Book review: The House of Grey, by Melita Thomas

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Grey family was one of medieval England's most important dynasties. They were were on intimate terms with the monarchs and interwoven with royalty by marriage. They served the kings of England as sheriffs, barons, and military leaders. Weaving the lives of these men and women from a single family, often different allegiances, into a single narrative, provides a vivid picture of the English medieval and Tudor court, reflecting how the personal was always political as individual relationships and rivalries for land, power, 
and money drove national events.

I've had a long fascination with the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey, and know something of her background, so welcomed the chance to learn more about her family. 

Melita Thomas has done an impressive job of navigating us through this complex story, as ever since the Grey family arrived with William the Conqueror, they seem to have been in and out of favour - more often as the victims of circumstance.

Thomas and Richard Grey must have thought their luck had changed at last when their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, caught the eye of King Edward IV. Thomas became the Marquess of Dorset and a wealthy man, then struggled to remain silent when Richard III announced the 'disappearance'  of their half-brothers from the Tower.

Following the story of the rise of the Tudors from the Grey point of view offers a fresh perspective on events. There are several places in this book where things I'd thought odd make sense within the context of the Grey family story. For example, Dorset's midnight departure from Henry Tudor's camp in France might have been a gesture to cover his options if the Tudor's invasion failed.

A memorable scene in this intriguing book is chronicler John Foxe's account of the execution of Henry Grey at the Tower. A man Grey owes money to interrupts the proceedings to ask when he's going to be paid, and Henry shouts, 'Alas, do not trouble me now!' Then Mary I’s Chaplain, Hugh Weston, asks Henry if he'd be willing to convert to Catholicism. Henry shoves the priest down the scaffold steps, and goes to his death with his debts unpaid but his faith intact.

This is an engaging and well-researched history of the rise and fall of one of the most unlucky medieval families, which finally puts their struggle into context. The death of Lady Jane Grey is handled with sensitivity and helped me understand why her family acted as they did. An excellent book which I highly recommend.

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Melita Thomas is the co-founder and editor of Tudor Times, a repository of information about Britain in the period 1485-1625 www.tudortimes.co.uk. Melita has loved history since being mesmerised by the BBC productions of ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ and ‘Elizabeth R’, when she was a little girl. After that, she read everything she could get her hands on about this most fascinating of dynasties.  In her spare time, Melita enjoys long distance walking. She is attempting to walk around the whole coast of Britain. You can follow her progress here. https://mgctblog.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @thetudortimes.



A review copy of The House of Grey was kindly provided by the publishers.