Here she offers up an amazing amount of detail on not only the king and his six wives, but also on the astonishing array of people who made up his. The six wives of henry viii brings to life englands oftmarried monarch and the six wildly different but equally fascinating women who married him. I read an entire shelf of library books just about henry viii. Portrays the infamous tudor king as neither a genius nor a tyrant, but a man. The six wives of henry viii by alison weir waterstones. King henry viii of englands divorce, or annulment, of catherine of aragon in 1533 is one of the most infamous separations in history. Henry viii, 14911547, king of england 150947, second son and successor of henry vii. Henry viiis wives would all have learned very early in life that, as women, they had very little personal freedom. Beautifully written, exhaustive in its research, it is a gem. The book goes through each of henry viiis wives in turn and tells their stories. The book goes through each of henry viii s wives in turn and tells their stories.
These are the most interesting, engaging, and fascinating nonfiction books of the six wives of henry viii, and why you should be reading them. The lives and fates of king henry viiis legendary six wives are laid bare in a vivid, indepth account that is set against the colorful, tempestuous background of. These are the best books about the six wives of henry viii, that look at the lives of each tudor queen and what they went through. I do miss being able to write notes in the book and flip thru to find them. The new york times bestselling author of the six wives of henry viii and the war of the roses, historian alison weir crafts fascinating portraits of englands infamous house of tudor line. The books of king henry viii and his wives is a companion volume to carleys the libraries of king henry viii, a more approachable and much shorter general introduction. I thought that there would be more accurate facts, like real diaries or other writings by the real people. In this accessible work of brilliant scholarship, alison weir draws on early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports to bring these. Weir has tirelessly made her way through the entire.
The six wives of henry viii by antonia fraser abebooks. Buy a cheap copy of the six wives of henry viii book by alison weir. Under antonia frasers intent scrutiny, catherine of aragon emerges as a scholarqueen who steadfastly refused to grant a divorce to her royal husband. Early life in his youth he was educated in the new learning of the renaissance and developed great skill in music and sports. The early loves of anne boleyn by josephine wilkinson, tudor. A thrilling and chilling story, sunday telegraph at last we have the truth about henry viiis wives. I read many books about thomas wolsey, thomas cromwell. The six wives of henry viii is an excellent, accessible nonfiction historical biography. If you only want to buy one book on henry viiis six wives then you cannot go wrong with david starkeys six wives. Henry viii married six times between 1509 and 1543 in pursuit of heirs and political alliances. While most of henry viii s wives are the subject to numerous biographies, this work is the first work dedicated entirely to jane seymour. He was created prince of wales in 1503, following the death of his elder brother, arthur. The wives of henry viii by antonia fraser, paperback. Paperback illustrated throughout henry viii and his six wives paperback we carry a wide selection of titles in the arts, theology, history, politics, social and physical sciences.
His wives were catherine of aragon the mother of mary i, anne boleyn the mother of elizabeth i, jane seymour the mother of henrys successor, edward vi, anne of cleves, catherine howard, and catherine parr. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The six wives of henry viii is an account of henry viiis marriages by british historian alison weir. The six wives of henry viii audiobook by alison weir. Often portrayed as meek and mild, this work suggests the real jane was a very different character, demure and submissive yet with a ruthless streak.
Get ready to dig into these fascinating books about the wives of henry viii. This book is as reliable and scholarly as it is readable a. Henry viii, when he came to the throne of england, was a beautiful young man, eighteen years old. Favorite historical novels on henry viiis 6 wives 40 books. The book was weirs first historical work since her first book, britains royal families.
The book is meticulously researched and ms weirs characterisation of the wives and portrayal of henry s court is beautifully done. The books of king henry viii and his wives james p. Gripping from the first sentence to the last and loaded with fascinating details, weirs rich history is a perfect blend of scholarship and entertainment. Trends in history come and ago, and henry viii s court remains over the years, ive done a good amount of reading on them, and ive built up a fairly extensive bibliography. And while we nearly all know the end result of the divorce proceedings, in hindsight who had the stronger case. Henry viii, court, writings, wives, catherine of aragon, anne boleyn, jane seymour, anne of cleves, katherine howard, katherine parr, henrys children, relatives, mistresses, others, thomas more, reign, the mary rose, fiction, tudors, childrens books, dvds king henry viii. The king and his court, weir has dug even deeper into a subject about which she has written many times the brilliant tudors who reigned over britains flowering rennaissance. The six wives of henry viii, first edition abebooks.
The new york times bestselling history of the legendary six wives of henry viii from the acclaimed author of marie antoinette. However, he was never granted an annulment by the pope, as he desired, for catherine of aragon, his first wife. Here weir focuses on elizabeth i, also known as the virgin queen, who ascended to the throne at age 25 and never married, yet ruled for 44 years and steered england into its golden age. These are novels, not intending to depict a real scenery. Henry viii s first wife was catherine of aragon, daughter of king ferdinand and queen isabella of spain. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the. Anne boleyn is absolved of everything but a sharp tongue and an inability to produce a male heir. Anne boleyn, six wives and henry viii book list the anne boleyn. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Considering that this is my second time reading it, i can easily call this book a pageturner it unfolds like a carefullycrafted novel. The book was weirs first historical work since her first book.
For fans of wolf hall, alison weirs new york times bestselling biography of henry viii brilliantly brings to life the king, the court, and the fascinating men and women who vied for its pleasures and rewards. The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of henry viii of england 15091547 is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. The six wives of henry viii by antonia fraser and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. She lives in london with her husband and two children. The accounts of him given by the venetians on their arrival in england are well known, but bear retelling for the reason that they were, so far as the kings person was concerned, disinterested. What is the best and most enjoyable book on henry viii. There is anne boleyn and me and henry viiis wives, both by alison prince. The book is meticulously researched and ms weirs characterisation of the wives and portrayal of henrys court is beautifully done. Anne boleyn, six wives and henry viii book list the anne. Henry viii, king of england, was famously married six times and played a critical role in the english reformation, turning his country into a protestant nation. The traditional view of henry viii painted by hans holbein the younger. Buy the six wives of henry viii by weir, alison isbn.
Novel about the life of henry viiis unfortunate fifth wife, katherine howard. The other boleyn girl by philippa gregory, the constant princess by. A captivating guide to catherine of aragon, anne boleyn, jane seymour, anne of cleves, catherine howard, and katherine parr. Phillipa gregory, hillary mantel, antonia fraser, et al. The six wives of henry viii by alison weir, paperback. In addition to the six wives of henry viii, alison weir is the author of henry viii, the princes in the tower, the wars of the roses, the life of elizabeth i, and eleanor of aquitaine. Eight years before her marriage to henry in 1509, catherine was in fact married to henry s older brother, arthur, who died of sickness at just 15 years old. Getty he is the notorious tudor monarch who married six times. The six wives of henry viii by alison weir draws on contemporary sources to tell the story of henry viiis six wives, catherine of aragon mother of mary, annulled, anne boleyn mother of elizabeth, executed, jane seymour mother of edward vi, died due to childbirth, anne of cleves annulled, catherine howard executed, and catherine parr marriage ended when he died. Trends in history come and ago, and henry viiis court remains over the years, ive done a good amount of reading on them, and ive built up a fairly extensive bibliography. Listen to six wives of henry viii by alison weir at. The six wives of henry viii by alison weir goodreads. In legal terms, king henry viii of england had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the church of england.
The favorite novels of henry viii s wives score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. It is divided into three sections catherine of aragon, the great matter and how many wives will he have. Brought up to obey their parents without question, they found that, once married to the king, they were expected to render the same unquestioning obedience to a husband indeed, more so than ordinary wives, for this husband also. This book at times was academic and factual, only then to be filled with gossip and information i never knew about henry viii and his poor wives. The surprising and dramatic life of anne of cleves, the least known of king henry viiis six wives. The new york times bestselling history of the legendary six wives of henry viiifrom the acclaimed author of marie antoinette. Richly illustrated 9 pictures, many in colour, it offers more of an overview than detail, but nevertheless provides a great deal of often fascinating information. Jacketflap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for children and young adults. In common parlance, the wives of henry viii were the six queens consort wedded to henry between 1509 and his death in 1547. Her bestselling history books include the six wives of henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, elizabeth of york and the lost tudor princess.