Winter King

The Dawn of Tudor England

By: Thomas Penn

Narrated by: Simon Vance

A fresh look at the endlessly fascinating Tudors - the dramatic and overlooked story of Henry VII and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty - filled with spies, plots, counter-plots, and an uneasy royal succession to Henry VIII.

Near the turn of the sixteenth century, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy and civil war. Henry Tudor clambered to the top of the heap, a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England’s crown who managed to win the throne and stay on it for 24 years. Although he built palaces, hosted magnificent jousts, and sent ambassadors across Europe, for many Henry VII remained a false king. But he had a crucial asset: his family - the queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Now, in what would be the crowning glory of his reign, his elder son would marry a great Spanish princess.

Thomas Penn re-creates an England that is both familiar and very strange - a country medieval yet modern, in which honor and chivalry mingle with espionage, realpolitik, high finance, and corruption. It is the story of the transformation of a young, vulnerable boy, Prince Henry, into the aggressive teenager who would become Henry VIII, and of Catherine of Aragon, his future queen, as well as of Henry VII - controlling, avaricious, paranoid, with Machiavellian charm and will to power.

Rich with incident and drama, filled with wonderfully drawn characters, Winter King is an unforgettable account of pageantry, intrigue, the thirst for glory, and the fraught, unstable birth of Tudor England.

Thomas Penn has a PhD in early Tudor history from Clare College, Cambridge. Winter King is his first book.

©2011 Thomas Penn (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“I feel I’ve been waiting to read this book a long time. It’s a fluent and compelling account of the cost of founding the Tudor dynasty.” (Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize–winning author of Wolf Hall)

“An exceptionally stylish literary debut…[Penn’s] book should be the first port of call for anyone trying to understand England’s most flagrant usurper since William the Conqueror.” (Diarmaid MacCulloch, New York Times best-selling author)

“A definitive and accessible account of the reign of Henry VII.” ( Guardian (UK))

A Compelling Puzzlework of Personalities

The main historical figures take vivid form and the personalities come across with defined type and tendency. The complexity of the diplomacy, roles and running of the kingdom under Henry VII were untangled and made compelling in the context of actual historical drama. The performance, the reading, was nuanced, articulated clearly and expressive, but a little fast at times.

"Glorious summer" made winter once again...

Would you listen to Winter King again? Why?

Definitely would listen to this one again. Nonfiction can be dry but this was well-written and well read. There was a lot of information presented that I'd come across before but it was woven into a pretty smooth narrative. The author does have a couple of phrases, expressions, words, that are noticeably repeated, but I didn't find this to be an annoyance, just something I noticed.

What other book might you compare Winter King to and why?

The subject matter here makes it difficult to compare to another book. SB Chrimes wrote the Yale English Monarchs series entry on Henry VII and that suffers a bit from being that type of dry academic work that is so difficult to stick with to the last page. If you like David Starkey's biographies, this is probably up your alley.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

His voice was even and steady but not at all monotonous.

Any additional comments?

Given that Henry VII was a cipher in life and has remained so or become more of one in death, it isn't surprising that this book comes across as a portrait of a man painted by filling in the space around him. It is nearly impossible to know much of Henry that isn't a reflection off of someone or something else. This is more apparent in the 2nd half of the book, as first Prince Arthur's and then Queen Elizabeth's death marks the point at which Henry, always secretive, always guarded, retreats and even the glimpses of a happy behind-the-scenes family life fall away and all we are left with are records of a reign descending into a feudal police state. The book ends with the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII and based on what he's done in Winter King, I'm hoping that Mann will continue into that reign with his work.

Excellent !

The book and narration really bring to light the day to day activities and intrigue of the period.

A must to anyone interest in the period.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really loved this one. You must pay attention as not to loose track of the family tree and players, but if you can keep all that straight, it is very great to listen too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It is of coarse about Henry VII most of all. Learned a lot about the man and although he is not a beloved character, he was sure a king that a person would be interested in.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I found Simon Vance a good listen. Very good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I think the book is long and needs digesting in steps, but I sure did not want to be away from it more then a day or two.

England's Henry VII leading to Henry VIII

Enjoyable Tudor History. Helps in my understanding of English Government much controled by the King

A breath of Fresh Air

First of all, not first in importance but to get it out of the way, an excellent performance on the part of the always reliable Simon Vance. Pacing perfect, pronunciation perfect, enunciation perfect.
And now for the book. Too many historians trying to use their professional knowledge to take advantage of the public's love of stories from the past end up writing dumbed down pulp fiction. So it is refreshing to listen to a book written by an academic with excellent credentials and a more than usually competent turn of phrase and who is equal to addressing some of the more abstruse aspects of early Tudor administration in terms that the layman can readily understand. And to use a hackeyed phrase, our author is extraordinarily successful in bringing Henry to life. Here is a king who has inherited all the uncertainties and insecurities of medieval kingship based on an if anything even less certain claim to the throne than any of his forebears. We see the usual number of beheadings, imprisonments and tortures that characterized the Wars of the Roses-beridden fifteenth century. But Henry brought a new approach. He marginalized the aristocracy which under the traditional lines of power inherited from the feudal system had been the king's main means of governing the country outside London. He did this by picking them off one by one and either imprisoned/beheaded them or put them under crushing financial constraints. In the meantime he began to take professional men, especially lawyers, and had them take charge of the two main administrative functions of government - meting out justice and collecting money through fines, duties and taxes.
Some 65 years ago G R Elton published the Tudor Revolution in Government arguing that Henry VIII and his servants Wolsley and especially Thomas Cromwell were responsible for modernizing government to the point that his reign is the focal point at which England ceased being medieval and became modern. That theory has of course been largely modified since but most of the attacks were on the basis of Elton's own misinterpretation of events, and of developments that succeeded Henry VIII's reign. While Thomas Penn does not make this claim, The Winter King may have established such a turning point, based on the switch from the medieval government through aristocracy, members of which occupied their administrative positions as of right, to government through professional men who owed their jobs not to tradition but to the king's favor and who were appointed not because of their lineage but because of their competence. Thomas Cromwell was just such a man.
Penn paints a brilliant tapestry of early Tudor life, where power is often transitory and always personal, and where unexpected death and illness, storms shipwrecks and famine can at a stroke change the political landscape, creating additional levels of uncertainty to an already uncertain existence. One might in retrospect, conclude that to the extent that feudalism established a medieval political and social framework, that framework had been progressively eaten away by internecine civil war and that by the time Henry arrived on the scene a replacement had become urgently necessary. If so, then Henry must be credited with laying down the foundations of what was to provide that replacement.

Very well written

Everyone has heard and read about Henry VIII. But his father, Henry VII???

I certainly knew very little before listening to this book but know much more now. Thomas Penn's magnificently written biography is a magnificent, interesting all encompassing read. Simon Vance, once again, is an outstanding narrator.

This is a must if history interests you.

Lots of names...

This is a well written, well read, and rather detailed history, but I rather tough slog for any but the most dedicated history walk.

Excellent narration but jumbled history

History is obviously more than numbers, e.g., dates. But it should at least get the numbers right, or at least consistent. This book is full of inconsistent accounts of dates, ages, etc. for example, at the wedding of his older brother Arthur the future Henry the eighth is 10 years old and his sister Margaret is 14. Elsewhere in the book he is three and she is fight at the same time. At yet another point Arthur has already died and Margaret is 13. Just drove me nuts. How hard can it be for history and get the relative ages right? The book also skipped around chronologically for no apparent reason. A particular time in history would be described and important people would die and then the author would back up to earlier times when they were still living and supply additional detail. I understand that in fiction this may be done for stylistic reasons. Conceivably even in history there could be good reasons to do this but such were in no way apparent in this author's willy-nilly telling stories in no particularly meaningful order.I do not recommend this book.

Can be tedious, but generally interesting

Would you consider the audio edition of Winter King to be better than the print version?

I dont know. I didnt read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Winter King?

Learning about the domestic and foreign policies of Henry VII and how he ran his kingdom in comparison to his more famous son

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Im not sure. He was good. But Im not sure he was transcendent or anything..

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

A good historical book. The topics back then are all the same.. intrigue, secret plots, marriage alliances, doing odd things in the name or religion... if youre interested in the history and can get through the first part. its a good listen