Mary Boleyn
The Mistress of Kings
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3.5 • 26 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A sweeping portrait of Mary Boleyn, sister to Queen Anne and mistress to Henry VIII—and one of the most misunderstood figures of the Tudor age, from the renowned author hailed as “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” (The Boston Globe)
“This nuanced, smart, and assertive biography reclaims the life of a Tudor matriarch.”—Publishers Weekly
ONE OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
History maligned her. The truth is far more fascinating.
Sister to Queen Anne Boleyn, she was seduced by two kings and was an intimate player in one of history’s most gripping dramas. Yet much of what we know about Mary Boleyn has been fostered through garbled gossip, romantic fiction, and misconceptions repeated by historians. Now, in Mary Boleyn, Alison Weir debunks much of the mythology that surrounds the so-called “great and infamous whore” and uncovers the truth about one of the most misunderstood figures of the Tudor age.
Weir shares revelations on the ambitious Boleyn family and the likely nature of the relationship between the Boleyn sisters. She offers plausible theories as to what happened to Mary during the undocumented years of her life, and shows that, far from marrying an insignificant and complacent nonentity, she made a brilliant match with a young man who was the King’s cousin and a rising star at court. Unraveling the truth about Mary’s much-vaunted notoriety at the French court and her relations with King François I, Weir also explores Mary’s role at the English court and how she became Henry VIII’s lover. She tracks the probable course of their affair and investigates the truth behind Mary’s scandalous reputation.
With extensive original research and compelling evidence, Weir presents the most conclusive answer to date on the paternity of Mary’s children, long speculated to have been Henry VIII’s progeny.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mistress of Henry VIII and his rival Fran ois I, Mary Boleyn has often been romanticized and misrepresented in histories and in popular novels like Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, argues historian Weir (The Lady in the Tower) in this fresh take on Anne Boleyn's sister. Weir's rigorous reassessment makes the case (long debated by historians) that Mary was likely the elder sister, based on her grandson's written assertion of this. Mary was never the great, infamous whore described by papal representative Rodolfo Pio; her liaisons with both Fran ois and Henry "were conducted so discreetly that not a single comment was made about them at the time," and she probably had little choice in becoming their mistress. Mary's first husband, William Carey, was not an insignificant courtier on whom Mary could be palmed off as "soiled goods"; he was the king's cousin and a rising star. Despite rumors that both Mary's children were Henry's, Weir cites evidence that her son was Carey's. After Anne's fall, it is highly unlikely that Mary tried to intercede for her or was even at court at the time. This nuanced, smart, and assertive biography reclaims the life of a Tudor matriarch whose illustrious descendants include Elizabeth II, Churchill, and Princess Diana. 16 pages of color illus.
Customer Reviews
Heavy-handed
I have read many of Alison Weir's books, and have enjoyed them. Here, however, she seems intent on defending "her" territory. The result is tedious detail and criticism of other authors. Her facts may be accurate, but for me she has lost her narrative thread.
Dissertation
I've decided that the author is more interested in proving other researchers wrong. So far this reads like a doctoral dissertation rather than a biography. In 6 chapters more is written about her father than the supposed subject of the book, Mary.