A Daughter’s Love by John Guy

A Daughter’s Love by John Guy is a book about Thomas More and his eldest daughter, Margaret. Sir Thomas More’s life is well known, he opposed Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, was arrested, and executed. Margaret, his daughter, played a role in history, but because she was a woman, historians didn’t pay too much attention to her.
The book starts with her retrieving More’s head after his execution, so it gets your attention for the beginning.

A Daughter's Love by John Guy

She was her father’s favourite child and she was an accomplished scholar herself. By the age of eighteen, her work was praised by Erasmus. More wanted his children educated and Margaret reached a point in which she was able to correct an error made by Erasmus in translating the Bible from Greek to Latin. He was grateful and gave her credit for this. Margaret even translated into English from Latin a commentary on Pater Noster and had it published. She remained devoted to her father, even after her marriage.

While More was in prison in the Tower of London, she exchanged letters with him, smuggling them out, despite the risks involved. Considering that More was executed for treason for not taking the oath, is quite remarkable that Margaret made an addendum to the oath when she took it, but Cromwell didn’t care, she was a woman. After the execution of her father, she made sure she gathered as many documents and letters she could, in an attempt to preserve his memory, before she died.

In the book, Guy also talks about Utopia and it was fascinating, not only to read a few details about the work, but to find out that some people thought Utopia is a real place and were on a quest to find the place, so missionaries could Christianize those “savages”.

A Daughter’s Love by John Guy

Details about the picture: –
My rating: 4.5/5 Stars.
Would I recommend it: Yes
Published by: Fourth Estate
Year it was published: 2008
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): History. Non-fiction
Pages: 378

About the author: John Guy was born in Australia, in 1949. He grew up in England, deciding to pursue a career as a historian as a teenager. He has presented five documentaries for BBC 2 and he appeared in Radio shows too. So far he has published 16 books. I have a couple of books by him in my to-read list.
Now John Guy lives in North London. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge. He teaches there part-time because he wants to have time for his writing and for his broadcasting career too.
Books by John Guy: Elizabeth: the forgotten years; A Daughter’s Love by John Guy; Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel; Thomas More; Elizabeth I & the Armada; Life In Tudor Times; My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots.
Website & Social Media Links: www.johnguy.co.uk



1 thought on “A Daughter’s Love by John Guy”

  • What a remarkable woman! I read about More, but didn’t know not much about his daughter, beyond the fact that his children were well-educated. She sounds like an inspiring woman, and deserves her place in history.

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