Sister to Queen Anne Boleyn, she was seduced by two kings
and was an intimate player in one of history’s most gripping
dramas. Yet much of what we know about Mary Boleyn has been
fostered through garbled gossip, romantic fiction, and the
misconceptions repeated by historians. Now, in her latest
book, New York Times bestselling author and noted British
historian Alison Weir gives us the first ever full-scale,
in-depth biography of Henry VIII’s famous mistress, in which
Weir explodes much of the mythology that surrounds Mary
Boleyn and uncovers the truth about one of the most
misunderstood figures of the Tudor age.
With the same brand of extensive forensic research she
brought to her acclaimed book The Lady in the Tower, Weir
facilitates here a new portrayal of her subjects, revealing
how Mary was treated by her ambitious family and the likely
nature of the relationship between the Boleyn sisters. She
also posits new evidence regarding the reputation of Mary’s
mother, Elizabeth Howard, who was rumored to have been an
early mistress of Henry VIII.
Weir unravels the truth about Mary’s much-vaunted notoriety
at the French court and her relations with King François I.
She offers plausible theories as to what happened to Mary
during the undocumented years of her life, and shows that,
far from marrying an insignificant and complacent nonentity,
she made a brilliant match with a young man who was the
King’s cousin and a rising star at court.
Weir also explores Mary’s own position and role at the
English court, and how she became Henry VIII’s mistress. She
tracks the probable course of their affair and investigates
Mary’s real reputation. With new and compelling evidence,
Weir presents the most conclusive answer to date on the
paternity of Mary’s children, long speculated to have been
Henry VIII’s progeny.
Alison Weir has drawn fascinating information from the
original sources of the period to piece together a life
steeped in mystery and misfortune, debunking centuries-old
myths and disproving accepted assertions, to give us the
truth about Mary Boleyn, the so-called great and infamous
whore.
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