I really enjoyed reading this latest non-fiction exploration of the Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn saga by John Guy and Julia Fox entitled Hunting The Falcon - Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe (#1,189). Yes, it's a pretty dense read (I do have to stop and read the footnotes.) but it emphasizes aspects of this famous relationship which I had never thought about, or even been aware of in most of the other materials I have read about this couple. Their respective upbringings and the political situation in Europe took center stage here, not the romantical or sexual aspects. What a difference that shift of focus makes, and how it sheds light on what happened here.
Henry's absolute conviction that anything he thought or wanted was right reminded me forcibly of yet another modern day bloated, narcissistic politician with strong revenge motivations. The only current distinction between the two at this point is that Henry had the literal power of life and death over his victims. His pursuit of Anne is a case in point. He wanted what he couldn't have. Once he was convinced (with not a little help from those around him with axes to grind) that Anne had betrayed him, there was no turning back. Not only did he have her put to death, he demolished every trace of her existence that he could find, including all her falcon badges carved everywhere in the royal residences. Yet it was cutting off his nose to spite his face, as he never found another woman whom he trusted with his thoughts the way he did with Anne.
If you read Tudor history, add this book to your Must Read List. It's good to get a different perspective, even hundreds of years after the facts.
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