Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Julia Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007

In a life of extraordinary drama, Jane Boleyn was catapulted from relative obscurity to the inner circle of King Henry VIII. As powerful men and women around her became victims of Henry’s ruthless and absolute power, including her own husband and sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, Jane’s allegiance to the volatile monarchy was sustained and rewarded. But the price for her loyalty would eventually be her undoing and the ruination of her name. For centuries, little beyond rumor and scandal has been associated with “the infamous Lady Rochford.” But now historian Julia Fox sets the record straight and restores dignity to this much-maligned figure whose life and reputation were taken from her.

Born to aristocratic parents in the English countryside, young Jane Parker found a suitable match in George Boleyn, brother to Anne, the woman who would eventually be the touchstone of England’s greatest political and religious crisis. Once settled in the bustling, spectacular court of Henry VIII as the wife of a nobleman, Jane was privy to the regal festivities of masques and jousts, royal births and funerals, and she played an intimate part in the drama and gossip that swirled around the king’s court.

But it was Anne Boleyn’s descent from palace to prison that first thrust Jane into the spotlight. Impatient with Anne’s inability to produce a male heir, King Henry accused the queen of treason and adultery with a multitude of men, including her own brother, George. Jane was among those interrogated in the scandal, and following two swift strokes from the executioner’s blade, she lost her husband and her sister-in-law, her inheritance and her place in court society.

Now the thirty-year-old widow of a traitor, Jane had to ensure her survival and protect her own interests by securing land and income. With sheer determination, she navigated her way back into royal favor by becoming lady-in-waiting to Henry’s three subsequent brides, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Howard. At last Jane’s future seemed secure–until an unwitting misstep involving the sexual intrigues of young Queen Catherine destroyed the life and reputation Jane worked so hard to rebuild.

Drawing upon her own deep knowledge and years of original research, Julia Fox brings us into the inner sanctum of court life, laced with intrigue and encumbered by disgrace. Through the eyes and ears of Jane Boleyn, we witness the myriad players of the stormy Tudor period. Jane emerges as a courageous spirit, a modern woman forced by circumstances to fend for herself in a privileged but vicious world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wife of Anne Boleyn's brother George, Jane, Viscountess Rochford, has been painted by historians, beginning with the Protestant Elizabethan John Foxe, as a barren, jealous shrew who lied about George and Anne's incestuous relationship, helping send them to their deaths for treason against Henry VIII. Jane herself was executed for treason several years later for abetting the adultery of Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard. According to Fox's revisionist account, Jane was faithful to the opportunistic Boleyn clan; she didn't rush to slander her husband, but succumbed under Thomas Cromwell's relentless interrogation, repeating an indiscretion by Anne about Henry's sexual dysfunction. Moreover, Fox says, George's execution was a financial blow to Jane—his royal perquisites of lands and offices were seized. Jane clawed her way back to a senior court position when she was ordered by Catherine Howard to pass messages to her lover, and Jane's complicity, according to Fox, opened the door for historians to excoriate Jane for her sister-in-law's death. In her debut, Fox never quite convinces readers that her lackluster, almost faceless Jane is a courageous, mostly blameless victim of court intrigues, and this amateurish, toothless history is more a rehash of Anne's rise and fall with a tag-on about Catherine's foolhardiness. (Jan.)
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Review

Advance praise for Jane Boleyn

“A riveting story–expertly written and based on an impressive body of research. Julia Fox’s book re-creates the inner life of one of the great scapegoats of history and vividly depicts the fervid, extravagant, interbred world of the Tudor court.”
–Sarah Gristwood, author of Elizabeth & Leicester

“Jane Boleyn’s true history was obscured by lies and propaganda. Now, in an outstanding debut by Julia Fox, the full tragedy of her thwarted life has come to light. A fascinating and moving read, Jane Boleyn exposes the harsh reality of Henry VIII’s court, where cleverness and ambition often led to the block.”
–Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

“This electric account of the life of Jane Boleyn brings us face-to-face with the glittering but brutal world of Henry VIII’s court. For centuries the infamous Lady Rochford was accused of betraying her husband to his death on charges of incest with Anne Boleyn. Julia Fox’s immaculate detective work and vivid storytelling bring to life one woman’s struggle to survive at the apex of a society where success brought untold riches and a king’s anger cost you your life.”
–Leanda de Lisle, author of After Elizabeth

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1St Edition edition (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345485416
• ISBN-13: 978-0345485410
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious and a survivor - not a victim, December 30, 2007

By 

J. M. Perry (Brookfield, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford (Hardcover)

There isn't a lot known about Jane Boleyn and this book is purely speculative. I appreciate the author's attempt to shed light on the infamous Lady Rochford, but the book falls short. The author's most quoted source is the Spanish ambassador, Chapuys, who was certainly a biased individual. I found the descriptions of the marriage negotiations and Jane Boleyn's widowhood fascinating. I wish there had been more discussion about the marriage between George Boleyn and Jane. The author says very little about George. The author's premise is to provide a more balanced picture of Jane Boleyn, but even the author is forced to concede that Jane Boleyn gave evidence against Anne of Cleves when Henry wanted to end that marriage and helped Catherine Howard conduct and conceal an adulterous affair. This was after she survived the bloodbath when Henry VIII disposed of Anne Boleyn. Not only did Jane survive, but she retained royal favor, serving Henry's next three queens. These are facts that confirm rather than contradict the accepted version of Lady Rochford.

I appreciate the difficulty of writing about a subject about whom so little is known but the legend of a conniving, hateful wife. I can appreciate Jane Boleyn being swept along during the rise and fall of her sister-in-law. Jane Boleyn was savvy enough to overcome the difficulty in regaining her position after the executions. She was not foolish, as evidenced by her negotiations with Thomas Boleyn for her jointure. Why did she allow herself to be caught up in Catherine Howard's dangerous and foolish love affair? The author doesn't provide a satisfactory hypothesis. The book was an interesting read.

78 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Treachery, lies, and scandal but how much of it is true?, January 1, 2008

By 

Rebecca Huston "telynor" (On the Banks of the Hudson) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford (Hardcover)

One of the more interesting women of the reign of King Henry VIII of England tends to be either vilified, or given not much more than a momentary glance. She has come down through history as a treacherous woman, providing the testimony that doomed two queens to execution for adultery, and even accusing her husband of commiting incest. To cloud the matter further, it seems that she was mad and unknowing when she laid her head on the headsman block.

Author Julia Fox peels back the legends and works at recreating the real Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, from the information that actually exists about her. And what the reader discovers is that Jane Parker, as she was born, was hardly the scheming creature that popular fiction and some histories have made her out to be. But neither was she a completely innocent pawn either, and Jane Parker turns out to just an average woman, who finds herself in the middle of various conspiracies where a wrong word could mean a person's death.

The daughter of a minor nobleman, Lord Morley, Jane Parker grows up expecting to marry and have a household of her own, with security and some means to ensure a safe future. It was the typical role expected of every English gentlewoman, and from all accounts, Jane was more than happy to work towards it. Her father, a noted diplomat and scholar, had already started discussions with the Boleyn family nearby, and Jane was married at a young age to her cousin, George Boleyn, already becoming a young courtier at King Henry's household. As his wife, Jane would find herself in a glittering world, full of fine jewels and clothing, wonderful entertainments that she would take part in, and even a spot in Queen Catherine of Aragon's household as one of her ladies. It was a heady prospect, and one that Jane delighted in.

Now Jane Boleyn, she would have seen the stellar ascent of the Boleyn family when the youngest sister Anne arrived at Henry's court. One sister, Mary, had already become one of Henry's mistresses, but had never held out for riches or titles, and when Henry tired of her, he married her off to a minor nobleman of the court, William Carey. Anne decided that was not going to happen to her, and no matter how determined the King was to have her in his bed, Anne held out, proudly stating that she was too good to be his mistress, and held out for the role of his wife and queen.

It was possible -- Henry's current wife, Catherine of Aragon, was six years older than he was, and had born a long, sad succession of dead babies, resulting in an only daughter, Mary. And Anne was much younger than Henry, vivacious, educated and merry -- a woman far more interesting than Catherine. For seven years, Henry wrangled with Catherine and her powerful relatives, and finally declared himself the head of the Church in England, and broke with Roman Catholicism, to marry Anne. For the Boleyns, it was the route to permanent fame, and Jane Boleyn soon found herself a titled lady, Viscountess Rochford, a home in a royal palace that had been turned over to George Rochford, and ever growing number of manors and glittering wealth.

But Anne would give only a daughter, Elizabeth, and miscarriages to Henry, along with tantrums and shouting -- never something that a man wishes to linger in. And his attention had already turned to another young woman -- Jane Seymour. Jane was quiet, nearly plain, demure, and submissive to Henry's desires.

Unluckily for Jane Boleyn, it would be some of her words that would doom her husband and sister-in-law to the headsman. When Henry's lawyer, Thomas Cromwell, tell to disclose what she knew, she mentioned that the two siblings would be alone in Anne's bedchamber, their heads close, whispering. And what would doom George, was Jane's murmurring to him that the King's virility was a bit lacking in Anne's bed -- a secret that would doom nearly all of them.

Jane managed to hang onto some of her wealth, but nearly all of the lands and revenues and wealth vanished. The only person she could turn to was Cromwell, the man who had arranged for her husband's death...

Reading through this biography, I found myself very surprised by many of the twists and turns. There were quite a few surprises here -- I had no idea that Jane served as a lady-in-waiting to the first five of Henry VIII's wives. Eventually, it would be the last of them, Catherine Howard, that would provide her downfall, and the loss of everything, especially her reputation.

It's an interesting account of survival and betrayals. Most biographies set in the Tudor period focus on Henry and his many queens, and the lesser known people around them get not much more than a footnote. Here some of the grandness of Tudor life is given, especially in some of the court spectacles and ceremonies such as coronations, christening of royal infants, and even funerals.

Fox's writing is more of a fictional style, trying to build a bridge between her subject and her readers, and trying to reveal some of the psychology behind Jane's actions. Most of the time it works, and it gives a good look at the how the court must have appeared to someone who was not born into this grand life. While it is clear that the author has a great deal of sympathy for her character, she also doesn't try to whitewash it either.

Along with the narrative, there are two inserts of various art work from the period, showing the main players in this drama. Genealogical tables show the ties between the Parkers and the Boleyns. The footnotes are extensive, and the sources used excellent, with Fox going back to many of the originals to untangle the truth from the fiction. Two appendices discuss a possible portrait of Jane Rochford, and how her name became so blackened by later writers and to the modern day.

I had not really expected much when I had read this biography, but as I continued, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the story. It's far from being sensationalistic, and it tries to present the story as close to the probable truth as possible. I will continue to look forward to more from this author in the future.

Four stars, overall. Recommended.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jane, Anne, Jane, Anne, and Catherine, August 16, 2008

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford (Hardcover)

There are countless historical personages about whom very little documentary evidence remains extant, and Jane Parker Boleyn is one of them. Julia Fox has attempted to piece together a biography of this woman, lady in waiting to 4 of Henry VIII's ill fated queens. As wife and widow to Anne Boleyn's brother, George, Lord Rochford, Jane was a firsthand witness to the madness that swirled around the court of England's most monomaniacal monarch. Fox portrays her not as the infamous, self-serving turncoat, but as a woman buffeted by the demands and restrictions placed upon Tudor women of her social class. Whenever I read about the women in Henry's court, I marvel that they could have been so blind to the likelihood, almost the certainty, that they would come to the same tragic end as their immediate predecessors. But it's impossible to place oneself in the shoes of another, especially after more than 400 years, and that's part of what makes Tudor history so fascinating. Was Jane a social climber? Undoubtedly. Julia Fox has done a service in depicting this ancillary courtier in the context of her available options, as far as they can be known.