Have you read or seen the film adaptation of Phillippa Gregory's popular Tudor novel The Other Boleyn Girl? It is a good read, but it is fiction. Sometimes I want to cut through the stories and find out what's real and what's not. Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (#147) by Alison Weir is just the ticket. It's a serious biography of that other Boleyn girl.
From the way Mary has been portrayed in novels, on the screen and even in various historical references, I expected Mary's story to reflect the rather flamboyant title of this biography, but what Ms. Weir has tracked down in contemporary references reveals quite a different picture. She seems to have been a reluctant player in the royal games, yet her role was significant in her sister's story.
She was also the only one of her surviving siblings to ultimately marry for love and die in her own bed. After reading about the way Mary was treated, especially by her own family, it does create a vindication for her choices.
Also, Ms. Weir speculates, based on a number of sources, that Mary might also have produced the only branch of the Tudor family to exist in the present generation. Ultimately, only the participants in this story knew the truth, but it certainly is interesting to think about.
A recommended read to balance the Tudor fantasies out there.
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