The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto) [Paperback]

Retha M. Warnicke (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521406773 | ISBN-13: 978-0521406772 | Publication Date: July 26, 1991

The events which led to the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen, in 1536 have traditionally been explained by historians in terms of a factional conspiracy masterminded by Henry's minister Thomas Cromwell. Retha Warnicke's fascinating and controversial reinterpretation focuses instead on the sexual intrigues and family politics pervading the court, offering a new explanation of Anne's fall. The picture which emerges - placing Anne's life in the context of social and religious values, and superstitions about witches and the birth of deformed children - changes our perception of her role within the court, and suggests that her execution (occurring only four months after a miscarriage) was the tragic consequence of Henry's profound concern about the continuation of the Tudor dynasty.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Thanks to the events surrounding her courtship with and ultimate marriage to Henry VIII, the tempestuous nature of that union, and the sordid yet mysterious circumstances of her excution, Anne Boleyn has always been a fascinating figure. Both popular and scholarly biographies of her have come along with some regularity. Quite simply though, this one transcends all previous efforts. Thanks to painstaking research and shrewd analytical skills, Warnicke (history, Arizona State Univ.) gives us substantial new insight on both the woman and her times. Her central thesis, that the execution derived in large measure from Henry's concern with perpetuating his dynasty, is a convincing one, and she shows clearly that previous biographers have been all too ready to accept distorted evidence at face value. Essential for academic libraries and recommended for public ones as well.
- James A. Casada, Winthrop Coll., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...this book is more than original--it challenges close to every other work written about Anne since her execution...This book is a wonderful piece of feminist scholarship...it offers great insights into Anne Boleyn and into the way history has treated all women who dared to wield power and influence." Herizons

"Thanks to the events surrounding her courtship with and ultimate marriage to Henry VIII, the tempestuous nature of that union, and the sordid yet mysterious circumstances of her execution, Anne Boleyn has always been a fascinating figure. Both popular and scholarly biographers of her have come along with some regularity. Quite simply though, this one transcends all previous efforts." Library Journal

"Inspired, thought-provoking history, sure to pique fans and scholars of the executed queen." The Kirkus Reviews

"...reinterprets Anne Boleyn's story from a feminist perspective and provides the most plausible explanation to date for her abrupt fall from royal glory to the block...illuminates its subject as well as the difficulties inherent in writing about sexual ideologies--and acts--shrouded by centuries of rumor." Margaret W. Ferguson, New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 26, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521406773
• ISBN-13: 978-0521406772
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > King Henry VIII

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Insights, August 12, 2000

By 

Robert Francis (Ogden, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto) (Paperback)

In a clear and concise manner, Dr. Warnicke develops a new view of the complex nature of Tudor court politics. She moves beyond a surface analysis of the written records, and convincingly discusses the veracity of the accounts about Anne Boleyn and her role at court. Warnicke also infuses her work with a discussion of sixteenth-century social and cultural mores that have been lacking in other books. By placing Anne in her cultural setting, Warnicke gives the reader a more realistic portrayal of Anne, going beyond the image of the silly flirt created by other historians. It should be noted, however, that this is not a true biography of Anne and readers may be disappointed with this book if they are looking for a fuller account of Anne's life. This book is more a view of court politics and Anne's position in that system.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars intriguing theories, minimal evidence, tepid writing, June 6, 2005

By 

PMcC-DC (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto) (Paperback)

Warnicke has done an impressive job researching the evidence that survives, and-- until her theories really get rolling-- is quite scrupulous at admitting where there are gaps. (Many readers may be surprised that there are periods of months during Anne's brief time as queen where not much is known about her.) But eventually Warnicke fills the gaps with her own theories: that the male fetus Anne miscarried in 1536 was deformed, that this caused Henry to think of her as a witch or sorceress, and that the men accused of adultery with Anne were all libertines or guilty of the new crime of buggery. These theories are not borne out by the limited evidence Warnicke examines, but she becomes so convinced of them herself that she starts treating them as fact and interpreting a wide range of events in light of them. (She seems confident, for example, that the allegedly deformed fetus was on Henry's mind at many specific points.)

It's sad that Warnicke's theses weren't subjected to more rigorous scrutiny before publication; given that several chapters originated as conference talks or journal articles, it calls into question whether the academic world has anyone listening as well as talking. Certainly no lawyer or scientist would consider this book's main arguments to be substantiated. By losing sight of possible counterarguments, Warnicke's careful work can seem no better than if she'd never consulted the original sources at all.

The writing and editing compound the frustration. In addition to some tortured syntax throughout, Warnicke sometimes belabors less controversial points (she states over and over that there was no formal faction linking Anne with Cromwell, for example). But toughest from a reader's standpoint is her loss of perspective that, even though we know how it ends, there is still a story to be told here. Hence she can write that Anne went to her lying-in chamber two weeks before the birth of "Elizabeth, her only surviving child." While every reader knows that this would become Anne's only successful childbirth, no one could have realized that in 1533. Jamming in the later facts removes any sense of the life being lived at the time. Moments like this add up to an approach to Anne that seems strangely lifeless: I suspect any readers who react positively to this work are bringing their own enthusiasm for Anne, and their own sense of her personality, to the book-- they aren't picking it up from Warnicke.

One specific irony: Warnicke's theory that George Boleyn, Anne's brother, had homosexual leanings, has already informed a popular novel and miniseries, "The Other Boleyn Girl." So this theory is on its way to becoming accepted as fact by people who won't realize that it's not actually supported by surviving historical evidence.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Speculative but intriguing, March 12, 2006

By 

L. S. Jaszczak "servant of the secret fire" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto) (Paperback)

I read this book several years ago but returned to it to refresh my memory after being referred to it as a source for Philippa Gregory's The Last Boleyn Girl. While some of Wernicke's assertions are speculative and her writing is a bit dry (especially if you're used to some of the more novelistic writing in popular history these days), she makes a lot of good points, corrects some incorrect assumptions that have been repeated ad nauseam, and generally emphasizes how much we DON'T know.

While there is no definitive evidence for her theory that Anne miscarried a deformed fetus in 1536, it certainly has plausibility and explains a lot of the mystery surrounding Henry's rejection of her and her precipitous downfall. On the other hand, Wernicke makes a good argument that there is virtually NO evidence that George Boleyn's wife was a principal witness against him in the accusations that he had committed incest with his sister, yet as far as I can remember this has been repeated as undoubted fact in just about every book on Anne I have ever read, fiction or nonfiction.

As other reviewers have said, while this book is definitely worth reading, it should NOT be the first biography of Anne that someone newly interested in her or her period picks up.