The Six Wives of Henry VIII in Historical Fiction
Explore the best historical fiction books about the six wives of Henry VIII. Dive into captivating novels that bring Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and more to life with rich storytelling.
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The Spanish Bride
by Laurien Gardner
Estrella de Montoya, Catherine of Aragon's companion, witnesses the marriage of Catherine to King Henry VIII, a cruel monarch whom Catherine believed to be her chivalrous knight in shining armor.
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Katharine of Aragon
by Jean Plaidy
For the first time in paperback—all three of Jean Plaidy’s Katharine of Aragon novels in one volume. Legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy begins her tales of Henry VIII’s queens with the story of his first wife, the Spanish princess Katharine of Aragon. As a teenager, Katharine leaves her beloved Spain, land of olive groves and soaring cathedrals, for the drab, rainy island of England. There she is married to the king’s eldest son, Arthur, a sickly boy who dies six months after the wedding. Katharine is left a widow who was never truly a wife, lonely in a strange land, with a very bleak future. Her only hope of escape is to marry the king’s second son, Prince Henry, now heir to the throne. Tall, athletic, handsome, a lover of poetry and music, Henry is all that Katharine could want in a husband. But their first son dies and, after many more pregnancies, only one child survives, a daughter. Disappointed by his lack of an heir, Henry’s eye wanders, and he becomes enamored of another woman—a country nobleman’s daughter named Anne Boleyn. When Henry begins searching for ways to put aside his loyal first wife, Katharine must fight to remain Queen of England and to keep the husband she once loved so dearly.
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The King's Pleasure
by Norah Lofts
Released for the first time in decades, this international bestseller powerfully tells of the life of Katharine of Aragon, from her childhood in Spain to her reign and downfall in England as the first wife of Henry VII. A princess by birth and a queen by marriage, Katharine always held the highest aspirations for her life, never doubting a vision both she and her mother, Isabella of Spain, had of her becoming one of the great rulers of Europe. After a short-lived and childless marriage to sickly prince Arthur of England, Katharine finds herself handed down to his brother, the future king Henry VII, a handsome, passionate man with whom she forms a strong bond of mutual admiration and love. Their relationship seems ideal -- equals in status, ambition, and respect for each other. As the years go by, King Henry becomes consumed by greed, paranoia, and arrogance, with a roving eye that has settled on the young Anne Boleyn. It is this obsession that will lead to his destruction and the humiliation of Katharine, the woman he once would have done anything to protect, forever changing the face of English history and religion. Beloved by her fans and a queen of the genre, Norah Lofts wrote tales of royal Britain that have stood the test of time, and The King's Pleasure is now reissued for a new generation of adoring readers.
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Brief Gaudy Hour
by Margaret Campbell Barnes
The Timeless Story of History&'s Most Intriguing Heroine& & The enigmatic Anne Boleyn comes to life in this charming, brilliant portrayal by acclaimed British novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes. & & The infamous love of King Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn undertook a rocky journey from innocent courtier to powerful Queen of England. A meticulous researcher, Margaret Campbell Barnes immerses readers in this intrigue and in the lush, glittery world of the Tudor Court. The beauty and charms of Anne Boleyn bewitched the most powerful man in the world, King Henry VIII, but her resourcefulness and cleverness were not enough to stop the malice of her enemies. Her swift rise to power quickly became her own undoing.& & The author brings to light Boleyn&'s humanity and courage, giving an intimate look at a young woman struggling to find her own way in a world dominated by men and adversaries. & & Praise for Brief Gaudy Hour& & &?Not only is Brief Gaudy Hour a moving and lifelike portrait of Anne Boleyn, it is a thoroughly delightful novel in which the author has succeeded in blending historical events and utterances with suspense in narrative and spontaneity in character.&? -New York Times& & &?Immensely entertaining and absorbing.&? -Chicago Tribune& & Margaret Campbell Barnes grew up in London. Her historical novels, which have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, include My Lady of Cleves, With All My Heart, Isabel the Fair and The King&'s Bed.&
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The Boleyn Wife
by Brandy Purdy
Encompassing the reigns of four of Henry's wives, from the doomed Anne to the reckless Katherine Howard, The Boleyn Wife is an unforgettable story of ambition, lust, and jealousy, of the power of love to change the course of history, and of the terrible price of revenge.
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The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
by Robin Maxwell
When Elizabeth I assumes the throne of England, she is given the secret diary of her mother Anne Boleyn, who was betrayed and beheaded by her husband Henry VIII. In reading the diary she learns about her mother's life and determines to heed the lessons of her mother's difficult life.
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Mademoiselle Boleyn
by Robin Maxwell
From the author of The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn comes a riveting portrait of Anne Boleyn’s youth and her unconventional education in the court of the King of France. When her father is assigned the task of spying on the French Court, the charming and sweetly innocent Anne Boleyn is delighted by the thought of a new adventure. And she is not to be disappointed, for her beautiful sister, Mary, has been handed a mission: to let herself be seduced by the King of France in order to uncover his secrets. Mesmerized by the thrilling passion, intrigue, and betrayal that unfolds, Anne discovers the power of being a woman who catches the eye of a powerful king. And, as she grows into a beautiful young woman, she undergoes her own sexual awakening, each daring exploit taking her one step closer to the life that is her destiny.
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A Lady Raised High
by Laurien Gardner
A biographical tale of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of the powerful King Henry VIII of England.
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Dear Heart, How Like You This?
by Wendy Dunn
A king who would not be denied, a woman who would be queen, and a gentle poet forced to watch helplessly, as his one true love slips out of his arms forever... Dear Heart tells the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The story is told from the point of view of Anne's cousin, Sir Thomas Wyatt. Tom has secretly loved Anne his entire life, but has always been told he is not highly born enough to pursue her. He carefully hides his feelings, especially after Anne catches the eye of the king, but he remains at Anne's side as one of her staunchest friends and supporters. Then the unthinkable happens. After marrying Anne, the king tires of her and falsely accuses her of adultery. Imprisoned himself on the whim of the king's arrogant brother-in-law, Tom watches helplessly as his true love and his closest friends go on trial for their lives... This is is a novel that grips you before the end of the first sentence and doesn't let go until the bitter end. In Dunn's more than capable hands, Anne Boleyn comes to life, first as a whimsical child, then as a hurt and angry teenager, then as a woman both frightened and exhilarated by the dangerous game she is playing, and finally as a bruised, but not broken, victim of the king's cruelty. Through Anne's tumultuous life, her cousin Thomas is a spellbinding narrator, reporting the events around him with a reporter's keen eye and a poet's tender heart. Reviews "...an evocative and engaging story of love and friendship, blossoming from the bonds of early childhood, only to be torn apart by the sensual desires of a selfish king." "Though framed as an account of arguably the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives, Dear Heart is far more than another re-telling of a well-trodden tale. For entwined with the glamorous, ultimately tragic, story of Anne Boleyn's life and death, is that of an inherently good man's struggle with the evils of his time, and of the toll that is often exacted of those who finds themselves immersed in the sweeping tides of historical change." "I have read every novel I ever found about Queen Anne Boleyn and enjoyed them all. This one was special and very refreshing While adhering to main historical events, Wendy Dunn takes us on a mental and emotional adventure into possibilities of personal relationships." "A wonderful, wonderful novel. Seriously the greatest book I have read about Anne Boleyn. This book takes you inside their world and you have a hard time leaving it... "
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The Queen of Subtleties
by Suzannah Dunn
Anne Boleyn and Lucy Cornwallis: queen and confectioner, fatefully linked in a court rife with intrigue and treachery She was the dark-eyed English beauty who captivated King Henry VIII, only to die at his behest three years after they were married. She was both manipulator and pawn, a complex, misunderstood mélange of subtlety and fire. Her name was Anne Boleyn. In The Queen of Subtleties, Suzannah Dunn reimagines the rise and fall of the tragic queen through two alternating voices: that of Anne herself, who is penning a letter to her young daughter on the eve of her execution, and Lucy Cornwallis, the king’s confectioner. An employee of the highest status, Lucy is responsible for creating the sculpted sugar centerpieces that adorn each of the feasts marking Anne’s ascent in the king’s favor. They also share another link of which neither woman is aware: the lovely Mark Smeaton, wunderkind musician—the innocent on whom, ultimately, Anne’s downfall hinges.
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Tudor Sisters
by Aileen Armitage
A beautiful moth flutters too close to the candle of Henry VIII's brillianceFair and loving, devoid of ambition, Mary Boleyn was exploited by men who found her desirable: by Francis I, King of France, who taught her how to love; and by England's virile young King Henry VIII. For a time, she held Henry's ardent heart, and she bore him a son, but his fickle eye was already upon her cleverer sister Anne.
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Blood Royal
by Mollie Hardwick
Recounts the story of the Boleyn family, detailing the experiences of Mary and Anne and their relationships with Henry VIII, their brilliant but ill-fated brother George, and their children, one of whom would rule England
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Plain Jane
by Laurien Gardner
This third title in a series of historical novels featuring the wives of England's King Henry VIII focuses on his third wife, Jane Seymour, a plain woman who goes on to shape the future of Britain. Original.
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My Lady of Cleves
by Margaret Campbell Barnes
My Lady of Cleves reveals the mesmerizing story of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife, one of the rare women who matched wits successfully with the fiery king and lived to tell the tale. Written by world-renowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, My Lady of Cleves gives readers an intimate portrait of the warm, unpretentious princess who never expected to become Queen of England. Knowing the King's ravenous desire for a son, and aware of the disastrous consequences of not bearing an heir, Anne of Cleves bravely took on the duty of weathering the Tudor King's temper, whims, arrogance, and irresponsible passions--and won the hearts of his subjects in the process. A treat for readers of Tudor fiction, fans of Phillipa Gregory, and those fascinated by the complex relationship of Henry VIII and his wives, My Lady of Cleves leads readers into a world of high drama and courtly elegance. "Turns out a brilliant light on one of the lustiest and one of the most dramatic periods of English history." --Philadelphia Inquirer
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The Queen's Mistake
by Diane Haeger
The tragic story of Catherine Howard, who succumbs to her powerful and calculating family's wishes rather than her heart's desire, and becomes the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, facing intrigue and treachery at court. Original.
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The Boleyn Inheritance
by Philippa Gregory
From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Other Boleyn Girl" comesa tempestuous Tudor tale about two queens, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr, and the woman who destroys them both.
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Lies and Lust in the Tudor Court
by Margaret Doner
Lies and Lust in the Tudor Court tells the story of the teenager, Katheryn Howard, and her marriage to the aging, ill-tempered Henry VIII. To some she is considered a harlot and a greedy girl from an even greedier family. To others she is a victim, in love with another man and forced to marry the King. In truth she was a mercurial, strong-willed, sexually appealing woman trapped by the dangerous politics of the Tudor court and her barren womb. Her final words when she knelt at the executioner's block were, "I die the Queen of England, but I would have rather died the wife of Thomas Culpeper." Not as well known as her famous cousin, Anne Boleyn, Katheryn's story is every bit as exciting and dangerous. It is a piece of history that has the power to stimulate our imagination five hundred years later.
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An Unchaste Life
by Anne Cato
Catherine Howard . . . sensual, passionate, vibrant. Thrust by her ambitious relatives into the glittering orbit of King Henry VIII, she was bound to captivate the mighty monarch. The King had divorced one wife to marry Catherine's cousin Anne Boleyn. He would divorce another to take Catherine as his fifth wife.
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The Sixth Wife
by Jean Plaidy
Dangerous court intrigue and affairs of the heart collide as renowned novelist Jean Plaidy tells the story of Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six queens. Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, was both foolish and unfaithful, and she paid for it with her life. Henry vowed that his sixth wife would be different, and she was. Katherine Parr was twice widowed and thirty-one years old. A thoughtful, well-read lady, she was known at court for her unblemished reputation and her kind heart. She had hoped to marry for love and had set her heart on Thomas Seymour, the dashing brother of Henry’s third queen. But the aging king—more in need of a nurse than a wife—was drawn to her, and Katherine could not refuse his proposal of marriage. Queen Katherine was able to soothe the King’s notorious temper, and his three children grew fond of her, the only mother they had ever really known. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a volatile tyrant, books were Katherine’s consolation. But among her intellectual pursuits was an interest in Lutheranism—a religion that the king saw as a threat to his supremacy as head of the new Church of England. Courtiers envious of the Queen’s influence over Henry sought to destroy her by linking her with the “radical” religious reformers. Henry raged that Katherine had betrayed him, and had a warrant drawn up for her arrest and imprisonment. At court it was whispered that the king would soon execute yet another wife. Henry’s sixth wife would have to rely on her wits to survive where two other women had perished. . . .
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The Sixth Wife
by Suzannah Dunn
A gripping novel of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak in the unstable Tudor court following the death of King Henry VIII Clever, level-headed Katherine Parr has suffered through four years of marriage to the aging and irascible King Henry VIII—and she has survived, unlike the five wives who came before her. But less than a year after the old king's death, her heart is won by the dashing Thomas Seymour, and their hasty union undoes a lifetime of prudent caution. An unwilling witness to the queen's late-blossoming love, Catherine, Duchess of Suffolk, harbors nagging suspicions of Kate's handsome and ambitious new husband. But as Catherine is drawn deeper into the web of politics ensnaring her oldest friend, it gradually becomes clear that she has her own dark tale to tell. For though Thomas might betray his wife for power, Catherine might betray her for passion, risking everything she has in a world where love is a luxury not even royalty can easily afford.
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The Ivy Crown
by Mary M. Luke
The biography of the remarkable woman who was Henry VIII's last wife and outlived him.
