num_pages: 896
description: No one in history had a more eventful career in matrimony than Henry VIII. His marriages were daring and tumultuous, and made instant legends of six very different women. In this remarkable study, David Starkey argues that the king was not a depraved philanderer but someone seeking happiness -- and a son. Knowingly or not, he elevated a group of women to extraordinary heights and changed the way a nation was governed.Six Wives is a masterful work of history that intimately examines the rituals of diplomacy, marriage, pregnancy, and religion that were part of daily life for women at the Tudor Court. Weaving new facts and fresh interpretations into a spellbinding account of the emotional drama surrounding Henry's six marriages, David Starkey reveals the central role that the queens played in determining policy. With an equally keen eye for romantic and political intrigue, he brilliantly recaptures the story of Henry's wives and the England they ruled.
language: English
title: Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII
titlecomplete: Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII
characters: Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII of England, Eustace Chapuys, Catherine Parr, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves
genres: British Literature, Historical, History, Tudor Period, European History, Biography Memoir, Biography, 16th Century, Nonfiction, Womens
ratings_count: 9842
publisher: Harper Perennial