Lord Alex Anglesey’s The Great Survivor of the Tudor Age is about William Paget, a supporter of Henry VIII. If you are fascinated with Henry VIII’s life and those who knew him, this book will not disappoint. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, well-researched, interesting book.

This is a fascinating biography about Lord William Paget, a resilient figure of the Tudor era. However, the writing goes beyond mere biography; Alex Anglesy explores the social, cultural, and economic aspects of the Tudor era and the personalities and motivations of key players. He writes in a clear and exciting style, making the book a good pick for casual readers and British History enthusiasts alike. I learned a lot about a figure I had never thought about. I think this is a great read for Tudor history enthusiasts like myself.

William Paget rose from humble origins to become a top advisor to Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. With fresh insights from Paget family letters, this vivid history chronicles his life: from shaping foreign policy to navigating rebellions, from imprisonment to surviving court intrigues. By asking little and achieving much, this powerful courtier steered England through the tumultuous 16th century shifts in leadership.

This book sheds light on a workhorse of the Tudor court. Perhaps because of his humility and moderation, and because he survived long enough to retire under Elizabeth I, he's not as well remembered as predecessors like Wolsey and Cromwell. This book offers a new perspective on familiar events, bringing to life a historical figure in an engaging and easy-to-read manner.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

History is filled to the brim with powerful, politically influential men. Names such as Thomas Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and many more might spring to mind when you think of a man who played a key part in influencing England’s future during the Tudor period. However, one name that you might not be quite as familiar with is Lord William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert.

Although Lord William Paget might not be as famous as, say, Thomas Cromwell or Thomas More for being close advisors to King Henry VIII who were ultimately sent to the executioner’s block after falling dangerously out of the King’s favor, he is most certainly worthy of the title of the ‘greatest survivor of the Tudor age’. Despite falling from favor many times, Lord William Paget was fortunate enough to be restored every time and lived long enough to serve four (although one might argue that Lady Jane Grey is not officially recognized as Queen Jane I as she should be) monarchs of England—that is an accomplishment in its own right.

As a lover of Tudor history, I must admit that I had only read slight mentions of Lord William Paget in all of the Tudor novels I have read so far (both fiction and non-fiction) so when I saw that there had been a biography written about this extraordinary man, I jumped to read it. And I must say that it was an amazing read; the amount of things that this man endured during his lifetime was truly astonishing. He lived his life to the fullest and managed to survive Henry VIII whilst many others sadly did not.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read and I would thoroughly encourage anyone who wants to learn more about this overlooked historical figure in Tudor history to give this book a try!

Masses of research by a descendant of the subject of the book but its concentration on detail actually leads to a rather long and dry read. Brilliant for the family archive but too heavy unfortunately for me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword fot this ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Rulers cannot govern alone. They require a team of men and women behind them to operate as a cohesive unit. The same can be said for rulers during the Tudor dynasty. We know the stories of men like Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell, two men who rose through the ranks to prominent seats of power to ultimately have disastrous falls from grace. However, there was a third Tudor politician who should be in this discussion about rags-to-riches stories. He was the son of a common merchant who went to serve most of the Tudor monarchs as an advisor. Conspiracies and rebellions kept him on his toes, but he ultimately survived the Tudor dynasty, which was a difficult thing to achieve. His name was Lord William Paget and his story is told by his descendant Alex Anglesey in his debut book, “The Great Survivor of the Tudor Age: The Life and Times of Lord William Paget.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have heard the name William Paget in previous books that I have read about the Tudors, but he is one of those figures that felt like a footnote to me. When I heard that there was going to be a biography about Paget, I wanted to read it and learn more about this Tudor politician.

Alex Anglesey, the current Marquess of Anglesey, tells the story of how when he was a child living in the family home of Plas Newydd. Anglesey was able to use family letters to piece together the story of his ancestor, William Paget, a man of low status who rose through the ranks and served four Tudor monarchs.

The beginning of Paget’s international political career was traveling all across Europe to convince other European countries to accept the Great Matter. During this time, William married Anne Preston and they had nine children. He was the secretary for both Queen Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, and he witnessed the dissolution of the monasteries before making his way into the Privy Council as a clerk.

Paget’s first major role was as the English ambassador to France during the reign of King Francis I and gave news to the king about the downfall of Katherine Howard, but it did not last long as he was needed back in England to become Secretary of State. He was King Henry VIII’s private secretary towards the end of his life and helped craft Henry’s last will and testament. After siding with Edward Seymour during the reign of Edward VI, William barely survived a stay in the Tower of London, but he did. During Mary I’s reign, he helped organize the marriage between Mary I and Philip and witnessed the infamous burnings of Protestants. Paget only saw a few years of Elizabeth’s reign before he passed away.

Anglesey shows how Paget and his family were able to survive the Tudor dynasty by staying neutral on matters like religion while still promoting peace. I did find this book a bit dry in places and some of the references to the modern age felt a bit out of place. Overall, it was informative and not a bad read for a debut book. If you want to learn more about a lesser-known political figure who lived during the Tudor dynasty, I suggest you read, “The Great Survivor of the Tudor Age: The Life and Times of Lord William Paget” by Alex Anglesey.

I enjoyed getting to read about Lord William Paget, he had a unique life and this was written perfectly for him. Lord Alex Anglesey does a great job in bringing him to life. I was never bored when reading this and enjoyed the family letters idea.