The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England’s Most Famous Dynasty

Outside of the current English monarchs, the Tudors appear the most often in printed works. It is extremely difficult for any authors to explore areas that have not already been covered though Sarah Gristwood makes a valiant effort in exploring how the Tudors used courtly love and politics during their time. This book explores the world of courtly love and how the use of verse, poem, and story was used to make declarations of love during an era when arranged marriages were the norm for the high-born in society and that love was a secondary feature if love was ever considered at all. Gristwood takes her time exploring how courtly love came to be in Europe through the rise of the romances, especially the Arthurian romances, before exploring how the different Tudor monarchs explored their passions in verse themselves, whether it was for a mistress or a wife. Like anything with the Tudors, politics is involved and there is no getting away from the fighting, martial prowess, and insecurity the Tudors constantly felt. Overall, there is not much new for people already familiar with this famous family and it rehashes the major points like many other books.