The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII by Retha M. Warnicke lands on the shelves of my shop, where it will be found in my Royalty section.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989, (First Edition) Hardback in dust wrapper.
Contains: Black & white photographs; Colour frontispiece;
From the cover: This is a fascinating and truly original study of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIIIs second queen, which tackles afresh a series of long-standing and fundamental convictions about her personality and fate.
There has remained a compelling mystery about the events that led to Annes execution in 1536. Scholars have speculated hitherto that she was executed as the result of a factional conspiracy masterminded by Henrys minister Thomas Cromwell, a conclusion that may be reached only by accepting uncritically the distorted evidence of hostile sixteenth-century writers. Professor Warnicke treats this evidence as prejudiced testimony, and develops a more reliable picture of Anne by analyzing her life within the framework of social and religious values, including family loyalty and honour, and fears about witches and the birth of deformed children. By bringing to bear these values on questions about Annes role at court it is possible to view the queens execution (which occurred only four months after a miscarriage) as the result of Henrys profound concern about the continuation of the Tudor dynasty.
This attractively written illustrated study will be read by all those who remain fascinated by the political and sexual intrigues of Henry VIIIs court and by the tragic fate of one of its most tantalizing figures.
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper. Previous owners’ name to the first blank. Text complete, clean and tight otherwise.
Green boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XI] 326 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.
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