Tudor Women Queens and Commoners by Alison Plowden

While women during the Tudor age did not have a lot of power in their own right, times being what they were, they did have a lot of influence and they played a vital role. Beginning with the mother of Henry Tudor, Margaret Beaufort, Alsion Plowden brings us the nitty gritty and not always pretty story of the women who shaped history for the better part of 150 years in Tudor Women Queens and Commoners. 

Margaret Tudor had no control over a great deal of her life and yet, she is probably the most powerful woman of the era. She learned early to work behind the scenes to get what she wanted. She was the most important woman in her son's life even after his marriage. Luckily for her, his wife Elizabeth learned early that it was better to be friends with her mother in law.  

Much has been written about the marital machinations of King Henry VIII but this book takes a different look at the women that he married and how they influenced the King and also history. 

 This is not just the story of the Royals, however, interspersed throughout the book are tidbits about what life was like for the average woman during this time. It is fascinating to get this glimpse of the lives outside the court, in the towns and villages of England. 

Much changed during this period though women would not reach anything like equality for more than 500 years. If you enjoy Tudor history and like a book from a woman's perspective, I highly recommend this book. It isn't a large book, less than 175 pages but it is jam-packed with great information and presented in an easy to read chatty fashion. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.