Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The Red Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. III) by Philippa Gregory; The Lancaster Side With A Very Different But Equally Memorable Protagonist

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The Red Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. III) by Philippa Gregory; The Lancaster Side of the Cousin's War With A Different But Also Memorable Protagonist

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: One interesting thing with Historical Fiction is that you can get multiple perspectives from the same point in history. Like Rashomon, different characters will give their own versions of the events based on their background and relations to the events in question. These multiple points of view aren't necessarily wrong, after all what really is fact and truth when history is written by the winners? But they are how the characters see them.

Philippa Gregory had previously told of the War of the Roses from the Yorkist point of view from Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV and protagonist of the White Queen. In Lady of the Rivers, Elizabeth's mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg's allegiance shifted from the Lancasters when she was a Lady in Waiting to Margaret d'Anjou to York when her husband and son supported the Yorks and her daughter plead for mercy in front of King Edward IV.

Now in her third book in the Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series, The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory gives us the Lancastrian side from the point of view of someone who is a very different lead character from Elizabeth Woodville, but just as memorable in her own way: Margaret Beaufort, cousin to King Henry VI and mother to King Henry VII.

When she is a little girl, Margaret believes that she is headed for a life of spiritual piety.
Unfortunately, her opportunistic relatives particularly her cold mother have other ideas. She is arranged to marry Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond. The marriage is brief as Edmund is a young man who is more interested in hanging out with the guys than being a husband. He is killed but not before Margaret gives birth to a son, Henry Tudor.

After his birth, Margaret has a vision in which Henry, her son, is God's anointed king. She never wavers through that vision not during the War of the Roses. Not during her two subsequent marriages to Sir Henry Stafford and Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby. Not during the reigns of King Edward IV and King Richard III, and not when she is separated from her son as he is sent in exile to be raised and trained by his paternal uncle, Jasper Tudor.

In writing The Red Queen, Gregory made a conscious effort to make Margaret Beaufort as different from Elizabeth Woodville as possible. In a way, it reminds me of the approach Marion Zimmer Bradley gave to Guenivere and Morgaine in Mists of Avalon by making them two different women with different religions, motives, and approaches but making them very strong forceful characters in their own individual ways. Gregory pulls the same feat here.

While Elizabeth Woodville is from a family rooted in their Pagan past, Margaret is clearly a die-hard Christian. Even as a child, she is happy to have “saint’s knees” (wounds from kneeling in prayer so much) and has ambitions to become an abbess or after she hears about Joan of Arc, a warrior for God. Her whole life is driven by the desire to do something significant in the name of her God.

While Elizabeth Woodville has loving parents who encourage her to put herself forward and brazenly approach King Edward, Margaret’s home life is less cozy. Her father committed suicide before she was born and her mother has so little affection for her daughter that when Margaret goes through a troubled labor giving birth to Henry, her mother insists that they save the baby and let Margaret die. Margaret's unloving home could be one of the factors why she is so devoted to her religion. Finding no love from her earthly mother and father, she seeks it from her Heavenly Father.

Margaret's role she is told is severely limited to being the wife of one powerful man and the mother of another. While she acquiesces to the role, like her rival Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort finds a way to use it to her advantage. Once she believes that Henry, her son, is chosen to be the next king she visualizes herself as Queen or rather Queen Mother singing her name “Margaret R,” as in Margaret Regina or Margaret Richmond.

Throughout the book, Margaret shows single mindedness in her goal of making her son King so everything else is secondary. After Edmund Tudor’s death, she clearly falls in love with his brother, Jasper and vice versa but they don't act on their emotions because Margaret feels that she has a higher purpose. Jasper is also sent away to raise Henry in exile and to make sure the boy fulfills his eventual duty as King. Margaret is so driven by her desire to make Henry king that she foregoes a maternal relationship with him and is not physically close to him until he reaches adulthood.

During the War of the Roses, Margaret is firmly on the side of the Lancasters because of Henry VI’s spiritual faith which she doesn't realize often prevents him from ruling since he spends more time in prayer or in a coma than making decisions. Still Margaret is committed to that side to the point where she shames her second husband, Stafford into fighting the Yorks which for a long time he resists. She never lets go of that image of being Joan of Arc fighting for her God if only from the side lines.

The only husband who is a match for Margaret's steely resolve is Stanley. Unlike Margaret's unwavering devotion to her side, the Stanleys are known to turn coats for whoever is winning, often keeping the Yorks and Lancasters, as well as Margaret, guessing. Stanley is the only one to call Margaret's spiritual belief into question by asking whether it is God's will or really hers that her son is to be King, a question that she cannot answer.

Stanley also is able to put many of her thoughts into action. After King Edward IV dies and his sons are put into the Tower of London, it is Stanley who reminds her that there are currently three obstacles in the way of her Henry becoming King and at least two of them are young defenseless boys and what is she going to do about it. Her answer is, of course, historical speculation but leads to a very possible outcome and eventually tragedies to come farther down the Tudor line.

Through Stanley's influence, Margaret does learn to compromise slightly when she realizes that she and Elizabeth Woodville share a common enemy in Richard III. Even though Margaret thinks Elizabeth Woodville is a witch and her daughter, Elizabeth of York, is a slut who is in love with her uncle, she willingly arranges the marriage between her son and Elizabeth's daughter. However, she clearly lets the younger Elizabeth know who's in charge. Though Elizabeth of York counters with a great comeback suggesting that she won't be so easily swayed and possibly foreshadows more potential trouble in the union between the two former rival houses.

The Red Queen presents a very different protagonist from Elizabeth Woodville. Like her predecessor, Margaret Beaufort is not always likable. She is militant, fanatic, and egocentric with her view of God and her destiny. But she is definitely unforgettable.

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The White Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. II) by Philippa Gregory; Engaging War of the Roses Read From The Point of View of Queen Elizabeth Woodville

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The White Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. II) by Philippa Gregory; Engaging War of the Roses Read From The Point of View of Queen Elizabeth Woodville




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Chances are if you watched Game of Thrones or read George R.R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire, then you are familiar with The War of the Roses also known as the Cousin's War. This period in English history was the springboard for the epic fantasy series about several rival families, particularly the Lannisters and the Starks vying for the Iron Throne.

In real life two families, the Lancasters and the Yorks, vied for the English throne. The two families both had roses for their emblems-red for Lancaster and white for York. They battled for years with much bloodshed between cousins, siblings, and friends many who turned their coats for whoever was on the winning side. While the war ended temporarily when the Yorkist King Edward IV won the throne, it didn't officially end until the marriage of Lancaster-backed Henry Tudor AKA Henry VII to Elizabeth of York. The two ascended the throne as king and queen creating the Tudor dynasty culminating in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Philippa Gregory captures that tumultuous time with her second chronological book in the Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series (but seventh written in general and first in the Cousin's War portion of the series), The White Queen.


The White Queen is among the best of the series because it has one of the most fascinating protagonists: Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV.

We meet Elizabeth Woodville right where Lady of the Rivers left her off as a war widowed mother facing poverty and about to directly ask King Edward for protection even though she is from a Lancaster supported family. She appears under an oak tree, dressed in her finest gown, and stands in front of the riding king to solicit his help. Impressed by her nerve and beauty, Edward not only agrees but is attracted to her. She is attracted to him as well, but she's no fool. She refuses to to acquiesce to being his lover (after all Edward's reputation with women is rather well known), so Edward does the next best thing: proposes marriage and she accepts.

This was historically accurate that Edward wed Elizabeth Woodville shortly after meeting her and stunned the people by marrying a commoner with Lancaster ties. It is one of those plot points that would be so unbelievable if it weren't so true. However, Gregory provides us a few plausible explanations why the two married in such haste.

The first is Elizabeth's character. When Edward attempts to sleep with her, she refuses then threatens to stab herself if he assaults her. Edward recognizes her strength of character and her fearlessness as seeing the king as an equal and not a superior. He realizes that she would not only make a good wife, but a powerful ally in her own right.

The other reason is a bit more fantastical. As we remember from Lady of the Rivers, Elizabeth is descended from Melusine, a water spirit from Breton legend that was half woman half-sea creature. Elizabeth and her mother, Jacquetta have inherited Melusine's abilities which include casting spells and curses and having psychic premonitions called the Sight. The mother and daughter practice these abilities in secret and one of those spells involved making the handsome king protect her in any way possible. Obviously, that included marriage. This storyline plays into the accusations against Elizabeth Woodville for witchcraft. Gregory's plot plays with the possibility that there might have been some truth to the rumors.

Unfortunately, after Edward and Elizabeth marry, she makes some powerful enemies: Richard Neville, Duke of Warwick AKA “The Kingmaker”, who helped Edward get the throne and George, Duke of Clarence and Edward's spiteful younger brother. Their hatred for Elizabeth increases when Edward promotes her brothers to key positions and marries her sisters off to wealthy noblemen putting Elizabeth's family, the Rivers, into power. Elizabeth is aware of the tension that exists between herself, Warwick, and George but she does not act on it until the duo betray Edward for the Lancaster king, Henry VI and kill Elizabeth's father and brother.

Elizabeth is an interesting multi faceted character. Even when she is put into sanctuary temporarily when Henry VI becomes king again (and gives birth to her son), she is never at a loss for a plan. She keeps ties with others including Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian backed noble. In a true example of keeping enemies closer, Margaret once served as Elizabeth's lady in waiting, a fact neither forget as they work together to vanquish other enemies eventually including Edward's younger brother, Richard, later Richard III who legend would call “The Wickedest Uncle,” but history shows him as more nuanced than many believe just like everyone else in this book.
Elizabeth also solicits help through unlikely sources such as Elizabeth Shore, her husband Edward's mistress who acts as courier between Elizabeth and her allies.

Elizabeth knows when to speak up such as declaring that her brother, Anthony will train her son, Edward the future heir. She also knows when to be silent as she has a vision of Edward, her husband, and his brothers, George and Richard murdering Henry VI in the Tower of London. Elizabeth keeps silent justifying that the mentally ill silent king may not have been a threat but he was her husband's enemy therefore hers.

Elizabeth will do anything to protect her family. When her father and brother are killed, Elizabeth sends a curse to Warwick and George. She sees this curse fulfilled when both men are violently killed. She is also protective of her children as shown in her moments with Princes Edward and Richard before their uncle Richard III sends them to the Tower of London where they will enter infamy as the “Princes in the Tower.” Gregory gives some provocative theories as to their deaths and identities and how Elizabeth is determined to ensure their survival even if she is not physically present.


However Elizabeth is a very flawed character. Nowhere is this more evident than when she is in sanctuary after her husband's death and her brother-in-law, Richard’s ascension. As she is in hiding with her daughters, Elizabeth makes some reckless decisions like trusting the wrong people and is filled with vengeance when she learns her sons may be dead.

Left alone, she hits her son's killer with a curse that their family line will die out without a male issue on the throne until a barren female takes power. (History proves her right.) Her curses and decisions become more unhinged and ruthless to the point that her daughter, Elizabeth of York, accuses her of caring more about the throne than her own family. Elizabeth Woodville becomes a woman driven by rage and vengeance because that's all she has left.

The White Queen is among the best books in the series because it makes Elizabeth Woodville a compelling character who is a doting mother, a cunning schemer, a vengeance driven monster, and a strong woman of power all in one.

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: Lady of the Rivers (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. 1) by Philippa Gregory; A Good Beginning To Series About Powerful Royal Women, But Marred By A Not-So-Memorable Lead

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: Lady of the Rivers (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. 1) by Philippa Gregory; A Good Beginning To Series About Powerful Royal Women, But Marred By A Not-So-Memorable Lead




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Besides the Thursday Next Series, another favorite book series that I am going to tackle is Philippa Gregory's The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series. This series focuses on the scandals, power plays, and political intrigue that was found in the English Royalty from the reign of King Henry VI to Queen Elizabeth I. The series involves several key players, mostly female, as they recount this colorful history.

The books were not written in chronological order and not originally one whole series but two: The Cousin's War which focused on the War of the Roses and the reign of Richard III and the Tudor Court Series which dealt with the reigns of Henry VIII and his daughters, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. The first book written in the former series was The White Queen while the latter was The Other Boleyn Girl. It was only after books like Three Sisters, Three Queens and The King's Curse tied into events from the two series, that Gregory combined the two as one. It is the preferred chronological order that I am using for these reviews creating one steady timeline from one book to the next.


It is important that this distinction is made to reveal some of the issues that are found in the first book in the series, Lady of the Rivers. This is the first set but the ninth book written and it somewhat shows in Gregory's writing.

Lady of the Rivers focuses on Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville who became the wife of King Edward IV and turned heads because of her commoner status. The White Queen was brilliant in how Gregory wrote Elizabeth as a strong confident character who while flawed was active and powerful in her own right. Lady of the Rivers however differs in that it gives us a lead in Jacquetta who has some interesting moments but is a dull lead. She often just reports on others doings becoming unimportant and underdeveloped in her own story.




Jacquetta begins the novel as the daughter of a noble family who is a descendant of Melusine, a magical half-woman and half-sea creature from Breton legend. (In history, Jacquetta was related to the Duke of Burgundy whose family legends believed that they were descended from Melusine.) Trained by her great-aunt, Jehanne, Jacquetta exhibits supernatural abilities such as spell casting and precognition. In some creepy moments, she hears Melusine sing when family members die.




These abilities carry Jacquetta far especially when she marries John, Duke of Bedford uncle of King Henry VI and regent of France. In fact it is her abilities that interest John more than her body or personality. He is possibly asexual, and wants to live a sexless marriage with Jacquetta so she can use her abilities to his benefit. He is an alchemist and he wants her precognitive abilities to discern how things are going to go. One memorable chapter features her seeing a vision of a queen riding a horse with shoes on backwards. The implications of this vision isn't revealed until the end of the book.




Jacquetta uses her abilities in secret to be a figure behind the scenes of the action. Unfortunately, that's how she remains through most of the book. Jacquetta only comes into her own in these moments when she uses her abilities and when after John's death, she marries his squire, Richard Woodville and surrenders her wealth and title for love. She shows glimpses of being an interesting and memorable protagonist. Unfortunately, the glimpses are all that is shown.




Her precognitive abilities are used sparingly and her love story with Richard Woodville is resolved by the middle of the book. Instead of being an active participant, she remains happily married to Richard, a mother to a large family, and friend and lady in waiting to other more interesting characters.




One issue is that in the narrative Jacquetta serves as friend and companion to characters that are far more fascinating and colorful than she is. In the early chapters, her uncle hosts a unique prisoner whom Jacquetta bonds with: Jeanne La Pucelle also known as Joan of Arc. Jacquetta is fascinated by Joan's spirituality, her courage in leading men in battle, and her determination in the face of death. She is heartbroken after Joan's execution having lost a close friend.




It is understandable that Gregory would choose not to tell the novel from Joan's perspective. After all, Joan of Arc’s story has been done to death. However, there is another character that Gregory could have chosen instead, one who not only chews every moment she's in but devours them: Margaret d’Anjou, the wife of Henry VI and the matriarch of the Lancaster family during the War of the Roses.




When Jacquetta first meets her, Margaret is a shy nervous girl uncertain about her matrimonial duties. After Henry suffers a stroke and is reduced to a childlike state, Margaret emerges as the true power behind the throne. No decision is made without her approval. She rewards and demotes noblemen in her favor. When she is desperate to have an heir, she foregoes her infirm husband and has an affair with the Duke of Somerset to conceive her son, Edward. Her at times reckless actions causes the War of the Roses as Richard, Duke of York questions her decisions and ultimately challenges Margaret and her followers for the throne. Margaret is passionate, strong-willed, self-centered, and more competent than the men around her.




How awesome would it be for Margaret to tell her own story? We would understand perhaps her mixed feelings towards her ailing husband and her growing affection for Somerset whom she could see as more than an ally. We would see the power struggles that she has with male noblemen when she is often the only woman in the room. We could also understand her anger more when the Duke of York turns against her and her anxiety when, upon York's death, she and others see three suns in the sky (a real-life astronomical phenomena at the time. Some thought it was a comet passing over during the day) and interprets it to be a sign of the three sons of York: Edward, George, and Richard. (Two of which become kings as well.)

We had the Cousin's War told from the Yorkist side in the series and while we get the Lancaster side with Margaret Beaufort, Margaret d'Anjou’s narrative would also help give both sides of the conflict equal air time.

Plus in most accounts of the War of the Roses, Margaret d'Anjou often emerges as the villain of the peace. Like Richard III in books such as Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour, allowing Margaret d'Anjou to narrate her own story would make her more complex and give her the chance to explain herself in a way that history doesn't allow.




Unfortunately, Gregory uses Jacquetta of Luxembourg instead and this narrative pales in comparison to Gregory's previous works. Even after Jacquetta’s husband and brothers swear fealty to York, Jacquetta concentrates on providing advantageous marriages to her children particularly her daughter, Elizabeth whom she sees as bound for great things. Jacquetta is reduced to being a mouthpiece for other people's actions and not her own.




Perhaps in her ninth book, Gregory had writer's fatigue which is understandable. In a long series of loosely connected books, not every volume is going to be a winner. However, compared to other characters that Gregory wrote about such as Elizabeth Woodville, Anne and Mary Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Margaret Beaufort, even a fictional lead like the Queen's Fool’s Hannah Greene, Jacquetta just seems boring and colorless.
While Lady of the Rivers does a good job of setting the stage for things to come, Readers could just as easily jump to the White Queen and not miss much. They would also find a more compelling narrator in the daughter over the mother.