In this rich and singularly illuminating study, Fraser reexamines the lives of Henry VIII's six wives whose true characters have been shrouded for centuries by stereotype and legend. Fraser traces the ascent and decline of each woman--and the linkages between them--delineating the cultural, familial, and political roots of the behavior and incidents that marked each of their reigns. Written with " a keen feminist edge [and] meticulous research " (Time), The Wives of Henry VIII also reveals the extent to which the fate of each woman was decided by the King's absolute, unwavering preoccupation with a male heir.
Table of Contents
Part One: Catherine of Aragon Arthur's Dearest Spouse The Princess in His Power Golden World Example of Wedlock Without an Heir Male
Part Two: Ann Boleyn A Fresh Young Damsel The King and His Lady People May Grumble Hail Anna! The Most Happy?
Part Three: Jane Seymour Very Modest Behaviour The Third Marriage Entirely Beloved
Part Four: Anna of Cleves and Katherine Howard An Unendurable Bargain That Young Girl Katherine Old Man's Jewel
Part Five: Catherine Parr Necessity and the Widow Obedient to Husbands Farewell Admirable Queen
Antonia Fraser is the author of many internationally bestselling historical works, including Love and Louis XIV; Marie Antoinette, which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola; The Wives of Henry VIII; and Mary Queen of Scots. She is also the author of the memoirs Must You Go?, about her relationship with and marriage to the playwright Harold Pinter, and My History. She has received the Wolfson Prize for History, the Medlicott Medal awarded by Britain’s Historical Association, and the Franco-British Society’s Enid McLeod Literary Prize. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2011 and a Companion of Honour in 2018 for services to literature.
View titles by Antonia Fraser
In this rich and singularly illuminating study, Fraser reexamines the lives of Henry VIII's six wives whose true characters have been shrouded for centuries by stereotype and legend. Fraser traces the ascent and decline of each woman--and the linkages between them--delineating the cultural, familial, and political roots of the behavior and incidents that marked each of their reigns. Written with " a keen feminist edge [and] meticulous research " (Time), The Wives of Henry VIII also reveals the extent to which the fate of each woman was decided by the King's absolute, unwavering preoccupation with a male heir.
Table of Contents
Part One: Catherine of Aragon Arthur's Dearest Spouse The Princess in His Power Golden World Example of Wedlock Without an Heir Male
Part Two: Ann Boleyn A Fresh Young Damsel The King and His Lady People May Grumble Hail Anna! The Most Happy?
Part Three: Jane Seymour Very Modest Behaviour The Third Marriage Entirely Beloved
Part Four: Anna of Cleves and Katherine Howard An Unendurable Bargain That Young Girl Katherine Old Man's Jewel
Part Five: Catherine Parr Necessity and the Widow Obedient to Husbands Farewell Admirable Queen
Antonia Fraser is the author of many internationally bestselling historical works, including Love and Louis XIV; Marie Antoinette, which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola; The Wives of Henry VIII; and Mary Queen of Scots. She is also the author of the memoirs Must You Go?, about her relationship with and marriage to the playwright Harold Pinter, and My History. She has received the Wolfson Prize for History, the Medlicott Medal awarded by Britain’s Historical Association, and the Franco-British Society’s Enid McLeod Literary Prize. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2011 and a Companion of Honour in 2018 for services to literature.
View titles by Antonia Fraser
