The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto)
by Retha M. Warnicke
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The events which led to the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen, in 1536 have traditionally been explained by historians in terms of a factional conspiracy masterminded by Henry's minister Thomas Cromwell. Retha Warnicke's fascinating and controversial reinterpretation focuses instead on the sexual intrigues and family politics pervading the court, offering a new explanation of Anne's fall. The picture which emerges - placing Anne's life in the context of social and religious show more values, and superstitions about witches and the birth of deformed children - changes our perception of her role within the court, and suggests that her execution (occurring only four months after a miscarriage) was the tragic consequence of Henry's profound concern about the continuation of the Tudor dynasty. show lessTags
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The reason I wanted to read this book was its inclusion in the list of further reading that Philippa Gregory set out at the end of The Other Boleyn Girl; the reason for Anne's downfall in the novel is based on Warnicke's thesis of her last miscarriage in January 1536 - that she lost a deformed foetus that was interpreted as a punishment for her sexual sins and/or as a sign that she was a witch. I haven't read that much about Anne, so I had struggled a bit to follow all the events but overall I found Warnicke's view of events convincingly argued.
A fascinating book; I'm itching to re-read Gregory's novel and I got David Starkey's book about Henry's wives out of library today (I've seen his TV series on it but I've forgotten most of it).
A fascinating book; I'm itching to re-read Gregory's novel and I got David Starkey's book about Henry's wives out of library today (I've seen his TV series on it but I've forgotten most of it).
I enjoyed this book on Anne - it was decidedly less fanciful in its presentation of the details of Anne's life and her relationship with Henry VIII. Overall, this book presents a more balanced view of Anne.
A brilliant read. Warnicke is the source of some of the key theories surrounding Anne Boleyn's downfall - including George's homosexuality and the deformed fetus of her final pregnancy...
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Author Information
Retha M. Warnicke is a professor of History in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University. She is the author of numerous books on Tudor England, including The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn.
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Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
- Alternate titles
- The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry the Eighth
- Original publication date
- 1989
- People/Characters
- Anne Boleyn; Henry VIII, King of England; George Boleyn
- Important places
- England, UK
- Important events
- Tudor Era (1485 | 1603); Reign of Henry VIII (1509-04-21 | 1547-01-28); Execution of Anne Boleyn (1536-05-19)
- First words
- In 1509 just before his eighteenth birthday, Henry VIII became king of England.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Since by the standards and values of her day, she must be judged both guilty and innocent, the insightful and troubled testimony of Cranmer, who was to be her last confessor, serves Anne the Queen well as her final epitaph.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 324 — Society, government, & culture Political science Politics & Elections
- LCC
- DA333 .B6 .W37 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England History By period Modern, 1485- Tudors, 1485-1603
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 281
- Popularity
- 114,774
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.66)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 4
