A Celebration of Diversity in Women's Literature Pt 6

History is a funny thing. As the old saying goes, it is written by the victors. In Western culture, this means that history tends to favor the white male of vaguely European origins. Historical record often ignores the classes without the power to make their stories known. This is why it is important to have events like Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Latino/Hispanic History Month, etc. There are also opportunities within the realm of historical fiction to tell fairly accurate stories that fill in the gaps where mainstream history leaves off. This brings me to the work of Philippa Gregory. 

Philippa Gregory is a British novelist and historian who is probably best known as the author of The Other Boleyn Girl. This novel tells the story not only of Anne Boleyn but her sister Mary as well. Mary Boleyn is often relegated to the shadows of history because her sister had more of an impact on the history of Britain; however, it is Mary who first had a relationship with Henry VIII and is the mother of two possible royal bastards (Mary’s children were never acknowledged as bastards of Henry VIII, but the speculation existed during the time period). However, Gregory’s interest in history does not end with the Boleyns.

What is perhaps most interesting about the work of Philippa Gregory is that her novels take historical events in British history and tells them from a female perspective. The Other Boleyn Girl is just a single novel in a series about the Tudor Court. Each one details events of the time period with a female narrator who would have been present and perhaps even involved in the events. The Constant Princess tells the story of Katherine of Aragon from her marriage to Henry’s brother up to her death in Wales after being abandoned by Henry. The Boleyn Inheritance tells the story of three women (two wives and a lady-in-waiting) caught up in the intrigue and varying passions of Henry:  Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn, widow of Anne’s brother, George. The three narrative points of view provide an interesting look at the divorce from Anne of Cleves, marriage to Katherine Howard, and the scandal that would claim both the lives of Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn. The Queen’s Fool uses a fictional narrator, a Jewish girl acting as Court fool, to tell the story of Mary Tudor aka Bloody Mary and her marriage to Phillip of Spain and subsequent crackdown on non-Catholics in England. The Virgin’s Lover which tells the story of Elizabeth I’s relationship with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and his first marriage to Amy Rosbart. The Taming of the Queen is the story of Katherine Parr and her marriage to Henry VIII. Mary, Queen of Scots, story of her imprisonment and death is told in The Other Queen. The most recent book in the series, Three Sisters, Three Queens, tells the story of Katherine of Aragon’s early years at the Tudor Court along with the stories of Henry’s sisters Margaret (Queen of Scotland) and Mary Tudor (Queen of France). 

The other important series from Gregory is her Cousins’ War series which tells the story of the War of the Roses from the perspective of women on either the Lancaster or York side. The first book in the series, The White Queen, looks at the events through the eyes of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV. The next book, The Red Queen, follows the story of Margaret Beaufort, a formidable Lancaster women who was the grandmother of Henry VIII. The Lady of the Waters is the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville’s mother. Lancastrian supporters accused Jacquetta of witchcraft. There is also some interesting connections to the tale of Melusina. Next, there is The Kingmaker’s Daughters, which follows the lives and marriages of Isabel and Anne Neville, daughters of the Earl of Warwick. Isabel was wife of the Duke of Clarence and brother to Edward IV. Anne Neville was the widow of Edward V, son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, and eventually the wife of Richard III.  Elizabeth of York’s (daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville) story, The White Princess, details her youth during the war as well as the her secret betrothal to Henry Tudor, the would-be Henry VII. The King’s Curse tells the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury and daughter of Isabel Neville and the Duke of Clarence, whose royal bloodline would lead to court intrigue and her eventual execution at the order of Henry VIII. 

So why does any of this matter? While it’s true that it is not book of history on the events detailing the roles that these women played, they are nevertheless thoroughly researched with extensive bibliographies and end notes regarding Gregory’s sources, which include primary documents as well as secondary sources written by respected historians. She also does well with filling in the gaps of the historical record with plausible scenarios of what might have happened. It is also important to understand the impact of the events on women as well as their involvement behind the scenes. These women were all strong figures who are often overlooked in the annals of history. It is wonderful to see well-written narratives that tell their stories.