Welcome June and summertime (or winter, depending on your hemisphere)! Hopefully something in here strikes your fancy for summer beach reading (or cozy winter fireside reading).

Books

One book that I missed for last month’s round-up was Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang, featuring Catherine de Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots. It was released on May 11 in the UK and will be out in August in the US:

Next up, Edward VI: Henry VIII’s Overshadowed Son by Stephanie Kline came out in late April in the UK and will be out in late June in the US:

And Tracy Borman’s Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History, which came out in May in the UK is out on June 20 in the US:

Finally, for the previously-released books, Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and Events by Andrew Beattie was released at the end of May in the UK and will be out at the end of June in the US:

New Releases

Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings by Heather R. Darsie will be out in mid-June in the UK and in September in the US. Always nice to see more work on Anne of Cleves and her family!

Next up, The Tudors by Numbers: The Stories and Statistics Behind England’s Most Infamous Royal Dynasty by Carol Ann Lloyd will be out at the end of June in the UK and the end of August in the US.

And finally, The Queen’s Frog Prince: The Courtship of Elizabeth I and the Duke of Anjou by David Lee will be out at the end of June in the UK and on July 1 in the US:

Continuing Exhibitions

Hever Castle has a new exhibition that debuted when it reopened for the year on February 8 – Catherine & Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers. Admission to the exhibition is included with tickets to the castle. There is also a companion book available which can also be purchased from the online shop.

Part of a blog series about ‘I am Henry,’ the new novel and award-winning short film of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, by Jan Hendrik Verstaten & Massimo Barbato.

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are the two main characters in the book. Catherine of Aragon and her first living son Henry, the Duke of Cornwall, who tragically died within two months of his birth, also contribute to the story in an important way. These four characters each tell part of the story in their own voice and from their perspective, with Henry and Anne being the most consequential and frequent ones.

There are a lot of other characters that appear in the book. Who are they?

From the four other wives of Henry VIII Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves are only mentioned briefly in the book. Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard both make a short but memorable appearance and share their opinion on their former husband and king. Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife who gave him a son and an heir, does this in a soft spoken but unmistakable way.

Catherine Howard does not hide her passionate temperament and just like Henry’s other ex-wives, does not shy away from handing out the truth as she sees it.

Henry’s parents, Elizabeth of York and Henry VII, appear early in the book. Together they were the founders of the Tudor dynasty and both were equally zealous and dedicated to the Tudor cause. Henry’s father speaks in an earnest and loving way to his son.

A more surprising encounter takes place with Henry’s brother Arthur, the Prince of Wales who was destined to be the king. Henry VIII was always thought of as the spare, but due to Arthur’s untimely death Henry’s fate changes dramatically.
From Henry’s children it is Elizabeth I who in the end, just as in history itself, concludes the story.

George Boleyn, Anne’s bright elder brother visits her. His fate was very much dependent on his sister’s. Early on, when she had to decide what kind of relationship to have with the king, his advice played a deciding factor. Later, he was accused of incest with Anne and of conspiracy to kill the king.
Anne’s first love, Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, also comes to see Anne. They kept their love a secret. When it became public knowledge, their love was forbidden, and the two were separated.

Several religious figures, but also friends and members of his privy chamber, show up in the book. Their identities are occasionally disguised at first only to be revealed later,as the plot unfolds. With them, historical events are brought back to life. Like the Carthusian monks who were publicly executed during the dissolution of the monasteries.

The Vice-Admiral of the warship Mary Rose George Carew shares with Henry and re-lives the fateful sinking of the ship.

Others like Henry’s closest friend and ally Charles Brandon who later became his brother-in-law after he married Henry’s sister Mary Tudor, are briefly present, as is his chief minister Thomas Cromwell.

I’m happy to be hosting a stop on the book tour for I am Henry coming up next week! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to participate in something like this, but as I strive to achieve more work/life balance I’m trying to make more time to get back to my old interests and hobbies.

Here’s the full schedule:

April 17: The Anne Boleyn Files

April 18: History… The Interesting Bits!

April 19: English Historical Fiction Authors

April 20: TudorHistory.org Blog (here!)

April 21: The Tudor Society

April 22: Book Launch Day!