The Boleyn Inheritance

Posted by Lorri Brown Jun 4, 2007

The Boleyn Inheritance, by Phillipa Gregory, is a great read for anyone interested in the Renaissance, Tudor England, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, or the Reformation. This cleverly written book tells of the events of Henry VIII’s last big wife hunt, following the death of Jane Seymour (wife #3).

The story is told from three points of view: Anne of Cleves, an unwanted queen who is scared to death that she will go to the block. Katherine Howard, a vain foolish young girl who has an extremely likable quality about her. And the most disturbing character I have read in a long time, Jane Boleyn, sister-in-law to the late Anne Boleyn (wife #2).

Gregory paints Henry VIII as a fat, self-absorbed old man, living in the past. She shows his court to be full of plots, and counter-plots, by the Protestants and the Catholics. Each of the three women find themselves, at one point or another, involved in various plots, some willingly, others not.

Gregory points out in her writers notes that much of the story around Anne of Cleves is fictitious, since little is known about her life before arriving to England. Likewise with Katherine Howard; most of what is known about her childhood comes from evidence given against her during her trial for treason.

In Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, Gregory creates such a evil, malicious woman, who has deluded herself into thinking she is a victim, that I found it hard to put the book down. Jane gave evidence (false evidence at that) which sent not only her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn to the block, but also her own husband. She then conspired with her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk (another evil character) to put little Kitty Howard on the throne. The entire book spirals toward Jane’s comeuppance. I already knew how it ended, but I needed to read it from Jane Boleyn’s point of view.

Anyone who has an interest in Tudor England, Henry VIII and his wives, or the Protestant Reformation, I highly recommend this entertaining read.

Other books by Phillipa Gregory include The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess.

For more information on Phillipa Gregory and her books, you can visit her official site at http://www.philippagregory.com/.