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The House of Dudley

A New History of Tudor England

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The House of Dudley

By: Dr Joanne Paul
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Told for the very first time is the true story of the secret royal family.

Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side - or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. Under Elizabeth I, the family were once again at the centre of power and would do anything to remain there....

With three generations of felled favourites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low? Here, for the first time, is the story of England's Borgias, a noble house competing for proximity to the throne through cunning, adultery and sheer audacity, revealing some of the period's most talented, intelligent and cunning individuals.

©2022 Joanne Paul (P)2022 Penguin Audio 16th Century Europe Great Britain Historical Modern Politics & Activism Royalty Tudor England Middle Ages

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Critic reviews

A tour-de-force of Tudor history, as seen through the eyes of a family with a front-row view of almost every major political event in sixteenth-century England. Remarkable (Dan Jones, Sunday Times bestselling author of Powers and Thrones)
House of Dudley is a full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served (Jessie Childs)

I am hugely impressed by The House of Dudley and by the depths of research.
This is a pacy narrative, vividly written, that makes you want to read on and on.
Joanne Paul is a major new talent in the field and I eagerly await her next book (Alison Weir)
A thrilling and deeply researched study of power and conspiracy: the rise and fall of the other Tudor dynasty. The House of Dudley illuminates the fascinating men and women who almost became kings and queens in their own right (Simon Sebag-Montefiore)
Vivid, innovative and authoritative. I could not recommend The House of Dudley more highly. It's a real lesson in how to revitalise the writing of Tudor history (Sarah Gristwood)
The crowning jewel in its genre . . . I can't recommend this book enough. Unputdownable (Lindsey Fitzharris)
Fascinating (Catherine Fletcher)
All stars
Most relevant  
Throughly enjoyable and informative book detailing the often unfortunate and lofty rise of the Dudley family in the 16th Century. A family tied to the Crown of 4 monarchs ending with unrequited love of one of England’s greatest Queens.

Highly recommended.

Highly recommended

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It caught the atmosphere of what it must have been like to tread carefully at the Tudor court. I liked the respect paid to the reader of having either some knowledge, or sufficiently interested to find out for themselves.

An excellent read

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A brilliant and fast moving listen full of twists and turns which held me fascinated from beginning to end. The author really brings each member of the family to life and superbly portrays the twists and turns of their relationships with the Tudors.

Kristin Atherton’s narration is faultless.

Thank you - I shall definitely listen again.

Who needs The Game of Thrones? The real life Game of Dudleys is just as engaging but true

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Loved it. I was put off Tudor history by a surfeit of Henry VIII at school but this has made me fall in love with the 16th century. So interesting and told with brilliant clarity.

Riveting and well read

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I loved this book. It's writing style and narrative adoption was so far from the crusty old reference books of my education. If more historical accounts were written in this style I'm sure more would become interested and invested in historical studies. I learned and understood so much about my favourite period of English history.

Wonderful book

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Although the political and religious machinations of this period of history will already be familiar to most, this focus on how one elite family attempted to negotiate their relationship to the monarch provides an interesting new perspective.

A new perspective on a familiar story

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I thought this a very well put together informative book which had superb narration too

Very interesting book

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An excellent narration. Story well told. In book terms an absolute page turner. I had to keep listening

Fascinating story

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An interesting trip through the lives of the Dudley family and the wider Tudor Court.

Interesting and Entertaining

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well worth a read , very informative, gave a good overview of the Dudley family . Enjoyable

very enjoyable

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