Thorough and thoroughly engaging!
|
Antonia Frazer makes history alive and completely interesting. This book separates fact from fiction regarding the Wives of King Henry VIII. There are many pieces of information regarding Henry and his wives that historians disagree upon. Frazer discusses WHY she came to the conclusions she did and discusses the alternative viewpoints of other historians. This detail in particular really impressed me. (Of course, it was a little disappointing, however, to discover that Katherine Howard didn't actually cry out her love for Thomas Culpepper from the scaffold, though!)
This book provides more than a brief overview to all six of these fascinating women. It really discusses their lives--as related to Henry and to the times-- in much detail, covering many important points while clarifying misconceptions and legend from fact.
|
|
|
Great reading about six fascinating women!
|
Antonia Fraser's book focuses on the six queens as individuals, one chapter about each queen. They are very different personalities and no doubt there was quite a bit of jalousy between them. Anne Boleyn (2 - The Most Happy?) may seem the most colourful and famous of the six, but this book shows that both Catherine of Aragon (1, Arthur's Dearest Spouse), Jane Seymor (3 - Entirely beloved), Anna of Cleves (4 - An Unendurable bargain), Katherine Howard (5 - Old Man's Jewel) and Catherine Parr (6 - Obedient to Husbands) were all every bit as interesting.
I felt very sympathetic to these ladies. Maybe in particular, Anna of Cleves, whose marriage to the King was never consummated and finally nullified. After 6 months as Queen, the docile lady Anna submit to the King's will and spent over 17 years as a "good Sister", never to return to her native Germany. Her burial place is, however, magnificient, her fine tomb to be found in Westminster Abbey.
The book also explains a lot about the King's relationship with his queens as a young man, when he was a strapping attractive youth, not only the old, sick and fat man who is usually pictured/painted in history books. It would not have been difficult for a young woman to fall in love with, as the book says, "this fine figure of a man, with his tall blond good looks".
The reason for the many marriages and their unfortunate/cruel outcome, was Henry VIII's desperate attempt to get at least one male heir to the throne. His marriages failed in ensuring this succession, and therein lay the unique fate of his six queens and the religious and political developments in England during Henry's reign.
There was, of course, Edward, Prince of Wales, his son by Jane Seymour. But Edward was not strong and died at an early age. In the end, his daughter by Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, became Queen Elizabeth I of England, but in quite a different connection and not as a succession to her father.
I enjoyed Antonia Fraser's book immensely and learned numerous new facts about both the King himself and his six interesting queens.
This is a book which is not a tedious history lesson, marred by too many dates and facts. Apart from an interest in six unique women and a very special time in English history, one does not need any particular qualifications to read and enjoy this book. And at the same time, learn!
|
|
sympathetic personal biography
|
If, like me, most historical narratives are a bit hard going (all those dates and wars!) then this is a perfect antidote: Fraser focuses on the personal lives of Henry and his wives, relegating the politics to the background.
She manages to keep all the wives distinct and give them their own persoanlity which is excellent, as well as charting Henry's development from 'angelic' young king, to bloated monster (her words, not mine).
My only slight quibble was the pacing, since we lost some sense of time between Catherine of Aragorn's long marriage and the shorter interludes that followed, but that really was minor. The end after the death of Henry felt unnecessary too, but that's personal taste.
Where Fraser really excels is in taking the sterotypes and school-kid images of the wives and revealing the 'truth' (or one truth) behind them. She keeps a balance too, never siding with one wife over another.
Altogether an excellent read with a fine sense of period.
|
|
|
An excellent account of the women in Henry's life
|
|
Antonia Fraser writes a very sympathetic account of the 6 wives of Henry VIII. She lets none of these wives to stand in Henry's shadow - instead, each one has certain characteristics of her own, whether uncommon intelligence, courage, unwavering influence, beauty, or skill of manipulation. Luckily for us, Ms Fraser abandons the view of Henry as despicable tyrant in favour of an intelligent ruler who often consulted his wives on political matters, discussed various aspects of the arts with them, and so often proved to be a much more gentle Henry than history tends to show. This is a lovely, well-researched narrative that includes excerpts from letters and diaries; each section is divided into 3-5 chapters that focus on an individual wife and her relationship with the king.
|
|
|
Good to be the Queen?
|
Antonia Fraser's 'The Wives of Henry VIII' is a wonderful account of the lives of the six women who married the controversial Tudor king. Fraser has written extensively on many subjects, but is particularly interested in British royal history. Her writing is clear and accessible, and almost invariably interesting.
Fraser says 'the six women have become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the way these lives ended.' Largely, they became identified (as most historical figures do) as stereotypes. Fraser's stated intent in the book is to examine the real women behind the stereotypes, to find the human strengths and frailties behind the historic labels.
Divorced, beheaded, died...divorced, beheaded, survived
-Catherine of Aragon-
Divorced
Stereotype: Betrayed Wife, bigoted Catholic
Reality: a learned woman, politically astute, perhaps not entirely blameless in the break-up (but then, what can one expect? Divorce was presumably out of the question given religious and political considerations, so might she have felt safe to be more forward than anyone should be with the formidible Henry?)
-Anne Boleyn-
Beheaded
Stereotype: Temptress, Protestant activist
Reality: she was more Protestant because the Catholic church wouldn't recognise or grant the divorce. She played a demur and devout character in court, but then, could she have publicly appeared as anything else, given the unprecedented events going on about her and because of her? She didn't have a chance to build up a power base, and suffered greatly for it. Indignatio principis mors est. Little known fact: Anne was actually divorced from Henry on the eve of her execution.
-Jane Seymour-
Died
Stereotype: the Good Woman, Protestant yet Catholic
Reality: 'Jane Seymour was exactly the kind of female praised by the contemporary handbooks to correct conduct; just as Anne Boleyn had been the sort they warned against. There was certainly no threatening sexuality about her.' Henry would look back on Jane as the wife with whom he had been uniquely happy. She died as a result of the stress of childbirth (a not uncommon fate of women of any class), Henry's only legitimate male heir.
-Anna of Cleves-
Divorced
Stereotype: Ugly Sister, Lutheran and Catholic
Reality: an interesting and difficult marriage to put together. 'Paradoxically, the King in his last forties, gross, no likely object of desire, was far more difficult to please than that handsome boy of 1509, ready to fall in love where policy directed him, whom any girl might easily love in return.' By this time, of course, Henry had a reputation of being at the least an unlucky husband. Solemn, looking older than her age, Anna was almost instantly disliked. Perhaps this saved her from a worse fate, if Henry had come to know her and then fall out of love with her.
-Katherine Howard-
Beheaded
Stereotype: the Bad Girl
Reality: Katherine was expected to produce the 'spare' to the heir produced by Jane. 'Katherine was, on her own admission, one who knew how to "meddle with a man" without conceiving a child.' Her affair with Culpeper not discreet enough, Katherine suffered the fury of Henry, who blamed his Council for forcing on him 'a succession of such ill-conditioned wives.'
-Catherine Parr-
Survived
Stereotype: the Mother Figure
Reality: not well educated but not unintelligent, a caring but politically astute person. 'As for the King himself, it was remarked that as Bishop Gardiner pronounced the now familiar words of the marriage service, an expression of real happiness crossed that bloated face.' She had taken as her motto 'To be useful in all I do.'
Fraser goes into detail about the lives, and the aftermath, what became of these women, even to the extent of recounting the period neglect and restorations of their graves. Speaking of Catherine of Aragon, she writes: 'It is rare to find the Queen's grave without fresh flowers placed upon it. Nothing is known about those who over the years have performed this touching act of respect. One can however safely assume that, whatever their own religious view, they agree with this estimate of the character of Catherine of Aragon: loyal, pious, courageous and compassionate.'
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada