Review: Women of the Anarchy by Sharon Bennett Connolly

  I'll be honest - even though I studied history right through school and then at University, I never learned about the period in Englis...

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Review: The Brandon Men - Sarah Bryson


Sarah Bryson's new book, The Brandon Men: In the Shadow of Kings, has an interesting title. I knew, or thought I knew, about Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. So who were the others?

Of course, when one stops to think, Charles Brandon didn't appear from nowhere. As the blurb for this excellent new book says:

Four generations of Brandon men lived and served six English kings, the most famous being Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, best friend and brother-in-law to King Henry VIII. Yet his family had a long history tied closely to the kings of the Wars of the Roses back to Henry VI. Charles Brandon’s father, Sir William Brandon, supported Henry Tudor’s claim on the throne and became his standard bearer, dying at the Battle of Bosworth. Charles’s uncle, Sir Thomas Brandon, was Henry VII’s Master of the Horse, one of the three highest positions within the court. Charles’s grandfather had ties with Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III. These men held important offices, made great sacrifices, walked the fine line between being loyal courtiers and traitors, and even gave their lives, all in the name of loyalty to the king they served. No more shall the Brandon name be an obscure reference in archives. It is time for them to emerge from the shadows of history.

The author explains at the outset that of the earlier Brandon men, there is less in the way of historical record, but she makes the most of what is available, detailing as vividly as possible the careers of the men who brought the family up from rather humble beginnings to the highpoint at which Charles Brandon became Henry VIII's trusted friend.

What is evident is that this was far from a foregone conclusion. As Ms Bryson points out, Sir William Brandon II was the only member of the nobility on Henry Tudor's side to be killed at Bosworth. This left his wife, and her son Charles, then only one, in somewhat of a precarious position.

However, Charles Brandon thrived and, inevitably, most of the book's pages are taken up with his story. Some of it, such as his treasonous marriage to Henry VIII's sister, I knew, but this very readable book gives the background to that, tells us about Charles' earlier and subsequent marriages, and explains, wherever possible, what happened to the various Brandon women, too.

There is also extensive detail about his dealings in East Anglia, his diplomatic missions and military enterprises, and what comes across is a real sense of his character. Whilst reading, I felt I was really getting to know the man.

It's easy, I suppose, to assume that Charles was just another rich playboy at the young Henry VIII's court and this simply isn't the case. His family had risen through loyal service and Charles fared better than many of Henry's friends for, as the author points out, he knew Henry the man, as well as Henry the king. He wasn't universally liked, but he kept his head, and the friendship of the king where others failed in both those respects.

It is astonishing that a family could rise to such lofty heights in relatively few generations, and sobering that it all fell away so quickly, too.

Ms Bryson has a very engaging style, and the book, whilst being packed with historical detail and lengthy quotations from primary source documents, is also an easy and enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

[Thank you to Amberley Books for providing me with an advance copy, with no obligation to review.]



The book is available from:

Amberley Books

Amazon 


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