The House of Dudley

Author Joanne Paul
Narrator Kristin Atherton
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 31 March 2022
Run Time 17 hours and 13 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Biography: historical, political and military, Biography: royalty, History, History: specific events and topics.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Told for the very first time is the true story of the secret royal family.

Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side - or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII, but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. Under Elizabeth I, the family were once again at the centre of power, and would do anything to remain there . . .

With three generations of felled favourites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low? Here, for the first time, is the story of England's Borgias, a noble house competing for proximity to the throne through cunning, adultery and sheer audacity, revealing some of the period's most talented, intelligent and cunning individuals.

© Joanne Paul 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

A tour-de-force of Tudor history, as seen through the eyes of a family with a front-row view of almost every major political event in sixteenth-century England. Remarkable

Dan Jones, Sunday Times bestselling author of Powers and Thrones

Exciting and immersive. An immensely entertaining history, capturing in full Tudor brilliance the cut-throat glamour of the English throne and the most audacious family to play its game

Sunday Times

House of Dudley is a full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served

Jessie Childs

Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story. [She] negotiates the labyrinth of Tudor politics with skill, producing a book much more comprehensible and illuminating than others I’ve read . . . It’s delightful, a joy to read

The Times, BOOK OF THE WEEK

I am hugely impressed by The House of Dudley and by the depths of research.
This is a pacy narrative, vividly written, that makes you want to read on and on.
Joanne Paul is a major new talent in the field and I eagerly await her next book

Alison Weir

This is riveting stuff: death, desire, power and scandal. Paul has made the most of it, producing a well written and historically grounded page-turner . . . Game of Thrones looks tame compared with the real-life machinations of the Dudleys and the Tudors

Spectator

A twist on the Tudors . . . Enormously entertaining – a sheer joy to read

The Times, '25 BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2022'

A hugely entertaining history of three generations of the Dudley family, who dominated the Tudor court

The Times

A thrilling and deeply researched study of power and conspiracy: the rise and fall of the other Tudor dynasty. The House of Dudley illuminates the fascinating men and women who almost became kings and queens in their own right

Simon Sebag-Montefiore

Vivid, innovative and authoritative. I could not recommend The House of Dudley more highly. It’s a real lesson in how to revitalise the writing of Tudor history

Sarah Gristwood

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 5.0

5.0

Excellent, informative book

ring01 22/03/2025

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