The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A classic account of the rise and fall of queens in the House of Tudor - Tapa blanda

First written by a Tudor scholar in the 1800's, this classic account of The Wives of Henry VIII tells the story of each queen consort, from the time they first met Henry VIII to their (sometimes) early demise. Descriptions of the appearance of Henry VIII and each of the wives, written by their contemporaries, add color to this already vividly descriptive, fascinating book. The twists and turns of Henry's marriage to Katharine of Arragon, the rise and spectacular fall of the beautiful Ann Boleyn, and the reason for her demise (the affair with Jane Seymour) are all wonderfully told. Readers with an inkling of sympathy for the first three will smile at the vivid account of Henry VIII's eager anticipation at meeting his fourth wife (Anne of Cleves, who had arrived through an arranged marriage), and his consternation at finding her looks to be really quite plain. Anne of Cleves was also apparently less than thrilled with the arrangement, and managed to save her head by graciously agreeing to divorce after only six months. Unfortunately Cromwell and another gentleman who was intimately involved in arranging that marriage, weren't so lucky. Henry VIII's marriage to the young and beautiful Katharine Howard, though incredibly happy in the beginning, didn't last long. In a fit of jealousy, the king sent her to the chopping block after only 16 months. Like Ann Boleyn, she met her fate graciously-even spending hours the night before her execution practicing how best to lay her head on the block! The Wives of Henry VIII also tells the story of the final of Henry's three Katharine's (Katharine Parr), who, being tipped off about the king's violent intentions towards her, narrowly escaped execution by talking her way back into his good graces. All in all, a spectacular tale with details sure to enthrall any student of the House of Tudor.