Pour the Dark Wine

by Deryn Lake

First published 1989

Amazon

4.3(2,029)

The Seymour family rises through the dangerous politics of Henry VIII’s court as Jane Seymour, her brothers Edward and Thomas, and their ambitious kin discover how quickly royal favour can transform a provincial family. Jane’s marriage to Henry makes her queen and mother of Edward VI, while Edward Seymour accumulates power and Thomas pursues status with equal appetite.

The family’s triumph does not end with Henry’s death. Edward becomes Lord Protector during the young king’s reign, while Thomas Seymour marries Catherine Parr and enters the household of the teenage Princess Elizabeth, creating a scandal that helps destroy him. By following the Seymours from aspiration to queenship, government and execution, the novel treats Tudor success as a form of exposure: the closer the family comes to the crown, the less room any of them has for error.

Historical Periods

Henrician Reformation1530–1547 CE Thomas Seymour and Princess Elizabeth Scandal1547–1549 CE

Genres

Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction Historical Sagas

Historical people

Henry VIII1491–1547 Anne Boleyn1501–1536 Jane Seymour1508–1537 Catherine Parr1512–1548 Edward VI1537–1553 Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley1508–1549 Elizabeth I1533–1603 Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset1506–1552