Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase

What kind of a queen do you think Kat would have made if Mary Tudor had done as she threatened and named her as her successor instead of Elizabeth? How do you think Kat would have fared if she had faced the threat of the Spanish Armada?ħ. If you were faced with such a choice, how much would you risk for love?Ħ. Discuss the dangers and benefits of such unions first from the queen’s point of view, then from the view of the Grey sisters.

It is historical fact that many of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting and favored gentlemen, including Robert Dudley and later, the Earl of Essex, faced the queen’s wrath in just that way. Katherine and Mary Grey are not unique in daring Elizabeth Tudor’s formidable temper by marrying in secret without the queen’s permission. How are the hardships she suffers necessary for her transformation? How different would she have been if all had gone well with Henry Herbert?ĥ. Katherine goes from the cherished beauty of the family to an outcast, a self centered girl to a woman, wife and mother capable of great sacrifice.

Is it possible to love someone yet hate the actions they take? How do you think little Mary survived the terrible time from Jane’s arrest through the aftermath of Jane’s execution? What do you think it cost Queen Mary when she realized she had killed her cousin for a man who could never love her? Can you think of examples in your own life where you’ve had hide your true feelings-of revenge, hatred, or contempt-in the interest of self-preservation?Ĥ. Talk about the conflict Kat and Mary must have felt, serving the woman who had their sister executed. How would you have navigated those treacherous waters if your family had been in danger?ģ. As monarchs shifted between varying degrees of Protestantism and Catholicism, lives of courtiers and simple people depended on taking an oath adhering to the religion of the party in power. When King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church he set in motion a period of religious upheaval that would divide England long after the end of his daughter Elizabeth’s reign. In contrast, Elizabeth Tudor, Katherine and Mary Grey take a more pragmatic view, willing to accede to whoever is in power at the time. Jane Grey and Mary Tudor are resolute in refusing to change their religion, even when their adherence might cost them their lives. How would you have felt if you had been in their positions? What kind of effect does that have on a child? Do you feel that powerful parents today still use their children to promote their own status? Can you think of any examples?Ģ. All three sisters were used as pawns by their parents. Reading Group Guide for Three Maids of a Crownġ.

Three Maids for a Crown by Ella March Chase