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Philippa Gregory
BIO
Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl which was made into a tv drama, and a major film. Now, six novels later, she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds.
She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire where she keeps horses, hens and ducks. Visitors to this site, Philippa Gregory.com become addicted to the updates of historical research and the progress of ducklings.
Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells in the primary schools of this very dry and poor African country, and thousands of school children have been able to learn market gardening in the school gardens watered by the wells. The charity also provides wells for womens’ collective gardens and for The Gambia’s only agricultural college at Njawara.
A past student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh university, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She also reviews for the Washington Post, the LA Times, and for UK newspapers, and is a regular broadcaster on television, radio, and webcasts from this website, Philippa Gregory.com.
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AUTHOR TALK
 September 11, 2009
Having made a name for herself writing historical fiction about strong and often misrepresented women, Philippa Gregory turns her attention to Elizabeth Woodville in her latest novel, THE WHITE QUEEN. In this interview, Gregory explains what initially drew her to the enigmatic wife of King Edward IV and why she chose to focus her work on a royal family already heavily documented in military history. She also discusses her own forays into studying the various battles of the period, speculates on the mysterious fates of Elizabeth's two sons who were locked in the Tower of London, and shares what readers can look forward to in future installments of the series.
Question: For readers who love your books set in Tudor England, what you would like them to know about the Plantagenets and the House of York?
Philippa Gregory: I suppose I’d like them to know that here is a family just as fascinating as the Tudors, perhaps more so. Certainly, they are more complicated, more wicked, and more passionate --- takers of great risk. I think people have been put off this period because it has been so well studied by military historians that it has been regarded as being just about battles. But there is so much more to it than this! The history of the women of the period has been very neglected because of this emphasis on battles and thus the male leaders.
Q: What appealed to you about using Elizabeth Woodville as the main character in a novel? In what ways do you think modern women can identify with Elizabeth?
PG: The things I discovered about Elizabeth in the first days of my reading about this period told me at once that she would fascinate me, and she has done so. Her background as a descendant of a family who claim to be related to a goddess was enough to have me absolutely enchanted straightaway. It is in the historical record that her mother was widely believed to be a witch, and that charge was leveled at Elizabeth also. This is exciting enough, but it also indicates that people were afraid of Elizabeth’s power, and I am interested in powerful women. I think she will fascinate modern women in the same way that many historical women strike a chord: despite so many changes in the world, women are still trying to find happiness, manage their children, seek advantage, and avoid the persecution of misogynists. As women of any time, we have a lot in common. Despite the amazing advances in the rights of women (and I am so grateful for these myself), the struggle for women’s freedom, independence, and the right to exercise power goes on.
Q: Throughout the novel there are scenes relating the story of the goddess Melusina. Is this based on an actual historical fable, or is it something you created for the novel?
PG: The fable of Melusina is well known, perhaps to everyone, in its retelling as the story of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and then in the Disney movie. As I say at the beginning of the novel, the legend of Melusina goes far back in time, perhaps to the classical legends, perhaps even earlier. The fable was studied by Carl Jung; Melusina has been identified as a form of the material of the world --- the dark, watery element that combines with the sun in the alchemist’s “chemical wedding.” This is a potent myth, indeed, and I retell the story here in a way that speaks to my characters and to me.
Q: “These are not chivalrous times; these are not the times of knights in the dark forest and beautiful ladies in moonlit fountains and promises of love that will be ballads, sung forever” (page 22), you write in THE WHITE QUEEN. Is there a tendency to romanticize history, both for writers and readers? How do you make sure to realistically portray all aspects of the time period you’re depicting, even the more difficult ones?
PG: Yes, indeed. These are not chivalrous times. I suspect that no times have ever been chivalrous times. We glamorize the past, and we romanticize it; we even look back at our own personal histories and cast a rosy glow or an enhanced dark shadow over our own childhoods. I keep my writing grounded in realism by reading a great deal before I start writing, by looking at the record with a critical eye, and by being skeptical of grandiose claims. Having said that, I too find it hard to resist the charm of Edward or Elizabeth or the marvelous character Jacquetta or any of the other powerful and interesting people who strove for themselves and for their families in these dangerous times. These are not chivalrous or romantic times, but they are times of danger --- and in such circumstances, one sees both the worst and best in people.
Q: What challenges, if any, did you face when writing about the battle scenes and the military strategy, which was often a crucial factor in determining who took the throne? Did you visit any of the places where the battles took place?
PG: I became a researcher in military history, which is not my natural home! I visited battle sites and I read long and complicated descriptions of battles and the modern speculations. In the end I found myself absolutely intrigued and fascinated by how the battles were lost and won by small events, even sometimes by luck. The mist at Barnet is a recorded fact, and it was possible for me to weave it into the story of Elizabeth and her mother as well as to see it as a determining factor on the battlefield. The three suns of Towton were both a real phenomenon and a powerful metaphor for the troops. The history of battles is a central part to the story of the Cousins’ War, and part of my task in this novel and the others in the series was to take this history, as I take any other, and make it come alive in the novel.
Q: The fate of Edward and Richard, the princes in the Tower, is a subject that has confounded historians for centuries. Why did you decide to approach this aspect of the story the way you did? Is there evidence to suggest that Elizabeth sent her son Richard into hiding and a page boy in his place to the Tower?
PG: Part of my response to this story was simply emotional: I have a son of my own, and the thought of Elizabeth losing both her sons was tremendously painful. So I confess a bias to wanting at least one to survive. Then there is the historical evidence. A very interesting book by Ann Wroe, PERKIN, suggested to me that the so-called pretender Perkin Warbeck might well have been the surviving prince, Richard. Her case for it is very compelling, as others have suggested too. There is other persuasive evidence that both boys were not killed as the traditional history (and Shakespeare) suggests. Even the traditional history --- of them being suffocated in their beds in the Tower and buried beneath a stair --- is filled with contradictions. If Perkin was Richard --- and this is speculative history, as indeed all history around this genuine mystery must be --- then Richard must have somehow survived. How could this have happened? It seemed to me most likely, not that he escaped from the Tower, but that he was never sent to it. His mother knew the danger her older son was in, had herself seen Henry VI murdered in the Tower, and was highly aware of the danger to her sons. It seemed to me most unlikely that she would hand over a second son when she had lost the first. The changeling page boy is my invention, but the history of Perkin in Flanders is based on his own confession. His story will continue in the series.
Q: Elizabeth’s father says to her, “We are forming a new royal family. We have to be more royal than royalty itself or nobody will believe us. I can’t say I quite believe it myself” (page 63). How unlikely was it that Elizabeth Woodville would become queen? How has she been remembered by historians?
PG: Elizabeth’s ascent to the throne is one of the great triumphs of a commoner and was considered so exceptional in her own time that one of the explanations offered was witchcraft. It is really a triumph of unlikely events. How unlikely that Edward, raising troops for a battle, would be diverted by a woman he must have met by chance? How unlikely that he would offer marriage when he knew as well as Warwick that to secure his reign he must marry well, preferably a European princess? How unlikely that even after a secret marriage he would honor his vows? It is a catalogue of unlikely events, and the only coherent explanation is that Edward and Elizabeth fell in love at first sight and married for love. Elizabeth, like many powerful and effective women, has been unkindly treated by historians. Some follow the gossip against her at the time that begrudged her good fortune; some point to the alliances she made for her family as symptoms of greed and self-aggrandizement. She gets little credit for surviving two periods in sanctuary, nor for her courage during the siege of the Tower. She is like many women “hidden from history” in the phrase of historian Sheila Rowbotham, and when her role is acknowledged she is often treated with very harsh criticism.
Q: Anthony Woodville, the queen’s brother, seemed to be ahead of his time in regard to education and culture. What more can you tell us about him? Was Elizabeth honoring his memory by becoming a patroness of Queens’ College Cambridge?
PG: Elizabeth took over the role of patron of Queens’ College from her predecessor Margaret of Anjou, but her interest in education and culture may have been inspired and would certainly have been encouraged by her brother, who was a true Renaissance man: spiritual, martial, thoughtful, and innovative. He brought the printer William Caxton to England and sponsored the first printed book; he was famous for his ability in the joust; and he was a loyal brother to Elizabeth and a devoted uncle to her son. The poem I quote in the book was indeed the poem he wrote the night before he died. We can only speculate as to the sort of man he could have been that he should spend his last hours on earth, not in rage or grief, but in crafting a poem of such detachment and clarity.
Q: If you could go back in time and live in any of the royal courts you’ve written about, which one would it be and why?
PG: I would be absolutely mad to want to be a woman of any of these times. A Tudor or Plantagenet woman was wholly ruled by men: either father or husband. She would find it difficult to seek any education, make her own fortune, or improve her circumstances. Her husband would have a legal right over her that was equal to his ownership of domestic animals; and the chances of dying in childbirth were very high. If one could go back in time and be a wealthy man, these would be times of adventure and opportunity but still tremendously dangerous. I think I would prefer the Tudor period to diminish the danger of being killed in battle, but there were still regular plagues and foreign wars to face. I cannot sufficiently express my enthusiasm for modern medicine, votes for women, and safe contraception.
Q: The younger Elizabeth emerges as quite a vivid and spirited character. Will we be seeing more of her in a future book?
PG: Elizabeth, the Princess of York, goes on to marry Henry VII and so is mother to a royal dynasty, just as her father and mother hoped they were creating a royal dynasty. She is, of course, mother of Henry VIII, and her granddaughter is England’s greatest queen --- Elizabeth I. Elizabeth of York will be the subject of the third book of this series, to be called THE WHITE PRINCESS. But coming next is the story of the mother of Henry VII, the indomitable Margaret Beaufort, whom you may have glimpsed in this novel but who deserves a book all to herself. It is called THE RED QUEEN.
© Copyright 2009, Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
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AUTHOR TALK
 September 26, 2008
Having written several works of historical fiction on Queen Elizabeth, author Philippa Gregory examines a different aspect of Tudor England from the perspective of one of the legendary ruler's greatest rivals --- Mary, Queen of Scots --- in her latest novel, THE OTHER QUEEN. In this interview, Gregory describes what initially fascinated her about this misrepresented figure and discusses the challenges of writing this book in the midst of undocumented gaps in her story. She also shares her thoughts on today's historical films and television programs, and reveals which period in English history will be the focus of her next three books.
Question: One of your chief gifts as a novelist is your ability to look at a well-known story and find a unique way to frame it. What first attracted you to Queen Mary's story? What ultimately convinced you to write this novel?
Philippa Gregory: I was attracted to the story by reading a very good biography of Queen Mary by John Guy, which convinced me that she was an astute and intelligent woman and not the doomed tragedy queen of the myth. When I discovered that she was the prisoner of Bess of Hardwick I could see that this was a collision of two tremendously powerful women, and I was very encouraged because no one before has been very interested in this period of Mary's life, or seen the possibilities of her plotting and her domestic arrangements.
Q: You've written several novels about Queen Elizabeth. How did you find the experience of writing about her from the perspective of one of her greatest opponents?
PG: I think my view of Elizabeth remains generally the same but I always remember what a different person she rightly is as a young woman in THE QUEEN'S FOOL, or a woman on the edge of her power in THE VIRGIN'S LOVER. In this book we have an older and more confident Elizabeth, but still one racked with uncertainty.
Q: Tudor England is a favorite subject for filmmakers and television producers. Have you seen a production that is particularly accurate in terms of its historical portrayals? Do you have a favorite film or television show about Elizabeth's reign and/or Mary Queen of Scots?
PG: No! I think one of the amusing things about films, even well-researched historical films, is that they tell us far more about the period in which they are made than the period that they describe. I do love the Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love.
Q: Bess of Hardwick, despite what some may see as hard-heartedness, displays a shrewd intelligence and bold independence that many readers may not expect of a sixteenth-century woman. Have you found evidence of many women like her in your research?
PG: The fascinating thing is that in this time when women had no legal rights at all, we see an upflowering of women's self-determination. I think this is partly the impact of Protestantism, which made the church's learning accessible to women since it was now published in English, the rise of printing itself, the emphasis on individual conscience, and of course the need to make up your own mind in a society that had changed its religion four times in the last forty years. But there were very, very few women who made their money and kept it as Bess did.
Q: Bess and Mary are similar and yet also entirely opposite in many ways. With whom did you find yourself sympathizing more as the novel progressed? Did you genuinely like either of them? Did you feel sorry for George, or were you as disappointed in him as Bess ultimately was?
PG: I found I really genuinely liked both women, for their own very different qualities. I liked Mary's sense of herself and her unremitting courage and determination, and probably the same qualities in Bess. My sympathies were pretty equally divided except I think it would have been right for Mary to have gone back to Scotland, as Elizabeth promised. And I saw George as an ordinary man trapped between three extraordinary women, trying to do his best.
Q: The locations described in THE OTHER QUEEN, such as Chatsworth, Tutbury Castle, and Bess' masterpiece, Hardwick Hall, are all still standing. Have you been to these estates?
PG: I always go to places that I described; I think it is the only way to get the atmosphere. I even went to the ruins of Wingfield Palace and followed the course of the river, as Bess does on her approach.
Q: What kind of research did you do in writing this novel? Do you have a particular process for all your projects, or is each book different?
PG: Each book is different as it offers new challenges. The difficult bits of this book were the gaps in the story. We really don't know what went on privately between Mary and Bothwell but I deduce from her letters to him, which we know of but don't have on record, that their relationship continued when it would have been easier for her not to write. Also, the whole of the rising of the North is almost missing from conventional histories of the reign of Elizabeth, who overlook it because it did not create great change. But, at the time, it must have been terrifying.
Q: One of your bestselling novels, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, was recently made into a movie. Were you at all involved in the making of the film? What did you think of it?
PG: I was a consultant on the film and was involved in the early writing of the script and visited the locations and set. I thought it was a wonderful version of the Hollywood big historical movie. I thought the performances were tremendous, and the filming very beautiful.
Q: Your most popular works have focused on Tudor England. Did you choose this period for its rich history, or were you more drawn to the people who lived through it? Are there other periods of English history, or other nations, that command your interest enough to become subjects for future books?
PG: I started work on Tudor England with THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL because I discovered the character of Mary Boleyn and saw that she could be a wonderful character for a novel. From that starting point I seem to discover more and more fascinating characters, and my next books will take me back a generation to the Tudors' predecessors on the throne of England: the Plantaganets.
Q: Your Tudor novels are written from the perspective of much-discussed women. Do you think your portrayal of these infamous figures is dramatically different than most readers will have been taught? Was there a sense of righting the wrongs done by male historians who shaped these women's reputations?
PG: I feel very strongly that history has mostly been written by men and even when it is not prejudiced against women, it is dominated by a male perspective and male morality. Some of my heroines have been considered simply unimportant --- like Mary Boleyn or Katherine Howard --- and some of them have been stereotyped --- like Anne of Cleves and Katherine of Aragon. I don't start with a determination of putting the record straight, but when I read terribly prejudiced misjudgments of women, I cannot help but consider what they would really have been like --- and writing them back into the history.
Q: The conflict between Papists and Protestants during Elizabeth's reign plays a critical role in the unfolding tragedy of Mary Queen of Scots. In THE OTHER QUEEN, you present both perspectives through characters like George, Mary, and Bess. What opinion did you form about this struggle as you brought it to life? Do you see moments in history where things rightfully should have been different?
PG: I think history is always about moments when things should have been different, or could have been different --- that's what makes the study so fascinating. I try not to be particularly attached to one side or another; I have to be both Bess and Mary while I am writing in their voices and seeing through their eyes, so I have to be not unbiased but capable of committing to contradictory positions. I think that we lost a great deal at the Reformation but we gained the wonderful opportunity of Protestantism --- so I really do see both sides of the argument.
Q: Your website notes that you have begun work on a series about the war of the roses. Can you tell us a little bit about this forthcoming series?
PG: I am working on the first of a series of novels set in the time of the wars now known as the wars of the roses, with particular interest in the wonderful women who were behind the military leaders. Elizabeth Woodville was Queen to Edward VI and mother of the princes in the Tower. Her great enemy and sometime ally was Henry VII's mother, Margaret Beaufort. These are typical of women who try to survive and succeed in a world made dangerous and uncertain by constant wars and changing of alliances. It's a complicated and fascinating period, and my first novel will be published in Fall 2009.
© Copyright 2008, Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
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AUTHOR TALK
 December 2006
Philippa Gregory has written books that range in genre from contemporary comedies and thrillers to children's literature. However, she is probably best known for her historical fiction, including THE QUEEN'S FOOL, THE CONSTANT PRINCESS and the newly released THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE, which centers on the court of King Henry VIII. In this interview, Gregory discusses her fascination with Tudor England and explains why she chose to focus her novel on figures who have been overlooked or negatively portrayed by historians. She also describes plans for her next book and touches upon her contribution to the upcoming film adaptation of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana.
Question: Why did you decide to structure the narrative from the perspectives of the three women featured in the book --- Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn, and Katherine Howard --- rather than tell the story through the eyes of one character?
Philippa Gregory: I like to develop and change the style of the novel with each new book. I believe very strongly that the historical novel --- just like the literary novel --- can experiment with form. This story was one which really suited a three-person narrative and I thought that as long as I got the voices of the three women, distinct and clear on the page, then it would be a successful way of telling their stories.
Q: You say on your website that THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE is currently your favorite of the novels you've written. What makes this book stand out for you?
PG: The most recent novel is often the favourite! But I think this one tells a fascinating story which is not well known, it rescues the reputation of two Queens who have been neglected and traduced by conventional history --- historians still call Anne of Cleves 'fat' and Katherine Howard 'stupid' so it matters to me that they are considered carefully as real people. It was a real pleasure to write.
Q: You say in the Author's Note that of Henry VIII's six wives, the least is known about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Why is that? When conducting research for this novel, did anything come to light about either woman that surprised you?
PG: I think I was startled by the new material which shows how young Katherine was. That was probably the most striking piece of information. And the amazing deal that Anne managed to make as her divorce settlement.
Q: Jane Boleyn is a fascinating character and a little-known historical figure. Why do you suppose that no biography has been written about her?
PG: I believe that people are working on her now, but there is nothing published at the moment. I think like many of these amazing characters in Tudor England, they have been overwhelmed by the bigger story. Also, many people have accepted her as simply 'wicked' and then simply 'mad'. I suggest that there is likely to be a more complicated version behind this.
Q: You've written about four of Henry VIII's six wives: Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard. Do you have plans to feature Henry's other two queens, Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr, in novels?
PG: I am very interested in Catherine Parr. I did quite a lot of Jane Seymour in THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, so I feel I have looked at her. But Catherine Parr is an intriguing Queen, and another survivor.
Q: What can you tell us about the writing process for THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE? Did having a previous store of knowledge about the court of King Henry VIII to draw on make it easier in some ways to write this novel?
PG: Every Tudor novel gets easier as I am building a body of knowledge and a library at the same time. But equally, every novel takes me somewhere new and interesting. This one to the politics of the later court, and the health of the older king. I feel rather warm towards Henry as I have now 'lived' with him for years and looked at his life from when he was a young charming boy to this old and dangerous tyrant. I love going back to the history books and thinking about him and the court, they are a familiar but always surprising story.
Q: The lives of Jane Boleyn and the young Katherine Howard end tragically. How did you maintain a boundary to keep from becoming too emotionally involved in such a heartrending story?
PG: I hope you are hugely involved! I thought the death of Katherine was very poignant, and the detail of her practicing with the block is from the histories --- it is probably true. The death of Jane should come as a surprise and a shock to the reader --- that too is based on the accounts of the time who thought she was genuinely mad. The redeeming feature of the end of the novel is the survival of Anne of Cleves and her speech at the end ... "I shall own a cat and not fear being called a whore..." is (in my opinion) the best thing I have ever written. It comes straight from the heart and from my own experience in that I think women have to be free and a key to their freedom is how they are perceived. They have to free themselves from fear.
Q: THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL is being made into a feature film starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana. Are you looking forward to seeing the story come to life on the silver screen? Were you involved in writing the screenplay or other aspects of the filmmaking process?
PG: I am historical consultant on the project and I have been in touch with the writer, Peter Morgan all through the project. I have visited the set and seen some of the rushes. It has been very interesting and enjoyable and the performances that I have seen have been stunning. I hope very much it will be a great success, but I always come back to the novel which is my original and personal vision of the story. The film, by its very nature, is another version.
Q: You recently participated in an author event at the Tower of London. What is it like to set foot in such a historic place, one that has featured prominently in some of your works?
PG: It is magical to walk where these historical characters walked, and on this evening, the Tower was closed to the public and we were able to be there in darkness with occasional glimpses of actors in Tudor costume. It is very very haunting.
Q: What other historical figures are you considering featuring in future books?
PG: I am currently working on a novel about Mary Queen of Scots and fighting to get the time to write it! One of the problems that comes with success is that there are so many calls on my time. But everywhere I go I take my research books and my laptop and I love working on this character.
© Copyright 2006, Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
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