Sunday, August 02, 2009

Question from Erin - Court and Boleyn book recommendations

In short I guess you could say that I've found other things to do than read my most favorite novels. I can't wait to find more to read about Henry VIII, Anne and Mary Boleyn, and Catharine of Aragon. Each time I buy a book I find myself diving head-first into the text. Each story captures my mind and heart-it's an addiction!
Unfortunately, I've been neglecting my hobby. I was wondering a few moments ago where Henry VIII kept his court at. That is to say, which castle? I'm sure it's an elementary question, but I've fallen out of my routine readings, and I just can't remember!
It would help me know this so that I don't feel so crazy anymore!
Oh, and if you could recommend books on the Boleyns, or suggest some that you especially liked, please do!

7 comments:

Lara said...

There wasn't just one castle or palace that Henry held court at - they moved from place to place periodically. If you search through the blog archives on terms like "palace" or "castle" or "court" you can find some previous threads on them.

Tudorrose said...

Yes it is true what Lara said.The king held court and travelled to various places.Various places like castles palaces and hunting lodges.King Henry VIII'S main residence to hold court in was Hampton Court Palace.Anne Boleyn is one of my favourite characters from Tudor history.I also like Mary Boleyn.I recommend Anne Boleyn by Joanna Denny and Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives as I have theese books and they are a good read.Eric Ives really goes into detail about Anne.So much so that it is like no other book that I have read on Anne Boleyn.The above books I recommend that you read.I suggest that theese are the books for anyone who is interested in Anne Boleyn.

Laura said...

Ives is absolutely the expert when it comes to Anne Boleyn. His books is a comprehensive read.

As Lara and Tudorrose stated, there was no single court. Henry VIII held court in many castles, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Whitehall, are just a few of his "homes."

As for books on the Boleyns, there is always Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox. It's a good source for detail on the court, but not necessarily the comprehensive biography I was hoping for when I read it.

Kathy said...

The Denny book may be a "good read", but it is wildly inaccurate and prejudicial in many aspects. I believe I read somewhere that Denny used to work for a tabloid newspaper. Based on this book, I believe it. The Ives book is the gold standard and is far more accurate than Denny.

tudor fanatic said...

I agree with Laura. "Jane Boleyn" by Julia Fox is a really good book to read if you want to find out more about the Boleyns, although it is more about court life during the Tudor era and the Boleyn family in general rather than specifically Jane Boleyn. But it is a really good source of information, and is quite easy to understand, as oppose to some books on the Tudor era which just get really confusing!!!! It will be especially good for you, Erin, considering your fascination with Henry VIII's court, and may help you to understand the concept of a moving court better.

Luv said...

I would like to recommend "The King and his court" by Alison Weir. It's a very interesting book, and has a lot of information about life at court. There is also a new book out about Mary Boleyn, which I sure will interest you , since it about the Boleyn. The book is called" Mary Boleyn:The True story of Henry VIII's mistress by Josephine Wilkinson. I'm not familiar with Wilkinson's work, however, Wilkinson has written another books, she wrote Richard III: The Young King to be. Which is said to be very good.

Gareth Russell said...

The book on Mary Boleyn is very short, as any biography on Mary Boleyn is bound to be. There simply isn't enough evidence about her and, as ever, all it really ends up doing is telling us what the author really thought about the one Boleyn girl who mattered - Anne.