Winter King
Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England
by Thomas Penn
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Mem. Ed. $16.99
Pub. Ed. $25.00
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Winter King
1501 England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy and civil war. Henry VII clambered to the top of the heap—a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England’s crown who managed to win the throne and stay on it for 16 years.
Although he built palaces, hosted magnificent jousts and sent ambassadors across Europe, for many Henry VII remained a false king. But he had a crucial asset: his family—the queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Now, in what would be the crowning glory of his reign, his elder son would marry a great Spanish princess.
Thomas Penn re-creates an England that is both familiar and very strange—a country medieval yet modern, in which honor and chivalry mingle with espionage, real politik, high finance and corruption. It is the story of Henry VII himself—controlling, avaricious, paranoid, with Machiavellian charm and will to power; of the transformation of a young, vulnerable boy, Prince Henry, into the aggressive teenager who would become Henry VIII; and of Catherine of Aragon, his future queen.
Winter King is an unforgettable tale of pageantry, intrigue, the thirst for glory—and the fraught, unstable birth of Tudor England.
Hardcover Book : 480 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc. ( March 01, 2012 )
Item #: 13-517993
ISBN: 9781439191569
Product Dimensions: 6.25 x 9.25 x 1.2inches
Product Weight: 27.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
good history 
February 07, 2013
I learned so much about Henry VII explained so much about Henry VIII attitudes and decisions. The only thing that would have made it better would to have had just some social history of how the lower levels of society were affected by Henry's fiscal policies if at all.
Reviewer: sue
very informative
July 02, 2012
I learned a lot about Henry VII that I didn't know before. This is an area of history that I loved, b/c I had done a college paper on The Wars of the Roses. (Reading the book, brought back good memories of doing that paper and getting an "A")
I thought of Henry VII as a really positive force but didn't realize (until reading the book) how usurious he was with making many people, especially nobles beholden to the crown financially. I also liked that Penn didn't stop his book w/ the King's death but spoke of the aftermath and beginning of Henry VIII's reign.
So, it was a very good book.
Reviewer: Vince S
Fast Start
May 14, 2012
Need to read this book a little slower as it starts off fast.
Reviewer: Debbie H
Fast Start
May 14, 2012
Book started off moving a little fast in the beginning. I found myself going back to some pages to get thoughts together. All in all this is a very detailed book which I recommened reading a little slower than others.
Reviewer: Debbie H
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