Follow this link to receive your copies and don't forget to enter her gift card drawing while there!
Friday, February 15, 2013
The Anne Boleyn Files Book Give-Away
In celebration of the fourth anniversary of theanneboleynfiles.com author and historian Claire Ridgeway is giving e-reader copies of all three of her outstanding Anne related books away on amazon.com. If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the reader software FREE to your computer or smartphone via the amazon homepage!
Follow this link to receive your copies and don't forget to enter her gift card drawing while there!
http://www.amazon.com/Claire-Ridgway/e/B0079FOGUY/
Follow this link to receive your copies and don't forget to enter her gift card drawing while there!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Read of the Week
Hello Anne enthusiasts!
This week I dove into Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession by Elizabeth Norton and admittedly I was a little disappointed. First of all the author attempts to interpret Anne's emotions WAY too much leading to phrases like "must have" "surely would have" and other conjecture to be overused. Norton's lack of ability to prove the things she says make the book seem under supported; one of the most frustratingly obvious examples of this was her claim that not only was Anne present at the Field of Cloth of Gold ceremony, but the "probably" felt happiness at seeing her father there. There is absolutely no historical record indicating that Anne attended the ceremony, let alone how she may have felt at it. The chronological order of the book is also somewhat confusing. Norton often jumps around in Anne's life, downplaying important events and highlighting others with less (I believe) historical value. For example she makes no mention of the St. Erkenwald wedding of Anne. I also noticed some historical errors in her writing; namely when she claims Mark Smeaton was hung, drawn and quartered. This is absolutely untrue. He was beheaded just like all of Anne's accused lovers.
I confess, I wanted to love this book; the title was interesting, I am always hankering for a new Anne Boleyn work to expand my knowledge and Norton's books have their own shelf in my library. I admit, I did not love it. Despite what I feel are some short-comings I can still appreciate how the author draws the reader in; Norton's style makes for interesting and easy reading. She gives a lot of "food for thought" on the relationship between Henry VIII and Anne, presenting facts and then allowing you to interpret and draw your own conclusions. I am also recommending this book because the imagery is incredible, the author accessed parts of Hever, the Tower and other Anne related spaces not normally open to the public thus allowing many of us to see these places for the first time.
This week I dove into Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession by Elizabeth Norton and admittedly I was a little disappointed. First of all the author attempts to interpret Anne's emotions WAY too much leading to phrases like "must have" "surely would have" and other conjecture to be overused. Norton's lack of ability to prove the things she says make the book seem under supported; one of the most frustratingly obvious examples of this was her claim that not only was Anne present at the Field of Cloth of Gold ceremony, but the "probably" felt happiness at seeing her father there. There is absolutely no historical record indicating that Anne attended the ceremony, let alone how she may have felt at it. The chronological order of the book is also somewhat confusing. Norton often jumps around in Anne's life, downplaying important events and highlighting others with less (I believe) historical value. For example she makes no mention of the St. Erkenwald wedding of Anne. I also noticed some historical errors in her writing; namely when she claims Mark Smeaton was hung, drawn and quartered. This is absolutely untrue. He was beheaded just like all of Anne's accused lovers.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Reader Questions
Hello again readers!
This week we had some really great question submissions, many that I had to some research on to be able to accurately answer. Thank you for your questions and keep them coming!
Q: Does any of Anne's jewelry survive?
A: This is a great question, but one with a sadly disappointing answer. Most of Anne's jewels would have been seized upon her arrest because they would've been property of the crown. It is very likely that they would've been reset and worked to fit the style of Jane Seymour and her predecessors as was customary. However, there is one happy bit of news. In a portrait of the Tudor family which Henry VIII had commissioned, Elizabeth can be seen wearing the A necklace that Anne was known for. Anne had a B necklace which is commonly depicted in portraits of her but also an A which she wore often after her coronation. It is said by several historians that she started the trend of monogram jewelry in her time. Here is the portrait of Elizabeth so you can see the necklace yourself.
Q: How did Mary Stafford [sister to Anne Boleyn] die?
A: Mary died July 19, 1543 at her home in Essex. The cause of her death is unknown, so more than likely it was of natural causes indiscernible by medicine and technology of the period. Her burial place is also unknown though Alison Wier believes it to be the Church of St. Andrew near Rochford. Despite the fact that we do not know much about her death, we do know thanks to genealogical records that Mary is an ancestor to many great and influential people including Charles Darwin and Princess Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Q: I [the sender] read somewhere that Elizabeth contracted small pox during her reign. Is that true?
A: Yes! This is true. On October 10, 1562 Elizabeth came down with what her doctors thought was a cold. However, the illness quickly escalated with high fevers and it was thought that she would die. She recovered thanks to the special care of one of her devoted ladies, Mary Sidney. Unfortunately the woman caught the disease herself and was badly scarred the rest of her life. Elizabeth did not suffer from major disfigurement but afterward did begin to use white makeup to cover the blemishes on her face and neck.
Q: Did Elizabeth of York [mother to Henry VIII] have an affair with her own uncle?
A: Great question, there is no question that Elizabeth and her paternal uncle Richard III had some type of relationship. She had written to her mother Elizabeth Woodville, former Queen of Edward IV to explain the relationship. Elizabeth the elder also corresponded with Richard himself regarding his desire to marry his niece following the sure death of his sickly wife Anne. Although this seems taboo according to our modern standards the union would have made a lot of sense during the time. Richard was faced with continual uprising of those who believed he was not the true heir to the throne because he had seized it from his nephew Edward V (Elizabeth's younger brother) following the death of the boy's father Edward IV. By this point most of England had accepted that Edward and his younger brother Richard were dead. Marrying Elizabeth would have united those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's line with his own supporters bringing peace to a fractured England. Now, while they may have had a relationship; it is doubtful that they were engaging in sex. Firstly, because Richard and Elizabeth were both very religious and it would have been unseemly. Secondly, there was no effective means of birth control so if Elizabeth were to become pregnant she would have been scorned and not considered a viable candidate for queen. Regardless of whether or not there was a sexual relationship, it is accurate to say that Elizabeth was a favorite of Richard and that he intended on marrying her and making her queen following his wife's death.
This week we had some really great question submissions, many that I had to some research on to be able to accurately answer. Thank you for your questions and keep them coming!
Q: Does any of Anne's jewelry survive?
A: This is a great question, but one with a sadly disappointing answer. Most of Anne's jewels would have been seized upon her arrest because they would've been property of the crown. It is very likely that they would've been reset and worked to fit the style of Jane Seymour and her predecessors as was customary. However, there is one happy bit of news. In a portrait of the Tudor family which Henry VIII had commissioned, Elizabeth can be seen wearing the A necklace that Anne was known for. Anne had a B necklace which is commonly depicted in portraits of her but also an A which she wore often after her coronation. It is said by several historians that she started the trend of monogram jewelry in her time. Here is the portrait of Elizabeth so you can see the necklace yourself.
 |
| The Full portrait |
 |
| Close-up of Elizabeth |
Q: How did Mary Stafford [sister to Anne Boleyn] die?
A: Mary died July 19, 1543 at her home in Essex. The cause of her death is unknown, so more than likely it was of natural causes indiscernible by medicine and technology of the period. Her burial place is also unknown though Alison Wier believes it to be the Church of St. Andrew near Rochford. Despite the fact that we do not know much about her death, we do know thanks to genealogical records that Mary is an ancestor to many great and influential people including Charles Darwin and Princess Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Q: I [the sender] read somewhere that Elizabeth contracted small pox during her reign. Is that true?
A: Yes! This is true. On October 10, 1562 Elizabeth came down with what her doctors thought was a cold. However, the illness quickly escalated with high fevers and it was thought that she would die. She recovered thanks to the special care of one of her devoted ladies, Mary Sidney. Unfortunately the woman caught the disease herself and was badly scarred the rest of her life. Elizabeth did not suffer from major disfigurement but afterward did begin to use white makeup to cover the blemishes on her face and neck.
Q: Did Elizabeth of York [mother to Henry VIII] have an affair with her own uncle?
A: Great question, there is no question that Elizabeth and her paternal uncle Richard III had some type of relationship. She had written to her mother Elizabeth Woodville, former Queen of Edward IV to explain the relationship. Elizabeth the elder also corresponded with Richard himself regarding his desire to marry his niece following the sure death of his sickly wife Anne. Although this seems taboo according to our modern standards the union would have made a lot of sense during the time. Richard was faced with continual uprising of those who believed he was not the true heir to the throne because he had seized it from his nephew Edward V (Elizabeth's younger brother) following the death of the boy's father Edward IV. By this point most of England had accepted that Edward and his younger brother Richard were dead. Marrying Elizabeth would have united those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's line with his own supporters bringing peace to a fractured England. Now, while they may have had a relationship; it is doubtful that they were engaging in sex. Firstly, because Richard and Elizabeth were both very religious and it would have been unseemly. Secondly, there was no effective means of birth control so if Elizabeth were to become pregnant she would have been scorned and not considered a viable candidate for queen. Regardless of whether or not there was a sexual relationship, it is accurate to say that Elizabeth was a favorite of Richard and that he intended on marrying her and making her queen following his wife's death.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Read of the Week
Hey readers,
This week I enjoyed a really great book entitled The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, The Queen and the King's Mother by Philipa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones. This book is interesting because each author tackles one of the major matriarchs of the period in a series of essays. The essays cover Jacquetta, dowager duchess of Bedford, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville who would become queen of Edward IV and Margaret Beaufort, mother to Henry Tudor (Henry VII) Each "short story" covers the womens' early lives including their birth and childhood, early marriages and eventual rise to power. The stories overlap nicely, painting a very well written, comprehensible picture of the time period. One complaint I might have is that the authors took some liberties when speculating how each character might have felt in certain situations. Despite this, the book is extremely well-written and fun to read. If you are a fan of Gregory's historical fiction novels, this is a must read!
This week I enjoyed a really great book entitled The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, The Queen and the King's Mother by Philipa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones. This book is interesting because each author tackles one of the major matriarchs of the period in a series of essays. The essays cover Jacquetta, dowager duchess of Bedford, her daughter Elizabeth Woodville who would become queen of Edward IV and Margaret Beaufort, mother to Henry Tudor (Henry VII) Each "short story" covers the womens' early lives including their birth and childhood, early marriages and eventual rise to power. The stories overlap nicely, painting a very well written, comprehensible picture of the time period. One complaint I might have is that the authors took some liberties when speculating how each character might have felt in certain situations. Despite this, the book is extremely well-written and fun to read. If you are a fan of Gregory's historical fiction novels, this is a must read!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Elizabeth I Documentary
Hello All,
Today I enjoyed this short documentary entitled Elizabeth: From Prison to Palace narrated by renowned Tudor historian David Starkey. It was recently produced by BBC History. I hope you enjoy it!
Today I enjoyed this short documentary entitled Elizabeth: From Prison to Palace narrated by renowned Tudor historian David Starkey. It was recently produced by BBC History. I hope you enjoy it!
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