This week I dove into another Anne book, this time The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives. This book is one of my favorites ever written about Anne Boleyn. Ives, though his respect for Anne is evident, never strays from his scholarly, researched approach to his book. He stays away from rumors such as the shrewish wife with a sixth finger and a malformed children, but he also does not paint Anne as an innocent victim, in fact he refers to her as being "absolutely calculating" He reinforces ideas about Anne's interest in religious reformation, not as a means to assist in her own meteoric rise, but as a genuine evangelical with God's will at the forefront of her mind. He also addresses what I have long referred to as the "fight to death" conflict between Anne and Cromwell, including their fights over distribution of Church wealth and official Church liturgy. He disputes many apocryphal claims about Anne, her family and the time period using a plethora of primary and secondary sources. He analyzes every source, making sure that the authors are unbiased in their thoughts and research before using them to support any of his own ideas.
This book is beautifully written and impeccably researched, the most accurate picture we may ever have of Anne Boleyn and a true legacy for one of our time's most respected Tudor historians.
I was wondering if you were ever going to review this book. It is one of the best but I tend to agree with Retha Warnicke on George's sexual orientation and I think Ives stretches too far in claiming he wasn't a homosexual.
ReplyDeleteI 100% disagree. I have read Warnicke's information on George's sexuality and find it both lacking in both primary source evidence and very unconvincing. You can read my thoughts on George's sexual life here: http://anneboleynaddict.blogspot.com/2012/07/george-boleyn-and-questions-of.html
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