The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII [Paperback]

Retha Warnicke's fascinating and controversial reinterpretation focuses on the sexual intrigues and family politics pervading the court, offering a new explanation of Anne's fall.The execution of Henry VIII's second queen in 1536 has traditionally been attributed to a conspiracy masterminded by Thomas Cromwell. This radical reinterpretation focuses instead on the many intrigues that pervaded Henry's court.The execution of Henry VIII's second queen in 1536 has traditionally been attributed to a conspiracy masterminded by Thomas Cromwell. This radical reinterpretation focuses instead on the many intrigues that pervaded Henry's court.The events which led to the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen, in 1536 have traditionally been explained by historians in terms of a factional conspiracy masterminded by Henry's minister Thomas Cromwell. Retha Warnicke's fascinating and controversial reinterpretation focuses instead on the sexual intrigues and family politics pervading the court, offering a new explanation of Anne's fall. The picture which emerges - placing Anne's life in the context of social and religious values, and superstitions about witches and the birth of deformed children - changes our perception of her role within the court, and suggests that her execution (occurring only four months after a miscarriage) was the tragic consequence of Henry's profound concern about the continuation of the Tudor dynasty.List of illustrations; Preface; Introduction: Queen Anne; 1. Boleyn origins; 2. Family alliances; 3. Henry's challenge; 4. Papal response; 5. Anne's turn; 6. Queen's patronage 7. Harem politics; 8. Sexual heresy; 9. Royal legacy; Appendix A. The legacy of Nicholas Sander; Appendix B. The choirbook of Anne Boleyn; Appendix C. Two poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt; Notes; Index. ...this book is more than original--it challenges close to every other work written about Anne since her execution...This book is a wonderful piece of feminist scholarship...it offl$