Owen - Book One of the Tudor Trilogy

Catherine of Valois was a prize of war. After Henry V of England defeated the French in the famous battle of Agincourt, part of the peace settlement was that the daughter of the French King Charles VI would marry Henry. The marriage between the English King and the French princess was short-lived because he died of the flux in 1422, leaving Catherine with and infant son.Owain ap Maredydd ap Tudur , whose name was anglicized to Owen Tudor, was the disenfranchised son of a Welsh nobleman. Having lost his patrimony, he became a soldier of fortune and fought with King Henry’s bowman in France. After Henry’s death he became a retainer in the dowager Queen’s household, the master of her wardrobe, charged, essentially with running the household.The story is told from the point of view of Owen, who, despite a dalliance with the Queen’s maid Juliette, falls deeply in love with the Queen. Once the young Prince Henry is removed from the household to undertake his training for the Kingship, Catherine takes notice of the devoted Owen and begins to return his affection. They marry in secret and set up household in Much Hadam, a quiet village some forty miles north of London. They know that their marriage will not be approved by Sir Humphrey and Sir Beaufort, the advisors of the young King, and they endeavor to keep the marriage secret as long as possible. During the years of their marriage, Catherine gives birth to three sons, but she dies in childbirth after giving birth to a daughter. The baby dies after a week. By this time their marriage has been discovered by the Prince’s counselors and Owen is in big trouble.After a stint in Newgate Prison, Owen is released thanks to the mercy of the young King. Eventually Owen’s sons, Edmund and Jasper become favorites of the King, who is, after all their half-brother. Edmund marries Margaret Beaufort and they give Owen a grandson, Henry. There is a cloud on the horizon as the Richard, the Duke of York is determined to wrest the throne of England from the feckless King, Henry VI. Owen’s sons attempt to reconcile the factions but are finally forced to support their half- brother the King in a bitter and prolonged civil war.Tony Riches has written a fascinating account of a troubled period in English history and a sympathetic portrait of a romantic relationship between two people of very unequal rank which would spawn a dynasty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written book. I did enjoy the telling of the story in the first person. The story of Owen Tudor is so often just a side note in the telling of the War of the Roses and the Tudors. The fact that this man would marry the former Queen of England and the sister of the King of France is fascinating. Of interest to me is the mental illness by Catherine and her son Henry VI. Could this have caused the mercurial moods of Henry VII and Henry VIII? I am looking forward to the next books about Jasper and Henry VII.

The legacy of King Henry VIII has always fascinated me, but I knew very little about the earlier accounts of the Tudor dynasty. Thus, I selected "Owen: Book One of the Tudor Trilogy" by Tony Riches to learn more about how the Tudor Dynasty was established. The story of Owen, the great-grandfather of Henry VIII, is as fascinating as the tales about the legendary king. Told in the first-person perspective of Owen, the story begins in 1422 when he first meets his new mistress, Queen Catherine of Valois, the young widow of King Henry V. The queen's young son, Harry (Henry VI), is crowned King of England and France. Nobles responsible for the young king's upbringing tightly control the queen's life and her influence on her son. Owen, serving as the Keeper of the Wardrobe, loyally serves and befriends Queen Catherine and gains her trust. Rumors of Catherine's affair with the 2nd Duke of Somerset prompts a parliamentary statute that forbids her to remarry until her son comes of age. Soon after, Catherine and Owen fall in love and secretly marry in the backdrop of political turmoil that ultimately leads to the War of Roses.Author Tony Riches has masterfully written a poignant love story narrated by Owen in the present tense. The moment-by-moment narrative helps the reader more actively engage with Owen's life journey. The story is rich with vivid descriptions and natural dialogue that highlights Owen's wit and cleverness. Although his childhood has been shattered by the loss of his Welsh noble parents and heritage, Owen becomes the unlikely second husband to Queen Catherine and the father of her children. Their secret love and marriage have tragic consequences in the backdrop of the War of Roses. Yet Owen's firstborn son, Edmund, ultimately becomes the father of King Henry VII, the first monarch in the Tudor Dynasty."Owen: Book One of the Tudor Trilogy" is one of my favorite novels that I've read this year. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction readers, particularly those interested in the Tudor Dynasty.

So little is known about Owen Tudor except that he married the widow of Henry V, (Catherine of Valois) and they had two sons. Due to this book I learned there was another son, Owen, who became a priest.. Tony Riches did a wonderful job researching and padding the known history as much as he dared. This made the book less creditable. Even so, the author did the best he could with what he had and full marks to him for that. I didn't realise before reading "Owen - Book one of the Tudor Trilogy" how power-hungry were Owen's two sons - Edmond and Jasper. Edmond in particular for marrying Margaret Beaufort and making her a mother at 13 years to ensure his ascendancy. As he lost his life soon after the future Henry V11 was born, he didn't reap the harvest he hoped for. Poor Margaret Beaufort who almost lost her life and could never have another child, due to the horrific birth. Jasper's exploits towards the end of the book dragged for me, although I was surprised to learn that Owen had fathered a child in his declining years - his namesake. It hasn't deterred me from my intention of reading the next in the series - Jasper Tudor who was the guardian of the future King Henry V11. This isn't a bad book - quite readable, but too much padding and poetic license used.

I first came across Edmund and Jasper Tudor in the series by Philippa Gregory but even then did not consider their parentage and was intrigued when this book was recommended. I deliberately did not research Owen Tudor before reading it, giving Tony a blank canvas. It is a thoroughly engaging tale about an incredibly important character in history, the founder of the Tudor Dynasty.Written in the first person in present tense, it is really easy to journey through life with Owen, sharing his hopes and fears, his aspirations and concerns, his loves, particularly for Queen Catherine of Valois, and losses. Because surprisingly little is really known about him, Tony is able to tell a fictional but plausible tale of his life, set against the backdrop of known fact.Early in the book we have a period of history where there is a lot of posturing, as the soon to be warring factions attempt to control Catherine and the young King Henry VI and Tony gives us a wonderful insight into this.Following the death of Catherine, Owen is arrested and spends an horrific period of time in Newgate prison. He escapes but is recaptured and held under house arrest. Eventually, he is pardoned by the King but is forced abroad for a factually sketchy but incredibly interesting period in France, a country where the influence of England is increasingly waning.Back at home in Wales, with his sons granted Earldoms by the King, the plot hots up with the cousins war now in full swing. Following the death of Edmund, Owen spends much of his time looking after his grandson, sadly never seen by his father, as Jasper works tirelessly for the Lancastrian cause. Again, the depiction of the action is exciting and compelling as the fates of Owen and Jasper spiral towards the sad and inevitable conclusions of the war, death an exile.All in all, a very engrossing tale and a book I was very reluctant to put down. I look forward to 'Jasper' appearing at the top of my reading pile.

This was a very interesting book about an important but little known character of the founder of the tudor dynasty. I must say I am somewhat puzzled though, at his support for an English monarch, after what previous English monarchs did to the Welsh people. But then people changed sides all the time, particularly the Yorkists, Warwick in particular!! Looking forward to reading the rest of the Tudor trilogy

This is the first book I've read by Tony Richies. I enjoyed the story. Though some of the story is fiction some of it is fact. For me anyway it made me research Owen and find out what was fact and what was fiction.I knew a little about Owen Tudor, being the great grandfather of one of one of the most famous King's of England.The story is told through the eyes of Owen, we see what he goes through, how the English hated the Welsh and didn't trust them. The relationship between Owen and Catherine is romantic, through Owen's eyes we see how both risked everything. The happiness between Catherine and Owen with the birth of his sons Edmund and Jasper, there is also a bit about other children the couple had, however not much is known...We see how he is treated after the death of Catherine, which made me feel really sorry for him. We see the start of the cousins war which ironically end with a Tudor on the throne. We see him a devoted father and grandfather, servant and most of all husband. The end of the book ends with sadly end of his life, one of the first victims of the cousins war. We see how he is respected by his wife and later years Jasper.The book flows through well though knowing some of the history helps, because the tears fly by.looking forward to reading the next in the series Jasper

I have deliberately held off reading this book for the very good reason that I work as a writer in the same genre and in exactly the same period of history so I genuinely did not want to be tempted to steal from it! As well I might have been, as it happens, because Tony Riches weaves a beguiling story from the known fact and imaged fiction of Owen Tudor's clandestine marriage to Catherine de Valois, the lovely young widow of Henry V. It is in itself amazing that someone who was in service to the Queen should end up befriending and subsequently marrying her. The history books don't tell us much about Queen Catherine and even less about her handsome, debonair Welsh lover but Tony Riches has filled in the gaps with flair and imagination. I did feel that the book might have benefitted from a little judicious editing here and there. I also don't warm to books written in the first person, present tense: but that is an entirely personal preference. Otherwise, OWEN is a rewarding read.

An experience in so many ways. Brilliantly written and informative about the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty. I felt ashamed that I had missed Owen in my vast reading on the Tudors. Can’t wait to read the other two books. This book made me think about the fact so well illustrated here that one person can change history, we know this already but this particular man had it all. Passion, determination, endurance and bravery.. all this set in a historic period I have always been fascinated by..