The Tudors (94 page)

10. Who, in your view, are the heroes of the Tudor story? Who are the villains? Do your opinions differ markedly from Meyer’s? How and why?

11. Was it
necessary
for Elizabeth I to remain the unmarried “Virgin Queen”? What do you think were her prime motivations in avoiding marriage?

12. Less than half a century after Queen Elizabeth’s death, the Stuart dynasty was overthrown in a civil war, King Charles I was executed, and the monarchy was eliminated. Did this upheaval have roots in the Tudor era? Was it in any significant way a result of what the Tudors had done?

13. Why do the Tudors remain such fascinating figures more than four centuries after the dynasty died out? Why are Henry VIII and Elizabeth I so famous when we remember virtually nothing about other powerful and colorful English rulers? And why, for that matter, is the founder of the dynasty, Henry VII, such an obscure figure in spite of his adventurous early life and his great achievements?

14. Meyer gives relatively little attention to the stories of Henry VIII’s last four wives, focusing instead on other aspects of the king’s life and reign. Is this allocation of time and space justified in your opinion?

15. Imagine that the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, is able to view the state of England at the time of his granddaughter Elizabeth’s death. What might he think of how it all turned out?

Books are better with buddies . www.RandomHouseReadersCircle.com

G. J. MEYER is a professional writer whose bylines have appeared in
The New York Times
, the
Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Harper’s
, and many other newspapers and magazines. While working for the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, he was awarded a Nieman Fellowship by Harvard University. He is the author of
A World Undone
, as well as
The Memphis Murders
(recipient of an Edgar Award for nonfiction) and
Executive Blues
. Meyer lives in England.