Owen was a nobody, a commoner, but he married Henry V's widow, Catherine de Valois, and that made him a somebody. He was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, for Henry VII was his grandson.
Terry Breverton explains in careful, clear and concise detail, the Welsh ancestry of Owen Tudor. I've taken a great deal of interest over the years in Welsh history so many of the names were familiar to me, but this information is laid out in such a way that even those who are new to the subject will not struggle with the Welsh names and places.
What follows is some background to Catherine's life, and then her marriage to Owain - his Welsh name - and then Owen's career in the Hundred Years War. Then we read about his sons' involvement in the Wars of the Roses.
This book is extremely readable, informative, and Breverton has clearly researched Owen's life in great detail. The research sits lightly on the page though, making this an easy page-turner of a book. It's packed with drama, fluctuating fortunes, and ends with his final, heroic role at the battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461. As the book says, without Owen and his secret marriage for love, there would have been no Tudor dynasty. It's a wonderful story, well told.
Buy the paperback from Amazon and from Amberley Books
I've got this one on a shelf just waiting for me to read it!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Delete