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Wives of Henry VIII

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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.

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.'

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.

A few years ago David Starkey wrote a book on Henry VIII's three wives which received much publicity. It was even turned into a PBS documentary. I read that book and while I found some of his research compelling, his arrogant style and dubious conclusions irritated me. The book is overlong (880 pages), and lopsidedly devoted to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Out of the 750 odd pages of actual text, a whopping 600 are devoted to Catherine and Anne! In particular, Catherine of Aragon's seven years of being the sort-of-fiance of Henry VIII after her first husband's death is chronicled in excruciatingly boring detail. Starkey is also fond of making pronouncements such as "In short, it rewrites history." Henry's other four wives are mentioned in a rushed, careless way.

Antonia Fraser's book is half Starkey's length but it's quality, not quantity, that counts. Whereas Starkey holds most of Henry's wives with a fair degree of contempt, Fraser is more sympathetic. You can tell she cares about her characters, even Henry. She too draws some conclusions that I might not agree with (her insistence that Catherine of Aragon's first marriage was not consummated for instance -- I'm on the fence about that one), but overall her book rings true. She surmises, for instance, that Henry and Anne during their 7 year courtship probably used coitus interruptus as birth control. She details Catherine of Aragon's sad descent from a plump and spirited bride into a lonely, embittered woman is poignant. Her style is witty, engaging, and heartfelt. After reading her book I felt like I knew the queens as old friends. The book is beautifully illustrated with a section of photographs for each queen.

But more importantly, she devotes much care to Henry's other four wives, and not just Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. She follows their stories all the way to the end. In Starkey's book, Anne of Cleves is shuttled off to become Henry's "sister" after a disastrous short marriage. And as he writes, "that was that." Fraser by contrast mentions that Anne of Cleves continued to occasionally visit the court, developed rather expensive tastes, and hoped to be "taken back" as Henry's wife after Henry beheaded the sweet but careless and indiscreet Katherine Howard. She mentions Henry's children's relationships with their stepmothers -- Mary and Anne Boleyn were openly hostile to each other, but Mary liked Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr, Henry's last wife. Elizabeth too was fond of Catherine Parr.

I should say that I am not an unqualified admirer of Antonia Fraser. Her most recent work, on Marie Antoinette, I thought veered into hagiography. But none of these faults are in evidence in this book. For a more detailed look at Henry's most fascinating wife, Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives' study is considered definitive, but for a more general book about Henry's wives, I would consider Fraser's the book to get.

I have read many books on the life and wives of Henry VIII. I thoroughly enjoyed the almost conversational tone of this book. The footnotes were very helpful in answering questions provoked by the text. I was particularly interested in the exploration of the wives personalities, strenghs, and weaknesses. Katherine Howard, an often overlooked wife, was made real by the author. A very enjoyable read.

The triple threat of Elizabeth Longford, Antonia Fraser and Flora Fraser (Mother, Daughter & Grandaughter)have been providing us with readable yet fairly scholarly biographies for decades. All of them are well researched and certainly admired by historians and non-academics alike. This particular book is a handy all-in-one guide to Henry VIII and his six wives. It is by necessity, rather shallow, as his marital woes had and have very important ramifications, and this volume cannot begin to address these issues in depth. Overall, a great read about a fascinating man at a fascinating time. In truth, the women are not nearly as well fleshed out, with the notable exception of Katherine of Aragon, largely because their stories just were not as important as that of their husband to contemporary writers, so their lives are not as well documented. The extent 16th c. materials have been mined for individuals biographies of each woman, and they do each deserve their own book. (Many such have been written, even about poor Catherine Howard.) This is a good book for a first look at Tudor England. I like Lady Antonia and all her biographies, and those of her mother and daughter. I just wish she would stop writing those shabby mysteries.

As a beginner to the life of Henry the VIII this book gave me an excellent insight to his 6 extrordinary wives. It was interesting to see how these very different women coped with everyday life in the court of Henry not to mention the trials of being Queen. Ms Frasier does an excellent job of bringing the Queens to life in an easy to read format. A great choice for anyone interested in this era.

Antonia Fraser has certainly written more enjoyable works but nonetheless, The Wives of Henry VIII is worth taking the time to finish, especially if you're not very familiar with the subject matter beforehand. She does a fantastic job of laying down facts as with all her historical works but she also injects her own rather 'forgiving' viewpoint regarding the intentions and motivations of the people about whom she writes. Fraser has a wonderful way of exposing the core humanity of characters that most of us have been inclined to view as ruthless, inhuman monsters. I would suggest, however, that one read other not quite so tame opinions because the 'truth' usually lies somewhere in the middle of the extremes.

This was the first Antonia Fraser book I read and from the "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" I was hooked. I read it after hearing her speak at Peterborough Cathedral about Catherine of Aragon. The book looks at Henry VIII's from his wives' perspective. What drove them to marry this man especially after he beheaded Anne Boleyn. Also, it is great introduction to Tudor England.

I have always been fascinated by English history, particularly Henry VIII. Fraser did not disappoint. Usually I find history books dry and dull. I was initially put off by the length of the book, but the author writes so well that I couldn't put the book down. She makes it seem more like a novel than a history text. I felt like I was right there with each of Henry VIII's wives. The book is meticulously researched, and she clearly shows the differences between the women in the King's life, and helps the reader to understand his motives. All the events are put in context of the sociopolitcal landscape of the times. As a result, I found myself seeing how complex the King was and not being able to hate him, even though I hated his actions. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of the British monarchy.