1. The novel begins with a quote from Shakespeare’s
2. Henry Tudor is described throughout the book as being very “calm.” How does this personality trait affect his decisions in matters of state? In his marriage?
3. Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort have a superficial relationship for the sake of their children, the King and Queen. As mothers-in-law they are required to respect each other, yet there is much tension between the two. Describe some of their points of contention. Were you reminded of modern relationships between any of your relatives?
4. At the beginning of the novel, Plaidy describes Elizabeth: “That was her life—buffeted from one situation to another. Never was she consulted as to her wishes. They would do with her as best suited them” (The Birth of a Prince). Discuss the complexities of being a royal woman with no free will. How does Elizabeth deal with her situation? How would you feel if so much of your life was decided for you?
5. When Elizabeth’s first baby is born, her mother thinks: “Oh no, Arthur was not going to find life easy with a name like that and it was a great error of judgment to have saddled him with it” (The Birth of a Prince). Why was he named Arthur? How does her prediction come true?
6. Cecilia and Elizabeth are the two eldest York sisters, yet they are very different. Cecilia sees her sister Elizabeth as “merely the King’s wife” (The Baker’s Boy). How was being his wife, and not his partner, beneficial to Elizabeth? How does Cecilia avoid Elizabeth’s fate? Had you been at Court, would you be an Elizabeth or a Cecilia? Why?
7. Elizabeth Woodville mourns her two sons Edward V and Richard IV and is haunted by the fact that she will never know what happened to them. From what you knew before reading this book, what did you think had happened to them? Were you surprised by Plaidy’s interpretation? Why or why not?
8. Who was Perkin Warbeck? Who supported him? Why was he so menacing to Henry, when Henry knew he was a pretender?
9. Henry Tudor discovers that Sir William Stanley, despite changing sides from Richard III to help Henry win the battle of Bosworth Field, has been treacherous in dealing with Perkin Warbeck. Discuss how even with great power, Henry is unable to control every move in his Court. What did you think of the way he handled Stanley’s betrayal?
10. How was Henry VIII described in his younger years? How do you imagine he acted as a child? Discuss Henry VIII’s relationships with his siblings. Early on we see his envy of Arthur and his disdain for Margaret. What motivates these feelings? Think of some of his early actions and ambitions—did any of his wishes come true?
11. What was Henry Tudor’s motivation behind the forced friendship of the Earl of Warwick and Perkin Warbeck? Why was it necessary to accuse Warwick? What did you think about Henry’s plot? What would you have done, had you been in his position?
12. Katharine of Aragon is originally married to Arthur. Why is she, in the eyes of the church, allowed to marry Henry after Arthur’s passing?
13. Elizabeth of York “died on the eleventh of February, nine days after the birth of the child. It was her own birthday and she was thirty-eight years old.”(Birth and Death). What does her age tell you about the quality of healthcare at the time? After having six children, were you surprised to know she was pregnant again? What does this tell you about the importance of children in a royal family?
14. Juana has a very passionate relationship with Philip, unlike the conventional woman of the time. She is described as being mad, but do you suppose she is? Or is she perhaps a strong-willed woman living in an age that is unprepared for her open jealousy and uninhibited emotions? Could she have been more stable than people thought? What do you think?
15. Throughout the novel, Henry VIII is compared by various people to his grandfather, Edward IV. From what you learn of Edward and from what you know of Henry, both in this novel and later in his life, what do you think of the comparison? Is it accurate? Why or why not?
Katharine of Aragon
The Arena
he sun picked out sharp flints in the gray walls of the towers so that they glinted like diamonds. The heat was great, and the courtiers sweated beneath their stomachers over which their doublets were elegantly laced; they did not move even to throw back their long loose-sleeved gowns. Each man and woman among them was intent on what was going on in the arena before them, where a lion—one of the finest and fiercest in the King’s menagerie—was engaged in a bloody fight with four English mastiffs. The dogs were sturdy and game; but this lion had never been beaten. He roared his contempt of the four dogs, and the spectators cheered him.
“Now, Rex, get to work,” shouted a boy who was seated among the royal party. His cheeks were ruddy, his hair gleamed reddish gold in the sunlight; and his voice was shrill with excitement.
The girl who sat beside him, and who was a few years older, laid a restraining hand on his arm; and several people let their attention stray from the animals to the children. Many found themselves catching the boy’s excitement, for there was something infectious about the vitality and gaiety of young Prince Henry.
As for Henry, he was aware of nothing but the fight in the arena. He wanted the mastiffs to win, yet he did not believe they could. Rex was the finest lion in the world, which was why he had been called Rex.
The King from his seat of honor was watchful. He sat erect, not so magnificently attired as many of his subjects, for he was a man who resented wasting money on outward show. Money, in his opinion, should be used to create more money. It had been his policy ever since Bosworth Field. And the result? A depleted treasury was now a full one, carefully watched over by the King’s miserly eye, continually augmented by his clever schemes; although he would be the first to admit that he owed a great deal to those two able ministers of his—Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley—who now sat near the royal party, their lawyers’ eyes alert.
The King’s gaze rested briefly on his Queen—a beautiful woman of whom he was secretly proud. But he was not a man to show his feelings and would never allow Elizabeth of York to know how much he esteemed her. When a man’s claim to the throne was doubtful, when there was the hint of bastardy among his forbears, he must be careful. Henry VII was a careful man.
Elizabeth had been a good wife and he had never regretted the marriage, even when he considered his early love for Maud Herbert and his more mature passion for Katherine Lee. He was not a man who would allow his emotions to interfere with his ambitions.
Once Richard III had been defeated, once Henry knew that the great ambition was about to be realized, he had ceased to think of Katherine Lee; he had known there was only one suitable bride for him, and that was Elizabeth of York, that the Houses of York and Lancaster might thus be united and bring peace to England. Henry VII would never wage war if he could help it, for to him it represented the loss of gold.
He looked at his family and allowed his feeling of pleasure temporarily to turn up the corners of his stern mouth. Two sons and two daughters.
“Fair enough, fair enough,” he murmured to himself.
Elizabeth had been six times pregnant and they had lost only two so far, which, considering the fate of most children, was good fortune indeed.
