The White Queen Novel
The White Queen novel is written by Philppa Gregory, a historian with a keen interest in English kings and queens. Philppa Gregory combines her love of history, writing and researching into this compelling story of Elizabeth Woodville, the daughter of a squire and a young widow with two young sons. This is the story of one young woman’s rise to the height of power, her fall from power, her struggles to save her children and the love she has for King Edward IV. The book is well written and Philppa Gregory does a great job with researching any of her books. Although it is fiction, it is based on real people’s life’s and real events that occurred during their lifetime.
This is the story of great royal families fighting for power and the throne of England as the greatest prize of all. Many of these great families would fight against their cousins in a war that became know as “The War of The Cousins” and later known as the War of The Roses. This was a time when friends, cousins and brothers could turn on each other in the middle of a battlefield in a moments notice.
Elizabeth’s Story
Elizabeth Woodville was considered to be a commoner and not good enough to marry a king, even though her mother Jacquetta of Luxembourg came from the royal family of Burgundy and had been married to the Duke of Bedford. Elizabeth’s father however, had been merely a squire in the Duke’s service so Elizabeth had no real prospects of a royal marriage. She was also the young widow of Sir Thomas Grey and had two small sons.
Elizabeth waited alongside the roadside hoping for a chance to petition the king to have her land returned to her. When the young King Edward saw her waiting alongside the road with her two boys he was instantly captivated by the beautiful lady. Edward attempted to make Elizabeth his mistress but she firmly refused, she would settle for nothing but becoming his wife and his queen. They soon married in secret and against the wishes of his top advisers and counsel who were hoping to make a match with a princess of France and King Edward.
Elizabeth is soon anointed as Queen Elizabeth. Through her new husband begins to move her many family members into positions of power and wealth through marriages, which infuriates Edward’s great friend and mentor the Earl of Warwick. The Earl of Warwick schemes and brings about an uprising in which he tries to have Edward’s younger brother George made king and put on the throne.
This is only one of the many uprisings and rebellions that King Edward and Queen Elizabeth faced as they ruled England and their own family grows. There would be many battles and much blood shed as the royal couple fight to stabilize England and keep the throne for their sons.
Elizabeth’s Young Sons: Heirs to the Throne
Elizabeth came birth to several daughters and two sons who were the heirs to the throne after their father King Edward. King Edward, unfortunately dies while the two boys were too young to be named king. Edwards younger brother, Richard took the throne instead and the two young heirs were sent to live in the tower. One of the greatest mysteries in the story of Elizabeth Woodville, is the story of the two sons who were imprisoned in the tower and disappeared with no trace and no bodies were ever discovered. To this day, no one knows what really happened to the two young princes, Rumors were that King Richard had the two boys murdered so that he could be crowned king. However, there were several others who could have murdered the boys or given the order to have them killed. The author of The White Queen, gives a different theory on what may have happened to the heirs to the throne. The boys disappearances have never been solved and their killers were never found.
Reasons I Recommend Reading The White Queen
I have read several of Philppa Gregory’s books and I have loved every one that I have read. She uses actual people, dates and events to tell a fascinating story. Every book has been a page turner and hard to put down. In this story of The White Queen she describes battles, conflicts and emotions that I felt as if I were transported back time and as if I were right there in the middle of all the conflict. Thank goodness I was only reading about these treacherous and bloody times.
I personally love this type of story because of the history and that I know these things actually happened and people lived these stories.
I recommend this book for many reasons
- If you are like me and like stories base on history you will enjoy this book
- For those who like action to keep your interest there is lots of action detailing many of the battles of the War Of The Cousins
- Romance: Who wouldn’t like a love story involving the King of England who marries a squire’s daughter just because he falls in love with her even though she has no title or great wealth or power
- It is an intensely emotional story as Elizabeth the mother of the princes in the tower fights to save her sons
- Because the characters are based on real people, they seem very real
I would encourage anyone to read the story “The White Queen” by Philppa Gregory. This story has also been made into a television mini series which is very good. Philappa Gregory also wrote “The White Princess” Which is the story of Elizabeth’s oldest daughter and her marriage to Henry VII. The White Princess has also been made into a television mini series.
Copyright L.M. Hosler 2024
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