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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Just prior to reading this book I finished Tracy Borman’s excellent ‘Thomas Cromwell’. Borman’s effort is the best book I have read on Tudor history. I found its arguments well-researched, it’s logic convincing and a good deal of humanity into the mix. I rarely found any of this in ‘The Lady in the Tower’.
I’ll start with the good because it is important to be objective. The book was easy to read and interesting in parts. I did learn some new information and by the end of the book I can say I know more about who Anne Boleyn was (insofar as we can) Weir made quite a heavy subject easily accessible and for this she deserves some credit.
Alison Weir is described as a ‘popular’ historian and also a writer of ‘Historical Fiction’ I think at points in the book Weir forgot she was supposed to be writing a history and leapt with both feet into the realms of pet theories and fantasy. Some of her arguments and theories were ridiculous and anyone with any prior knowledge of Tudor history should plainly see the cracks. At times it was exasperating.
Weir seems to have a crush on Henry VIII and sees everything he does through rose tinted glasses. She accuses Thomas Cromwell of being solely responsible for Anne Boleyn’s downfall and convincing the King with poor evidence when the reality of the situation is that Henry VIII had tired of the latest of his eventual six Queens and wanted rid of Anne. Did Cromwell assist him? Most certainly; Cromwell invented utterly trumped-up charges with barely any evidence and put Anne before a jury of her ‘peers’ (all powerful men and all enemies of Anne, more than willing to return a guilty plea to please the King) Weir states Anne’s trial was ‘not to be quite the farcical trial that some historians have claimed it to have been’ I have never read of a more farcical trial. It is impossible to see how it could have been more farcical. As previously mentioned the people judging her were carefully chosen from among her many enemies and knew it was expected of them to return a guilty verdict or face the wrath of a menacing Henry VIII, the evidence could barely be called that; it was so weak and based on hearsay that was clearly complete lies. Both the Queen and the men she allegedly slept with provided alibies and convincing arguments but none of that was important because the outcome of the trial was decided before Anne ever set foot in a court. Weir tries to argue that Henry was genuinely convinced by the evidence laid against Anne but, unless he was a simpleton, he would not have been as it really was that weak. Weir undoes her own argument later in the book when she points out Henry ordered the ‘Swordsman of Calais’ nine days before Anne’s trial had taken place to ensure he arrived on time for Anne’s execution. Her trial was utter farce and for Weir to seriously claim otherwise is, yes you guessed it, farcical.
At times the book is bogged down with padding. For example Weston (one of Anne Boleyn’s alleged lovers) had debts which Weir decides to list ad infinitum including amounts and what they were for, as if that were pertinent or interesting. She repeats herself and the middle of the book was like wading through treacle. Once or twice I nearly put it down for good.
Henry VIII was a tyrannical butcher more than happy to order the execution of anyone who displeased him. He was notoriously fickle and easily manipulated. He wanted Anne Boleyn dead not because he believed the pathetic trumped up charges but because she had failed to provide him with the son he was obsessed with having to ensure his bloodline continued to sit on the throne. Henry lacked the power to have it done outright without at least the appearance of a trial. Weir seems unable to accept any of these facts.
I could go on picking holes in other arguments I found utterly preposterous but I think you get the general idea. This will be the last Alison Weir book I bother with.
I’ll start with the good because it is important to be objective. The book was easy to read and interesting in parts. I did learn some new information and by the end of the book I can say I know more about who Anne Boleyn was (insofar as we can) Weir made quite a heavy subject easily accessible and for this she deserves some credit.
Alison Weir is described as a ‘popular’ historian and also a writer of ‘Historical Fiction’ I think at points in the book Weir forgot she was supposed to be writing a history and leapt with both feet into the realms of pet theories and fantasy. Some of her arguments and theories were ridiculous and anyone with any prior knowledge of Tudor history should plainly see the cracks. At times it was exasperating.
Weir seems to have a crush on Henry VIII and sees everything he does through rose tinted glasses. She accuses Thomas Cromwell of being solely responsible for Anne Boleyn’s downfall and convincing the King with poor evidence when the reality of the situation is that Henry VIII had tired of the latest of his eventual six Queens and wanted rid of Anne. Did Cromwell assist him? Most certainly; Cromwell invented utterly trumped-up charges with barely any evidence and put Anne before a jury of her ‘peers’ (all powerful men and all enemies of Anne, more than willing to return a guilty plea to please the King) Weir states Anne’s trial was ‘not to be quite the farcical trial that some historians have claimed it to have been’ I have never read of a more farcical trial. It is impossible to see how it could have been more farcical. As previously mentioned the people judging her were carefully chosen from among her many enemies and knew it was expected of them to return a guilty verdict or face the wrath of a menacing Henry VIII, the evidence could barely be called that; it was so weak and based on hearsay that was clearly complete lies. Both the Queen and the men she allegedly slept with provided alibies and convincing arguments but none of that was important because the outcome of the trial was decided before Anne ever set foot in a court. Weir tries to argue that Henry was genuinely convinced by the evidence laid against Anne but, unless he was a simpleton, he would not have been as it really was that weak. Weir undoes her own argument later in the book when she points out Henry ordered the ‘Swordsman of Calais’ nine days before Anne’s trial had taken place to ensure he arrived on time for Anne’s execution. Her trial was utter farce and for Weir to seriously claim otherwise is, yes you guessed it, farcical.
At times the book is bogged down with padding. For example Weston (one of Anne Boleyn’s alleged lovers) had debts which Weir decides to list ad infinitum including amounts and what they were for, as if that were pertinent or interesting. She repeats herself and the middle of the book was like wading through treacle. Once or twice I nearly put it down for good.
Henry VIII was a tyrannical butcher more than happy to order the execution of anyone who displeased him. He was notoriously fickle and easily manipulated. He wanted Anne Boleyn dead not because he believed the pathetic trumped up charges but because she had failed to provide him with the son he was obsessed with having to ensure his bloodline continued to sit on the throne. Henry lacked the power to have it done outright without at least the appearance of a trial. Weir seems unable to accept any of these facts.
I could go on picking holes in other arguments I found utterly preposterous but I think you get the general idea. This will be the last Alison Weir book I bother with.
I'm slightly obsessed with the Tudors and always have been and Anne Boleyn has long been my favorite of Henry's wives. I've read a number of books about her and this one was good. It outlined many reasons showing the probability that Anne was innocent or at least mostly innocent of the charges laid against her, something I've always believed. So much of what she was accused of just doesn't make sense. I didn't find this to be the strongest of Weir's books I've read (I loved Innocent Traitor - a fictional account about Lady Jane Grey and The Children of England - non-fiction about Henry's three children) but it was a good account outlining Anne's final days.
London 1536. Der englische König Heinrich VIII. ist nach 3 Jahren und mehreren Fehlgeburten enttäuscht von der Frau, auf die er so lange gewartet hat und für die er mit dem Papst gebrochen hat. Anne Boleyn muss mit ansehen, wie seine Zuneigung für ihre Hofdame Jane Seymour immer größer wird. Und nicht nur deshalb kann sie sich nicht mehr sicher fühlen in ihrer Haut…
Die renommierte englische Historikerin Alison Weir behandelt in diesem Sachbuch die letzten Monate im Leben der Anne Boleyn, die die englische Geschichte beeinflusste wie kaum eine zweite Frau. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit wurden Intrigen gegen sie gespinnt, wurde sie angeklagt und hingerichtet. Dass sie wie ihre Vorgängerin Katharina von Aragon offenbar nicht in der Lage war, Heinrich einen lebenden Sohn zu schenken, spielte dabei natürlich eine gewisse Rolle (interessant auch die Theorie, dass Anne Rhesus-negativ war, das hatte ich schon einmal irgendwo gelesen). Alison Weir zeigt uns aber, dass Heinrich, wenn auch sicher nicht unschuldig – nicht die treibende Kraft hinter dem Ruin Anne Boleyns war. Vielmehr wollten hohe Staatsbeamte und ihr feindlich gesinnte Männer und Frauen aus dem Umfeld Heinrich VIII. sie loswerden, da sie ihnen zu gefährlich wurde, allen voran Schatzkanzler Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell ist eine zwielichtige Figur, in fast allen filmischen und literarischen Darstellungen des Falles wird Cromwell sehr negativ und machthungrig dargestellt, erst Hilary Mantel hat uns in “Wolf Hall” ein ganz anderes Bild des Juristen präsentiert. Weshalb es für mich gar nicht so einfach zu schlucken war, dass er offensichtlich für die Anklage, Verurteilung und Hinrichtung Anne Boleyns sorgte. Heinrich selbst hätte Anne auch durch eine Annulierung ihrer Ehe loswerden können – tatsächlich wurde die Ehe ja noch vor Annes Hinrichtung annuliert und Tochter Elizabeth zu einem Bastard erklärt.
Weirs Buch erzählt die letzten Monate der Königin äußerst detailliert und belegt durch zahlreiche Quellen. Ich habe wirklich noch nie ein so gut recherchiertes Buch gelesen, Alison Weir muss wirklich alle schriftlichen Dokumente zusammengetragen und ausgewertet haben, die noch vorhanden sind. Ihre Schlussfolgerungen sind alle logisch, ich habe selbst nach der Lektüre dieses Buchs meine Meinung zu einigen Theorien geändert, etwa bezüglich der vermeintlichen Vaterschaft Heinrich VIII. an den Kindern der Schwester Anne Boleyns, Mary. Ausgewogen analysiert die Frage, ob irgendeiner der ungeheuerlichen Vorwürfe gegen sie (unter anderem Affären mit 5 Männern, darunter ihr eigener Bruder) tatsächlich haltbar ist.
Der Schreibstil ist gut, jedoch sollte man recht fit im Englischen sein, denn die Sprache ist anspruchsvoll und aufgrund der zahlreichen Quellenzitate in altertümlichem Englisch nicht ganz leicht lesbar. Eine deutsche Ausgabe scheint es leider nicht zu geben.
Ein ganz tolles Buch für alle, die sich für Anne Boleyn und die Tudors interessieren, und das einer der interessantesten Frauen der englischen Geschichte gerecht wird. Ich werde auf jeden Fall noch andere Bücher von Alison Weir lesen, allen voran “The Six Wifes of Henry VIII”.
Die renommierte englische Historikerin Alison Weir behandelt in diesem Sachbuch die letzten Monate im Leben der Anne Boleyn, die die englische Geschichte beeinflusste wie kaum eine zweite Frau. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit wurden Intrigen gegen sie gespinnt, wurde sie angeklagt und hingerichtet. Dass sie wie ihre Vorgängerin Katharina von Aragon offenbar nicht in der Lage war, Heinrich einen lebenden Sohn zu schenken, spielte dabei natürlich eine gewisse Rolle (interessant auch die Theorie, dass Anne Rhesus-negativ war, das hatte ich schon einmal irgendwo gelesen). Alison Weir zeigt uns aber, dass Heinrich, wenn auch sicher nicht unschuldig – nicht die treibende Kraft hinter dem Ruin Anne Boleyns war. Vielmehr wollten hohe Staatsbeamte und ihr feindlich gesinnte Männer und Frauen aus dem Umfeld Heinrich VIII. sie loswerden, da sie ihnen zu gefährlich wurde, allen voran Schatzkanzler Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell ist eine zwielichtige Figur, in fast allen filmischen und literarischen Darstellungen des Falles wird Cromwell sehr negativ und machthungrig dargestellt, erst Hilary Mantel hat uns in “Wolf Hall” ein ganz anderes Bild des Juristen präsentiert. Weshalb es für mich gar nicht so einfach zu schlucken war, dass er offensichtlich für die Anklage, Verurteilung und Hinrichtung Anne Boleyns sorgte. Heinrich selbst hätte Anne auch durch eine Annulierung ihrer Ehe loswerden können – tatsächlich wurde die Ehe ja noch vor Annes Hinrichtung annuliert und Tochter Elizabeth zu einem Bastard erklärt.
Weirs Buch erzählt die letzten Monate der Königin äußerst detailliert und belegt durch zahlreiche Quellen. Ich habe wirklich noch nie ein so gut recherchiertes Buch gelesen, Alison Weir muss wirklich alle schriftlichen Dokumente zusammengetragen und ausgewertet haben, die noch vorhanden sind. Ihre Schlussfolgerungen sind alle logisch, ich habe selbst nach der Lektüre dieses Buchs meine Meinung zu einigen Theorien geändert, etwa bezüglich der vermeintlichen Vaterschaft Heinrich VIII. an den Kindern der Schwester Anne Boleyns, Mary. Ausgewogen analysiert die Frage, ob irgendeiner der ungeheuerlichen Vorwürfe gegen sie (unter anderem Affären mit 5 Männern, darunter ihr eigener Bruder) tatsächlich haltbar ist.
Der Schreibstil ist gut, jedoch sollte man recht fit im Englischen sein, denn die Sprache ist anspruchsvoll und aufgrund der zahlreichen Quellenzitate in altertümlichem Englisch nicht ganz leicht lesbar. Eine deutsche Ausgabe scheint es leider nicht zu geben.
Ein ganz tolles Buch für alle, die sich für Anne Boleyn und die Tudors interessieren, und das einer der interessantesten Frauen der englischen Geschichte gerecht wird. Ich werde auf jeden Fall noch andere Bücher von Alison Weir lesen, allen voran “The Six Wifes of Henry VIII”.
I tried. I really tried. I picked it up again after 2 years, and this time, it was a lot more interesting. But once Anne was put in the tower, the book went downhill. Honestly, I really don't care about this or that minor noble who asked for the inmates' this or that title or property before they were even convicted, even though it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that they would die. Too much minutiae. Couldn't do it.
Usually I am very impressed by Weir's historical method and her command of the sources available to her, but with this book that was not the case. I was very annoyed at how little she questioned her sources, and even when she did and had determined, that they were not to be trusted, she still used them. She also has a bad habbit of saying: "It has usually been thought that [...] but really the case is that [...]" but then she never states how she has come to know that the usually accepted truth is in fact false, which annoyed the heck out of me, because if you are to question the official truth you better have your sources and your proofs straight. Lastly, Weir also seems to have learned a new word (apocryphal); at least she seems overly fond of using it, repeatedly.
Piercing, insightful analysis of what can only be an immense amount of research. Pulls the reader in from the opening lines and guides one through extensive contemporary and secondary sources. Weir never settles for merely dumping processed information onto the reader, but invites one to analyze each source alongside her.
I don't know why, but I've found Alison Weir's more recent books disappointing...still meticulously researched, but more wishy-washy...this book fails to take a clear stance on Anne's downfall and murder and relies too heavily on Eric Ives. Weir does a nice job of documenting her sources clearly, which most others gloss over, but it just wasn't as exciting as her previous works, like The Princes in the Tower.
As a fan of Tudor history, I found this non-fiction account of the last four months of Anne Boleyn's life very interesting even though I knew the tragic ending of her life. It helped that I have read a lot about Anne Boleyn as Alison Weir shares a lot of detail about the people who pushed her very quick downfall. Weir's book reads like a detective's report with specific details and descriptions about people, dates and places. She uses many quotes drawn from historical documents to explain the fall of Anne Boleyn which makes her account of this period in history very plausible.
This was a bit of a difficult read- it's very dense and academic. That said, I found Weir's writing style very enjoyable. If you are interested in learning about the true story behind the downfall of Anne Boleyn, look no further.
This took me so long to finish due to a busy term, but I persevered. The book is an interesting chronicle of Anne Boleyn's final three months, but I did find it to be repetitive in some parts. I also do not understand the repetition of the phrase 'rings true' when talking about something that may or not have happened, which was sometimes used based on scant evidence. There was a very interesting chapter at the end about Anne's legacy, and about legends and myths surrounding her (many) ghosts.
Received from Grace for my birthday years ago.
Received from Grace for my birthday years ago.