Tag: Jane Boleyn

Book Review: “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage” by Danielle Marchant

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Marriage has been an integral part of life for centuries. It has been used to create strong alliances and cement love matches. However, once the wedding ceremony is finalized, the facade often fades and the truth about the families is revealed. Jane Parker finally marries the love of her life, George Boleyn, but she soon realizes that her new family is full of ambition, especially her new sister-in-law Anne Boleyn. As one of the greatest marriages of the 16th century is beginning to fall apart, can a new romance be waiting in the wing to rock England and all of Europe to its core and whose side will Jane join in the end? Danielle Marchant continues her exploration of Jane Parker Boleyn, Lady Rochford’s life in her novel, “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage.”

I’d like to thank Danielle Marchant for sending me a copy of this novel. I enjoyed the first novel in this series, “Into the Ranks of the Deceived,” so I wanted to see how Marchant would continue this series and where book two would end. 

We begin with Catherine of Aragon attending the Blackfriars to discuss her marriage with Henry VIII. He wants the marriage dissolved because Catherine was married to his brother Prince Arthur Tudor and that is why they cannot have any living male children. Obviously, Catherine disagrees and is fighting for her marriage, which gains the respect of Jane Parker. However, Anne is not interested in the affairs of the queen and instead has her heart set on marrying Henry Percy. This does not work out for Anne as Cardinal Wolsey finds out and decides to put a stop to their engagement, which creates animosity between Anne and Wolsey. 

While Anne is trying to figure out her love life, we see Mary Boleyn become a mother of two while dealing with the death of her husband William Carey. Jane must navigate these complex issues of her new family while she enters a new chapter of her life when she marries the love of her life, George Boleyn. However, Jane’s married life is not all sunshine and rainbows and she realizes that they are having problems conceiving a child. I think the story of this second novel was good, but I think it should have covered a bit more ground and possibly gone to the marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII so that the third book could focus on the fall of Anne and George Boleyn and hopefully show a glimpse of Jane’s fall from grace.

Overall, I think it was a decent novel that shows the softer side of Jane and George’s relationship which is sometimes lacking in other novels. I think it was a bit short for the material that I hoped she would cover in this series since there is so much to Jane’s story, but I think she can create a story with believable characters that you don’t want to stop reading. If you have enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, I think you should read, “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage” by Danielle Marchant.

Book Review: “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block” by Helene Harrison

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Tudor ExecutionsTreason is the crime of betraying one’s country or monarch by trying to overthrow the government or kill a sovereign. While many English dynasties dealt with treason in their ways, the most infamous were the Tudors and how they dealt with the nobility. By the end of 1572, there were no more dukes in England, until 1623 when George Villiers became the Duke of Buckingham. What was classified as treason during the Tudor dynasty and why did the members of the nobility have to die? Helene Harrison hopes to answer these questions in her latest book, “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed Harrison’s previous book about Elizabethan Rebellions, so when I heard that she was writing a new book about Tudor executions, I knew I wanted to read it.

Harrison begins by giving her readers a quick overview of what treason meant during the time of the Tudors through the numerous Treason Acts, the significance of the Act of Attainders and scaffold speeches. She also explains that this book explores the lives and ultimate deaths of nine men and five women and that each chapter can be read separately as an essay. The 14 figures that are featured in this book are: Edward Plantagenet 17th Earl of Warwick, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Queen Anne Boleyn, George Boleyn Viscount Rochford, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Queen Katherine Howard, Jane Boleyn Viscountess Rochford, Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset, John Dudley 1st Duke of Northumberland, Queen Jane Grey, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk, and Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex.

With each case, Harrison explores their origins, how they gained fame, their ultimate falls from grace, and their fate on the execution block. The main focus of each chapter is to show what each monarch considered treasonous behavior, which varied from case to case. We see charges range from treason for having royal blood to being too ambitious, adultery to down right rebellious acts. The Tudors did not hold back when it came to noble women as two queens, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, were executed which was a first for England.

I think Harrison does a decent job in sharing the stories about these nobles and their unfortunate ends. Though there were no real surprises in this book, but the way Harrison presented the information was easy to follow. She shows that the closer one is to the throne, the more likely they would fall victim to power, greed and paranoia. If you are a Tudor nerd who is interested in the more gruesome side of the glamorous Tudor court, I would suggest you read, “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block” by Helene Harrison.

Book Review: “The Lady Rochford Saga- Part 1: Into the Ranks of the Deceived” by Danielle Marchant

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Into the Ranks of the DeceivedThe tragedies of the Boleyns and the Howards left many with scars and heartache, none more so than Jane Parker. The daughter of Henry Parker, Lord Morley, Jane is seen to be destined for a great marriage and a successful career at court. As one of the ladies to serve Queen Catherine of Aragon, Jane witnesses the splendor, glam, and intrigue needed to survive in the court of Henry VIII. Danielle Marchant has taken inspiration from what she has studied about Jane Parker to create “The Lady Rochford Saga- Part 1: Into the Ranks of the Deceived.”

I would like to thank Danielle Marchant for sending me a copy of this novel. I have wanted to read more about Jane Parker/Jane Boleyn since reading “The Raven’s Widow” by Adrienne Dillard.

The novel begins with Henry Parker and his wife Alice Parker attending the Tudor court of Henry VIII and Katherine Parr during Christmas. Their daughter Jane recently died, but now they must pick up the pieces while keeping their daughter’s memory alive. We then jump back to when Jane first enters the court of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon as a shy, naive girl.

As an audience we see Jane grow from a girl into a woman in love with the debonair George Boleyn. Jane gets close to Mary and Anne Boleyn as they move from the French court to Henry VIII’s court, trying to navigate scandals and typical court drama. Marchant chooses to show the glamorous Field of the Cloth of Gold and the identity of Henry VIII’s “Mistress Parker” from Jane’s perspective, which was a unique twist to the tale.

I think it is a decent start to a trilogy about Jane Boleyn, but I do wish it was a single long novel instead of three short books, so the audience can be more immersed in the story. I think Marchant does have a passion for the Tudor dynasty and I think her stories will get better the more she writes. If you want a series about Jane Boleyn written by an independent author, you should check out, “The Lady Rochford Saga- Part 1: Into the Ranks of the Deceived,” by Danielle Marchant.

Television Series Review: “The Six Wives of King Henry VIII”

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81uwnQbeXvL._SY445_Many actors and actresses have portrayed the lives of Henry VIII and his six wives in modern films and dramas. When asking Tudor nerds which Henry VIII stood out the most, the most popular response is Keith Michell in the 1970s BBC series, “The Six Wives of King Henry VIII.” I had not heard about this series until I started “Adventures of a Tudor Nerd.” Many people have wanted me to watch the series solely for the performance of Keith Michell, so when a coworker allowed me to borrow her DVD copy of the series, I finally decided it was time to tackle this legendary series.

For those unfamiliar with the older Tudor dramas like this series, it should be noted that the focus is not on sex or bloody battles but on the relationships between Henry and his six wives. Therefore, the costumes and the scenery take a step back in quality that one would expect when compared with modern dramas. I think the English brides’ outfits are well done, but the native gowns for Katherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves felt a bit off for me.

Keith Michell plays the titular king, but I will discuss his performance later. I want to look at the actresses who played Henry’s six wives. Each episode focuses on each wife’s story, how they became his wife, and how their story ended.

We begin with Katherine of Aragon, played by Annette Crosbie, who was the wife of Prince Arthur, but when he died, Katherine struggled to survive in a foreign land until it was decided that she would marry her former husband’s brother, Henry VIII. The couple seems to be in love until Katherine cannot deliver a son for the king, so he decides it’s time for a divorce, which we call The Great Matter. With Katherine out of royal favor, it is time for Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, played by Dorothy Tutin, to make her appearance. When it comes to Anne Boleyn’s performances, I don’t know if I like Tutin’s portrayal; it just rubbed me the wrong way.

My favorite episode of this series was Jane Seymour, played by Anne Stallybrass, who shows a more complex side to Jane’s story. We see her interacting with the Seymour family and her desire to reunite Henry VIII and his daughter Mary. The way the episode was structured with Jane on her death bed and witnessing flashbacks to her time with Henry VIII, the issue of the Pilgrimage of Grace, and the birth of her beloved son Edward. With Jane’s death, we see the more human side of Henry as he is in deep mourning for his beloved queen.

It would be several years until he married again to Anne of Cleves to secure a German Protestant alliance. Anne of Cleves, played by Elvi Hale, is a young woman of average looks and very little money who wants to learn everything she can about England. I like how we are introduced to Hans Holbein in this episode and to see how Anne felt about her marriage and ultimate divorce from Henry VIII.

With the divorce of Anne of Cleves settled, Henry VIII turned his gaze on the young Catherine Howard, played by Angela Pleasence. Catherine is young, naive, and only concerned about being queen and having men fawn over her. It was interesting to see Catherine Howard as a nursemaid to the King and how angry he was with her uncle after her execution. Finally, we are introduced to Henry’s final wife, the devout reformer Catherine Parr, played by Rosalie Crutchley. We witness the end of the King’s reign and the rise of the Seymour family to help the young king Edward VI.

Of course, these stories could not be told without side characters like Thomas Wolsey, Thomas, and Edward Seymour, King Henry VII, Eustace Chapuys, Jane Boleyn, and Will Somers. I was a little surprised that they included torture scenes for Anne Askew and Mark Smeaton, especially since they did not show the execution scenes for Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Several small Easter eggs for Tudor fans sprinkled in are quite delightful to discover.

Now, it’s time to discuss the big guy, King Henry VIII, played masterfully by Keith Michell. Before watching this drama, I was only familiar with Keith Michell from his performances in Murder She Wrote and the episodes I would watch with my mom. We begin with Henry as a young king enchanted with Katherine of Aragon. They are madly in love, and it is hard to believe they would ever separate, but they eventually do when Anne Boleyn catches his eye.

Throughout this entire series, we see Michell’s acting range through the rapid emotional change of the king. One minute he could be lovey-dovey, the next raging mad, and then bawling his eyes out. What impressed me the most about Michell’s performance was how we saw Henry VIII’s size and shape change in each episode. As Tudor fans, we have screamed at the TV when we see modern adaptations of Henry VIII that do not meet our standards for what older Henry should look like. Michell exceeds all expectations and gives his audience one of the most believable King Henry VIII performances in modern history.

Overall, I found this a decent show where the political and romantic drama of the reign of King Henry VIII shines through the screen. The queens and the counselors did take a back seat to the titular king, but I did not mind that. If you want to watch a legendary series about the reign of King Henry VIII that does not have the sex and scandals of a modern drama, I highly recommend you watch the BBC series, “The Six Wives of King Henry VIII,” starring Keith Michell.

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Guest Post: “Mary Zouche: One of Anne Boleyn’s Maids of Honour” by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

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out-now-on-amazonToday, I am pleased to welcome Sylvia Barbara Soberton to my blog to discuss one of the women featured in her latest book, “Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn.”

In 1533, Anne Boleyn had seven maids of honour and one mother of maids, Mrs. Marshall, who supervised them on the Queen’s behalf. Apart from Mary Howard, Margery Horsman, and Jane Ashley, the maids who served Anne in 1532, there was Mary Zouche, Mary Shelton, Margaret Gamage, and Elizabeth Holland. Howard and Shelton were Anne Boleyn’s first cousins, and Holland was mistress of the Queen’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Margaret Gamage was the first cousin of Jane Boleyn; only Mary Zouche was not related to Anne Boleyn.

Hans Holbein’s sketch inscribed “M Souch” depicts an exceptionally good-looking young woman dressed in highly flattering French fashions, revealing her blonde hair and décolletage. It is often suggested that the sitter may be Anne Gainsford, who married George Zouche in the 1530s, but Anne Gainsford rarely appears in the court records, whereas Mary Zouche is mentioned often. This “M Souch” was most likely Mary Zouche, daughter of John Zouche, eighth Baron Zouche of Harringworth, and his first wife Dorothy Capell. At some point during the late 1520s, she wrote a letter to her cousin, John Arundel, imploring him to help her and her sister to find employment at court as maids to either Katharine of Aragon or Princess Mary. She may have served one of them, but in 1533 she was Anne Boleyn’s maid, attending the Queen’s coronation.

After Anne’s execution in 1536, Mistress Zouche went on to serve as maid of honour to Jane Seymour. She became one of this Queen’s favourite ladies, receiving jewellery, including beads and girdles. Zouche was still unmarried in 1542 when she was granted an annuity of £10 “in consideration of her services to the King and the late Queen Jane.”

Boleyn Soberton coverDescription: 

The aspects of Anne Boleyn’s life and death are fiercely debated by historians, yet her ladies-in-waiting remain an understudied topic. Much emphasis is usually put on Anne’s relationships with the men in her life: her suitors, her royal husband, her father and brother, and her putative lovers, who were executed on 17 May 1536. By concentrating on a previously neglected area of Anne Boleyn’s female household, this book seeks to identify the women who served Anne and investigate what roles ladies-in-waiting played in this Queen’s household.

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Book Review: “Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen” by Alison Weir

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52802802._SX318_SY475_The year is 1540 and King Henry VIII has grown tired of his fourth wife from Germany, Anne of Cleves. The aging king longs for another heir to make sure that his dynasty is secure, which means he is searching for his fifth wife. Henry’s wandering eye lands on a young girl who happens to be a cousin of his second wife of Anne Boleyn. The young woman’s name who caught the king’s attention is Katheryn Howard. Henry believes that his new bride is virtuous as well as being very beautiful, but what secrets does this young queen hide? In her latest installment of the Six Tudor Queens series “Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen”, Alison Weir takes a look into the life of this young woman and the men who loved her.

As a fan of Alison Weir’s other books, I knew that I wanted to read this title. I have been enjoying the Six Tudor Queens series so far, even though I don’t necessarily agree with how she has characterized certain historical figures. I have not read any books with Katheryn Howard as the protagonist, so I was intrigued to see how it would go.

We begin our adventure with Katheryn Howard’s childhood and how she entered the household of her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. This is where Katheryn fell in love with men like Henry Mannox and Francis Dereham. I enjoyed seeing how Weir fleshed out these two relationships and how drastically different they were in Katheryn’s eyes. We see Katheryn try to keep the secrets of her past relationships as she works hard to capture the heart of the aging king, Henry VIII. Katheryn’s relationship with Henry is a bit one-sided at first, but it develops into love on both sides, but not like the love that Katheryn has known before. I found myself feeling sorry for Henry and Katheryn as they suffered a few miscarriages. But none of her other relationships are like her connection with Thomas Culpeper.

I think one of my problems with this particular book is how she viewed certain characters, like Katheryn Howard and Jane Boleyn, the wife of the late George Boleyn. To me, it felt like Weir was repeating the traditional view about these two women. Katheryn Howard has been seen as a young and naïve girl who was used as a pawn by her family to manipulate the King. Jane Boleyn has been viewed as a manipulator who despised her husband and suffered from mental trauma in the end. I think that there is so much more to their stories than how they have been portrayed in fictional representations of their lives. We see Weir try to go a bit further into their personalities, but for the most part, she stays along these lines.

Just because I don’t agree with how these two characters were represented does not mean that I thought the book was bad. I think the story itself was intriguing and Weir’s writing style is engaging like her other books. I think it is a fine novel that shows Katheryn Howard’s rise and fall from power and how dangerous love can be, especially for a young queen. If you want a great escape with a novel about Henry VIII’s fifth wife, check out Alison Weir’s, “Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen”.

Book Review: “Sovereign” by C.J. Sansom

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27151979When one thinks about a royal Progress, we often think about the glitz and glam of the royal family traversing the entire country at a leisurely rate to inspire awe for their subjects. However, the Progress of 1541, when Henry VIII and his fifth wife Catherine Howard traveled to the hostile northern part of England, was anything but a casual visit. It was very political as Henry was trying to make the North submit to him after the Pilgrimage of Grace while at the same time he was waiting for a meeting with King James V of Scotland. It is the city of York and during this important Progress that C.J. Sansom shapes his latest adventure with his hunchback lawyer and part-time detective, Matthew Shardlake, in book three of the delightful Shardlake series, “Sovereign”.

We join Matthew Shardlake and his dedicated assistant Jack Barak on the road to York to join the Progress to take care of local petitions for the King. They have received another complicated mission from their new boss, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, to look after the wellbeing of a suspected conspirator in a plot to overthrow Henry VIII’s government, so that he can make it to London for further questioning. Things seem to run as smoothly as it could until a master glazer’s mysterious death reveals secrets that will send Shardlake and Barak into a deadly collision course with some of the most powerful men and women in England during this time.

Sansom has done it again. He has expanded Shardlake’s world outside of London to show that England was not all united for the Tudors. As someone who knows about the Wars of the Roses, to read Sansom’s description of the treacherous and rebellious city of York makes sense completely. It is dark and edgy while the glory of the court is on full display. To add more intrigue to this amazing novel, he adds the mystery of a certain member of the Yorkist family’s origins that could change England forever. I personally do not agree with this theory about this particular person’s origins, but it did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. It just added another layer to this enthralling tale.

Of course, since this novel touches on the relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine Howard, Sansom had to include a way for Shardlake to meet these two, as well as confront figures like Lady Rochford, Culpepper, Dereham, and of course Sir Richard Rich. The way he does this is ingenious. Sansom’s attention to details of the Progress is nothing short of extraordinary. Compared to the first two books, this one is much darker as you are unsure how Shardlake and Barak will ever get out of their dangerous situations, but that is what makes it so remarkable.

It is actually difficult for me to write this review without spoiling the ending so I will keep this short. I thought that “Dark Fire” was my favorite in the series, but now “Sovereign” reigns supreme. That might change as I read the rest of this absorbing series. I will say that if you enjoyed the first two books, you have to continue the journey with Matthew Shardlake and Jack Barak in “Sovereign” by C.J. Sansom.

Book Review: “The Anne Boleyn Collection II” by Claire Ridgway

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18588008The Boleyn family have been viewed as social climbers, who only desired power and prestige, in history and novels for centuries; their fall from grace was due to their ambitions. But, is this true? Did Anne Boleyn’s family only care about getting to the top by any means necessary? Were they manipulative, cunning, and cruel like they have been portrayed in dramas and novels? Who were the Boleyns and why have they been so maligned in history? In her second book of this series, “The Anne Boleyn Collection II”, Claire Ridgway of The Anne Boleyn Files examines Anne Boleyn and the truth about her family.

After I had finished the first edition of “The Anne Boleyn Collection”, I did have a conversation with Claire Ridgway about the structure of her book. If you read my review about that particular book, I did have a slight issue with the blog article structure of the book. Claire Ridgway explained that it was intentional as these books are a collection of blog articles from The Anne Boleyn Files, which helped me while reading the second collection of articles.

In my opinion, Ridgway’s structure in this second collection is much better than the first collection. It reads like a book and it is in an order that makes sense. We start our journey with the origins of the Boleyn family, which was fascinating and very informative to read about the different theories of how this family rose to power. Then, it is all about Anne and her life and the myths around her. Compared to her previous book, I found this part well researched and I learned a lot. Anne Boleyn is not exactly my favorite wife of King Henry VIII, but I did feel sympathy for her, and I could see why so many people do defend her while reading about her in this book.

The last section of this book deals with Anne Boleyn’s immediate family. Her father Thomas Boleyn has been viewed as a “power-hungry pimp” who only cared about his position rather than his children, but Ridgway shows that this was not the case. Anne’s mother Elizabeth Boleyn has been a shadowy figure in the past, yet Ridgway dives to find out what kind of parent she was and the rumors around her. Was George Boleyn such a scandalous figure and what was his relationship with his wife Jane Boleyn like? What is the truth about Mary Boleyn’s story? And finally, Ridgway explores the big question about the Boleyns and their religious viewpoints.

This is my favorite book from The Anne Boleyn Collection series so far. Claire Ridgway’s research and writing style has improved significantly between the two books, and it shows. I did thoroughly enjoy this one and I wanted to do my own research into these topics after reading this book. I learned so much about the Boleyns that it made me realize that maybe they were not as bad as novels and dramas have portrayed them. If you think you know the Boleyns, I would suggest you read, “The Anne Boleyn Collection II” by Claire Ridgway. It may change your mind about how you view this hotly debated family of Anne Boleyn.

Book Review: “The Raven’s Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn” by Adrienne Dillard

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51a-rKfpABL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_The rise and fall of the Boleyns have been something that has fascinated those who study the Tudor dynasty for centuries. We often view these series of events from the immediate Boleyn family, but what might it have been like for someone who was married to a Boleyn, like Jane Parker Boleyn, the wife of George Boleyn? Jane is often portrayed in literature as a woman who had a tumultuous marriage who sold out her husband when she was interrogated, someone who helped Katherine Howard with her secret liaisons behind Henry VIII’s back, and a woman who suffered from mental illness while in prison. If you take a look at Jane Boleyn’s life from this lens, she sounds like a troubled woman, but what if there was a different side to her? What if she was a good person who loved her husband and his family? That is the Jane Boleyn that Adrienne Dillard wanted to portray in her latest book, “The Raven’s Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn”.

Adrienne Dillard explains how she views Jane Boleyn and why she chose to write this particular story:

When the traces of Jane’s humanity are washed away, it’s easy for later generations to demonize her actions. What could have been perfectly innocent behaviour is seen through the prism of her later behaviour and ultimate ending: death as a traitor to the crown. It is my goal in writing this novel to give Jane some of that humanity back. I want to put a face to a name that has been blackened by assumption for the last five centuries. I want to remind people that Jane wasn’t some spectre lurking in the corner, plotting the downfall of others. She was a sister, a daughter, a wife, a friend, and a loyal servant. She had hopes and dreams. She had flaws and quirks. And to further muddy the waters, we have to consider her mental state. The choices she made may be hard to understand now, but at the moment that she made them, they made sense to her. (Dillard, 350).

Dillard structures her story as a parallel narrative, which is unique and effective when telling Jane’s story as it allows the reader to see the parallels between what happened to the Boleyns during their fall and Jane’s own fall. We are first introduced to Jane as she enters the Tower of London, awaiting her sentence after being involved with Katherine Howard. While Jane is in the Tower, she has flashbacks to her time with Anne and George Boleyn. Jane’s father wanted her to marry well and so he chose George Boleyn as her husband. To say that Jane was reluctant to marry such a man was an understatement, but as their story progressed, George and Jane grew to love each other, even through the countless miscarriages that Jane suffered.

Jane acts as a perfect “fly on the wall” character as she is a servant in the court of many of Henry VIII’s wives. She cares for not only her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn, but for Katherine of Aragon and it is rather interesting to read how Jane viewed this complex time in English history known as “The Great Matter”. Another great matter discussed throughout this novel is how religion was changing with new, radical theological ideas. Though we are not sure where Jane exactly stood on these issues, it is interesting to see how she might have responded to them.

Adrienne Dillard brought Jane Boleyn’s story from the shadows and illuminates it. By showing Jane as a loving and caring wife, daughter, servant, and friend, Dillard gives her readers a different perspective towards this captivating woman who suffered from mental illness. I did not know much about Jane’s story before reading this novel, but now I want to know more about her. If you want an engaging and thought-provoking novel about Jane Boleyn and the Boleyns, I highly recommend, “The Raven’s Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn” by Adrienne Dillard.

Book Review: “The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn” by Alison Weir

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6282683Anne Boleyn, the  second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Elizabeth I. Most of us know her story of how she fell in love with Henry VIII and how their relationship changed England forever as Henry broke off with Rome in order to get a divorce from his first wife Katherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne. Unfortunately, when Anne couldn’t give Henry the son he so desired, their love began to fade. Anne Boleyn’s story ends in tragedy as she was accused of having multiple affairs, plotting the death of Henry VIII, and witchcraft, Anne was found guilty and was killed. Her fall happened in May 1536, a month that changed everything, but how much of these charges are true? Did she indeed have these affairs? Did she plot to kill her husband? What is the truth behind her fall? These are the questions that Alison Weir try to answer in her book “The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn.”

Alison Weir states that:

In assessing Anne’s character and impact on history, we should ask ourselves how she would be viewed today if she had not perished on the scaffold. Her end was one of the most dramatic and shocking episodes in English history, her last days the best documented period of her life, vividly described in the sources, while the powerful image of her on the scaffold, courageously facing a horrible death, has overlaid all previous conceptions of her. (Weir, 337-338).

Weir begins her book with the May Day joust of 1536, when Henry VIII abruptly left Anne all alone. A few months before, Anne had her last miscarriage, unable to provide Henry the son that he so desired. Henry’s attention began to wander towards Jane Seymour, even though, at this time, he still had feelings for Anne. After Katherine of Aragon’s death, a few weeks before the miscarriage,  Anne’s enemies began to make their moves. Anne had many enemies in court and the entire country was against her in her role in the divorce of Henry and Katherine of Aragon, who was extremely popular.Cromwell, who despised Anne, planned a way to get Anne off the throne with the help of Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador to England for Charles V.

Cromwell had enlisted the help of Anne’s servants, including her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn, to make a tale of scandal. The story goes that Anne had affairs with five men: Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Sir William Brereton, Mark Smeaton, and her brother George Boleyn. Alison Weir explores the validity of the claims of the affairs as well as the details of the trials. Of course, the trials did not go in a way that was what we would now today consider “fair” and the sentence of death was passed on all of the accused. Anne Boleyn and the men accused with her are executed. The only legacy Anne left behind was her daughter, who would become Queen Elizabeth I.

I have been a fan of Alison Weir’s for years. I love the amount of details that she puts into her books and how both her fiction and non-fiction books are so easy to read. “The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn” follows this trend. For me, Anne Boleyn has been one of those people in the Tudor time  that really has not interested me. That was until I read this book. The story of her fall is so dramatic and quick that it leaves a lot of intriguing questions about if Anne and the men who fell with her were indeed innocent. “The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn” by Alison Weir is such a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in Anne Boleyn and her fall from grace.