In my last blog I mentioned the word kleptocracy and said I had found it in a crossword puzzle and then read it in The Tudors by G. J. Meyer. This book has nothing to do with the Showtime mini-series of the same name. Neither does it have anything to do with the many, many historical novels that I have read about this period of history.

This is a historical narrative, telling the story of the Tudors from the first man with that name, Welshman Owen Tudor, through until the death of the final Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I. Meyer is a very good writer and he makes this dynasty come alive even as he relates the facts of their journey. Often he will make what we might call an aside, or at least a tongue-in-cheek comment about the modern fascination with this clan, particularly Henry VIII. I found myself laughing out loud or reading something of interest to Dean. The Tudor narrative chapters are interspersed with Background chapters. These set the historical and global context in which the Tudors lived and moved. The background chapter on the The Popes even gave us some more information on the Borgia Pope Alexander VI ~ we have just been watching the Showtime series on The Borgias.

Again, this is not a novel, not a story. On the other hand it is fascinating reading for anyone who loves history and would like a more realistic view of this Tudor dynasty that we have placed on the pedestal of history.