But, only a month later, the King has begun his search for a new wife. Will Mary accept this new queen, or will she be forced to live in the shadows of Queen Katherine, Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Jane for ever? The Six Wives of Henry VIII, και το μέρος που αναφέρει την Αικατερίνη είναι τρομερά όμοιο με αυτό εδώ το βιβλίο. Δηλαδή αυτό που κάνει η συγγραφέας ουσιαστικά είναι να παίρνει την πραγματική ιστορία όπως η ίδια την έχει αφηγηθεί και να προσθέτει κάποια πράγματα για να τη μετατρέψει σε μυθιστόρημα. Φυσικά αυτό δεν με χαλάει και ιδιαίτερα καθώς σε αυτό το είδος αναζητώ πάνω από όλα την ιστορία, το πρόβλημά μου είναι ότι γίνεται σε κάποια σημεία κουραστικό και προσδίδει μία ψυχρότητα. Αυτή η προσοχή στη λεπτομέρεια και η επιμονή της πάντως μας προσφέρει και κάτι ακόμα θετικό. Μας κάνει να αντιληφθούμε όλο το μέγεθος αυτής της ιστορίας, καθώς φυσικά δεν μιλάμε απλά για την ιστορία ενός γάμου και του χωρισμού που ακολούθησε αλλά για κάτι που ήταν άμεση απόρροια των πολιτικών συσχετισμών στην Ευρώπη της εποχής και κάτι που επηρέασε σε μεγάλο βαθμό τη μετέπειτα εξέλιξη της ιστορίας. Όλο αυτό μας μεταφέρει η συγγραφέας με τον καλύτερο δυνατό τρόπο. I am not giving you any summary's story, the events we all know... it strikes me, however, that the "big question" revolved above all on the terror of Henry, the big fear of not leaving any heir to the Throne, risking therefore to leave England to other houses. His obsession was not born in one day, but grew little by little, Catherine always remained faithful and close to her husband, helping him with his great wisdom and humanity, to understand the madness of the thing.... but nothing to do.

Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard, The Tainted Queen: Six Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard, The Tainted Queen: Six

Margery Otwell, a self-made gentleman’s young daughter, gets her first taste of courtly life when she takes up a position as chamberer to Lady Peche of Lullingstone Castle. Dances, music, feasting – and a seduction – follow, and Margery learns the rules of courtly love the hard way. Her maid-of-honour and dear friend, Maria de Salinas, was standing beside her. ‘It cannot be long now till we come into port,’ Catalina said. ‘When I think how many years I have dreamed of coming to England, I cannot quite believe I am nearly there. I thank God that you are with me, Maria. I would not want to face this alone.’ There was no one else to whom she would have admitted that. So events that were covered in Book One are also covered in Book Two but from the perspective of Anne Boleyn. Book Three also does this. Jane Seymour, who eventually replaces Anne as Queen, sees her story chronicled from her childhood all the way to her ascension to the throne. The idea of writing a series of six novels about the wives of Henry VIII came suddenly to me as I was discussing another proposal with my agent. It was an obvious choice, for I have studied Henry’s queens over several decades, and published books on them, notably a collective biography in 1991, which I am now re-researching and rewriting.Been wanting to read this for a while and bought the first three is what I think is a 6 books series but think there is perhaps one more. Whether girl or woman, princess or queen, females are to be chaste and demure. A wife’s duty is to be silent, to put her husband’s image before hers, and to prioritize her husband’s needs before all else. “[T]he voices of women, even queens, counted for very little.” Even education is beyond reach, as teaching women is considered frivolous with emphasis directed, instead, on a woman being moral and pure. Most other women would have given way to their King’s demands, departing from the shores of England and giving Henry’s new Queen free reign to settle into her role. But Katherine was no ordinary woman. Toby Venables talks to Alison about the book, the fascination with the Tudors and the line between history and fiction

Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen (Six Tudor Queens, Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen (Six Tudor Queens,

These novels have been praised for their meticulous attention to detail and the author’s ability to successfully convey perspectives that historical documents never fully fleshed out.

Diaries & Calendars

King Henry VIII is set to marry a woman he’s never met. Wary of rumours whispered by foreign envoys, he sends Susanna Gilman, royal painter and trusted friend, to Kleve to find out more about his chosen bride.