Take a look at the wives of Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, pious Catholic princess and mother of Mary Tudor; Anne Boleyn, the pretty Lutheran with whom Henry was madly in love; Jane Seymour, whose submissiveness was in such contrast to Anne's vampish style and who gave Henry his longed-for son; Anne of Cleves, who was declared so plain by the now grossly overweight Henry; Catherine Howard, the "flirty child" whose adulteries made a fool of the ageing king; and Catherine Parr, a shrewd Protestant bluestocking who eventually outlived him. In this study of Henry VIII's six queens, Starkey draws on the letters, artefacts and documents of the period, concentrating on the rituals of diplomacy, marriage, pregnancy and private religion, to give a richly textured picture of daily life at the Tudor court from the woman's point of view.

Author Biography

David Starkey has breathed new life into popular history. His new 'golden handcuffs' deal with Channel 4 makes him the best-paid historian ever on TV, and will ensure an exceedingly high profile for his books. He is contracted to write and present a minimum of 25 hours of TV over 3 years, plus constant repeats of his TV series. A constitutional historian and broadcaster, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, he is the acknowledged expert on the Tudors.