The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

A power-hungry courtier and an impressionable young princess: the Tudor court had never been more perilous for the young Elizabeth, where rumors had the power to determine her fate.

England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His fourteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII 's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king.

Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.

Alone and in dreadful danger, Elizabeth is threatened by supporters of her half-sister, Mary, who wishes to see England return to Catholicism. She is also closely questioned by the king's regency council due to her place in the line of succession. Was she still a virgin? Was there a child? Had she promised to marry Seymour?

Under pressure, Elizabeth shows the shrewdness and spirit she would later be famous for. She survives the scandal. Thomas Seymour is not so lucky. The “Seymour Scandal” led to the creation of the persona of the Virgin Queen. On hearing of Seymour's beheading, Elizabeth observed, “This day died a man of much wit, and very little judgment.” She would never allow her heart to rule her head again.

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The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

A power-hungry courtier and an impressionable young princess: the Tudor court had never been more perilous for the young Elizabeth, where rumors had the power to determine her fate.

England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His fourteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII 's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king.

Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.

Alone and in dreadful danger, Elizabeth is threatened by supporters of her half-sister, Mary, who wishes to see England return to Catholicism. She is also closely questioned by the king's regency council due to her place in the line of succession. Was she still a virgin? Was there a child? Had she promised to marry Seymour?

Under pressure, Elizabeth shows the shrewdness and spirit she would later be famous for. She survives the scandal. Thomas Seymour is not so lucky. The “Seymour Scandal” led to the creation of the persona of the Virgin Queen. On hearing of Seymour's beheading, Elizabeth observed, “This day died a man of much wit, and very little judgment.” She would never allow her heart to rule her head again.

19.95 In Stock
The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

by Elizabeth Norton

Narrated by Sarah Nichols

Unabridged — 9 hours, 59 minutes

The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen

by Elizabeth Norton

Narrated by Sarah Nichols

Unabridged — 9 hours, 59 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$19.95
(Not eligible for purchase using B&N Audiobooks Subscription credits)

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Overview

A power-hungry courtier and an impressionable young princess: the Tudor court had never been more perilous for the young Elizabeth, where rumors had the power to determine her fate.

England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His fourteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII 's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king.

Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.

Alone and in dreadful danger, Elizabeth is threatened by supporters of her half-sister, Mary, who wishes to see England return to Catholicism. She is also closely questioned by the king's regency council due to her place in the line of succession. Was she still a virgin? Was there a child? Had she promised to marry Seymour?

Under pressure, Elizabeth shows the shrewdness and spirit she would later be famous for. She survives the scandal. Thomas Seymour is not so lucky. The “Seymour Scandal” led to the creation of the persona of the Virgin Queen. On hearing of Seymour's beheading, Elizabeth observed, “This day died a man of much wit, and very little judgment.” She would never allow her heart to rule her head again.


Editorial Reviews

Alison Weir

A stunning achievement. I was spellbound by this beautifully produced book. This is how historical writing should be: well-paced, engaging, packed with fascinating detail and soundly researched. Elizabeth Norton writes a captivating narrative, drawing the reader into the world of the Tudors, evoking it so compellingly, and arguing her conclusions convincingly. I can't praise it highly enough. It's stunning







— the best history book I've read in a long time.

Jenny Uglow

Cuts an admirably clear path through tangled Tudor intrigues.

The Christian Science Monitor

Norton explains these machinations with as much knowledge and nuance as any historian has done since A. F. Pollard. Her book is indeed dramatic and shrewd in its analysis of the marriage-politics swirling around the court. Norton's book could scarcely be bettered.

Bookgasm

A very detailed investigation of the young Elizabeth and her infatuation with Thomas Seymour. A fascinating book. Norton has a fluid, delightful style. A strong history and well-told story.

The New York Times Book Review

A scheming fortune hunter, Seymour's judgment was anything but sound. Great material.

Kirkus Reviews

2015-10-06
Tudor historian Norton (The Tudor Miscellany, 2014, etc.) looks at Henry VIII's daughter and widow, but the real story here is Thomas Seymour. Thomas was the brother of Henry's third wife, Jane. As uncle to the king, he felt he should have a much more important place, both in the Parliament and in the young king's care. Machinations were the key to just about everything during the reign of the Tudors; spying, plotting, and backstabbing were the norm. Thomas, who had wooed Catherine Parr before she married Henry, quickly picked up their romance when she was widowed; in fact, they were married just over a month after the king's death. Thomas hoped his marriage might give him more authority as he sought the governance of the young king, his wife's stepson. His brother Edward gained increasing amounts of power and made him Lord High Admiral as a concession. Before Parr, he had sued for the hands of both Elizabeth and Mary Tudor, both in the line of succession. Elizabeth's closest attendant, Katherine Ashley, inexplicably decided that the teenager no longer needed a protective woman sleeping near her bed. That left Elizabeth exposed to Thomas' morning ritual of entering half-dressed and playing a little "slap and tickle" with the future queen. Whether Elizabeth enjoyed it or whether Catherine might even have cooperated in the game are left to the imagination. "When she was a teenager," writes the author, "there was one man who had caught her fancy enough to tempt her to abandon herself to him. The Virgin Queen was born out of the ashes of his fall." Regardless, Catherine, six months pregnant, caught the couple in an embrace and sent Elizabeth packing. The author tells of rumors of Elizabeth's "illness" that summer, hinting at pregnancy. Juicy royal history that may or may not be true. Either way, the story of Thomas' comeuppance and Elizabeth's reaction makes for a quick, enjoyable read.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940169750706
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 01/04/2016
Edition description: Unabridged
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