Just Finished Reading: Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

England, 1537. Frances Brandon, Marchioness of Dorset, goes into labour with the hope of producing an heir for her husband. After a long and potentially dangerous effort she is disgusted to discover she has produced a useless daughter. Ignoring her new child she immediately hands her over to a wet nurse who dotes on the beautiful baby. In the first few years of life the child Lady Jane learns what it is to be the family’s unwanted eldest daughter. Groomed to be useful as a bargaining chip to be married off at the earliest opportunity neither of her parents notice that she is growing up to be an impressive young woman, in looks, in whit and in intelligence. Only her looks are considered as asset that can be used to snare a profitable match. When King Henry VIII finally fathers a male heir the Brandon’s conceive of their most ambitious plot yet – to seat Jane on the throne of England. But first they must scheme and plot to have her in the right place at the right time – and beat any resistance out of her in the process.

Such a brief synopsis does little credit to this tale of parental ambition in a very dangerous age. Not only are such schemes inherently dangerous in that they must overcome the schemes of others but such things can all too easily be seen as treason – a crime that all too often ends with the plotters heads on spikes on the walls of the Tower of London. If this was not enough in itself this is a time of religious upheaval when the new religion of Protestantism is in the process of ousting the old religion of Catholicism from centre stage. As each contender for the throne cleaves to one faith or the other the consequences of a ‘wrong’ monarch taking the throne would be calamitous to the opposing side. Weir is a world class historian who has turned her hand to the historical novel. In her first outing she impressed me with the feeling of realism that carries the reader through the book. Tudor England seems both alien and yet strangely familiar. I had a vague knowledge of the time gleamed from half-remembered school lesions and a smattering of movies, plays and documentaries of the period. I now think I know a lot more of what was going on in those very violent times. I never realised, until reading this novel, just how fraught with danger royal succession was. Backing the wrong contender could quite literally result in you losing your head. The tragic figure of Lady Jane Grey was one I had heard of but, again until reading this novel, I had no idea just how tragic her very short life really was. Pushed into a situation she clearly wanted no part in, her power hungry parents put her in an impossible position which resulted in dire consequences whilst she was still in her teens. Although I realised that children of the aristocracy where expected to grow up fast in those days I never realised that their childhoods were so compressed. Jane had an awful life – despite her very privileged background. In another time or place she might have made a real contribution to the world. Instead she was the victim of the ambition of others and paid the price for being a suitable bride for a future king.

I picked up Alison Weir’s third novel today on the strength of this book. It did feel a little heavy handed at times but generally I liked it very much indeed. It had a wonderful sense of time and place, very impressive characterisation and a very strong story to say nothing of a very strong central character in the guise of Jane herself. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the period or if you want a very fulfilling if tragic story to spellbind you.