The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser
Review by: Suzy

History that reads like a very entertaining soap opera. Antonia Fraser, well-known novelist and distinguished historian, combines the two to give a fascinating, in-depth look at the women behind the verse:

"Divorced, beheaded, died;
Divorced, beheaded, survived."

All six women who married King Henry, for one reason or another -- the two who were divorced married him as political alliances devised by their familes; the two who were executed married him because of love and/or lust; and the remaining two out of duty, for no woman would dare to refuse the powerful and ruthless King of England -- were remarkable. Fraser puts each wife in her historical context and examines the person she was, not just the wife of Henry VIII.

Why did the King marry so often? The short answer is the biological imperative. He needed sons since the infant mortality rate was very high) to inherit his throne and continue his bloodline. This obsession was common to everyone in these times, from peasants to the King. But despite all the marriages, only one son was born to Henry, and he died at the age of 15. None of Henry's three chuildren had childen of their own, and no descendants survive.

It is fascinating to follow the events that led to each wife's fate, and to learn who she really was, besides the consort of the moment.

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