Anne Boleyn

Of Henry VIII’s six wives it is the second, Anne Boleyn, who is the most engaging. In this first volume of Friedmann’s classic biography, Anne’s meteoric rise is painted onto a broader canvas, showing how it affected the great powers of Europe – and England. But Anne was shrewd and refused to surrender easily to Henry VIII’s infatuation, having no desire to be just another mistress: she saw an opportunity for marriage, and acknowledgement as queen. Meticulously researched, Friedmann shows how at the heart of the turbulence that would ultimately divide a nation was an accomplished woman whose intelligence and determination won her a king – by her own rules.