Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Warnicke makes a convincing argument for the downfall of Anne Boleyn. She looks at the tragedy of Anne Boleyn from another angle, instead of the typical explanation that Anne was beheaded because of factional politics or that her husband grew tired of her.

What is particularly interesting and helps make Warnicke's case, is that she establishes that very few people knew about Anne's two previous miscarriages, whereas the King and Cromwell made sure to publicize her miscarriage of January 1536. Warnicke's argument is that the King and his minister must have had a reason not to hide this miscarriage.

If the reader is willing to step back from what he or she may have read previously about Anne Boleyn, Warnicke's book shows that the tragedy of Anne Boleyn was not really a tragedy at all, but a 16th century response to ignorance of biology. One of the clues that points in this direction is that the King took pains to link her name with several men and on several occasions after the birth of her daughter. Henry needed to convince others these men were possibly the father's of the previous fetuses that Anne had miscarried. Warnicke explains the reasoning behind this based on Henry's response to Catherine Howard's infidelity six years later. Only one lover was necessary to convict and execute her. But in Catherine's case, Henry didn't need to prove that a miscarried fetus did not belong to him.

The early chapters of this book are interesting in that they examine Anne Boleyn's childhood and early career in the context of her family and society. Warnicke's choice to give little credence to the reports of Chapuys and others who had reason to portray Anne in the worst light is valid and creates a more balanced characterization of this queen than is usually seen.

The major thrust of this book, however, is Warnicke's theory that Anne's fall was the result of having miscarried a deformed fetus in January of 1536. While it is an intriguing possibility, Warnicke fails to provide the slightest shred of evidence to prove her theory. Her sole argument is that while most royal miscarriages were kept secret, Henry took great pains to make Anne's miscarriage of 1536 public knowledge. She then makes the wild leap in reasoning that Henry was driven to do so by a need to prove that he was not the father of a deformed fetus - which at that time was viewed as a sign of God's wrath. It is an interesting theory, but she fails to back it up with any substantial argument.

She then goes on to reason that the five men who were convicted of adultery with Anne, while not guilty of that particular crime must have been guilty of something, or they wouldn't have been condemned to die. (She seems unable to accept the possiblility that they were railroaded just as Anne herself was). This leads to another wild round of speculation - again with very little to back it up.

While these arguments might have made for a powerful piece of fiction, they are hardly the basis of an academic reevaluation of Anne's story.

Retha Warnicke has presented an old topic in a new way, and has done so admirably. Particularly useful in helping the student understand the ins-and-outs of sixteenth-century England are her chapters on family alliances and on the queen's patronage, both of which help to demonstrate the major role of children in the time period, which was to help the family move up the social ladder. A further plus to this work involves Warnicke's decision to abandon Chapuy's as a reliable source, a move that has long been overdue, thus forcing this work to be different than almost every other biography on Anne Boleyn. Admittedly, this is a tough read, and Warnicke's main argument does tend to depend on a great deal of speculation. However, Warnicke's approach, and depth of knowledge concerning religion, witchcraft, and childbirth does make her argument plausible. A worthwile read for those who want to stretch.

I have read many books on Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. This book has given me a fresh understanding of the tragic and enigmatic story of Anne Boleyn's life. The whole adultery excuse for Anne's execution has never quite washed with me. The more I got into this book, the more Ms. Warnicke's reasoning made sense. Truly enlightening for any serious Tudor scholar!

The story of Anne Boleyn, doomed second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, is well known, but the author is interested less in repeating the biographical facts and more in investigating her unintentional role in dynastic Tudor politics. Was she the victim of a Cromwellian conspiracy? Or, as Warnicke suggests, more the victim of circumstances in her inability to produce a male heir? It's certain that Henry was profoundly insecure about his family's hold on the throne, and that Anne, daughter of the earl of Ormond, was closely related to the Howard dukes of Norfolk. The earl, in fact, created a network of family connections in pursuit of his own dynastic ambitions that helped to doom his daughter. A first-rate study of family politics, and you don't have to accept her own conspiratorial theories.

This book is a highly original and thoughtful analysis of Anne Boleyn and the events that eventually led to her execution. As Warnicke herself states, this is not a traditional biography but a study of Anne in the midst of her family networks and court politics. It is especially significant in replacing the stereotype of the aggressive and manipulative Anne with a more complex woman who did what she could for herself and her family with her limited choices. Warnicke's theory that Anne's 1536 miscarriage was of a deformed fetus is especially intriguing. The book is also valuable for early sixteenth century ideas about witchcraft and sexuality. This is not necessarily an easy read but it is a most worthwhile one.

This book is extremely well researched and accurate,I consider it to be the best biography I have read of Anne Boleyn to date. Yet be warned...it could be looked at by many as rather a dry text-book like read, and would not capture the imagination (or frankly attention) of someone unfamiliar with Anne's life.As the title suggests this book covers politics,and rather seriously I might add.So if you are looking for the first time for a biography of Anne Boleyn make this your second choice.