Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings [Hardcover]

Alison Weir (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 4, 2011

Sister to Queen Anne Boleyn, she was seduced by two kings and was an intimate player in one of history’s most gripping dramas. Yet much of what we know about Mary Boleyn has been fostered through garbled gossip, romantic fiction, and the misconceptions repeated by historians. Now, in her latest book, New York Times bestselling author and noted British historian Alison Weir gives us the first ever full-scale, in-depth biography of Henry VIII’s famous mistress, in which Weir explodes much of the mythology that surrounds Mary Boleyn and uncovers the truth about one of the most misunderstood figures of the Tudor age. 
 
With the same brand of extensive forensic research she brought to her acclaimed book The Lady in the Tower, Weir facilitates here a new portrayal of her subjects, revealing how Mary was treated by her ambitious family and the likely nature of the relationship between the Boleyn sisters. She also posits new evidence regarding the reputation of Mary’s mother, Elizabeth Howard, who was rumored to have been an early mistress of Henry VIII.
 
Weir unravels the truth about Mary’s much-vaunted notoriety at the French court and her relations with King François I. She offers plausible theories as to what happened to Mary during the undocumented years of her life, and shows that, far from marrying an insignificant and complacent nonentity, she made a brilliant match with a young man who was the King’s cousin and a rising star at court.
 
Weir also explores Mary’s own position and role at the English court, and how she became Henry VIII’s mistress. She tracks the probable course of their affair and investigates Mary’s real reputation. With new and compelling evidence, Weir presents the most conclusive answer to date on the paternity of Mary’s children, long speculated to have been Henry VIII’s progeny.
 
Alison Weir has drawn fascinating information from the original sources of the period to piece together a life steeped in mystery and misfortune, debunking centuries-old myths and disproving accepted assertions, to give us the truth about Mary Boleyn, the so-called great and infamous whore.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Letter from the Author: Mary Boleyn on Film
Mary Boleyn has been portrayed several times on screen. In Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Valerie Gearon plays her as the dark-haired, ‘pliant eldest daughter’ of Thomas Boleyn. Henry VIII’s affair with her is dated to 1523; Anne Boleyn complains: ‘We have had the King in the bosom of this family for three years!’ When next we see Mary, she has been banished to Hever and is pregnant with Henry’s child. Sir Thomas tells her she must make no trouble about being abandoned, to avoid putting her family at risk.

Mary warns her sister: ‘Learn from me, Nan. Lock up your heart.’ She has clearly lost her own heart: when the King visits, she sits weeping alone. It is inevitable that film makers make dramatic capital from the scenario of one sister snaring the King who has abandoned the other.

Watching the film today, one is struck by its integrity and the efforts made to achieve a degree of accuracy, which are markedly absent from some modern historical films.

Clare Cameron made a cameo appearance as Mary in Henry VIII (2003). When the King (Ray Winstone) descends on Hever to court Anne, Mary is big with a child he doubts is his--and faints at the sight of him. This is one of many gratuitous scenes in the series. The pregnant Mary is about to be married to ‘a provincial book-keeper’. Later, bending the historical chronology, Henry says he will grant Mary lands, a title and a good marriage; and he titles her father Earl of Essex (his title was in fact Earl of Wiltshire!)

In 2003, the BBC filmed Philippa Gregory’s novel, The Other Boleyn Girl. Henry VIII’s interest in Mary (Natasha McElhone) is dated to to 1524, and Katherine of Aragon (why is she always shown as black-haired in films?) is improbably aware of the affair. Mary is manoeuvred by her family into becoming the King’s mistress, but she loves her husband, William Carey, and only reluctantly succumbs. But as their intimacy deepens, she comes to favour Henry, and a rift opens between her and Carey.

William Stafford, who will become Mary’s second husband, appears early on in the unlikely guise of a servant of the Boleyns, when he would have been about twelve years old!

Mary becomes pregnant in 1525. Her father is worried that the King will stray while she is unavailable to him, so he pushes Anne into Henry’s path. Inevitably, Henry falls for Anne. Mary is shown being confined as a queen, taking to a darkened chamber in readiness for the birth. Henry VIII was discreet in his illicit amours, and these ordinances were laid down only for the Queen, so this is just pure silliness.

Mary gives birth to a son, but the Duke of Norfolk tells her that the King no longer desires her because he wants her sister. Only Stafford is there to support her.

Mary is forced to wait on Anne, whom she now hates, and to witness her flirting with Henry. Carey tells her to forget the King, and forces himself on her, fathering a daughter. But the chronology is skewed, as is the likely paternity of the children. Carey dies after Anne becomes queen in 1533 (in reality, he died in 1528). When Anne tries to wed Mary to the fictional Lord Farnley, she marries Stafford in secret. When she confesses, she is banished for disgracing the family.

Mary is then seen suggesting that Anne lie secretly with another man in order to conceive a son, when in reality, she was likely in Calais during Anne’s fall. In the series, it is she who asks their brother George, ‘Could you lie with her?’ Later, she comforts Anne for the loss of the son George has incestuously fathered, and after Anne’s arrest, she attends her in the Tower.

There is no sense of politics in the film, as in the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), starring Scarlett Johansson as a rather vacuous Mary. The costumes are often anachronistic and the chronology shaky. The story is told on a superficial level, and follows a similar plot to the TV movie. At the end, Mary is seen watching Anne’s execution; but the real Anne did not weep on the scaffold. The most far-fetched scene is where Mary rides back to court afterwards and snatches Anne’s daughter Elizabeth, carrying her off to be reared with her own children in the country.

In the TV series The Tudors (2007-2010), Mary Boleyn (Perdita Weeks) appears in six episodes. From the moment you see the eighteenth-century coach in the opening shots of the series, you know that historical integrity is going to be an issue. Hopeless chronology, dated costumes and unforgivable factual errors spoil a series that is often well acted by a strong cast. The Tudors inhabits a world of its own: only occasionally do you get a sense of Tudor England. Many of the female characters, like Mary, look like modern fashion models with breast implants and teased hair.

We see the King of France pointing out Mary to Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520. When Henry later asks Mary what French graces she has learned, she offers him oral sex. Later, we see Mary waiting on her sister Anne and visiting Calais with the royal party. Anne and Mary are depicted as being very close and affectionate, which may not have been the case in real life. In the show it is Mary (not even recorded as being present) who carries the Princess Elizabeth to her christening. Later on a heavily pregnant Mary--had Anne not already noticed?--confesses that she has married Stafford secretly, and the Boleyns banish her from court.

Mary Boleyn is misrepresented in popular culture because of such films. It concerns me that the demarcation line between historical fact and fiction has now become blurred. Why would one ever want to change history? The truth, as Byron famously said, ‘is stranger than fiction’.

Review

Praise for Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
 
“[Weir] is well equipped to parse the evidence, ferret out the misconceptions and arrive at sturdy hypotheses about what actually befell Anne.”—The New York Times
 
“Well-researched and compulsively readable . . . Acclaimed novelist and historian Weir continues to successfully mine the Tudor era, once again excavating literary gold.”—Booklist
 
“It is a testament to Weir’s artfulness and elegance as a writer that The Lady in the Tower remains fresh and suspenseful, even though the reader knows what's coming.”—The Independent (U.K.)
 
“Compelling stuff, full of political intrigue and packing an emotional wallop.”—The Oregonian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; First US Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345521331
• ISBN-13: 978-0345521330
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > King Henry VIII
  • #79 in Books > History > Renaissance

More About the Author

Alison Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Innocent Traitor and The Lady Elizabeth and several historical biographies, including Mistress of the Monarchy, Queen Isabella, Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Life of Elizabeth I, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She lives in Surrey, England with her husband and two children.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#56 in Books > History

#57 in Kindle eBooks > History

#85 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

#56 in Books > History

#57 in Kindle eBooks > History

#85 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written with much new Information August 30, 2011

By hasselaar VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I have always loved reading English history, Anne Boleyn was always of special interest to me. But, until recently, there had been no information about Mary Boleyn or the workings of the Boleyn family.

This book explains, in wonderful detail, the life and times of Henry VIII, his courtiers and his women. The story of Mary Boleyn, who apparently bore a child by Henry, is fascinating. In contrast to recent movie and TV productions, her life is revealed in a truthful, interesting and honest fashion.I most enjoyed the attention to detail and the explanations of what would have been considered normal at the time that these issues occurred. Times have certainly changed! The description of the life of the Boleyn girls while at the French court is an amazing soap opera, full of scandal and intrigue. The English court is much the same.

Her relationship with her more famous sister, Anne, is throughly covered. The probing insight into the character of Henry VIII was quite revelatory. Instead of the horrible monster which has been betrayed, he is shown as having some endearing qualities (while young) and as being no better or worse than many of his contemporaries.

I found myself reading this book far into the night, riveted to the exciting story. This book is a wonderful discovery and I plan on reading more books by the author.

77 of 84 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive achievement! September 3, 2011

By P. B. Sharp TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Mary Boleyn! The kinder, gentler sister, perhaps. It hardly seems possible that another drop can be squeezed out of the Tudor dynasty, then comes along this heady brew! You may think as I did that I knew just about all there was to know about Henry VIII's reign, but much is said, much more, right in this book that hasn't been said before. So here we go back to the sixteenth century with veteran Tudor writer Alison Weir pulling us into the refreshing story of Mary Boleyn, and she's not going to let us go until we finish the book and sit there somewhat exhausted. If you weren't a Tudor aficionado before, you're one now! And you will learn a lot about Henry's England and the famous persons who did strut and fret their hour upon that stage. Weir states firmly and with proof that the three surviving Boleyn children were born in the order of Mary, Anne and George. She puts her money where her mouth is, providing footnotes to all her descriptions of people and what they did, presenting two sides to every argument.

Weir starts out by debunking the rumors, persistent for years, let alone centuries, that Henry was sexually prudish and might even have had an erectile problem. Since marital relations were forbidden when a woman was pregnant, Henry, during all of Katherine of Aragon's pregnancies, had plenty of time and opportunity to find gratification elsewhere. Although not a lecher like his brother king Francis I across the Channel, Henry got around. But Weir debunks the often cited rumor that Henry had syphilis. If he had had the disease he would have been treated with mercury, and since all the medical potions he took are minutely recorded it is exceedingly doubtful that he ever had syphilis. Mary Boleyn's second child, Katherine, was very likely fathered by Henry. Weir gives substantial evidence. Henry probably also fathered a child named Etheldreda by a palace laundress. There are probably other bastards but the only one Henry acknowledged was Henry Fitzroy, the son of the mistress that preceded Mary Boleyn, Bessie Blount. Fitzroy died at seventeen years of age, shortly after his stepmother, Anne Boleyn, was executed.

Weir's book is turgid with facts and if you are not a gung-ho Tudor enthusiast you may find "Mary Boleyn" daunting and just too full of details. However, Tudor fans will be purring. Through the ages Mary's first husband, William Carey is often pawned off as a nobody. He actually was a fine catch, being one of the privileged gentlemen in King Henry's Privy Chamber and even distantly related to the King. These young men were chosen for their multiple talents, which included jousting, tennis playing, witty conversation and even card playing savvy. They had also to be totally trustworthy because of their close proximity to the King. Mary may never have loved William Carey, we simply don't know, and there is plenty of evidence she became Henry's mistress shortly after her marriage. There is also credible evidence she had also shared the bed of Francis I when she was in France for Mary Tudor's wedding to Louis XII, but luckily for her, she was never considered tarnished goods.

Some historians believe that Henry actually quizzed Mary about Francis' performance in bed and how did Henry's prowess compare with that of his fellow king? We don't know Mary's reply, but I imagine she was pretty tactful. Weir thinks Henry probably forced Mary to be his concubine. He could not force Anne when he started pursuing her, but Mary was a very different personality. Mary kept her head, literally, by being compliant and being very discrete.

Mary Boleyn had two children during her marriage to Carey. Henry, the eldest, was thought by some contemporaries and historians to be the bastard of the king but as Weir explains at great length,a royal paternity was very doubtful. The second child, Katherine, had red hair, and according to Weir bears a resemblance to both Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. Henry VIII would never acknowledge a bastard daughter. Katherine grew up to marry Francis Knollys, and Mary Boleyn's granddaughter was the famous Lettice Knollys whose second husband was Elizabeth I's love, the Earl of Leicester. (Lettice's first husband was Robert Devereaux and the couple were parents of the ill-fated Earl of Essex).

As other reviewers have noted "Mary Boleyn" is not a book about the Tudors for you to cut your teeth on if you are not well acquainted with sixteenth century England, However, if you are well steeped in Tudoriana, this book will fill in a lot of cracks. Henry VIII especially emerges quite differently out of the pages of history as more of a roué than hitherto surmised, but not a vulgar libertine like Francis I. He emerges, too, as a bit more likeable, at least when he was young, and Mary Boleyn steps a bit more lively over the literary terrain because Weir fleshes her out. Other figures including Anne Boleyn and Mary's father Sir Thomas Boleyn, come to life under Weir's deft hand. If you are not heart and soul committed to Tudor England with substantial background information already tucked in your head, this fact- laden biography may be just too unpalatable to digest. The Tudor enthusiast will be astonished at the nuggets in this book and you will get the feeling Weir turned over every stone in London to get the facts for you.

We will follow Mary through her life. She is widowed when William Carey dies of the sweat. Henry VIII settled an annuity on her so that she was not destitute. It is often said that Mary got nothing from her liaison with the King, but the annuity kept her from poverty. She went on to marry a common soldier, William Stafford, which brought contempt pouring down on Mary's head for marrying far beneath her station. However, though her sister Anne, the Queen, sneered at her, Anne may have been jealous as Mary's second marriage was a love match on both sides. Anne had just miscarried a boy, a child that would have saved her. In later years Elizabeth I had a special fondness for Katherine Carey perhaps knowing that Katherine was actually her cousin. The Tudor line did not end with Elizabeth but flourished like the green bay tree. Many famous descendents claim Mary Boleyn's heritage, including Elizabeth II.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Research, But Little Real Substance October 12, 2011

By Book Woman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're expecting a historical fiction novel like "The Other Boleyn Girl" packed with romantic details about Mary Boleyn's trysts with Kings Henry VIII and Francis I, this is not the book for you. "Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings" is a scholarly, biographical non-fiction work in which Alison Weir employs her usual thorough researching skills to dispel some of the myths about Mary Boleyn which books like "The Other Boleyn Girl" have helped to perpetuate.

Some readers have complained that this latest Alison Weir book is a little dry and too academic. It's true that she doesn't have the admittedly more lyrical writing style of Antonia Fraser, her contemporary in English royalty non-fiction. Ms. Weir usually has a more objective, "just-the-facts" approach to topics, but still with enough interesting details to capture your attention.

The problem with this book is not with Ms. Weir's writing style, but with her subject matter. Since Mary Boleyn did not become Queen of England like her more famous sister Anne, there just is not enough documented historical evidence about her to create a fully rounded word portrait of her. Ms. Weir is often forced to resort to educated speculation to fill in the many gaps about her motivations and her actions, so we never get a clear idea of what sort of person Mary Boleyn really was. However, some of the speculation we do get is very interesting to fans of the Tudor period, such as the fact that Mary's daughter Katherine, the eldest of her two children, just may have been fathered by King Henry.

Read this book only if you're interested in factual details about the Tudor dynasty and want the real story about Mary Boleyn - what little is known of it.