Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors while Henry VIII is the historical figure that I am most interested in. The two facts combined makes The King's Curse, published in 2014, a book by which I cannot help but be intrigued.
Though not well-known in Taiwan, Henry VIII is one of the most notorious kings in British history. He divorced 2 of the 6 queens that he married and beheaded 2. (Another died of childbirth, while only the last one lived without being divorced.) When trying all out to divorce the first wife, Katherine, who was the Princess of Aragon, he defied the Pope and named himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. It was seen as blasphemy at that time and marked a significant page in England's religious history. He is also said to be the father of British Navy, laying a foundation for the "empire on which sun never sets", which was established by her daughter, Elizabeth I.
Philippa Gregory has published 12 novels centered on the rise and fall of Tudor dynasty(1485-1603). Henry VIII is the main character. Philippa Gregory successfully depicts the figure by splitting his stories into different books, each with a different narrator, who are also important players at that time. (Note that all the narrators are female since Philippa Gregory believes women often play important roles in history and yet are fully neglected.)
Having read all the 12 novels, I fin The King's Curse the most comprehensive. One of the main reasons is that the narrator, Margaret Pole, was the oldest victim to have been beheaded by Henry VIII shortly before Henry died. Also, since Margaret is a decedent of Lancaster family, the other House that claims the right to the throne, she was at the center of political plots. If you are interested in England court drama, I would recommend this book as a start. (I must admit though, I didn't get to connect the dot and really understand the relationships between all the characters after reading 5 of Philippa Gregory's book since there are simply to many Edward, Henry, Elizabeth and all the other common royal names in England. (Guess what? Two of Henry VIII's wives were named Katherine.)
One of the most fascinating part of this book is that it actually explained the "curse" in the author's note at the end of the book. The curse is referring to the anecdote that Henry VIII failed to raise any sons to maturity because he was cursed. Most of the kids were born prematurely and only two daughters made it to adulthood, who later became Mary I (the infamous Bloody Mary) and Elizabeth I. The person who cursed Henry VIII is said to be Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV (1461-1470, the first Yorkist King of England). Edward died when his kids were too young to take the throne and named his brother, Richard the Lord Protector, who should bear the responsibility to protect the Princes until they were old enough to succeed to the throne. Richard, however, took the throne and imprisoned the kids in the London Tower.
The two Princes mysteriously disappeared as Henry Tudor, Henry VIII's father, fought against Richard for the throne. Up to this date, the killer of the princes has not been identified. Some even believed one of the princes had been sent abroad safely. (Richard III, one of Shakespeare famous work piece is based on this great mystery in history.) Whoever the killer was, it is said that Elizabeth cursed the ones who killed them to have no male successors. The fact that Henry VIII had no successors, ending the Tudor line, seems to imply that he was the killer. (However, people should remember that neither did Richard have a child. The line also ended with the death of Richard III in his final battle with Henry VII.)
In the authors note, Philipa Gregory cited some papers regarding the mystery. It is believed that Henry VIII may have the rare Kell positive blood type which can cause miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths when the mother has the more common Kell negative blood type. And guess where Henry VIII inherited the blood type? His mother, daughter of Elizabeth, who married Henry VII to signal the collaboration of the two families. The finding thus attributes the termination of Tudor line to Elizabeth Woodville, the alleged curse giver.
Although the hypothesis cannot be scientifically verified, it has provided an interesting and plausible explanation. People say that there is always some truth in faith. I suppose we can say the same holds for curse.
Shop online
http://ppt.cc/ovN9X
