I adore reading historical novels, particularly set in the Tudor period so I was excited to read this book, covering a part of Tudor history I didn’t know much about. Based on the time period that Henry VII was in hiding in Brittany and France from the age of 14 years until his return to England at the Battle of Bosworth, the chapters were split between him and his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was fighting for her son to be able to return home to her.

An engaging and entertaining read, on a period many of us know little about.

I really enjoyed this book. It has great main characters and a really good story line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

In September 1471, we join the fourteen-year-old Henry Tudor, as he flees for his life across the channel to seek asylum in France, with his uncle Jasper Tudor and Lord Jasper’s young half-brother Davy, his mistress Jane Hywel and their youngest daughter Sian. Henry is the only son of Lancastrian heiress, Lady Margaret Beaufort, which – with the return of the Yorkist king, Edward IV to his throne after the dubious deaths of Henry VI and his son, Edward – puts Henry’s life in danger, because he is now one of only two remaining Lancastrian male heirs.
Blown seriously off course, in a perilous crossing, they eventually land safely in Brittany, where Henry is promised the protection of Duke Francis II. He then spends the next 14 years being raised in a style befitting a lord, but always as a relative prisoner. These years give us plenty of time to get to know Henry and see him grow into a strong, pragmatic man. Like Jasper in the previous novel, I had never read a novel solely about Henry – in Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen, Henry is portrayed as an old, fickle and penny-pinching king – so it was interesting to see him as a young man in exile.

Through all these years his younger, half-uncle Davy becomes his constant companion, when he is sadly separated from his uncle Jasper and his childhood governess, Jane is sent back to England with her daughter. Again Hickson has cleverly pieced together the little that is known about Henry’s exile and believably filled in the gaps. Even creating a love interest for Henry in the form of the mysterious Catherine de Belleville, based on the historic fact that once king, Henry granted a position and pension to an unknown Roland de Belleville (which caused suspicion he was his illegitimate son).

Meanwhile the real drama is unfolding back in England with the sudden death of Edward IV, Richard III usurping the throne and the princes in the Tower. All of which we learn about through the eyes and letters of Henry’s mother, Margaret. Hickson continues her more sympathetic portrayal of Margaret – very different to that in The Red Queen – even showing the love and care she had for her ‘nestlings’: young wards she took in and raised in her own household. While this was an interesting, new side of her for me to see, I am not sure I completely believed this softer Margaret could have survived, thrived and ultimately put her son on the throne in this turbulent time.

All in all, I thought The Tudor Crown was a fascinating glimpse into the lost history of Henry Tudor’s exile, but sadly I just didn’t love or believe in Henry and Margaret like I had Jasper and Jane in the previous book.

3.5 stars

I loved that recent archaeological finds have been used to inform the direction of the story. It's a complicated time period to put into fiction, and I loved that the author has thoroughly researched and kept up to date with research.

Was drawn to this book as soon as i saw the title and gorgeous cover. Being Tudor mad i just had to request it once i had read the description. And i wasn't disappointed!

This fascinating tale, which is told from both Lady Margaret Beaufort's, and her cherished son Henry VII's perspectives pulled me in so effortlessly. This is the first of Joanna Hickson's books i had read, and she brings the story to life in a way that will make you want to keep reading until you reach the end.
This dramatic story details the exile of Henry in Europe, his rise to the throne on his return back to England, and his mothers desperation and saddness at being away from her beloved only Son during my favourite period of history.

A must read and real treat for any Tudor fan.... it has left me wanting to read some more of Joanna's work.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review. 4 stars.

The Tudor Crown details the period that Henry VII was in exile in Europe before returning to England to claim the crown from Richard III. It isn't a period that a great deal is known about so the author has a certain amount of licence to play with. Thankfully she's taken it and woven a believable and relatable story. You feel Henry's impatience and impotence to return home, although at first with no desire for the throne and equally his mother's frustration and heartbreak at always been kept away from her only son.

This is my first Joanna Hickson novel. She's perhaps not as well known a name as some historical fiction big names but she really should be. To be able to breathe fresh life into a story told many times without resorting to adding spuriously whilst keeping it interesting and enjoyable is a talent indeed.

The Wars of the Roses – the 15th century series of conflicts between the House of York and the House of Lancaster – is one of my favourite periods of history to read about, partly because there are so many different ways in which the people and events of the time can be interpreted. Although I’ve read a few Wars of the Roses novels that take a more objective view of the period, authors – and readers – tend to be biased towards one side or the other. My personal preference is for York, but Joanna Hickson’s new novel The Tudor Crown is written from a decidedly Lancastrian perspective and shows both Henry Tudor and his mother, Margaret Beaufort, in a much more positive light than usual.

The Tudor Crown is a sequel to First of the Tudors and picks up where that book left off, but it does stand alone perfectly well so if you haven’t read the previous novel that shouldn’t be a problem. The story begins in 1471, just after the Lancastrians have been defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury. With both Henry VI and his heir, the Prince of Wales, dead, and the Yorkist king, Edward IV, back on the throne of England, the Lancaster hopes seem to be in ruins. As one of the remaining Lancastrian claimants, young Henry Tudor’s life is now in danger and, accompanied by his Uncle Jasper, the Earl of Pembroke, he flees the country and takes refuge in Brittany. And here he must stay, for almost fourteen years, biding his time and trying to build up the support he will need to one day return to England and take the throne he believes is his.

Meanwhile, Margaret Beaufort, Henry’s mother, has been left widowed following the death of her husband at the recent Battle of Barnet and has married again, this time to Thomas Stanley. She returns to court where she serves the wives of first Edward IV, then Richard III, but she has still not given up hope of Henry becoming king and continues to work tirelessly on his behalf. If only she could persuade Thomas Stanley to help her…but Stanley has been walking a tightrope between York and Lancaster for years and won’t make a final decision until he is sure victory is within reach.

The Tudor Crown is written partly from Henry’s point of view and partly from Margaret’s, with the chapters alternating between the two. I found the Henry chapters the most interesting because I have never read about his time in exile in so much depth before. I was pleased to read in Joanna Hickson’s Author’s Note that most of the people Henry met during this time really existed. She does invent a romance for him with the fictional Catherine de Belleville, but I didn’t mind that as factual information on Henry’s exile is quite limited and if the author hadn’t used her imagination to fill in some of the gaps this wouldn’t have been much of a story. I loved the descriptions of the various places Henry visited and stayed at in Brittany, such as the Château de l’Hermine in Vannes (again a real place, but which sadly no longer exists in its original form). The Margaret chapters held less appeal for me simply because I am much more familiar with the events taking place in England during that period.

Both characters are portrayed with sympathy and understanding; in fact, I think Joanna Hickson might be the first author who has succeeded in actually making me like Henry (or Harri, as she refers to him, using a Welsh version of his name). He feels very human in this book and I almost found myself supporting him in his attempts to become king – although I still couldn’t bring myself to side with him against Richard at the Battle of Bosworth or to accept that Richard was responsible, beyond doubt, for the deaths of the Princes in the Tower. I think there is plenty of doubt, which is why it is still being discussed and debated more than five hundred years later.

This is Joanna Hickson’s third book about the Wars of the Roses, following Red Rose, White Rose and First of the Tudors (her other two novels, The Agincourt Bride and The Tudor Bride are set in the period just prior to this). She mentioned in her Author’s Note that she is planning to write about Margaret Beaufort again in her next novel, so I will look forward to that one.

I really enjoyed the interplay and interlinking between and of the two narratives in this book, very clever. A well-known story told in a fresh way.

I find Henry VII's story fascinating; in part because he was the father of the Tudor dynasty and also because of his formidable mother, Mary Beaufort. I think that without her relentless determination to see her son on the throne, despite the fact that others had just as much of a legitimate claim to it, the course of British history might have been completely different. Although other authors also deal with the same period, Joanna Hickson allows us to see into the mind of young Henry Tudor. It is not easy to bring history alive yet somehow the author does so in a seemingly effortless way. I learnt more about Henry Tudor from this book than I ever did at school.

The Tudor Crown - Joanna Hickson

Told from a dual perspective those of Henry V11 and his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, this is a gripping re-telling of a fascinating period in history.

Dramatic, detailed and rooted in a period we know little about this novel has the ring of authenticity. We are shown the long wait and struggle for Henry’s accession to the crown of England against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses.

Margaret Beaufort is ruthless in her determination to help Henry. She schemes and plots in her efforts to get the throne she believes is rightfully his and is ruthless in her determination to this end. Nevertheless, unlike in a lot of modern re-tellings we sympathise with her rather than Richard.

There is a good sense of period and the atmosphere of danger is tangible. The characters are well drawn and convincing.

If you enjoy strong, well written historical fiction this is for you. If you don’t normally read this period you are in for a treat.

Little is known about Henry Tudor's early life and this novel covers the time he spent in exile when he was fourteen years old up to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 when he was twenty eight. The son of Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, Henry was born in Pembroke Castle in Wales. As a Lancastrian claimant to the throne, Henry's life was in danger and so, together with his uncle, Jasper Tudor, he fled the country after Henry VI was killed in 1471 and Edward IV took the throne. They were aiming to seek refuge in France, but storms drove them to land in Brittany (I hadn't known that Brittany was not part of France at that time). Where they spent the next fourteen years.

If I knew little about Henry VII, I knew even less about his mother Margaret Beaufort. She was only thirteen when Henry was born and saw little of him during his early life in Wales and subsequent exile in Brittany. The Tudor Crown is told from both her perspective and that of Henry's, including letters between them telling of their plans for Henry's return to England. 

The funny thing about historical fiction, to my mind, is that although I know the outcome of events as I read I found that I was willing Henry on and wondering how he would be successful. Joanna Hickson has brought the period to life, capturing the danger and frustration and hopes for the future that both Henry and Margaret experienced. I could visualise the scenes, particularly the storm at sea and the perilous landing on the shores of Brittany, Henry's fictional love affair with Catherine de Belleville and the account of the Battle of Bosworth. She has filled the story with characters that have their own personalities. In particular I grew to like and admire Margaret Beaufort. She comes across as an intelligent and compassionate woman, loyal to her son, always ready to help him financially and ambitious for his future. 

I think this is a good mix of fact and fiction - in her Author's Note Joanna Hickson explains that 'with the odd exception' the people Henry met and the places he went to existed but their characters and descriptions are from her imagination. She say she 'has never doubted that Richard was responsible for the deaths of the Princes in the Tower' in contrast to other accounts that I've read, particularly Sharon Penman's The Sunne in Splendour in which she portrays a very likeable Richard and a different solution to what happened to the Princes. 

I really enjoyed reading this book, and as in all good historical fiction Joanna Hickson has included details of the sources she has used in her research for The Tudor Crown. Now, I'm hoping she will write more books about Henry's life after he became King.

Many thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for a review copy.

One of my favourite periods of history. I enjoy how the author picks some characters then spins a story round them , linking it in with recorded history. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book was absolutely fab, I adore reading about the Tudor and Plantaganets and this book did not disappoint! The vividness of the descriptions were spectacular and I love the depth of characterisation!
A massive thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for granting my wish and allowing me to read this book. Anyone interested in the Tudor Era, read this book, I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. I just wanted to keep reading. This a period of history which I knew very little about. This book has obviously been very well researched and is really well put together. I really liked the descriptions of the scenery and the correspondences between Henry and his mother. This seemed to bring everything to life and made it easier to imagine. I really enjoy books like this and will be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book is my first historical interpretation of the tudors! ( although i know alot about the tudors)
This book was so gripping and had a great knowledge of the period ( although there isnt much information on Henrys wait to be king!)
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper collins and author for the ARC

A very enjoyable and interesting historical novel about a less known historical period.
The book is well researched and I like the way the historical settings was described and how the characters were developed.
Recommended!
Many thanks HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for this ARC

A compelling read about Henry VII's very long wait to claim the throne of England. As the author admits there is very little fact available about this period of history but Joanna Hickson has combined what little there is with a fictional tale to make a very readable novel about this period.

Very many thanks to Netgalley/Joanna Hickson/Harper Collins for a digital copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.