The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England. A TIMES Book of the Year 2022

Kingmakers but never kings, traitors at the heart of power, innocents married for the sake of family ambition - meet the House of Dudley Every Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side - or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII, but were sacrificed for the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. Under Elizabeth I, the family were once again at the centre of power. This time, they would do anything to remain there . . . With three generations of executed favourites, what caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low?

About the Author :
Joanne Paul is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sussex. A BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker, her research focuses on the intellectual and cultural history of the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. She has written for the Cambridge University Press 'Ideas in Context' series, and has been widely praised for her work on Thomas More, William Shakespeare, Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. The House of Dudley is her acclaimed first book.

Review :
A tour-de-force of Tudor history, as seen through the eyes of a family with a front-row view of almost every major political event in sixteenth-century England. Remarkable Exciting and immersive. An immensely entertaining history, capturing in full Tudor brilliance the cut-throat glamour of the English throne and the most audacious family to play its game House of Dudley is a full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story. [She] negotiates the labyrinth of Tudor politics with skill, producing a book much more comprehensible and illuminating than others I've read . . . It's delightful, a joy to read I am hugely impressed by The House of Dudley and by the depths of research. This is a pacy narrative, vividly written, that makes you want to read on and on. Joanne Paul is a major new talent in the field and I eagerly await her next book This is riveting stuff: death, desire, power and scandal. Paul has made the most of it, producing a well written and historically grounded page-turner . . . Game of Thrones looks tame compared with the real-life machinations of the Dudleys and the Tudors A twist on the Tudors . . . Enormously entertaining - a sheer joy to read A hugely entertaining history of three generations of the Dudley family, who dominated the Tudor court A thrilling and deeply researched study of power and conspiracy: the rise and fall of the other Tudor dynasty. The House of Dudley illuminates the fascinating men and women who almost became kings and queens in their own right Vivid, innovative and authoritative. I could not recommend The House of Dudley more highly. It's a real lesson in how to revitalise the writing of Tudor history Joanne Paul's account of this family is rich and compelling. She manages to hit that sweet spot where scholarly history overlaps with dramatic storytelling; she conjures up the look and feel of Tudor life, down to the clothes, the medicines and the furniture, while also being a skilful filler-in of political background . . . Whether or not you have ever succumbed to Mantelmania, you will find yourself drawn in, fascinated, and richly informed An enthralling read told by Paul with great verve and an eye for the telling detail . . . The family's complex history is concisely and compellingly related Visceral and illuminating. The extraordinary House of Dudley is the Tudor Game of Thrones. Paul has produced a painstakingly detailed first book with spirit and verve Captivating and thought-provoking . . . Sheds immense light onto this often-overlooked family The crowning jewel in its genre . . . I can't recommend this book enough. Unputdownable When reading Joanne Paul's lively history of the house of Dudley, it is impossible not to be reminded of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy . . . Paul uses the experiences of the Dudleys to light up odd corners and backroom spaces of Tudor palace life Joanne Paul chronicles the meteoric rise and deadly fall of the Dudleys Joanne Paul reveals how the might of the Tudor dynasty was built on the blood and sweat of three generations of another family - the Dudleys Hugely entertaining Fascinating Brimming with power struggles, ambition and intrigue, this is the untold story of one of the most notorious families of the Tudor era. A spectacular achievement Absorbing, meticulously researched and expertly executed. A tale of intrigue and manipulation that will lead you through the very dark corridors of Tudor history Praise for Joanne Paul Brilliant and lucid. This is an original and illuminating work that should be compulsory