The Illustrated Six Wives of Henry VIII

by Elizabeth Norton

Henry VIII had the most controversial love life of the Tudor period, and he remains Britain’s most famous king because of it. His pursuit of a male heir for his throne led him to cast aside five consecutive wives and bring about the reformation of the Catholic Church, changing the face of British history as he broke from the pope and tradition. But who were the women who were instrumental in causing this change? Why was Catherine of Aragon divorced and Anne Boleyn beheaded, and what happened to the last wife, Catherine Parr?Elizabeth Norton provides a lavishly illustrated guide to the six wives of Henry VIII, exploring their private lives as well as the reasons behind the fundamental changes they caused in Tudor history. With a chapter on each wife, and an extra section on his mistresses, this is the ultimate companion to the six wives of Henry VIII.

Genres: Tudor Period, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2015

About the author

Elizabeth Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She obtained an Master of Arts in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in 2003 and a masters degree in European Archaeology from the University of Oxford in 2004.

Elizabeth Norton is the author of five non-fiction works: She Wolves, The Notorious Queens of England (The History Press, 2008), Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's Obsession (Amberley, 2008), Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's True Love (Amberley, 2009), Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's Discarded Bride (Amberley, 2009) and Catherine Parr (Amberley, 2010).[2]' She is also the author of two articles: Anne of Cleves and Richmond Palace (Surrey History, 2009) [3] and Scandinavian Influences in the Late Anglo-Saxon Sculpture of Sussex (Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2009)

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Its a short, simplified biography of the six wives of Henry VIII (only 94 pages) and the illustrations are a lackluster collection of re-reproductions, not always in chronological order. I was expecting an in depth look at the portraits, provenance, and debates of the appearances of the queens and was disappointed by this.

[Juliet Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, succinct but accurate history of Henry VIII's wives and mistresses, all in 100 pages with lots of interesting colour pictures.

[Louise Fry]

A small brief and interesting book - thoroughly enjoyed