The Wives of Henry VIII [Paperback]

Antonia Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1993

The six-week New York Times bestselling history of the legendary six wives of Henry VIII--from an acclaimed biographer. "Admirably succeed(s) in bringing to life the six women who married England's ruler. . . ."--New York Times Book Review. 16 color plates. 32 pages of illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When we think of the wives of Henry VIII, we tend to think of women who literally lost their heads. But Antonia Fraser opens the door to the political and cultural demands that shaped the destinies of the king and his royal wives. Romance, unfortunately, rarely had anything to do with it. And if you think the modern American media is too tough on political leadership, you oughta READ about the royal court in King Henry's day! That's one family you'd never want to marry into.

From Publishers Weekly

Fraser's scrupulously researched recuperative study of Henry VIII's six queens makes a major contribution to feminist scholarship. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First Edition edition (November 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067973001X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140132939
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History Of A Multi-Marrying Monarch!, June 30, 2003

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wives of Henry VIII (Paperback)

I love English history, especially the period from King Edward IV's reign through the Tudors. I am also a big Antonia Fraser fan. So, before I picked up this history of King Henry's hapless wives, I knew I would enjoy it. And I am not disappointed at all.

Ms. Fraser writes with great elegance, and her usual wit, about the five women who married Henry VIII and how their lives impacted their times and history. She also describes each of these complex women, their unique characters as individuals, (not just as wives to a king), their motivations and ambitions. She outlines the ascent and decline of each of the women and how they related to one another, their peers and families...and to the King.

Much of the book is about Catherine of Aragon, but that is to be expected. She was married to Henry for 24 years, and prior to their marriage, she was wed to his older brother Arthur, a cause for future problems for the realm and much heartbreak for Catherine. Queen Catherine is portrayed most sympathetically, and that is my inclination also. She was a noble lady, raised to serve as Queen, who loved Henry, almost as much as she loved the Catholic Church, which he was to break away from and use against his wife and their daughter Mary. I have always wondered how Henry's character, his country and history would have changed if Catherine had born him a healthy son. Catherine was a strong woman of great faith, and nothing she ever did justified the treatment she received. One of the most poignant sentences in history, is one of Catherine's last. As she lay dying, she dictated a letter to the husband who had so ruthlessly abandoned her. She bid her scribe to write: "Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell."

Anne Boleyn is an extremely well-educated woman, and very independent, especially given the times. And Henry is obsessed with the idea of possessing her. Anne plays his obsession to the hilt. Fraser describes her complex and ambitious nature, as well as the politics of her downfall, with great skill. Poor Jane Seymour's mild manner was a temporary, but welcome, relief to Henry after Anne. However Queen Jane's narrative is brief, as was her life. She died after birthing Henry's only living son.

Anne of Cleves, perhaps the most politically astute of Henry's wives, certainly the one with the best survival skills, was thrilled to be cast-off and allowed to keep her head.

Unfortunately, the naive and beautiful Katherine Howard, Henry's "blushing rose without a thorn" went the way of Anne Boleyn, because of promiscuity, lack of savvy, and church politics.

Catherine Parr, a woman of extraordinary intellect, was one of only eight women whose writings were published during the reign of Henry and his father. She was fortunate to become aware of a plot against her before she met the same end as Queens Anne and Katherine.

Ms. Fraser draws a lavish portrait of court life with its moral and political intrigues. She details the struggle for international power, and clearly explains England's break with Rome and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

This is a superb and very readable history, that has been meticulously researched. I highly recommend it.

73 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good to be the Queen?, July 4, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wives of Henry VIII (Paperback)

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.'

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A triumph of history, October 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wives of Henry VIII (Paperback)

This book is certainly worth reading. Lady Fraser writes eloquently, incorporating historical facts with modern wit. The attention bestowed on the usually transparent Queens Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves is admirable, and the attention paid to the proud Queens Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn is deep and thorough. I would say that anyone interested in Henry's Queens would find this book more attractive than any other on the same subject, for Fraser's wit and thorough research make her book entertaining as well as informative.