Sister to Queen Anne Boleyn, she was seduced by two kings and was an intimate player in one of historyβs 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 VIIIβs 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 Maryβs mother, Elizabeth Howard, who was rumored to have been an early mistress of Henry VIII.
Weir unravels the truth about Maryβs much-vaunted notoriety at the French court and her relations with King FranΓ§ois 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 Kingβs cousin and a rising star at court.
Weir also explores Maryβs own position and role at the English court, and how she became Henry VIIIβs mistress. She tracks the probable course of their affair and investigates Maryβs real reputation. With new and compelling evidence, Weir presents the most conclusive answer to date on the paternity of Maryβs children, long speculated to have been Henry VIIIβs 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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