Tudor History Lovers discussion
The Six Wives of Henry VIII.. What Book with that Theme is the best?
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Maybe start here John with a documentary called..Frederick The Great and the Prussia Enigma.It may not be what your looking for..but maybe a start?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07rjr...
John wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Catherine wrote: "I've literally just finished it, she was a great example to Elizabeth and Edward, and Jane Grey too!It did sadden me to read how her grave had been treated for s..."
So true.. It was a friendless life and you always had to look out for people who could betray you.. They must
have known that the people they called their "friends" were only so because of their status. Not all of them of course but just look what happens when Henry VII died. All of them flocked at once to the new king and the old is hardly mourned. You were never safe too.. even of you were a courtier, you could be betrayed anytime.. History is ripe with those stories. If the king died the next could decide to blame you for all that went wrong in this reign :D I still wonder about the people who tried to rebel against their king.. They knew how terrible the punishment would be and most of them could have led a good life at court. It's interesting to read about but i would not want to live there.
The poll is up, by the way. Front page of the group, or here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1... .
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "The poll is up, by the way. Front page of the group, or here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1... ."Thank you Susanna ! :)
No problem.Last I looked, Mary Queen of Scots was leading the way...
From the looks I think I'll go ahead and look for "Mary Queen of Scots"
Well, the poll's open for a few more days, but that's a decent lead.
Which Mary Queen of Scots thou,Susanna..?
Well, it looks like Antonia Fraser's was in the lead when I last checked.
There is "Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII" by Karen Lindsey. Entertaining read.
I agree, I love everything by Weir. I find all of Henry's wives fascinating but Anne Bolyen and Anne of Cleves are my favorites. I think Anne B. was such a complex character and I believe all of the aspects of her personality Henry found captivating in a "girlfriend" were not what he found exciting in a wife and without a male heir Anne's worst qualities were accentuated because she was vulnerable. I also agree with some earlier posts that Jane was in so many ways just like Anne B.....putting herself forward to take another woman's husband. I also believe she was or presented herself to be the complete opposite of Anne B. Anne of Cleves was the luckiest of wives in that she came out of the marriage not only with her life but with position (sister) income and property.
I have never read Weir, but I have always found Anne incredibly interesting for so many reasons. Anne of Cleves was certainly fortunate and Queen Katharine of Aragon is also a story in a story in a story.
Skye wrote: "I have never read Weir, but I have always found Anne incredibly interesting for so many reasons. Anne of Cleves was certainly fortunate and Queen Katharine of Aragon is also a story in a story in ..."Check out her "The Lady in the Tower", it is about the fall of Anne Boleyn. It is very good. Weir at her best here.
Actually 4 out of those 6 wives were really interesting and/or dramatic. And Anne of Cleves had such a lucky escape, always loved it.
Thanks, Naiad; this was such a brilliant period in western culture and as a result, many changes were rendered by Henry's actions--the dissolution of the monasteries, the break with the Roman Papacy, the introduction of the Church of England, the reign of Bloody Mary...and so it goes.
Also for any fans of Anne Boleyn in particular this one is a must read. But it probably was mentioned already here. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn
Tudor History Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (other topics)The Children of Henry VIII (other topics)
Mary Queen of Scots (other topics)
Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley (other topics)
Mary Queen of Scots (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Starkey (other topics)David Starkey (other topics)
It did sadden me to read how her grave had been treated for such a long time,..."
This has gotten me much more interested in Anne of Cleves. She was definitly the "Lucky" one of all the Queens. I must agree Johanna, I don't see how anyone would want to be a Princess or Queen of that time period (or even today). There is NO WAY I would want to be in any aristacratic position. Too much politics and backstabbing pressure.