Secrets of the Tudor Court Boxed Set (131 page)

Elizabeth was third in line to succeed to the throne by the terms of her father’s will, but there were many who felt the irregularity of her parents’ marriage disinherited her. She was not even considered in her brother’s device for the succession. Under Queen Mary, Elizabeth pretended to accept the Catholic religion but refused to marry the man King Philip picked out for her, his kinsman the Duke of Savoy. She contemplated fleeing England and taking refuge in France but was warned against that action by the French ambassador, who sent Bess Brooke to Hatfield with that message early in 1557, shortly before war between England and France broke out. Elizabeth succeeded her sister Mary the following year.

Fitzgerald, Elizabeth (1527–1589)

Dubbed “Fair Geraldine” because of a sonnet written about her when she was still a child, she married first Sir Anthony Browne, a much older man, and later Edward Fiennes de Clinton, Lord Clinton. As Lady Browne she is recorded as having been with Princess Elizabeth at Chelsea and later at Hatfield, but it is not clear if she was sent there to be part of the princess’s household, or to spy on her, or if she was merely visiting. As Lady Clinton, she was with the princess during a meeting with the Spanish Count of Feria shortly before Queen Mary’s death, but again it is not clear if she was part of Elizabeth’s household at that time or merely hosted the dinner at which they met. She was at court during Elizabeth’s reign and was considered one of the queen’s close friends.

Gardiner, Stephen (1490–1555)

As Bishop of Winchester, Gardiner opposed the evangelicals who advocated further changes in the church. He plotted against Queen Kathryn Parr, but his schemes failed when King Henry was reconciled with his
wife. Under King Edward, Gardiner was imprisoned and his estates seized. Winchester House in Southwark was given to William Parr, Marquess of Northampton. Gardiner took the property back as soon as Mary Tudor became queen and restored him to his seat.

Grey, Lady Jane (1537–1554)

Lady Jane Grey was King Edward’s choice to succeed him. She was the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII. Accounts vary as to whether she was willing or not, just as they vary as to whether she had voluntarily married Lord Guildford Dudley a few months earlier. What is certain is that she was a scholar of some renown and that she was a devout Protestant. She was executed following Wyatt’s Rebellion.

Guildford, Jane (1509–1555)

Married to John Dudley, her father’s ward, Jane was the mother of Henry, John, Mary, Robert, Ambrose, another Henry, Guildford, Temperance, and Katherine Dudley, among others who died young. She was Viscountess Lisle, then Countess of Warwick, and finally Duchess of Northumberland and was at court as part of the queen’s household during the reign of Henry VIII. She was one of Kathryn Parr’s inner circle. Exactly what part she played in the plan to make Lady Jane Grey queen is not known. It is often said that Lady Jane’s husband, Guildford, was Lady Northumberland’s favorite son, but there is no hard evidence of this. She certainly found her new daughter-in-law infuriating, but that may have been as much Lady Jane’s fault as Lady Northumberland’s. After the arrest of her husband and sons for treason, the duchess haunted the court of Mary Tudor seeking pardons for them. She was granted the manor at Chelsea by the queen. Although her husband and son Guildford were executed, her remaining sons were eventually released, in large part due to their mother’s ceaseless efforts on their behalf.

Hallighwell, Jane (1480–1558)

As the dowager Lady Bray, Bess’s “Grandmother Jane” married a much younger man when she was in her sixties. She campaigned to win her son’s freedom after Lord Bray was arrested for treason in 1556. She died during the influenza epidemic of 1558.

Henry VIII (1491–1547)

By 1542, King Henry had gone to seed. He was fat, ill, and crotchety. In a scene that also appears in
Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens
(in that version from the point of view of Nan Bassett), he gathered together a great number of eligible young ladies at a banquet in the hope of finding a sixth wife. Bess Brooke was one of those who caught his eye, but soon after that he met Kathryn Parr and married her instead. In 1546, rumor had him considering a divorce from Kathryn so he could take a seventh wife, Catherine Willoughby, widow of his old friend Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.

Mary (1516–1558)

Upon the death of her brother in 1553, Mary became both king and queen of England and promptly restored Catholicism as the state religion. One of the first acts of her first Parliament was to rescind the bill permitting William Parr, Marquess of Northampton, to remarry while his first wife still lived. Mary invited that first wife, Anne Bourchier, to court.

Parr, Kathryn (1514–1548)

As Henry VIII’s sixth wife, she supported evangelicals—those who wanted even more reforms in the church. Henry was her third husband, but contrary to popular belief, the first two were not old men. One was a sickly boy, the second a gentleman in his prime who did not suffer ill
health until about a year before his death. After the king died, Kathryn married Thomas Seymour, who had courted her before King Henry singled her out as a prospective bride. Kathryn had custody of Princess Elizabeth until she sent the princess away, some say out of jealousy, in mid-1548. After Kathryn died in childbirth and Thomas Seymour was executed, their baby daughter was placed in the care of Catherine Willoughby, dowager Duchess of Suffolk. Mary Seymour disappears from the historical record about two years later.

Parr, William (1513–1571)

Queen Kathryn’s brother, he was married as a teenager and later divorced his first wife in order to marry Bess Brooke. The legality of this second marriage varied from reign to reign. He was an excellent diplomat but not a very good soldier. After Bess died, he fell in love with a young woman who was said to much resemble her, but this time Queen Elizabeth forbade remarriage until his first wife, Anne Bourchier, died. This did not occur until 1571. Parr himself died shortly after the wedding.

Seymour, Edward (1505–1552)

Earl of Hertford, then Duke of Somerset, he was the brother of King Henry VIII’s third wife and the uncle of Edward VI. He ruled England for the young king as lord protector until his unpopular policies led to his removal from power and his imprisonment. He was eventually executed.

Seymour, Thomas (1507–1549)

The lord protector’s younger brother, he courted Kathryn Parr before she married Henry VIII. For the next few years, the king kept him busy on diplomatic missions in other countries. After the king’s death, Thomas married Kathryn in secret and without a proper period of mourning. After her death, he schemed to marry Princess Elizabeth, but
his fatal mistake was invading King Edward’s private apartments while armed. He was executed for treason.

Stanhope, Anne (1497–1587)

As Lady Seymour, Countess of Hertford, Duchess of Somerset, and the lord protector’s wife, Anne Stanhope was one of the most unpopular women in England. She was blamed for many of her husband’s bad decisions. Before that, she had been at court as a lady-in-waiting. When Kathryn Parr was queen, she had been one of Kathryn’s inner circle, but after Henry VIII’s death and Kathryn’s remarriage to Anne’s brother-in-law, the two women became bitter enemies. Following her husband’s execution, Anne married Francis Newdigate, a commoner. Later her son, Lord Hertford, provoked Queen Elizabeth’s wrath by eloping with Lady Catherine Grey, sister of the executed Lady Jane.

Warner, Edward (1511–1565)

As a member of Queen Kathryn Parr’s household and an evangelical, he was questioned about certain heretical books in the queen’s lodgings at court. Later, as lord lieutenant of the Tower, he welcomed Queen Jane and her entourage to the royal apartments there. By then he was the second husband of Bess’s aunt, Elizabeth Brooke, Lady Wyatt. He was a conspirator in what became known as Wyatt’s Rebellion and was arrested in his house in London even before his stepson launched his uprising in Kent. After being held nearly a year, he was released. He was restored to his post at the Tower of London when Elizabeth Tudor became queen.

Willoughby, Catherine (1519–1580)

The other Duchess of Suffolk (see Frances Brandon, page 344), she married Charles Brandon after the death of his previous wife, Mary Tudor
(Henry VIII’s sister). She was one of Kathryn Parr’s inner circle and an evangelical. She went into exile during the reign of Mary Tudor (Henry VIII’s daughter). By that time she had married Richard Bertie, a commoner.

Woodhull, Mary (1528–1548+)

A kinswoman of and chamberer to Queen Kathryn Parr, she was with the queen dowager when she died. She married Davy Seymour, a distant kinsman of the Duke of Somerset.

Wyatt, Thomas the Younger (1521–1554)

The son of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, the poet, and his estranged wife, Elizabeth Brooke (later Lady Warner), he was the only one of the conspirators of 1554 to actually raise troops against Queen Mary. His delay to lay siege to Cowling Castle, for which history has no logical explanation, cost him dearly. By the time he reached Southwark, London Bridge had been dismantled to keep him from entering London. He was captured a few days later and was executed for treason.

GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE

Introduction

In the third book of Kate Emerson’s Secrets of the Tudor Court series, young lady-in-waiting Elizabeth (Bess) Brooke takes center stage amid the tumultuous times of Tudor-era England. As a young gentlewoman, Bess enters court life a naïve and inexperienced maid. But history, fortune, and love change all of that, as young Bess climbs the noble ranks and witnesses the volatile nature of England’s royal, political, and religious climate. Holding tight to her one true love, Will Parr, Bess learns just how dramatically a life can be affected by royal decree—and how precious each moment truly is.

Questions for Discussion

1. Under whose rule did Bess and Will’s love for each other flourish most? Consider Henry and Kathryn, King Edward, Queen Mary, and Elizabeth Tudor.
   
2. Would Bess have had a happier, easier life if she had married Harry or Jack?
   
3. As indicated in the author’s note, all but a few characters in
   By Royal Decree
   were actual historical figures. Which ones did you find most appealing? Which came to life off the page?
   
4. Were you surprised at Bess’s arrow shot during Thomas Wyatt’s siege on Cobham Castle?
   
5. Considering the time, was it right for Bess to marry Will, even with Anne Bourchier entitled to the Parr estate? Do you ever feel sympathetic to Anne? And should true love prevail over royal decree?
   
6. Discuss the various uprisings and religious controversies that occur over the course of the story. When was the threat of imprisonment/execution most palpable? Were you surprised at how quickly some courtiers changed their religious affiliations? (Consider especially Northumberland and Parr’s conversion to Catholicism while imprisoned.) Would you switch your beliefs under duress? How tightly should one grasp to what she thinks is right?
   
7. What did you make of Tom Seymour’s character? Was he nothing more than a lecher? How did you react to his ill-advised breaking and entering at King Edward’s palace?
   
8. Bess’s desire for a child remains unfulfilled by the story’s end. Should she and Will have fostered Mary Seymour? Do you think Bess is being honest with herself when she says that Will’s love is all she needs?
   
9. Which gentlewoman (besides Bess, of course) did you enjoy most? Can you trace the progress of her initial court mates through the story?
   

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Partake in Tudor-era sports like archery and tennis while dressed in your finest imitation of livery!
   
2. If you haven’t already, read the first two books in Kate Emerson’s Secrets of the Tudor Court series,
   The Pleasure Palace
   and
   Between Two Queens.
   How do they compare? Who is your favorite protagonist (Bess Brooke, Jane Popyncourt, or Nan Bassett)?
   
3. Emerson goes to great lengths to paint a very distinct picture of the era. Discuss the facets of the court that come to life the most. For those with artistic inclination, try to paint or draw one of your favorite scenes!
   
4. If you get the opportunity, visit the Tower of London and imagine what it must have been like for poor Will Parr!
   
5. Research and watch any number of movies depicting the Tudor era. How do they compare to each other in terms of bringing the time period to life? Does the visual rendering match the image that Emerson creates in words?
   

A Conversation with Kate Emerson

1. Why did you choose Bess Brooke as the focal point for your third book in the series? What about her (compared to Jane and Nan) made you want to tell a story from her vantage point?
   

   The first thing that caught my attention was the report that the Marchioness of Northampton had been the one to suggest Lady Jane Grey as a bride for Lord Guildford Dudley. Since this match turned out to be so significant to history, I wondered why she’d suggested it and if she had any idea of the possible consequences at the time. I cannot, however, draw any comparisons between my interest in Bess Brooke and my interest in Jane Popyncourt and Nan Bassett. I have a long-standing fascination with the lives of many relatively unknown Tudor women.
   

2. In the opening scene, as King Henry flirts with the gathering of single women, he briefly singles Bess out. She escapes his gazes, but do you think she would have made a good queen?
   

   I doubt it. She was still very young at that point—still a teenager. The other teenager King Henry married, Catherine Howard, was not a notable success in the role of queen.
   

3. Did Bess and Will ever have children?
   

   No.
   

4. What is your research process like for writing these books? You obviously have an amazing grasp of the era and its events. Does it ever get confusing, especially with how volatile the regime and title changes appear to be?
   

   I’ve been collecting information on the Tudor era for more than forty years, so much of my research is simply a matter of finding the right books on my shelves or notes in my file cabinets. For specific details, I rely heavily on inter-library loans and make frequent visits to the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. There are many opportunities for confusion, and it can be a challenge to get the facts straight. It doesn’t help that modern screenwriters have taken such tremendous liberties with real people’s lives to create dramas for television series and movies. Little-known Tudor women are even more likely to be misrepresented, even by some highly regarded scholars, because there has been and still is less research being done into their lives than on the lives of more prominent women, such as the six wives of Henry VIII. My hobby (my husband calls it my obsession) is A Who’s Who of Tudor Women, which can be found at my website
   www.KateEmersonHistoricals.com
   . I’m constantly adding to this, and making corrections and additions to the existing mini-biographies. The number of entries will surpass the one thousand mark by the end of 2010.
   

5. Your books have done quite well, and the Tudor era has been popular in a variety of other mediums. What about the era keeps readers and viewers coming back for more?
   

   I suspect it is because the times (and King Henry himself) seem bigger than life, not only in spectacle and pageantry, but also in grandiose schemes. Real treason plots and spy stories abound, fruitful ground for the novelist. And, of course, there was always plenty of court intrigue for the ladies to indulge in.
   

6. Did Bess actually take aim at Tom Wyatt with a bow and arrow? What was it like writing that scene? It’s a brief moment, but one that I think readers will be shocked by, as Bess would have become a murderer if not for Tom’s chain mail.
   

   This incident is entirely fictitious. We don’t know where Bess was when Wyatt attacked the castle. But since we don’t, I felt free to have her join her family during the siege. If she was there, frustrated by events, distraught over her situation with Will, fearing she was about to see her father and his men slain by her cousin the rebel, why wouldn’t she be driven to help defend the castle? Since her ability with a bow had already been set up in an early scene in the novel, shooting at Wyatt didn’t seem to me to be at all out of character. Of course, she is shocked by her own action afterward, but I’m not sure she would have regretted it if she had succeeded in killing Tom. As it was, several of Bess’s father’s men were killed during the siege.
   

7. Who is your favorite queen?
   

   I don’t have one. I’m not particularly taken with any of King Henry’s six wives, or with his niece, Lady Jane Grey, or with his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Many sixteenth-century Englishwomen are far more interesting to me—but I don’t have a favorite among them either.
   

8. How do you choose where to embellish/alter history and where not to?
   

   I try very hard never to change historical facts. If there are two interpretations of what happened, however, I feel free to pick the one that works best for my plot. I do embellish what is known, if my characters are involved, in order to offer a rationale for the behavior recorded by history.
   

9. Do you create characters with a single purpose in mind?
   

   I create very few purely fictional characters, but when I do, they are usually servants—a maidservant to act as a sounding board for my protagonist or a go-between to discover information she could not obtain on her own.
   

10. Is it difficult writing an established character who has a predetermined personality and a well-known history of decisions? Are you still able to find artistic freedom within the confines of historical accuracy?
    

    I find it a challenge to write about real people. There may be certain facts known about a real person, but his or her background and relationships to others are usually unrecorded by history. This gives me the freedom to extrapolate from what is known. I just keep asking myself
    why
    someone would have done what s/he did and look at the other people around him or her and the events both earlier and later in his or her life to find answers.
    

11. Are you working on another book in the series? If so, who are you going to focus on next?
    

    The next book in the series,
    At the King’s Pleasure
    , is the story of Lady Anne Stafford, who was at the center of a scandal at the court of Henry VIII in May 1510.