Q & A with John Guy

Welcome to On the Tudor Trail Dr Guy! Why do you think readers are insatiable when it comes to the Tudor period?

It’s because the stories are so good and because the archives become so extensive after Henry VIII’s accession. By then they can support an almost unlimited amount of fresh research. 

What was the first book about the Tudors that you remember reading and enjoying?

I’d probably read something earlier, but the first book I remember was Geoffrey Elton’s England under the Tudors.

What inspired you to write The Children of Henry VIII?

I got fed up with people from tv companies or guides in stately homes trying to tell me that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn came to visit X or Y places as a family, with baby Elizabeth in one or other of their arms. The royal children were brought up in nurseries set apart from where their parents were living, often many miles apart. The children were together only on a handful of occasions in Henry’s entire reign, and each was rarely able to spend much time with Henry or their mother.  I wanted to include Henry Fitzroy, the king’s illegitimate son, since he tends to be forgotten and yet he was an important part of the story in the earlier years. I also thought it could be illuminating to relate and position each of the children more precisely to one another, and that this might improve our understanding of the period as a whole, which turned out to be the case.

What do you think is one of the most common misconceptions about Henry’s daughter, Mary Tudor?

Mary was by nature generous, especially to her friends and supporters, but could also be generous to those who opposed her – after all, she had decided not to execute Lady Jane Grey until she learned of Wyatt’s rebellion and of Jane’s father’s role in it. She tended to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when I found how much she hated Elizabeth from the beginning and how this vendetta played out in Mary’s own reign, I was rather shocked. I was also surprised to discover the scale of Mary’s intransigence over religion in Edward’s reign – even when her cousin the Emperor Charles V told her to cease making her own houses symbols of resistance to Protestantism by having mass celebrated daily and inviting passers-by to attend, she wouldn’t stop. Charles thought it was enough that she had a licence to say mass herself – to satisfy her own conscience. He was too experienced a politician to think Mary should deliberately provoke the Duke of Northumberland. And he certainly didn’t want Mary to seek exile in his own dominions. I hadn’t realized just how intransigent Mary could be – something Philip was to discover fairly quickly when he married her.

What was the greatest challenge you faced when writing this book?

Juggling all the balls so that the narrative is smooth and not episodic. Also keeping in balance the details of the individual children’s experiences while not losing sight of the main events of the period that shaped them.

What is the most interesting or peculiar fact you’ve learnt about the Tudors in your research?

Undoubtedly it was when I found out that to bounce Elizabeth into signing the death warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1587, William Cecil connived with the French ambassador to pretend that a fresh plot to assassinate the queen had been ‘discovered’. It was an old plot, known for over a year and one that had never come to anything. Cecil then helped to foster a false alarm that the Spanish Armada had landed a year early in Wales in order to get Elizabeth to sign the warrant, telling her to double her bodyguards. After helping to foster the alarm, he obviously had to order the ‘hue and cry’ to be proclaimed in every county and the local constables put on alert. And yet, Mary’s execution had to be carried out in the strictest secrecy, since the day after signing the warrant, Elizabeth backtracked. She sent a messenger to order her secretary, William Davison, not to have the warrant sealed, nor was he to allow the document to leave his possession until he had spoken with her again. For this reason, Walsingham had to order Mary’s executioner to go in disguise to Fotheringhay, and make sure he concealed his axe inside a trunk! Walsingham even had to pay the executioner out of his own pocket.

You have written about many fascinating sixteenth century women over the years, do you have a favourite?

Mary Queen of Scots is probably the favourite – not because I think she was a better person than any of the others, she was not, but because her life was so eventful.

What are you currently reading?

The Spanish Ambassador’s Suitcase: Stories from the Diplomatic Bag, by Matthew Paris and Andrew Bryson. I’m enjoying it and am just waiting for someone to do the same for the dispatches of 16th century English ambassadors abroad!

Are you working on any other Tudor books?

Yes, I’m currently working on a short life of Henry VIII for the new Penguin Monarchs’  series and on a much bigger book on the last years of Elizabeth.

Share with us a little known fact about one of Henry’s children.

Despite the old myth that Edward as a royal child could not be beaten by his tutors and that Barnaby Fitzpatrick was his ‘whipping boy’, it turns out that Edward really was beaten. When in December 1544, Richard Cox found his pupil sulking and intractable, he gave him a final warning, and then, ‘I took my morris pike [i.e. staff used for morris dancing] and at will I went and gave him such a wound that he wist [knew] not what to do …. Me thought it [was] the luckiest day that ever I had in battle.’ It just goes to show. Henry Fitzroy also had a series of run-ins with his schoolmasters, but for those you’ll need to read the book!

 Visit the official website of John Guy here.

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Comments

  1. katie spitler says:

    This book sounds great!! Cant wait to get my copy… hope I win!

  2. I’ve waited a VERY long time to be able to read a book that has ALL the offspring in it…I’m excited to see that the author is bringing out Mary Tudors hatred of her younger sister from the beginning, that is something that is often glossed over.

  3. I ordered 3 of the books you recommended off of amazon and am just in love with the first 2. i would love this one.

  4. Lisa Postiglione says:

    Enjoyed this interview. I love to read everything Tudor.

  5. This looks fascinating! I love to learn as much as I can about the royals. Even though I’m American LOL

  6. laurie thornton says:

    i like the idea of being able to read about the children specially the boys because in the movies they say one thing but then i end up reading somewhere else something different.. can wait to be able to read the whole book

  7. Kirsti Jones says:

    Would love a copy of his book, I have been intrigued with the the UK since I think birth being a Jones and loving the Tudors since middle school haha! I’ve read several books on the wives and can’t wait to read more in depth about the kids of ol Harry.

  8. Joy LaBarr says:

    What a great interview!!! The book sounds fantastic! I love this site, always so much info and I enjoy learning about Tudor times.. Thank You!

  9. Denise Hansen says:

    Great idea for a book. I have always been fascinated by how different Henry’s children were, reflecting their different mothers. I am looking forward to reading this.

  10. I love when I find new information. Thank you for sharing, and great interview. 🙂

  11. Mikki L. Moody says:

    This book seems fascinating! I love this time period, and you hear more about Henry VIII and his wives than his children. Great and interesting interview, also!

  12. Marla Willier says:

    Can’t wait to read this book.

  13. Kiley Eberhard says:

    I have been studying the Tudors for years now and I love hearing about misconceptions and new details about their lives. After spending most of my time on Henry, Anne, and Elizabeth, I have been meaning to delve more deeply into the lives of Mary and Edward. I’m so glad he chose to include Henry Fitzroy, even though his life was brief. The minute you think you know them, something new pops up. I DEFINITELY need to add this book to my collection.

  14. Looks to be a fascinating book! Can’t wait to read more about the boys!

  15. While I have always loved to read historic fiction, the last few years I have began to focus on the Tudors. Reading about the Kings children and their relationships with each other as well as with their parents should prove very interesting!

  16. I would love love to read this book. I am so intruigued by this time period and with the Tudors.

  17. Jill Walley says:

    Wow, this book sounds incredibly interesting! I love reading little known facts about history and with a time period like this that is so written about with very little new information being found, it sounds like this book may provide a plethora of new little tidbits!

  18. Lisa Schuler says:

    I absolutely love the show THE TUDORS! But I also know the writers took alot of creative liberties so I have purchased several books about the Tudors to start seperating the fiction from the facts. Can I please, please, pleeeease have this book to add to my library???

  19. Sounds fascinating! What a dynamic that had to be!

  20. Book sounds wonderful! What a dynamic!

  21. Myria Slater says:

    I have always been fascinated by Elizabeth and would like to learn more about Mary and Edward. This book would be a great read on the truth of everyday events in their lives and their interactions with each other. Definitely adding to my read list.

  22. Susan Higginbotham says:

    Looking forward to reading this! I’m glad to see someone addressing the “whipping boy” myth.

  23. Jane. Vitan says:

    Would love to finally learn about the Tudor boys this time. Its an interesting side of history

  24. Ohhh….sounds like an amazing book!

  25. I am really looking forward to reading this new book. I find Tudor history so intriguing especially regarding Mary Queen of Scots.

  26. Victoria says:

    Book sounds great. Looking forward to reading it!

  27. Sounds like a fascinating book – I have always loved the Tudor period.

  28. Leia granville says:

    Wow this sounds great I’m a huge fan of henry the eight and his wives and would love to win one off your books. My 12 is studying this topic and would be a huge surprise to win this to help her studies. Keep up your hard work.

  29. Audra Hedger says:

    One way or another, I’m GOING to get a copy of this book. Just in this short interview alone, he’s knocked down some long-held beliefs that I (and countless others, I’m sure) have accepted as gospel truth. Oh yes, I will own this book. Thank you so much for the information!

  30. Sharon Conrad says:

    I enjoy John Guy’s books, and I am looking forward to this one.

  31. Eilean M Terry says:

    I would love to read this! I am very interested in history and my family is VERY distantly related to Henry… If I win… it would be like reading my family diary!

  32. Guillermo Espinola says:

    Great interview, I would love to win the book, not only for me, but also for my girlfriend.
    We are both a great Tudor fans! thanks for the chance!

  33. Kary Ellis says:

    I would love to have a copy of your book, Dr John Guy’s The Children of Henry VIII.

  34. Ellen Pilat says:

    This book sounds so interesting! I love learning as much about the Tudor family as I can find, you may say I am slightly obsessed. English history has encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D. in European History, especially the history of the royal families.

  35. Holly Cooper says:

    I look forward to the next book! And I didn’t know that about Henry Fitzroy. I had no idea princes could be punished like that!

  36. Would love a copy!

  37. Lisa Misak says:

    sounds like a great book. (and looking forward to the one you will write about the last years of Elizabeth).

  38. Thank you for all the entries! The giveaway has no closed and three winners will be selected randomly and notified via email. Good luck! Natalie

  39. I am delighted to announce that the winners of this giveaway are Aimme C, Tru and Holly Cooper – congratulations!! An email is on its way to you right now 🙂

  40. Congrats to you 3 lucky folks. Enjoy your winnings.

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