The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy

Mary, Katherine, and Jane Greyâ€“sisters whose mere existence nearly toppled a kingdom and altered a nationâ€™s destinyâ€“are the captivating subjects of Leanda de Lisleâ€™s new book. The Sisters Who Would Be Queen breathes fresh life into these three young women, who were victimized in the notoriously vicious Tudor power struggle and whose heirs would otherwise probably be ruling England today.

Born into aristocracy, the Grey sisters were the great-granddaughters of Henry VII, grandnieces to Henry VIII, legitimate successors to the English throne, and rivals to Henry VIIIâ€™s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Lady Jane, the eldest, was thrust center stage by greedy men and uncompromising religious politics when she briefly succeeded Henryâ€™s son, the young Edward I. Dubbed â€œthe Nine Days Queenâ€ after her short, tragic reign from the Tower of London, Jane has over the centuries earned a special place in the affections of the English people as a â€œqueen with a public heart.â€ But as de Lisle reveals, Jane was actually more rebel than victim, more leader than pawn, and Mary and Katherine Grey found that they would have to tread carefully in order to avoid sharing their elder sisterâ€™s violent fate.

Navigating the politics of the Tudor court after Janeâ€™s death was a precarious challenge. Katherine Grey, who sought to live a stable life, earned the trust of Mary I, only to risk her future with a love marriage that threatened Queen Elizabethâ€™s throne. Mary Grey, considered too petite and plain to be significant, looked for her own escape from the burden of her royal bloodâ€“an impossible task after she followed her heart and also incurred the queenâ€™s envy, fear, and wrath.

Exploding the many myths of Lady Jane Greyâ€™s life, unearthing the details of Katherineâ€™s and Maryâ€™s dramatic stories, and casting new light on Elizabethâ€™s reign, Leanda de Lisle gives voice and resonance to the lives of the Greys and offers perspective on their place in history and on a time when a royal marriage could gain a woman a kingdom or cost her everything.
Country USA
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2009-10-13
UnitCount 1
Format Deckle Edge
EANs 9780345491350

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2009-10-13
UnitCount	1
Format	Deckle Edge
EANs	9780345491350

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy

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