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The Queen, the Lover, the Mother, the Outcast, the Victim and
the Survivor; the six wives of Henry the 8th. Historian and Tudor
expert Alison Weir brings to life these six remarkable women in her
book titled The Six Wives of Henry the 8th.
The book is divided into three main chapters. In the first, the
reader is introduced to the ‘Princess from
Spain’, Catherine of Aragon: her arrival to
England, her marriage to Prince Arthur and his death, her betrothal
to Arthur’s younger brother Henry and their marriage. The second
chapter is dedicated to Anne Boleyn and The King’s ‘great
matter‘, followed by her execution and Henry’s marriage to
Jane Seymour. The final chapter acquaints us with Catherine Howard,
Anne of Cleves and Catherine Paar.
Now, you may think, you know it all. After all, you have
read enough books, and you’ve watched enough
documentaries about the Tudors. I thought exactly the same
way, and boy, was I wrong!
Alison Weir’s genius is fully at work in this book. She brings to
life these six women in a way we have never experienced them
before. Rather than telling the stories we already know, she wants
us to focus more on these women’s personalities, feelings and
thoughts; the way they were brought up, how they lived their
lives and how they died, their sufferings and accomplishments. She
wants us to re-live all we know from these women’s
point of view.
This book contains many interesting stories. We know, for example,
that when Catherine of Aragon died, she was buried with all the
honours due to a Dowager Princess of Wales rather than to a Queen
of England. And did you know that it was Queen Mary, consort to
George V, who arranged for banners to be hung and the gold
lettering ‘Katharine Queen of England’ above her grave?
And did you know that Catherine Paar had an ongoing conflict with
The Duchess of Somerset over the Crown Jewels? Given the fact that
Edward VI was a minor with no consort, Catherine Paar as Queen
Dowager had the right to wear the jewels; yet, when she
demanded that they be brought to her, The Duchess of Somerset
refused to do so because she thought she had the right to wear them
as the wife of the Lord Protector.
This book is well researched and well written. I can imagine
that, as Tudor enthusiasts, we all have our favourite queen. Yet,
when you read this book, you can not help but feel for each and
every single one of them, and you no longer wish to pick sides. I
think this is what this brilliant author wanted to achieve by
writing this book. Alison Weir doesn’t bore you, and she remains
objective, as always, throughout the read.
A highly recommended read for any Tudor enthusiast out there.
photo credit: lisby1 via photopin
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