The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England’s Most Famous Dynasty

This is a fascinating examination of the Tudor dynasty as seen through the prism of courtly love. Gristwood (Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe) shows how historical and literary figures, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Geoffrey Chaucer, promoted the theme of courtly love through their patronage and writing. The book also indicates how the literature of chivalry and courtly love’s popularity among the highly cultured and well-read Tudors influenced the course of their romantic relationships, arranged marriages, and the way they ruled their kingdom. The book builds the case from the origins of the concept of courtly love in the legends of King Arthur, and literature, such as the Roman de la Rose and Troilus and Criseyde. After a slow beginning, the book picks up when it gets to the more familiar territory of Henry VIII’s and Elizabeth I’s reigns. Gristwood insightfully explores the conflicts between the romantic views of courtly love, the experiences of 16th-century English monarchs, and warring Catholic and Protestant factions.