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The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story
The inside story of Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
It's 1527 and Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line does the unthinkable and asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter a wily Italian diplomat named Gregorio Casali, hired to represent Henry's interests in the Vatican. Through six years of cajoling, threats and bribery, Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history's most infamous divorce.
It's 1527 and Henry, desperate to marry Anne Boleyn and ensure the Tudor line does the unthinkable and asks Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce. Enter a wily Italian diplomat named Gregorio Casali, hired to represent Henry's interests in the Vatican. Through six years of cajoling, threats and bribery, Casali lives by his wits, playing off one powerful patron against another, negotiating with ambassadors from Spain, France and beyond, each crowding the Vatican to press their interests in the Tudor break up. Before it is done, Henry will decide to divorce not just Catherine, but the Church itself. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Renaissance Italy, The Divorce of Henry VIII combines a gripping family saga with a highly charged political battle between the Tudors and the Vatican to reveal the extraordinary true story behind history's most infamous divorce.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2012
About the author
Catherine Fletcher
17 books60 followersCatherine Fletcher holds a PhD in history from the University of London. She is the recipient of many awards and fellowships at the British School at Rome and the European University Institute in Florence and takes up a position as a Teaching Fellow in History at the University of London in the Fall. Divorce of Henry VIII is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
February 26, 2013
2.5 stars
I tell you something, after reading this book, I think I could write a dissertation on the machinations and intricacies in the papal court of the 16th century with enough detail and scholarship to merit a Ph.D. Okay, so perhaps I'm exaggerating, but not by much. This is not an easy book. This is not a book for the general public, for someone who's read a Tudor novel or two and wants to find out a bit more about the subject. For those persons I'd recommend an accessible history as written by Alison Weir or David Starkey. The Divorce of Henry VIII is a book for someone who's a Tudor scholar. Someone who's made a study of the period and, specifically, the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Someone who could fully appreciate the amount of detail and research which went into the making of this book. Sadly, that person is not me.
From the very beginning I was overwhelmed. Names, places, dates piled on top of each other in ever increasing amounts until they all blended together into one incomprehensible mass. As a historian, it's evident Fletcher is exhaustive; she's lived with these materials for years, delving into the backstories of the players involved, understanding the shorthand, appreciating the wit and humor peculiar to the situations. It's understandable that she would want to share this depth of information. However, for a historian to become a good author, she needs to be able to translate years of scholarly study into a compelling narrative, to weed out the thicket of information and prune it into an appealing shape, taking knowledge which makes for an excellent dissertation and shaping it into a good story. This is where Fletcher fails as, basically, she's given us an expanded version of what, I'm sure, was her Ph.D. thesis. And while a thesis is great for proving one's scholarly aptitude, it's not necessarily the best entertainment.
Ostensibly revolving around the actions of one Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat and Henry VIII's agent at the Vatican, representing Hal's interests in his “Great Matter” (his divorce from Catherine of Aragon), the book branches out to include the entire Casali family, most of whom were also involved in some manner with the king's divorce, not to mention the stories of the many other diplomats, agents, spies, regents, rulers, pontiffs, and churchmen who moved across the giant chessboard of European politics. While we're presented with tales of skulduggery, of bribes and threats, even of kidnapping, as Henry's cause is fought for, set against a backdrop of a Rome recently invaded and ravaged by the Spanish army and a Europe divided by war, the book never really captures the imagination or the attention. To be truthful, after trying (valiantly) to fully immerse myself in the first 8 chapters (out of 17, so don't think too badly of me), I ended up skimming through the rest of the book. I just couldn't take the information overload anymore.
I would recommend this book only to someone who has devoured all available books on King Henry VIII and wishes to now delve into the minutiae of Henry's divorce--basically a colleague of Catherine Fletcher, another historian or scholar. For anyone else, I'd say to give this one a skip. Even if you enjoy Tudor history, unless you really want to impress someone with a bit of intimate trivia about the divorce, I think this book is just too much to wade through.
I tell you something, after reading this book, I think I could write a dissertation on the machinations and intricacies in the papal court of the 16th century with enough detail and scholarship to merit a Ph.D. Okay, so perhaps I'm exaggerating, but not by much. This is not an easy book. This is not a book for the general public, for someone who's read a Tudor novel or two and wants to find out a bit more about the subject. For those persons I'd recommend an accessible history as written by Alison Weir or David Starkey. The Divorce of Henry VIII is a book for someone who's a Tudor scholar. Someone who's made a study of the period and, specifically, the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Someone who could fully appreciate the amount of detail and research which went into the making of this book. Sadly, that person is not me.
From the very beginning I was overwhelmed. Names, places, dates piled on top of each other in ever increasing amounts until they all blended together into one incomprehensible mass. As a historian, it's evident Fletcher is exhaustive; she's lived with these materials for years, delving into the backstories of the players involved, understanding the shorthand, appreciating the wit and humor peculiar to the situations. It's understandable that she would want to share this depth of information. However, for a historian to become a good author, she needs to be able to translate years of scholarly study into a compelling narrative, to weed out the thicket of information and prune it into an appealing shape, taking knowledge which makes for an excellent dissertation and shaping it into a good story. This is where Fletcher fails as, basically, she's given us an expanded version of what, I'm sure, was her Ph.D. thesis. And while a thesis is great for proving one's scholarly aptitude, it's not necessarily the best entertainment.
Ostensibly revolving around the actions of one Gregorio Casali, an Italian diplomat and Henry VIII's agent at the Vatican, representing Hal's interests in his “Great Matter” (his divorce from Catherine of Aragon), the book branches out to include the entire Casali family, most of whom were also involved in some manner with the king's divorce, not to mention the stories of the many other diplomats, agents, spies, regents, rulers, pontiffs, and churchmen who moved across the giant chessboard of European politics. While we're presented with tales of skulduggery, of bribes and threats, even of kidnapping, as Henry's cause is fought for, set against a backdrop of a Rome recently invaded and ravaged by the Spanish army and a Europe divided by war, the book never really captures the imagination or the attention. To be truthful, after trying (valiantly) to fully immerse myself in the first 8 chapters (out of 17, so don't think too badly of me), I ended up skimming through the rest of the book. I just couldn't take the information overload anymore.
I would recommend this book only to someone who has devoured all available books on King Henry VIII and wishes to now delve into the minutiae of Henry's divorce--basically a colleague of Catherine Fletcher, another historian or scholar. For anyone else, I'd say to give this one a skip. Even if you enjoy Tudor history, unless you really want to impress someone with a bit of intimate trivia about the divorce, I think this book is just too much to wade through.
April 20, 2018
I honestly do not understand some of these reviews...this book was fantastic. Yes, it is a bit denser than those "popular" histories because most of those are pure fluff pieces. Fletcher really delves into the material here and gives a very intriguing analysis. Not only thoroughly researched, it's engaging and thought-provoking. It's not often that we get to read a new perspective on this turbulent time in English history, and I really enjoyed Catherine Fletcher's take on it.
July 13, 2012
I was kindly sent a copy of Catherine Fletcher's "The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican" by the publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, and I'm so glad that they sent me a copy.
I have been researching Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII for three years now, but I must admit to only looking at the English sources and the letters of men like Eustace Chapuys, in Letters and Papers or the Spanish Calendar of State Papers, when digging into Henry's Great Matter, the struggle for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. I had never looked in depth into the Italian side of things, what was going on in Rome at this time, so without realising it I had a very one-sided account of things. This book has corrected that and I am indebted to Catherine Fletcher's meticulous research.
You only have to look at the book's bibliography of archives, manuscript sources and printed works (11 pages of small type) to see just how much research has gone into this book. Catherine Fletcher used the archives of Bologna, Florence, Modena, Rome, Venice and the Vatican, amongst others, as well as the archives of the Casali family, the descendants of diplomat Gregorio Casali, Henry VIII's man in Rome at this time. Her research has led to a book which gives a detailed account of what was going on in Rome in the late 1520s and early to mid 1530s, who the key players were, what they were doing, how they were playing people off against each other and using stalling tactics and white lies, and also what life was like for them there. Here were men having to cope with the demands of a King and the lobbying of a pope, while also trying to survive on insufficient funds in a rather treacherous climate where bribery, corruption and kidnap were rife. These were dangerous times, as we know from the Sack of Rome.
In Catherine Fletcher's book, the reader is introduced to Gregorio Casali, Henry VIII's resident diplomat in Rome, and also other key players like his brother, Giambattista, and his cousin, Vicenzo; Sir Francis Bryan, Stephen Gardiner, Edward Fox, Pope Clement VII, Pietro Vanni, Charles V, Richard Croke, Sir Nicholas Carew and Dr Richard Sampson. Gregorio is the main character, yet he is a man who most Tudor history lovers will not have heard of, and I enjoyed getting to know him, his wife, his family and the life that he led.
Book highlights for me included:
- The different perspective on the annulment proceedings.
- The insight into "sexual service" in Renaissance Rome and the snippet about Pope Leo X and his affair with courtesan Imperia, which resulted in the birth of a daughter.
- The mention of Anne Boleyn sending cramp rings with a letter to Stephen Gardiner, Gregorio Casali and Pietro Vanni in 1529.
- The Casali brothers' relationship with Richard Croke, "the colleague from hell" and the accusations he levelled at the brothers.
- Learning about the diplomatic tactics that ambassadors used; for example, they tried to keep it quiet in Italy that the legatine court had started in England.
- The insights into what life was like as an ambassador.
As you read all about the efforts of these men to secure the annulment, you cannot help but think of what a waste it all was. Henry VIII was married to Anne Boleyn for just three years! As Catherine Fletcher points out, no diplomat lost his head for the cause but they did put themselves at risk: "the natural hazards of disease and the multiple dangers of early modern travel caused far more untimely deaths".
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Henry VIII's reign. You can tell when I've found a book useful because I fill it with post it notes and turn down the corners of the pages - sorry to those who think that's sacrilege! I also found it readable and interesting. Congratulations to Catherine Fletcher on a wonderful book.
Review from Advance Reader's Edition, an uncorrected paperback version.
Originally published on reviews.theanneboleynfiles.com
I have been researching Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII for three years now, but I must admit to only looking at the English sources and the letters of men like Eustace Chapuys, in Letters and Papers or the Spanish Calendar of State Papers, when digging into Henry's Great Matter, the struggle for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. I had never looked in depth into the Italian side of things, what was going on in Rome at this time, so without realising it I had a very one-sided account of things. This book has corrected that and I am indebted to Catherine Fletcher's meticulous research.
You only have to look at the book's bibliography of archives, manuscript sources and printed works (11 pages of small type) to see just how much research has gone into this book. Catherine Fletcher used the archives of Bologna, Florence, Modena, Rome, Venice and the Vatican, amongst others, as well as the archives of the Casali family, the descendants of diplomat Gregorio Casali, Henry VIII's man in Rome at this time. Her research has led to a book which gives a detailed account of what was going on in Rome in the late 1520s and early to mid 1530s, who the key players were, what they were doing, how they were playing people off against each other and using stalling tactics and white lies, and also what life was like for them there. Here were men having to cope with the demands of a King and the lobbying of a pope, while also trying to survive on insufficient funds in a rather treacherous climate where bribery, corruption and kidnap were rife. These were dangerous times, as we know from the Sack of Rome.
In Catherine Fletcher's book, the reader is introduced to Gregorio Casali, Henry VIII's resident diplomat in Rome, and also other key players like his brother, Giambattista, and his cousin, Vicenzo; Sir Francis Bryan, Stephen Gardiner, Edward Fox, Pope Clement VII, Pietro Vanni, Charles V, Richard Croke, Sir Nicholas Carew and Dr Richard Sampson. Gregorio is the main character, yet he is a man who most Tudor history lovers will not have heard of, and I enjoyed getting to know him, his wife, his family and the life that he led.
Book highlights for me included:
- The different perspective on the annulment proceedings.
- The insight into "sexual service" in Renaissance Rome and the snippet about Pope Leo X and his affair with courtesan Imperia, which resulted in the birth of a daughter.
- The mention of Anne Boleyn sending cramp rings with a letter to Stephen Gardiner, Gregorio Casali and Pietro Vanni in 1529.
- The Casali brothers' relationship with Richard Croke, "the colleague from hell" and the accusations he levelled at the brothers.
- Learning about the diplomatic tactics that ambassadors used; for example, they tried to keep it quiet in Italy that the legatine court had started in England.
- The insights into what life was like as an ambassador.
As you read all about the efforts of these men to secure the annulment, you cannot help but think of what a waste it all was. Henry VIII was married to Anne Boleyn for just three years! As Catherine Fletcher points out, no diplomat lost his head for the cause but they did put themselves at risk: "the natural hazards of disease and the multiple dangers of early modern travel caused far more untimely deaths".
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Henry VIII's reign. You can tell when I've found a book useful because I fill it with post it notes and turn down the corners of the pages - sorry to those who think that's sacrilege! I also found it readable and interesting. Congratulations to Catherine Fletcher on a wonderful book.
Review from Advance Reader's Edition, an uncorrected paperback version.
Originally published on reviews.theanneboleynfiles.com
May 28, 2022
The thing that sticks out about this book was that despite being shorter than 300 pages, it was dense. There were so many details about so many different people that it was really hard to keep track of it all. I’m sure it worked much more for history students, but for a person that is more casually interested it was too much at times.
June 10, 2012
I was intrigued by the premise of this book. There are numerous books out there on this topic, mainly that just focus on Henry, Anne, and Catherine. However, this is the first book I came across that focuses on Henry's ambassador and what he had to go through during this important time period. I actually had not thought much about Henry's ambassador. That was the reason I was excited to read this book. This is a good book that was well researched but I found it difficult to read. Part of that is probably because this is an Advance Reader's Edition. In my copy, the illustrations are omitted, which would have been nice to see as it will definitely assist the reader because it will put faces to a name. A cast of characters, as other readers had pointed out, would be extremely useful as I found myself getting lost and having to re-read some sections to make sure I fully understood it.
This book, since it's written about the ambassador, focuses both on English and Papal politics. Both which move extremely slowly. This book can be difficult to get through, not because of the topic but it can be confusing at times. I believe that is because the reader doesn't have a true sense of why Henry was going through this and what the main characters were trying to achieve. A reader who is well versed in this time period should be able to get through this book without too much difficulty. However, a new reader to the time period should not choose this book as one of the first they read.
I would only recommend this book to readers who are looking for a biography on Henry's ambassador or who knows a great deal of this time period.
This book, since it's written about the ambassador, focuses both on English and Papal politics. Both which move extremely slowly. This book can be difficult to get through, not because of the topic but it can be confusing at times. I believe that is because the reader doesn't have a true sense of why Henry was going through this and what the main characters were trying to achieve. A reader who is well versed in this time period should be able to get through this book without too much difficulty. However, a new reader to the time period should not choose this book as one of the first they read.
I would only recommend this book to readers who are looking for a biography on Henry's ambassador or who knows a great deal of this time period.
July 3, 2012
This is the first time in many years that I have been compelled to not finish a book. I usually devour everything Tudor-related, and I did give this a solid chance, 150 pages. But it just didn’t keep my interest. The political implications behind Henry VIII’s attempts to divorce Catherine of Aragon are certainly well documented here, but the correspondences between various diplomats, ambassadors, and the curia read like petty, whining brats wrote them. The book mainly focuses on Henry’s Italian ambassador in Rome, Gregorio Casali, but there are dozens of other Casali family members, English diplomats, Italian politicians, and Vatican representatives to keep track of. They’re constantly stabbing each other in the back, changing allegiances, griping about never having enough money, and contradicting their own opinions. I just didn’t feel I motivated to keep reading about how the rest of Europe regarded Henry’s Great Matter.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.
July 10, 2012
This book was an ARC.
I have a fairly avid interest in Henry VIII and especially the history of the Church in England. So I began this book with an open attitude towards this subject matter: Henry's divorce. Unfortunately, this author lost me pretty quickly. So many cronies of both the King and the Pope, the intensive description of their lives and behaviors and how they all interact...it was too much for my tiny mind! This is clearly a book written for someone much smarter than myself. I just couldn't force myself to finish it, sadly. It couldn't hold my interest, I was constantly rereading and trying to comprehend or even remember what I'd just read (again.) Clearly, this book is for the academic set, not for the average reader. And I do consider myself an above average reader!
I would not say this book is poorly written, but I might suggest that for a wider audience, the writing might be a little dry. I give it three stars because it is obviously passionately researched and I'm going to go ahead and split the difference.
I have a fairly avid interest in Henry VIII and especially the history of the Church in England. So I began this book with an open attitude towards this subject matter: Henry's divorce. Unfortunately, this author lost me pretty quickly. So many cronies of both the King and the Pope, the intensive description of their lives and behaviors and how they all interact...it was too much for my tiny mind! This is clearly a book written for someone much smarter than myself. I just couldn't force myself to finish it, sadly. It couldn't hold my interest, I was constantly rereading and trying to comprehend or even remember what I'd just read (again.) Clearly, this book is for the academic set, not for the average reader. And I do consider myself an above average reader!
I would not say this book is poorly written, but I might suggest that for a wider audience, the writing might be a little dry. I give it three stars because it is obviously passionately researched and I'm going to go ahead and split the difference.
January 30, 2018
Thoroughly researched account of the doings of the English ambassador to Rome during the years of Henry VIII's Great Matter: his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, which was to enable him to marry Anne Boleyn. Gregorio Casali was of Italian birth; he and his large family of brothers and cousins, all active as diplomats, walked on eggshells for years trying to negotiate an acceptable settlement from Clement VII. Two or three things stood in their way: Catherine's intransigent insistence on her position as lawful queen; Clement VII's desire to restore his Medici family to rule in Florence; and, perhaps, divided loyalties in the Casali family, whose benefices, and other relationships, were at risk if Henry broke away from the Church of Rome. All the great figures of this struggle are present, many well known to Gregorio: Cardinal Wolsey, Henry and Catherine, Anne Boleyn, Emperor Charles V, King Francis I, the future Queen of France, Catherine de' Medici.
The pictures of how the ambassadors operated (not at all strictly aboveboard), the vast amounts of money needed to pay off various prelates and princes, the sumptuous life style, the backstabbing, kidnapping, spying, and lying are absolutely fascinating. Mendacity aplenty. That thing one used to do with one's parents: telling the first one that the other said it was okay to do something, getting the first one's agreement to do the thing, then going with that permission to the second parent (who hadn't really been approached) and saying that First Parent said it was okay--yes, Gregorio did that, only with the pope and a prelate. The personal lives of the ambassadors were entirely bound up, so it seems, with their work: their houses were used to entertain visiting diplomats, their personal funds used to move things along. Gregorio's marriage to a rich heiress was both made possible by and also supported his diplomatic activities. And Gregorio suffered severe personal losses brought by his work: one of his brothers was imprisoned during a diplomatic journey, and died shortly after his release; another was murdered.
One thing about the book does confuse me: Ms. Fletcher continually refers to "Italy" which really didn't exist until much later--and of course she is well aware of the roles of the city states. It may just be convenient, but it is a bit mystifying. Her writing is not elegant, but it is workmanlike. The only complaint I had was about the occasional redundancies, but these probably functioned more in line of "oh, that fellow, yes, now I remember him" than as random repetitions.
On the whole, though this is a compelling picture of a great struggle in European history which is generally viewed only from the English position. To see the Great Matter from the other side, and see how it affected the Holy Roman Empire (of whose emperor Queen Catherine was the aunt) and the Papacy from their points of view is fascinating. Highly recommended, especially if the reader already has some grounding in affairs of the day.
The pictures of how the ambassadors operated (not at all strictly aboveboard), the vast amounts of money needed to pay off various prelates and princes, the sumptuous life style, the backstabbing, kidnapping, spying, and lying are absolutely fascinating. Mendacity aplenty. That thing one used to do with one's parents: telling the first one that the other said it was okay to do something, getting the first one's agreement to do the thing, then going with that permission to the second parent (who hadn't really been approached) and saying that First Parent said it was okay--yes, Gregorio did that, only with the pope and a prelate. The personal lives of the ambassadors were entirely bound up, so it seems, with their work: their houses were used to entertain visiting diplomats, their personal funds used to move things along. Gregorio's marriage to a rich heiress was both made possible by and also supported his diplomatic activities. And Gregorio suffered severe personal losses brought by his work: one of his brothers was imprisoned during a diplomatic journey, and died shortly after his release; another was murdered.
One thing about the book does confuse me: Ms. Fletcher continually refers to "Italy" which really didn't exist until much later--and of course she is well aware of the roles of the city states. It may just be convenient, but it is a bit mystifying. Her writing is not elegant, but it is workmanlike. The only complaint I had was about the occasional redundancies, but these probably functioned more in line of "oh, that fellow, yes, now I remember him" than as random repetitions.
On the whole, though this is a compelling picture of a great struggle in European history which is generally viewed only from the English position. To see the Great Matter from the other side, and see how it affected the Holy Roman Empire (of whose emperor Queen Catherine was the aunt) and the Papacy from their points of view is fascinating. Highly recommended, especially if the reader already has some grounding in affairs of the day.
June 14, 2025
Review - This book offers a very different view of the divorce of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Instead of seeing it from Henry's perspective only this book looks at it from the Vatican end and what the English ambassadors had to cope with while in Italy at this trying time in politics and diplomacy. Perhaps because it isn't an area I am particularly interested in (I often get confused with the Papacy) I didn't enjoy this as much as perhaps I should have.
General Subject/s? - Tudors / Henry VIII / History / Vatican
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 15/20
General Subject/s? - Tudors / Henry VIII / History / Vatican
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 15/20
May 11, 2013
Ouch!! No stars for this one; couldn't even get past the prologue! Thought it was gonna be Henry's story from a different perspective but .... got fooled. This was a very dry, very densely written history book about an obscure Italian that was the guy working to secure the divorce. Still would have been interesting if it had been written in first-person or even as a narrative; but was a straight history (and not a well written one at that). Gave up ... way way too many other books on my list!
maybe-read-sometime
July 20, 2012I started reading this but stalled out. It's this weird combination of super-dry and trying to make things seem exciting. Constantly referred to the local consultant (as distinguished from the English ambassadors) as "our man in Rome." This was jarring when compared to the rest of the book.
Want to Read
April 9, 20124-9-12
September 23, 2018
This book looks at in fine detail an untold story from the most infamous divorce of British history; the divorce of Henry VIII from his long-suffering wife; Catherine of Aragon. However, this book does follow the divorce, but not from the perspective of Henry or his ministers, but from someone who was HIGHLY important in the discussions, although they are unknown. This important figure is called Gregorio Casali, and the book follows him and his family through the divorce and the break from the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
It was a well-researched book and it taught me more about a figure who for some reason, is never mentioned in the history books when he was an important diplomat for Henry VIII! It was a nice change to read a different perspective on his well-documented and well-written about subject.
I did enjoy this book towards the end, however I will admit, at the start of the book, I did find it quite hard to get into! It is not because I did not like it, but because I was quite busy with work. I was constantly stopping and starting whilst reading the book, which didn't help. Also, with how detailed and intricate this book is, I was trying to get my head around all these new names, and trying to follow the book.
Although, overall this is a well-researched and well-written book on a subject which is written about, but not in the perspective of an unknown diplomat. It is a great book to read if you love Tudor history and if you like reading about the divorce of Henry VIII.
It was a well-researched book and it taught me more about a figure who for some reason, is never mentioned in the history books when he was an important diplomat for Henry VIII! It was a nice change to read a different perspective on his well-documented and well-written about subject.
I did enjoy this book towards the end, however I will admit, at the start of the book, I did find it quite hard to get into! It is not because I did not like it, but because I was quite busy with work. I was constantly stopping and starting whilst reading the book, which didn't help. Also, with how detailed and intricate this book is, I was trying to get my head around all these new names, and trying to follow the book.
Although, overall this is a well-researched and well-written book on a subject which is written about, but not in the perspective of an unknown diplomat. It is a great book to read if you love Tudor history and if you like reading about the divorce of Henry VIII.
December 19, 2025
Apart from a one-line reference in Shakespeare's HENRY VIII as "Gregory de Cassado", Gregorio Casali's career as ambassador to Italy and unsuccessful procurer of Henry VIII's annulment was not an exceptionally memorable one. OUR MAN IN ROME nevertheless uses his correspondences to position Casali as a political operator and observer during the tumultuous beginnings of the break from Rome and Reformation, showing how his life gives us an insight into the strange world of Renaissance diplomacy, where bribery, nepotism, and mixed loyalties were all part and parcel of the job.
Fletcher's book is reminiscent of Mary Hollingsworth's THE CARDINAL'S HAT, which likewise reconstructs how a Renaissance aristocrat and politician lived and worked. While Hollingsworth's granular attention to her subject's finances and personal economy was a subject I'd never had the pleasure of encountering in such depth, OUR MAN IN ROME has the advantage of offering an unusual look at a familiar historical epoch, peeling back the Holbein-and-Laughton archetype of Henry VIII to examine the double-dealings behind his reign.
Fletcher's book is reminiscent of Mary Hollingsworth's THE CARDINAL'S HAT, which likewise reconstructs how a Renaissance aristocrat and politician lived and worked. While Hollingsworth's granular attention to her subject's finances and personal economy was a subject I'd never had the pleasure of encountering in such depth, OUR MAN IN ROME has the advantage of offering an unusual look at a familiar historical epoch, peeling back the Holbein-and-Laughton archetype of Henry VIII to examine the double-dealings behind his reign.
July 8, 2024
Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon has fascinated historians for centuries, so it can be hard to offer much new on the topic, yet Catherine Fletcher manages to do just that by focusing on Henry's man in Rome, Gegorio Casali. Along with his family, Casali was a diplomat trying to navigate the turbulent waters of 16th-century Europe. In the service of the English king, he bribed cardinals, solicited scholarly opinions, and organized kidnappings. To further his own fortunes, he married an heiress with a contested inheritance. If anything, I wish there had been more details of Casali and his family's exploits, as these figures clearly interacted with some of most interesting people of their age, yet remain slightly obscured to history. A history book that manages to offer a new perspective to a oft-covered topic and well worth the read for a better understanding of Renaissance diplomacy.
April 15, 2025
I think the title of the book is kind of misleading. The book focuses on Gregorio Casali who was Henry VIII's ambassador to the Vatican during the time he was seeking his divorce. The book is mostly about Italian/Vatican politics and how some of that impacted the Pope's response to Henry, but unless you really like messy Italian/Vatican politics there's not much here for anyone looking for more Tudor insight. Also, the author has an annoying habit of writing really passive sentences with too many commas that make some of the sentences choppy and hard to follow. The only redeeming quality for me was that from this perspective it showed Henry's actions as a series of steps towards asserting his own supremacy and challenging the power of the Pope over him, rather than Henry's attempt to actually move away from the Catholic church, which was not how I'd previously seen things.
September 12, 2018
While an interesting perspective on the divorce of Henry VIII, the book mostly dwelt on the Roman ambassadors and their various intrigues. I didn't find that the two main characters really had much to do with Henry or his wives. It was more of the tangled webs of politics in Italy at about that time. I left the book unconvinced that the main characters had much influence at all on the proceedings of the divorce. It was a little better than simply a historical timeline, but was unsatisfying as an inspection of interesting people.
February 8, 2020
I'm going to have to agree with those who say 1. the book isn't that interesting and 2. there's far too many names to keep track of. I understand networking and patronage were essential during that period, but too often characters appear, disappear and then reappear with bewildering speed. Henry breaking from Rome and upsetting most of the rest of Europe is a bit like the UK breaking from the EU. Hexit? Rexit? I've given it 3 stars instead of 2 because the writer is obviously a very diligent and genuine researcher.
November 3, 2021
3.5 stars. Fascinating account of the machinations of the Italian family that Henry VIII employed as diplomats in Rome and elsewhere as they tried to facilitate his divorce. It is very interesting on the complexities of 16th century diplomacy but it does need a good grasp of the history of the period to follow all the convoluted manoeuvrings. I found it interesting but got bogged down at times, which is probably more my fault than the author's.
March 25, 2022
I was so excited for this book and it was a huge let down. The title is misleading. The book is about Henry's ambassador to the Vatican and how he deals with trying to get Henry's divorce. I thought it was going to be more about like the title says an inside look into the Vatican as Henry tries to get his divorce. Maybe more about the pope and his ministers and how they deal with it. It was boring honestly. I finished it but it was struggle.
October 9, 2021
I did not enjoy this as much as the Black Prince of Florence. Whilst it is admirable that she has picked a relatively obscure diplomat it just read like one long continuous list of names and dates with not much meat to the narrative
October 9, 2019
Very interesting to learn about what was happening in Rome during the king's Great Matter. Most books I've read about it are only from the King or Anne Boleyn's point of view.
August 16, 2021
An interesting view from an entirely different perspective, and also sheds a light on how much diplomacy was going on at the time.
April 10, 2025
A great book showing some of the underlying diplomacy used to try and dissolve Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Beware there is a surfeit of names and a lot of double dealing.
November 6, 2016
British scholar Catherine Fletcher has written a fascinating view of both the political and religious machinations behind the divorce of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Her book, "The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican", is just that, and spotlights the work done by "agents" of Henry and their work in Italy. Also interesting are the actions of the pope, Clement VII.
One of the most interesting points that Fletcher makes is that through Henry's "agent", Gregorio Casali, "we see England from the outside, from Rome, from Italy, from Europe. There, Henry VIII was not the caricature fat tyrant, nor yet the virtuous Renaissance prince, BUT A MID-RANKING NORTHERN MONARCH, a player on the European stage, but FAR FROM THE STAR OF THE SHOW." The "stars"? Oh, those would be the Habsburg Charles V, France's Francis I, and to a certain extent, Pope Clement. Lurking in the background of power would be that pesky Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, who was very upset about abuses of power and other corruption of the Catholic Church.
Henry's desire for first an annulment, and then a divorce from wife Catherine, began in the mid-1520's, when he realised that he would never get a son as heir from Catherine. Their marriage had produced only a daughter, the Princess Mary. In love or lust with a fast-rising young woman at court, Anne Boleyn, Henry thought that youth and beauty and political sophistication would be just the thing in a second wife. So he began to work towards that end. An annulment of a royal marriage was not unheard of in 16th century England; Henry's older sister Margaret successfully petitioned for the annulment of her marriage to Scottish noble Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Angus a few years previously. But Henry's application for annulment was complicated by the fact that he'd had to petition a previous pope for the right to marry Catherine after his brother's death. Complicating things further was Clement's relationship with Charles V, whose forces conquered Rome and proceeded to sack the city. Clement was captured by Charles and was held for six months, but then was "allowed" to escape his captivity. These events on the larger European scene were being played out as Clement debated whether or not to even hear the case - his recent captor, Charles, was nephew of the now-discarded Catherine.
Henry decided to use all means and people to help persuade the Vatican to issue his divorce. Several of those were Italians who knew the ins-and-outs of Vatican and Continental politics and were in the best position to help get divorce done. One of these men was Gregorio Casali, who was of a large, noble family, with influence and fingers in a lot of pies. He served Henry fairly faithfully, without a great deal of financial remuneration, and he and his contacts got things moving. In the end, Henry went ahead and married Anne and the divorce wasn't needed with Catherine's death in 1536.
Fletcher's research and writing on Gregorio Casali and the other non-Englishmen involved in the divorce is well-done and always interesting. She takes an event - Henry's search for a divorce - and "flips" it - showing how it was seen from the Vatican's side. She writes well on the continental politics as they differed from the British. A very good slice of history.
One of the most interesting points that Fletcher makes is that through Henry's "agent", Gregorio Casali, "we see England from the outside, from Rome, from Italy, from Europe. There, Henry VIII was not the caricature fat tyrant, nor yet the virtuous Renaissance prince, BUT A MID-RANKING NORTHERN MONARCH, a player on the European stage, but FAR FROM THE STAR OF THE SHOW." The "stars"? Oh, those would be the Habsburg Charles V, France's Francis I, and to a certain extent, Pope Clement. Lurking in the background of power would be that pesky Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, who was very upset about abuses of power and other corruption of the Catholic Church.
Henry's desire for first an annulment, and then a divorce from wife Catherine, began in the mid-1520's, when he realised that he would never get a son as heir from Catherine. Their marriage had produced only a daughter, the Princess Mary. In love or lust with a fast-rising young woman at court, Anne Boleyn, Henry thought that youth and beauty and political sophistication would be just the thing in a second wife. So he began to work towards that end. An annulment of a royal marriage was not unheard of in 16th century England; Henry's older sister Margaret successfully petitioned for the annulment of her marriage to Scottish noble Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Angus a few years previously. But Henry's application for annulment was complicated by the fact that he'd had to petition a previous pope for the right to marry Catherine after his brother's death. Complicating things further was Clement's relationship with Charles V, whose forces conquered Rome and proceeded to sack the city. Clement was captured by Charles and was held for six months, but then was "allowed" to escape his captivity. These events on the larger European scene were being played out as Clement debated whether or not to even hear the case - his recent captor, Charles, was nephew of the now-discarded Catherine.
Henry decided to use all means and people to help persuade the Vatican to issue his divorce. Several of those were Italians who knew the ins-and-outs of Vatican and Continental politics and were in the best position to help get divorce done. One of these men was Gregorio Casali, who was of a large, noble family, with influence and fingers in a lot of pies. He served Henry fairly faithfully, without a great deal of financial remuneration, and he and his contacts got things moving. In the end, Henry went ahead and married Anne and the divorce wasn't needed with Catherine's death in 1536.
Fletcher's research and writing on Gregorio Casali and the other non-Englishmen involved in the divorce is well-done and always interesting. She takes an event - Henry's search for a divorce - and "flips" it - showing how it was seen from the Vatican's side. She writes well on the continental politics as they differed from the British. A very good slice of history.
October 25, 2021
So I've only read sections so far but here are my initial impressions:
This book should really be advertised as a biography of Henry's Italian diplomat, Gregori Casale. It kind of reads like that was the author's initial intent but they were told by the publisher that that wouldn't really sell-- which, fair, it's very niche and likely wouldn't-- so that it should be written from the angle of the timeline and quest for Henry VIII's attempt at divorce.
Is it from 'inside the Vatican'? Well, sort of. Casale certainly had access there and knew its intricacies and regulations. But I'm finding a lot written about Casale that, frankly, I don't care about and doesn't seem to be related to the topic the book title claims to be about-- his strategic marriage, family dynamics, his personal life, etc. If it was truly 'from inside the Vatican', I would think there'd be more analysis on dispatches from the Pope and cardinals; there are a few but they're cursory at most. For a topic this broad, to mainly write it from the perspective of one diplomat is coming across kind of tunnel-visiony for nonfiction (it'd make a good spy novel, tho) that's not advertised as a biography.
And it's very, very dry-- useful information and sometimes there's splashes of color put in to set the scenes, but not nearly enough to leaven that dryness. Some is relevant to the titular topic, much analyses are stones unturned-- such as the Tudor-Medici connection-- but much of the biographical sections about Casale are just... not.
I will add another review and post an official rating once I've read this thoroughly. So far it's looking like about 3-3.5 stars.
This book should really be advertised as a biography of Henry's Italian diplomat, Gregori Casale. It kind of reads like that was the author's initial intent but they were told by the publisher that that wouldn't really sell-- which, fair, it's very niche and likely wouldn't-- so that it should be written from the angle of the timeline and quest for Henry VIII's attempt at divorce.
Is it from 'inside the Vatican'? Well, sort of. Casale certainly had access there and knew its intricacies and regulations. But I'm finding a lot written about Casale that, frankly, I don't care about and doesn't seem to be related to the topic the book title claims to be about-- his strategic marriage, family dynamics, his personal life, etc. If it was truly 'from inside the Vatican', I would think there'd be more analysis on dispatches from the Pope and cardinals; there are a few but they're cursory at most. For a topic this broad, to mainly write it from the perspective of one diplomat is coming across kind of tunnel-visiony for nonfiction (it'd make a good spy novel, tho) that's not advertised as a biography.
And it's very, very dry-- useful information and sometimes there's splashes of color put in to set the scenes, but not nearly enough to leaven that dryness. Some is relevant to the titular topic, much analyses are stones unturned-- such as the Tudor-Medici connection-- but much of the biographical sections about Casale are just... not.
I will add another review and post an official rating once I've read this thoroughly. So far it's looking like about 3-3.5 stars.
January 16, 2015
Highly informative, with a fresh, enthusiastic perspective that is often ignored when looking at Henry VIII's "great matter". However, it's the enormous detail involved in keeping track of the soap opera that is Italian renaissance politics and family connections that left my head spinning. Trying to keep track of everyone, trying to follow the tangled web, didn't make for comfortable reading. It's a first rate historical resource...I only wish the subject matter lent itself to a more pleasant, relaxing read. I certainly don't fault the author, as she tries her best to keep everything flowing; I believe this subject matter would defeat the most acclaimed of writers. But Catherine Fletcher gives it one hell of a try...and it's much appreciated.
August 20, 2012
This book was tough to get through. I enjoyed the supplemental background to the infamous Henry VIII story and I was excited to see history from a completely new perspective but this book read like a college history textbook. Though I have always had an interest in the Henry VIII story and I've read a lot about his life ranging from Queen Catherine to Henry's death, this book was not something I would generally pick up just to read. I do appreciate all the work that Catherine Fletcher put into her research and I am glad that I learned more about the process of Henry's requests but I would not necessarily recommend this to someone who is not doing a research project.
May 19, 2014
An outstanding book. Meticulously researched; not with the English accounts that we hear or the accounts of Eustace Chapuys, but the correspondences between Henry’s Ambassador to the Pope, communications with Wolsey, letters from the Casali family.
It is brilliantly documented, bribes, pleas, Papal avoidance, and transactions, the knowledge in there is remarkable and all backed up with verifiable references. It puts to rest many misconceptions, such as Katherine’s nephew Charles V did little to help her.
It is brilliantly documented, bribes, pleas, Papal avoidance, and transactions, the knowledge in there is remarkable and all backed up with verifiable references. It puts to rest many misconceptions, such as Katherine’s nephew Charles V did little to help her.
February 15, 2012
This is the fascinating story of Gregorio Casali, who found himself Henry VIII's 'Man in Rome' at the time of Henry's attempts to divorce Catherine of Aragon. As Casali was emeshed in the King's 'great matter' he attempted to plead Henry's case with Pope Clement. When Wolsey fell, Casali's power was curtailed and it soon became apparent that Henry intended to divorce not only his wife, but the Church itself. Tudor power and politics - what could be better?!
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