Title: Winter King – The Dawn of Tudor England
Genre: History
Year: 2011
Pages: 380
Origin: bought from Waterstones
Nod Rating: 4 nods out of 5
Now, regular readers of this blog will have come across a fair few reviews on the Tudor period over the past year. Of notable interest was S.B. Chrimes forensic detail on the administrative functions of Henry VII’s reign, whilst Starkey put in his usual flamboyant shift in an attempt to breathe life into the early life of Henry VIII. William Penn’s own look at Henry VII is a combination of both of these writing personalities: substance of detail, as well as style of entertaining the reader.
Henry VII is a monarch usually in the shadows, jealously looking at the posterity accorded to his son (Henry VIII) and granddaughter (Elizabeth I) – both being known as the “bigger” Tudors. Henry is painted as the Winter King in connection to the end days of his kingship in which popular legend has colour leaving the court and country, ready to be reignited once again with the blossoming coming of the summer king, Henry VIII.
Penn takes the position that Henry’s reign was dominated and dictated by what had come before, namely the chaos and confusion of the Wars of the Roses. Mindful of his modest origins, Henry is paranoid and never stable on his throne, having to face threats from left, right and centre. Interestingly, many other histories - including a particular book that the Worm is currently reading - such threats are noted as having been stopped by 1499 with the death of the great pretender, Perkin Warbeck. However, Penn highlights other threats – notably the Earl of Suffolk – to continually bring home the message that Henry’s hold on the crown was never secure. This dynasty, which would go on to hold the imagination of historians for centuries upon centuries, hung by a thread at many points in Henry VII’s declining years. It rested on the shoulders of his youngest son (and we all know that he would go on to achieve some very interesting feats).
As well as the psychological aspect, Penn is keen to chart the financial functions of Henry’s court. In particular, the extracting exploits of Henry’s advisors Dudley and Empson. Their dodgy dealings highlighted the wrongs of Henry VII’s end years, and their bloody removal in the early stages of Henry VIII’s reign were a sure sign that the winter was over.
Penn manages to bring to life a period of history that has been overshadowed in the grander scheme of the Tudor dynasty. As earlier stated, Chrimes managed to dissect the reign with a scholarly eye; Penn – despite holding such lofty credentials – attempts an accessible history within his book. In doing this, he undoubtedly succeeds. From the shadows Henry VII is brought into focus. The question now is, can Penn take on another monarch – perhaps one of greater fame – to paint a book of greater standing. The Worm waits with, as always, baited breath.
Buy it here
