Europe was enthralled with courtly love from the time Christien De Troyes wrote about Lancelot and Guinevere. Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the Courts of Love and practice of chivalry to England when she married Henry II. However, the proponents who used courtly love to their advantage and disadvantage were the Tudors.
Jousts, greats feasts and romantic games played major role at Henry VIII’s court, particularly in the later years. Henry had mistresses, notably Mary Boleyn, however, his romance with her sister Anne was in a different category. Anne was trained in the courts of Europe and knew how to entice a man in large part through the games of chivalry. Henry, loving to joust and seeing himself as a knight was caught up in the game. The game became serious when Henry divorced Katherine to marry Anne, but the magic faded, and when she couldn’t produce an heir her days were numbered.
Elizabeth, Henry’s daughter by Anne Boleyn, used chivalry and romantic love to her advantage. The court was filled with her cavaliers. She was the untouchable virgin queen for whom they all strove. It helped her to keep her reign as a single woman supported by her male courtiers.
The book is well researched and engaging to read, particularly if you’re interested in the Tudor Dynasty. It is written as history rather than a historical novel, but for me the reading was easy and went quickly, possibly because I was very familiar with the historical era. If you are interested in courtly love and the Tudors, this is an excellent book.
I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
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