too slight a read for me personally, but it was nevertheless quite interesting to read, even though I know the historical facts were nothing new for me. Alison Weir is indeed one of my favorite authors aside from a few feminist and classical authors as of now.
June 27, 2017
3.5 star
Fun, interesting quick read!
Fun, interesting quick read!
February 21, 2023
Informative
Short read
7 historical figures
7 mini biographies
7 beheadings
Short read
7 historical figures
7 mini biographies
7 beheadings
July 16, 2018
A good recap of that era. Since I watched The White Queen series recently I enjoyed the book. Probably gonna watch the tudors after this reading too!
July 13, 2024
Disappointing when such an accomplished historian makes a litany of historical mistakes and touts inaccuracies. Very misogynistic view and descriptions of a young woman who was abused, dismissed as a 'witless fool'. One star for the acknowledgement of the nuance of Lady Mary and one for the recognition of the crimes of Culpeper.
January 31, 2024
Short sharp burst of history, magically brought to life.
March 14, 2012
Still in the mood for reading non-fiction, so I picked this up to test out whether I like Alison Weir's work. She's written a lot of books about this period, which I'm interested in, so... Anyway, it's a very short book, since it was written for the 'quick reads' series. That's really what hampers it: there's not much by way of analysis, just a simplistic recounting of facts, most of which I knew. I think I found the account of Lady Jane Grey most interesting: Alison Weir sees her with sympathy, and told me details I didn't already know about her life and her outlook.
Overall, though, too short and simplistic to be really interesting.
Overall, though, too short and simplistic to be really interesting.
November 9, 2014
ISBN? - 9780099542285
General Subject/s? - History / Executions / Tudors / Wars of the Roses / Sixteenth Century
Title? - This book is a very short introduction to the most famous executions that happened in the Tower of London.
General Analysis? - A very very very short introduction. It literally just gives the facts as we understand them and doesn't really go into much of the background. Each of these instances could at least by ten times the length, if not more. Good for those with no knowledge of the period, but for someone more knowledgeable I would say it is almost useless.
Recommend? - Not unless you're completely unfamiliar with the period.
General Subject/s? - History / Executions / Tudors / Wars of the Roses / Sixteenth Century
Title? - This book is a very short introduction to the most famous executions that happened in the Tower of London.
General Analysis? - A very very very short introduction. It literally just gives the facts as we understand them and doesn't really go into much of the background. Each of these instances could at least by ten times the length, if not more. Good for those with no knowledge of the period, but for someone more knowledgeable I would say it is almost useless.
Recommend? - Not unless you're completely unfamiliar with the period.
May 13, 2016
This serves as a good introduction for people who aren't already familiar with some of these famous historical stories, but it's also a good reference for those who have heard them before, and you might still learn something new too. Apparently, Margaret Pole did not run around the scaffold with the executioner chasing after her. For some reason, I thought that myth was true.
Although each chapter is understandably short given the length of the whole book, it manages to pack a lot in and presents it in an easily read style.
Historical Readings & Reviews
Although each chapter is understandably short given the length of the whole book, it manages to pack a lot in and presents it in an easily read style.
Historical Readings & Reviews
September 21, 2012
Even though it took me only a little over an hour to read this whole book being as short as it is (75 pages) it really is a good read. Weir is my favorite author on this time period and this is a quick little way to get a good introduction to the people in history that were beheaded at this tower. Though I have read full lenght books on most of the poeple in here I would def recommend it to anyone looking to get a little insight during this time. Weir keeps it brief but you can get a good idea of these people and thier tragic ends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2012
I should've read the blurb about the book before putting it on my wishlist. Based on the title and the author, I was expecting a proper biographies of people imprisoned in the Tower. Nope, it's a QuickReads book (again, something I didn't notice when I put it on my wishlist). It felt really simple and I didn't like it because of that when I wasn't expecting it. It's fine as a quick reference book, but a bit of a disappointment (which was partly of my own making, I admit).
January 14, 2011
Traitors of the Tower is a quick read, a whistle stop tour of seven famous "traitors" who were beheaded at the Tower of London between 1483 and 1601.
A factual book, Alison Weir provides the low down on the circumstances surrounding the demise of Lord Hastings, Anne Boleyn, Margaret Pole, Katherine Howard, Jane Parker, Jane Grey and Robert Devereux in an accessible, readable style.
A factual book, Alison Weir provides the low down on the circumstances surrounding the demise of Lord Hastings, Anne Boleyn, Margaret Pole, Katherine Howard, Jane Parker, Jane Grey and Robert Devereux in an accessible, readable style.
June 1, 2013
Delightful and insightful quick read. Alison Weir adds small, interesting tidbits of knowledge about each of the "traitors" in such a way that gives them more humanity... I find that with reading so much fiction on historical figures it's often difficult to extract fact from exaggerated fact or perhaps just fabricated "filler". Alison's greatly researched biographies are brilliant.
May 12, 2017
Vignettes of the six citizens who were condemned as traitors to the crown between 1483 and 1601. Took about an hour? Maybe to read? Just enough story to get the picture. Perfect for that student who doesn't want to read an entire book
Read
January 9, 2016It was good. I listened on Audible so because there are a lot of dates if I was reading it again I'd probably opt for Kindle or print instead. Interesting insights into Tudor history
February 7, 2023
I don’t really know how to categorise this. Is it a collection of historical essays? A novella? A short story collection? It must be a little of all three.
This book contains the stories of seven powerful English nobles who were put to death after a stay in the Tower of London. It ranges across time from the reign of Edward IV to Elizabeth I. Every story is around 10 pages or less, and each of them is utterly gripping and conclusive.
The only criticism—and, to me, this is hardly criticism at all—is that Alison Weir has made certain decisions in the text about things which are unknown or uncertain. In this, the book has the air of fiction. But the rough gist of all the stories is true.
At something like 70 pages, you can read this in an evening or two. I’d recommend this to fans of ASOIAF, historical fiction, and real history. All of the stories are equally well-told and are brutal and heartbreaking in equal measure.
This book contains the stories of seven powerful English nobles who were put to death after a stay in the Tower of London. It ranges across time from the reign of Edward IV to Elizabeth I. Every story is around 10 pages or less, and each of them is utterly gripping and conclusive.
The only criticism—and, to me, this is hardly criticism at all—is that Alison Weir has made certain decisions in the text about things which are unknown or uncertain. In this, the book has the air of fiction. But the rough gist of all the stories is true.
At something like 70 pages, you can read this in an evening or two. I’d recommend this to fans of ASOIAF, historical fiction, and real history. All of the stories are equally well-told and are brutal and heartbreaking in equal measure.
November 22, 2020
A cool little way to take a tour through English history in the Dark Ages. Who can you trust? Especially when you’re in a position of political power. I got this book at The Tower of London gift shop and it’s an easy read even though for a curious sort it brings up so many questions about the details and relationships it mentions. I had no idea when we were in the lovely & reverent chapel, St. Peters, in the White Tower (the castle in the middle) that it was also the burial ground for many of the traitors put to death on the green outside. History is messy. This features the short stories of 7 famous traitors who lost their heads on the green or in front of the Waterloo Barracks between 1483 and 1601 AD.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews